looking at 7 year old Woodmizer LT15

[Durf700]

thanks.

[Bandmill Bandit]

That mill aint seen enough logs to qualify as used. Id call it a demo unit.
You done very well.

[alanh]

when I paid 5k for my LT 15 used it was about that old, the previous owner had built a trailer under it, I think that well maintained they will always be worth 5k. I`ve since added the pineywoods design hydraulic turner, which is awesome.

[Durf700]

thanks! I'm going to build my own trailer for it. I have a 4' axel on tires with leaf springs and a hitch from a tractor supply trailer.  just need some steel to install under the existing frame.  going to pretty much copy how woodmizer LT15 GO trailer is.  I am also going to work on setting it up with at least 1 winch for log turning like the post earlier was set up.  I may even ad a 2cd winch for pressure to secure the log against the stops.  i will probably be doing alot of the sawing by myself so if I can reduce the amount of effort for a few hundred bucks it will be well worth it.

if anyone else has installed winches hooked to log turners or log clamps I am open to designs.  as of right now it looks like I will buy the woodmizer manual log turner kit and modify it.  I called the woodmizer rep and he said with the addition of a bracket or 2 I can make the LT28 manual log turner work on my LT15. its way overpriced... for what you get, so if i cant find anything else I will probably grab that one. 

[firefighter ontheside]

How will you use the extensions if you build a trailer under it?

[Greysonvalleyrr]

Find an old boat trailer,  see a lot for sale without the titles really cheap. Cut the frame above the axles and maybe you will have to move the saddles to match the frame width of the LT 15. Just bolt it on. Will have to make a tongue for the front but the trailer will give you that also.   

[Durf700]

the trailer kit they offer is designed for 3 sections of track.  I will use it like that until I get my barn built at my new property.  then once thats done I will set it up with the full 4 sections of track so I can cut up to around 24 feet. 

I could probably brace the whole frame and trailer the whole 4 sections.  its only about 5 miles from my current home to where my 54 acres are. i'm gonna meet with a family member that owns a steel fabrication shop that may want to mill up some red maple I have... gotta love barter system!  i'm sure he will be willing to help out with the trailer system build. not that its complicated, but maybe with the steel and cutting down to size so I just have to bolt or weld on.

I will look at boat trailers available this week as well.

[farmfromkansas]

Careful about welding anything to the frame of your mill, easy to warp the frame.  Been there, done that.

[Durf700]

good to know.  I think i will probably weld together the frame supports and then bolt them the way woodmizer kit bolts to the bed sections for they're trailer kit design. that way I can take it off if I want to set it up for good in a building.

[YellowHammer]

 I put a trailer under mine years ago, also a winch claw turner, linked lever operated backstops, hydraulic jack toe boards and among other things a hybrid style two plane clamp.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=53476.msg771527#msg771527

[Durf700]

I received my steel for the trailer yesterday!  welded it all up and installed the hitch as soon as it arrived yesterday.  so far i'm happy I built my own.  27' long box steel all pre-cut and delivered with cross supports and 3" pieces to bolt trailer to.!!!  it was nice not having to cut everything to length.  now I just need to bolt the LT 15 down to the new trailer , install the jacks and I am ready to rock!

my logger has set aside 10k board feet of nice Northeast hemlock for my pole barn off my land that I was logging. I will start sawing for the first time in about a month!!



 

[Bandmill Bandit]

I'll give you 2 years till you move up to a hydraulic mill! 

Trailer looks good.  

[Durf700]

That has always been. Problem for me... I always want bigger and better stuff..lol.. if I catch the sawmill bug I agree that within 2 years I will have a hydraulic mill! Just dont tell my wife what they cost!

[Durf700]

 

 

 

 

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heres an update on my trailer!  the frame came out great!  the axle is a bit light duty with the added weight and the 4th piece of track...  may need to get another axle and put it in front of the existing one.  it may be ok because i was thinking of just sliding the track up about 5 feet from the hitch when transporting with my truck which will put most of the weight on the truck vs the trailer axle.  what are everyone's thoughts on the axle if I keep the mill head up by the hitch when transporting? 

also, I removed the jack handles and welded on nuts similar to how woodmizers jacks are for the LT15.  now I just need to put a jack on the hitch centered for ease of getting on the ball of my truck. not bad.. 2 easy days of taking my time, welding up frame and then installing mill onto it.  probably around 10 hours invested.. 700 lbs of steel plus jacks. 

Then I get to learn how to use it! yee haaa!

[doc henderson]

If you plan to be portable professional , put the proper axle on it.  if you are a hobby guy and just moving in the yard and occasionally in the neighborhood, you  are OK.

[Durf700]

the plan is to take it over to my woods where the hemlock is 2 days a week.  only about 5 miles away.  once I figure out a good way to lock the saw head to the track I will have to take a trip over and see how it does with the single axle.

