Maximum traveling payload capacity of bandmill bed?

[bigblockyeti]

I'm doing some long term planning and one obstacle I'm running into is how to get everything into the woods I need in a single trip.  When I say long term, I mean 3-8 years, too many variables to give a tighter timeline as of now.  

My plan is a 3/4-1 ton truck with a slide in camper pulling a mill, mostly likely an LT40 super hydraulic.  I see the shipping weight listed by Wood-Mizer as 4210lbs and that doesn't specify which engine or accessories so it appears to be a very loose specification.  I can get all I need from a people, shelter and sustenance standpoint contained within the truck/camper.  With me I'd also like to haul a dual sport motorcycle (small & street legal), an ATV of under 700lbs and tools of approximately 400lbs including the box holding them.  I know all this will physically fit on the bed of an LT40 and I suspect the frame will handle it.  I'm not sure if it would handle that weight moving or with the factory 6 lug axle that's under it.  

Has anyone hauled anything of significant weight on the bed of their mill while underway at highway speeds?  An alternative plan would be a less productive LT15 wide off to one side of a dual 5200lb axle trailer with support equipment/vehicles hauled on the other side.  I know this would be safer but I really am interested in opinions represented as experience with the payload of a portable mill beyond what it weighs as delivered.

[doc henderson]

you can ask that of the manufacturer.  I did just that, and the answer is we are not going to recomend it.  the frame is designed for a fair bit of weight, but not with supports up and bouncing down the highway.

[bigblockyeti]

I kinda figured WM would recommend against anything other than a little extra water, fuel and a handful of tools.  I realize this is probably a unique question, I think more likely someone would be interested in strapping down a few dozen boards to the bed and heading out of the woods but weight is weight.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Could you put a rear hitch with an electric brake connection on the mill and tow another smaller trailer? I don't know if that would damage the mill so I'd check before doing that. You'd probably have to disconnect the rear trailer before doing any significant backing.

   Also check the tagging requirements with your state DMV as many states (Mine included) consider the mill a piece of agricultural or mobile construction equipment and do not require a tag. If it were used for hauling other loads a tag would be required.

   Being totally self contained and being able to travel to various sites is a very tempting proposition. The closest I have seen is Ol Jarhead who pulls his mill with a truck with a slide in camper IIRC. I don't know what other equipment he takes with him or where he puts it.

[Joe Hillmann]

Can you put the motorcycle on the front of the truck?

And can you build your own camper so the 4 wheeler can fit inside the camper like a toy hauler/camper.  Just make it so everything folds up to make room while transporting and folds back down when it is living space?

I wouldn't be too concerned of putting a few hundred pounds of tools onto the bed of the mill as close to the the axle as possible.  I would be concerned about putting putting a four wheel on there though. I have car hauler that I bent from over loading it.  On a car hauler that is no big deal. the bed just has a bit of curve to it, but on a sawmill it would mean you can no longer saw straight lumber, if it will still saw at all.

When it comes to tools you can put all sorts of tool holders on the outside of your truck.  At work our work truck has all sorts of pipes welded to it that become spots to put long handled tools, like shovels, rakes, mauls, bars and chainsaws.

Have you considered it may just be easier to take several trips?

[barbender]

The bed of an LT40 is not designed for hauling. Like Doc said, they are designed to take the weight of logs with the supports on the ground. Overall, I would put this in the "bad idea" bin, but people have proved me wrong before. 

[Joe Hillmann]

If you take VW sawmillers idea of double towing look carefully into which states you will be doing it in to see if it is legal.  Some states don't allow it at all, and in the states that do allow it they may have lots of restrictions.  As an example it is "illegal" in Wisconsin but there are pages and pages of laws of exemptions of when, where, and how it is legal.

Another option is to buy a large flat bed trailer, put the mill,four wheeler, bike and tools all on  the trailer.

[SawyerTed]

I'm in the it is bad idea camp.  The axle and springs aren't designed for carrying weight greater than the mill and a few odds and ends.  Adding an 700 pounds atv and some tools is likely excessive.  The other concern is an atv on the bed of an LT 40 will make it top heavy/heavier on an already narrow sawmill. 

As mentioned, the frame supported by the outriggers is designed for handling log weight, without the outriggers you are relying on the springs to keep the load stable.  They aren't designed for that additional weight. 

Now a 3/4 ton or ton truck pulling a gooseneck might haul all you want including the mill, truck camper, motor cycle and atv.  (This is in keeping with the Forum's unwritten rule of spending other people's money indiscriminately). :D :D

[doc henderson]

double trailers can be tricky, especially light weight stuff.  you need some tongue weight.  and tongue weight on the second trailer lifts the tongue of the first and can cause unstable towing conditions.  I would be comfortable in a field or low speed country roads, like with ag stuff.  i tried a wood trailer with a log splitter behind it.  started whipping to the extent, I thought it might flip the log splitter.  i would be comfortable and have towed with some slabs or a small cant on the mill.  

