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Crane/hoist on trolley mounted on mill

Started by Pepe_Silvia, August 18, 2021, 01:38:30 AM

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Pepe_Silvia

Wondering if anyone has done this or has any advice/input.

I'm looking for a way to get bigger cuts off the mill efficiently.  I started using my crane that's mounted on my trailer along with log tongs (video of that here), and it's working pretty well for me.  The next step is to incorporate it into the mill.


I have purchased the second crane, a Liftmoore L-8 with 800 lb capacity.  Here's what I've drawn up.  My plan is to either lash or clamp the corners of the trolley to the mill bed to keep it from tipping when it's in use.




 



Woodmizer LT15Wide GO, John Deere 318D Skid Steer

doc henderson

I have not done it, but you will want to work up to higher weight stuff.  if you are lifting over the side, it could twist or try to roll you mill frame.  not sure what size weight mill you have.  will the trolley crane interfere with your mill gantry?  this may not be a complete drawing, but will need some reinforcement, from the four corners up on the mast a bit, and I agree a way to keep the wheels on the tracks.  neat idea, but I would make some test runs, and increase weight limits carefully.  good luck, and post pics as you go.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

doc henderson

so I went to your info, and it appears you an engineer by day and have a stationary mill.  might be able to rig  a separate pole crane, or maybe a tractor or skid steer.  or build a ramp with stops to keep things moving up hill.  the trolley is a great idea, but will it take up too much space on your mill, or do you plan to make it easy to add and remove.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

doc henderson

so watched the video. you have a skid steer, and the crane on the trailer works great.  do you really need/want one on the mill?  I have a grapple and a "crane" attachment that goes on the skid steer.  good for moving trailers (including my mill) and lifting logs over trailer sides, with lifting tongs.  has a fixed chain, and all the lifting is done by the loader arms.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

ladylake

Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

Magicman

I agree with Steve above.  Your idea is a recipe for a disaster.  When properly supported, your LT15 frame is designed for downward pressure/weight.  Your crane would be exerting upward and twisting forces.

I would go with a 4 wheel overhead gantry that would roll over your sawmill frame when needed and rolled away while you are sawing.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Pepe_Silvia

Thanks for all the input.

Quote from: doc henderson on August 18, 2021, 05:18:47 AM
so I went to your info, and it appears you an engineer by day and have a stationary mill.  might be able to rig  a separate pole crane, or maybe a tractor or skid steer.  or build a ramp with stops to keep things moving up hill.  the trolley is a great idea, but will it take up too much space on your mill, or do you plan to make it easy to add and remove.
Explains the hair-brained ideas right?  I haven't updated my info, but I got the GO trailer kit for it a couple months back and the idea was to give me something to use when I'm not at home.  The idea is for it to be removable (much like the mill head can be removed), but it also doesn't take up a whole lot of space.  The crane pivots, and I would only lose the length of the legs, which are currently designed at 28".  The mill is ~16' long and I very rarely cut over 12'.


Quote from: doc henderson on August 18, 2021, 05:27:56 AM
so watched the video. you have a skid steer, and the crane on the trailer works great.  do you really need/want one on the mill?  I have a grapple and a "crane" attachment that goes on the skid steer.  good for moving trailers (including my mill) and lifting logs over trailer sides, with lifting tongs.  has a fixed chain, and all the lifting is done by the loader arms.

The trailer is working well for now.  The thought was to integrate it so it's all portable.  I won't be using this to load logs, just slabs/lumber.  The idea to put a crane on the skidsteer is a good one, though, I'll look into making that investment.


Quote from: Magicman on August 18, 2021, 07:44:49 AM
I agree with Steve above.  Your idea is a recipe for a disaster.  When properly supported, your LT15 frame is designed for downward pressure/weight.  Your crane would be exerting upward and twisting forces.

I would go with a 4 wheel overhead gantry that would roll over your sawmill frame when needed and rolled away while you are sawing.

I had considered the twisting force might be problematic, but then I watched some of the videos using the Woodmizer factory set-up that mounts a winch on one side and parbuckles it up ramps on the other side (shown here).  Wouldn't that be the exerting the same twisting force?  Bear in mind I will not be loading logs that size, only offloading cut lumber.  Based on my calculations, the largest slab I've ever cut is about 500lbs (Red Oak at 2.5" x 36" x 12').

Maybe I could attach some outriggers that fold down when I'm using the crane.  Then it would be similar to the overhead gantry idea, but I could fold it up and it would ride on the trailer.

Woodmizer LT15Wide GO, John Deere 318D Skid Steer

Magicman

The Wood-Mizer parbuckle winch is putting side force on the sawmill rails where the overhead crane would be putting uplift and twisting forces which would change as the crane is swung around.

Outriggers could offset the downward forces but not the uplift.  The gantry would always have downward forces on all 4 wheels.

Yes, there are several examples of overhead cranes and lifting arrangements on various sawmills here on the FF.  My opinion was only to point out the different and unnatural forces that would be exerted on the sawmill frame that were not accounted for when it was designed and built.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Daburner87

Your skid steer looks very capable, why not just move the cuts manually onto the forks after cutting like many others do?  Load your log, put the Deere on the side where the trailer/crane is in the video, and just slide your cuts off onto the forks.  Then you can just drive them to where you store and stack them.  I saw that you use it to flip your logs, but there are better ways to do that.  With a cant or farmers jack rigged up to do the job, electric winch if you want to go that route.  Seems easier then another crane.
HM130Max Woodlander XL

Pepe_Silvia

Quote from: Daburner87 on August 18, 2021, 06:00:22 PM
Your skid steer looks very capable, why not just move the cuts manually onto the forks after cutting like many others do?  Load your log, put the Deere on the side where the trailer/crane is in the video, and just slide your cuts off onto the forks.  Then you can just drive them to where you store and stack them.  I saw that you use it to flip your logs, but there are better ways to do that.  With a cant or farmers jack rigged up to do the job, electric winch if you want to go that route.  Seems easier then another crane.
I have a cant hook I usually use to flip logs.  That one I had to flip and rotate due to the shape of it.  I admittedly did not do a very graceful job with the skidsteer  ;D
Woodmizer LT15Wide GO, John Deere 318D Skid Steer

SawyerTed

Three words of advice - roller toe boards.  

Rolling those slabs off the end of the mill onto the skid steer forks would be relatively easy with some strategically placed toe boards. Even two toe boards to lift a slab and a roller conveyor laid on the mill bed would work.  I use the two toe boards on my mill to roll cants, slabs and stacks of lumber off either end of the mill depending upon how I'm setup.

The mill mounted crane is a solution looking to solve a problem already solved by the skid steer and the trailer mounted.  

I know, I know, engineers are sometimes driven to make a solution elegant when a good solution works very well. :D :D
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

mike_belben

im in camp dont do it.  youll twist up the mill frame or plain flip it over.  build a live deck and get some gravity conveyor for sending cants and flitches down the line. 
Praise The Lord

Crusarius

I did not read all of the thread but I have always wanted to setup a beam over the full length of the mill but have it double the length of the mill. This way you can use a trolley with a chainfall and lift and move anything. So you can load giant logs very easily and unload very easily.

Also allows you to stack logs at the end of the mill instead of next to it. This could make it alot easier to remove heavy slabs onto a set of forks.

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