[WV Sawmiller]

   My LT 35 has a flip up locking pin on one the rails at the balance point that fits into a hole drilled into the plate on the bottom of the saw head with a safety chain to prevent it from bouncing out. Pretty straightforward and simple design that works well. Good luck and get some sawdust flying real soon. 

[Bandmill Bandit]

Unless you're only moving short distances and doing it slowly your aksing for trouble with the way you have the axcel mounted. Your geometry is very similar to ag implements designed for a max towing speed of about 15 to 20 MPH with a tongue weight of up to 2000lbs on the tongue that is designed to take that kind of stress. 

Any faster than that you are asking for major "death wobble" events in the towing process. DO NOT excceed the spec hitch weight of the tow vehicle hitch which on a half ton is generally about 5 to 600 lbs and can be up to 800 lbs with out a stabilizing hitch. With a heavy duty class III certified stabilizing hitch this can go up to 1200lbs.  Your axcel shoud be located at roughly 60% of the total length measured from the front of trailer (not including tounge) to the end of the mill and then adjust fore/aft (+/- 5%) for balance based on desired hitch weight.

Pin weight and axel mount position are the 2 most critical factors in mitigating the death wobble. The higher the pin weight above spec the more likely the probability of a catastrophic wobble. Insurance will not cover damage from a  trailer that is not transportation department certified in this part of the world.

I can build a trailer and have done more than a few BUT the serial number is issued by the transportation department when they certify the trailer. With out a serial number it cannot be registered and is not allowed on the roads.      


The mill carriage should be over the axle as you have it BUT should be about 5% to 10% fore of axel mount center point to maintain the hitch weight.

By looking at the picture and not knowing the measurements id say you axel need to move forward a minimum of 4 feet to a max of about 6 feet.

If your total trailer length is 33 feet then your axel should be located 13 to 15 feet from the back end of the trailer. With the saw head as the balance adjustment, I would put the axel 14' from the back bumper and id pin the centre of the saw head 4" to 6" ahead of the axel. Figure this point with a scale under the hitch jack moving the head till you get the desired hitch weight.      

[Magicman]

I don't see that your axle orientation is much different than most boat trailers which have no wobble problem.  The wobble occurs when most of the weight is behind the axle, not in front.

Yes, I have "unloaded" and scattered firewood with a tail heavily loaded trailer. 

[Durf700]

the mill trailer frame is 27' long.  I placed the axle 9' from the rear so the tail doesnt drag if I go up a semi steep grade.  i think its pretty much how the 3 section LT go axle is placed.  only difference is I have 4 sections of track.  so I kept the same percentage of the axle being 1 third from the tail.  I will probably buy another axle same as I have and place it right in front of existing to split the load and then place the mill head over them. that should solve the weight issue.

[Woodpecker52]

Lt 15 has locking pin that will hold down the head from moving.  Since my mill is stationary I covered up the pin holes.  I learned real quick not to start the automatic feed works with the head locked down.  You will find the weak link in the system real fast!

[Bandmill Bandit]

the mill trailer frame is 27' long.  I placed the axle 9' from the rear so the tail doesnt drag if I go up a semi steep grade.  i think its pretty much how the 3 section LT go axle is placed.  only difference is I have 4 sections of track.  so I kept the same percentage of the axle being 1 third from the tail.  I will probably buy another axle same as I have and place it right in front of existing to split the load and then place the mill head over them. that should solve the weight issue.

11'4" to 10'8" to centre of axel from the the back is your ideal axel location. That applies to centre of a tandem mount axel system as well. You need to move forward roughly 2 feet for the best and safest towing.

[Hilltop366]

Congratulations on the new to you mill and trailer build!

Any fan cooled engine that has been sitting around a while I'd be tempted to take the engine shroud off and inspect for debris and mouse nest before running it to prevent over heating.

Happy sawing.

[Durf700]

since I have unlimited access to manufactured home axles and my company cuts some down for different size frames I picked up one yesterday.  just have to measure and install a sleeve to get desired width and then mount.  tomorrow is a good day to tackle the axle swap.  the new axle will be more than what I need for load capacity but thats a good thing.  I will probably slide the new axle up the 2 feet that some have recommended since the new tires are larger and will increase the clearance from the tail of the trailer to the ground when going up and down grades. bought some paint for the mill side rails as well to clean it up!!!  will post another pic soon!!

thanks again guys!

[Bandmill Bandit]

Make sure it is has DOT general trailer certification. A lot of mobile home axles do not have the general trailer use designation. That why most mobile home out fits have a set of DOT certified dolly axel that they roll under new mobiles that don't come with their own axels any more. I got bit on one like that my self once. In this province you cant use them for a trailer any more and now that all trailer need to be certified the old home builds with the old mobile axels are getting pulled off the road too.