[bigblockyeti]

Now a 3/4 ton or ton truck pulling a gooseneck might haul all you want including the mill, truck camper, motor cycle and atv.  (This is in keeping with the Forum's unwritten rule of spending other people's money indiscriminately). :D :D

I was once on garagejournal, I understand the concept quite well.  In the opposite direction was the idea of building my own camper to contain the ATV while underway with the motorcycle strapped to the grill.  I remember grandma & grandpa had a front mounted bike rack that seemed like a pretty good idea.  If a truck can handle a 600# snow plow, a 330lb. cycle should be a walk in the park, just have to make sure not to block the headlights.  

I've seen Ol Jarhead's videos and that was part of my inspiration.

I'm not doing double trailers, it was a pain off road the few times I've done it and in some areas could be a legal liability on road.  Everywhere it would be further pain trying to get into the woods and get everything placed where it needed to be, especially when arriving after dark.

In all honesty I know this is a bad idea, but is it a bad idea like driving 37mph in a 35 zone or a bad idea like netting an additional $2M from an insider trading deal?

BTW, I did send WM a message asking about the GVWR of a few different mills, I'll post what they respond.

[Southside]

Doubles need to be a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch for the lead trailer to be legal. I don't see a way what you are proposing would work without legal issues or potentially damaging your mill. 

[SawyerTed]

The front mount for the motorcycle, toy hauler slide-in camper for the atv and a few tools on the mill bed isn't too bad with the 3/4 ton or one ton.  Paint your tools/boxes the same color as the mill and I doubt anyone will notice. 

Loading/overloading the mill bed for a use the manufacturer doesn't recommend is a bad idea like driving impaired.  Should something go wrong, the other guy's insurance/lawyer will be looking for all they can get and your insurance will be looking for wiggle room.

[Joe Hillmann]

Have you considered buying a school bus?

You can build part of it into a  big camper, the back can be the garage for the bike, wheeler and tools as well as a work shop when parked.  It would tow a mill as if it wasnt there.  Busses come in all types of sizes and will probably be much cheaper than a 20 year old pickup.  

If you go with a bus you would have to go without 4x4.  A bus will surprise you with how much it can go through without getting stuck, then the next day it will suprise you because it got stuck on a piece of bubble gum.  If you stop and put tire chains on it BEFORE going off road they can offroad fairly well.  Once you get to the mill site if you cant get the bus to where you want to set up the mill you can use the four wheeler to get the mill where it needs to be.

I haven't kept up with bus prices since covid but they used to be amazingly cheap for a vehicle you could load up with 6 tons of material and it will drive better than when empty.

[Walnut Beast]

I would think you could handle 2,500lb fairly easy. A Timberking 2000 handled that just fine 1,200 miles one way. No problem 

[Jeff]

When your sawmill becomes a trailer, it is no longer a sawmill in the eyes of the law.

[bigblockyeti]

I would think you could handle 2,500lb fairly easy. A Timberking 2000 handled that just fine 1,200 miles one way. No problem

This is more the kind of first hand experiece I'm looking for.  I do value opinions and I'm intimately aware of the associated risks, moreso from a legal standpoint than from a hardware standpoint.  The CG of a 700lb stack of lumber would certainly be lower than that of an ATV atop the bed even if I were to center it over the axle of a thus far unknown capacity.  Being narrower than similar weight trailer, I understand also it could be tippy under the right circumstances too.  I'm eagerly awaiting the quantitative data I hope WM is able to provide.

[bigblockyeti]

When your sawmill becomes a trailer, it is no longer a sawmill in the eyes of the law.

I've reached out to a buddy who's a SCHP officer and an uncle in NC who's a magistrate to see what data they have and what their take would be.  I need to find someone in GA with similar credentials who can give an answer as well.

[Southside]

At least you will have witnesses you can subpoena.

[bigblockyeti]

I've played the roll of the subject matter expert before, it's my objective to not find myself on the other side of the bench.

[Jeff]

I could probably carry 150lbs on my back for a few feet without breaking myself, but then I would need to go down some steps, cross some wet grass and a bit of gravel and mud. Ah, why make two trips when It's such a small risk of screwing my back up. I can always get it fixed, and I could sit on the couch for a year waiting for it to heal up and watch youtube videos of guys sawing on trailers and carrying atvs on sawmills.

[SawyerTed]

Jeff, that's as funny a thing as I've seen on the Forum in a while!   :D

[bigblockyeti]

A man's gotta know his limitations.

[Southside]

He also has to know when 100 maybe 150 years of combined experience are telling him " eh, not so much"

[mike dee]

 

 

[bigblockyeti]

^ Making it work, I like it!