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Moving an LT15...?

Started by MacPhly, November 05, 2020, 07:28:59 AM

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MacPhly

Newish member of the forum here. Been reading a lot and have learned a lot!

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a new mill. Likely an LT15 or 15wide. I'm weighing the cost of adding the wheels to my purchase. Realistically, I will not likely be moving this mill often... at least to start. But when I do need to move it, how hard is it to move without the wheels? I'm thinking I might save myself the $$$ on the wheels and spend that money on a flatbed trailer that I can use to move the mill when needed and also for other things... like moving my tractor. So my question is... am I being realistic to think I can put the mill on a flat bed trailer without too much trouble? Or is that a bad/risky idea? I have a Kubota MX5200 with a FEL to do the heavy lifting. 

Thoughts??

Thanks
Mac

Gere Flewelling

I don't have direct experience with what you are asking, but I can't imagine that it will be easy to load this unit on a trailer.  It will require dragging it on or blocking it up to somehow back your trailer under it.  Even if you could lift the whole unit with your FEL from the center and slide it sideways onto the trailer deck, there is still a chance of tweaking the frame and causing expensive damage.  For what an axle kit will cost along with the 6 jacks for leveling you can eliminate the risk of damaging the frame.  Then you can quickly level the unit most anywhere you want to use it.  The wheels will get you to an working level that will keep you from bending all day long when sawing.  You can use your trailer to haul your tractor and not have to load and unload to get your tractor to where your mill is.  You can just tow the whole unit to where it needs to be.  Then go back and get the tractor.
You can probably tell from my response that I have an axle under my mill.  I don't move my mill much, but it is quick and easy when it is needed.  If you have a way to load your logs onto the mill, I think you will much prefer to be able to stand up straight when sawing.  There are enough other reasons to reach and bend all day if you need the exercise.  This concludes my soap box speech on the subject. :-X  Good Luck with your decision.  GF
Old 🚒 Fireman and Snow Cat Repairman (retired)
Matthew 6:3-4

47sawdust

I don't think you will regret getting the axle. I also think the mill will be easier to sell if/when you upgrade or decide milling is not for you.
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

Arkyrick

My first mill was An LT15 I regretted the whole 11 years I had it that It didn't have wheels. It can be moved but its not easy.
LT 35 hydraulic portable "73"Ford 335 tractor - lots of chains

YellowHammer

I had an LT15 without wheels, and within a week I regretted it.  The frame sections are bolted together, and the accuracy of the sawn wood is based on the frame accuracy.  Any time it is moved or dissembled there is a chance of tweaking the frame.  So I bought some steel and put a dedicated trailer under it.

I would 100% purchase the WM wheel kit.  Its well worth the money, and it also gets the sawmill up off the ground where the sawdust can fall through, and your back will thank you for not having to bend down as far.

Sliding or lifting it on the trailer will potentially damage the frame.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Sugar

We have an LT15 that does not have the trailer package.  As it stands now after approximately one summers use,  we are fine without the wheels.  There are only a few bolts to be removed if you should need to move it.  However, were there a need to move the mill every few months or something we would definitely want the wheels on ours.  You could also add the tow package anytime too.     
Hooked up and Hard down

MacPhly

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful responses. Lots of great perspective! That's why I come here...

Mac

Woodpecker52

Get the wheel  package unless you want it to stay stationary. If you plan on doing a lot of sawing for other people you might want to go with a LT 40 HD.
Woodmizer LT-15, Ross Pony #1 planner, Ford 2600 tractor, Stihl chainsaws, Kubota rtv900 Kubota L3830F tractor

dgdrls

Whatever you purchase, get the wheels

I would also say in that class of mill look to
FF sponsor EZ Boardwalk as an option
since you haven't spent your
$$ yet,   

Best
D


firefighter ontheside

I have an LT15 that I got from a friend in OK.  We loaded it on my trailer easily using his tractor.  Roll the mill head to one end.  Then lift the other end onto the trailer, which can be done by a couple people.  ONce that end is on the trailer, roll the head up the ramp and lock it in place.  Then pick up other end and push onto trailer.  I reversed the process here at home.  My mill sits permanently under a carport where I do all my milling.  If I ever move it, it will be to move it to a new building I want to build, but who knows when that will be.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

SawyerTed

Why add the complication of moving without wheels since the axle kit is less expensive than a trailer?
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

firefighter ontheside

If you don't want to be portable for mobile milling, but need to move the mill occasionally on your property and already have a trailer for other things.  I only moved mine 200 feet.  If I wanted to take it across town or further then I think a trailer kit would be the way to go.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

YellowHammer

When we got ours we set the machine outside and covered it with a tarp when we were done.  After it rained, we would take the tarp off and rainwater would spill on us.  Then, after the first hour of sawing, I decided I didn't like where I had it situated, so wanted to move it.  Then the areas got covered with sawdust, and I got tired of shoveling, especially with a bucket front end loader sitting there, watching me shovel sawdust.  So I moved it again, and shifted it to a new place, and used the loader to clean up the sawdust in minutes.  

That was about the time I decided I needed it on wheels.  So I bought a couple pieces of full length 2x6 rectangular steel tubing, attached them to the bottom rails, and bolted a TSC axle kit under it and a few adjustable trailer jacks.  Instant portable sawmill.

So then, when I got done sawing, I just rolled it under the shed.  When the sawdust and slabs built up, I moved it.  When I worked on it, I rolled it into the shop.  I never actually put it on the road, but the wheel kit was that handy.



YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Madtowner

I had a LT15 for 10 years and moved it easily by myself.  I would lift one end and back my 6x10 utility trailer under it. Move the head over the trailer and away I would go.  I brought it for engine tune up once and moved it around the property many times.  When I went on the road way I would take off one of the three rails.
From Madawaska Maine and now living in Mass.
John Deere 5420,
WM LT 15.

Durf700

definitely get the trailer kit..  I never even milled with my LT 15 until I built a trailer for mine. I would of purchased the woodmizer kit but I had 4 sections of track that I wanted to keep for longer logs and they only have a kit that will work with 3 sections.  just for maintenance and working height the trailer kit is worth it.  also, much easier to level the mill with the adjustable jacks.  your tractor will be able to put the logs up onto the mill so the higher working height will not be a problem and will be easier on you.  I purchased a grapple for my tractor and like how I can gently sit a log onto the mill with it.

Dogwood Heart

Get the trailer package if you can afford it, getting the lt15 on a trailer is hard and a truck bed almost impossible for one or two guys without equipment. What I do to load my mill on my trailer is to run all the adjustable feet to the shortest position or just remove them.  I them crank the second to last feet on each side as high as they will go and move the mill head to this end.  This creates a see saw and lifts the opposite end high enough to get on the trailer.  I then move the mill head on the trailer, remove excess sections and hit the road. If you need extra height shims can be placed under the two feet to lift the mill higher.  Be careful when unloading since the head can get away from you when the mill rocks back onto the ground.  Two people or mechanical assistance are needed for this or you will either break your mill or your leg and I am saying this from a close call. :-X Have fun with the mill.
  

 

 
I'm an alchemist, I can turn dollars into iron. Still working on the reverse.

charles mann

Im puzzled. How can a bolt together mill be so finicky and prone to misalignment while being loaded with a tractor with forks, but not when being pulled down the roads? 
I understand the trailer pkg has a bolt on sub frame. But i dont see the harm in doing something similar with steel beams/tubing spanning across multiple bolted sections, loaded onto a trailer that serves multiple uses other than moving a mill, then moved to a new location. 
Temple, Tx
Fire Fighting and Heavy Lift Helicopter Mech
Helicopter and Fixed Wing Pilot

Dogwood Heart

I thought the same thing until the force of a 2000# log rolling off a set of fork hitting the backstops moved the entire mill three inches over. My uneven concrete slab then showed itself in the middle section since 2000# will make any hardware flex. The trailer package includes jacks that make it easier to set up and level the mill after transport.  I met a man that welded box tubing under his LT15 and he says that it helps a lot with the larger logs. The issue with welding supports is that sections are no longer able to be removed and you lose the ability to adjust each section.  My trailer is too short for me to leave the mill at 18' and I will be buying another section soon, further compounding the problem.  
I'm an alchemist, I can turn dollars into iron. Still working on the reverse.

charles mann

Quote from: Dogwood Heart on November 12, 2020, 01:12:16 PM
I thought the same thing until the force of a 2000# log rolling off a set of fork hitting the backstops moved the entire mill three inches over. My uneven concrete slab then showed itself in the middle section since 2000# will make any hardware flex.
Im sure if i dropped a 2000+ lb log on my mill bed and i wasnt fully supported on all my leveling bolts (7/8" x 6") it could possibly bend/warp the 2"x6" 1/4" wall tubing that is welded to the longitudinal frame rails. 
A wide fork stance and stiffer beams under the frame and gently picking the mill up, is drastically less likely to damage it than dropping a log on it. 
Temple, Tx
Fire Fighting and Heavy Lift Helicopter Mech
Helicopter and Fixed Wing Pilot

forrestM

I have moved an lt 15 several times and the next time I do it will be when I get a mill with hydraulics! Each time I have had at least 5 people to help. It is a cinch that way. When I sold my gas for an lt 15 wide electric, I lifted one end with a tractor and backed the trailer underneath of it. I'd say get the trailer package or be stationary. I have found with milling you will always want or need what you don't have!

Also, aligning and realigning the frame is tedious. I used anchor bolts to fix most of the legs to my concrete pad, and it still bounces aroUnd when I roll big logs. 

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