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Drive belt tension. 2018 LT 40. 300HRS

Started by Lawg Dawg, October 10, 2018, 10:01:58 AM

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Lawg Dawg

I've been sawing Poplar and getting some nasty looking cuts with reverb...not wavy just the chatter.  New reshape blades from Albemarle...it's raining steady here now so I trying to track down the problem. Should I have this much play in my drive belt when it's out of gear? Also looks like I've run out of adjustment. Any advice is well appreciated! Dawg



 



 

Or maybe I'm tightening the wrong way



 

2018  LT 40 Wide 999cc, 2019 t595 Bobcat track loader,
John Deere 4000, 2016 F150, Husky 268, 394xp, Shindiawa 591, 2 Railroad jacks, and a comealong. Woodmaster Planer, and a Skilsaw, bunch of Phillips head screwdrivers, and a pair of pliers!

100,000 bf club member
Pro Sawyer Network

pineywoods

Slipping drive belt. Lengthen the vertical link about 1/4 inch and try that.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Ben Cut-wright

Quote from: Lawg Dawg on October 10, 2018, 10:01:58 AM
I've been sawing Poplar and getting some nasty looking cuts with reverb...not wavy just the chatter.  New reshape blades from Albemarle...it's raining steady here now so I trying to track down the problem. Should I have this much play in my drive belt when it's out of gear? Also looks like I've run out of adjustment. Any advice is well appreciated! Dawg

Or maybe I'm tightening the wrong way.

The drive belt is supposed to be loose when "out of gear", not tensioned.  It is not supposed to be adjusted or checked for proper tension while "out of gear".   Engage the blade, engine off, and use the belt tension tool or similar belt tension test tool.  Instructions in the owners manual. 

Your photo shows the turnbuckle has been turned the wrong way, possibly to the extreme loose position.

barbender

Get the drive belt tension guage from WM and adjust it according to the manual. The drive belt tension is a critical adjustment and you don't want to do it by guessing, you can bust your engine crankshaft👎
Too many irons in the fire

MartyParsons

Hello,
  This picture below is the correct location when the drive belt is loose and the brake band is engaged on the brake drum.
To tighten the drive belt tension. Engage the drive belt using the auto clutch. Using the belt tension tool that you would have in your binder with your owners manual. Check the tension of the drive belt as described in the auto clutch manual. If the tension is not correct. The nut on the top  horizontal loosen and turn the long aluminum part away from the nut. When you disengage the clutch the distance between the collar at the bottom will decrease. Recheck the belt tension with the belt engaged then tighten the nut.

Hope this helps.
Marty

"A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." -Winston Churchill

YellowHammer

I second what Barbender says, get a WM drive belt tension gauge.  The mill is pretty sensitive to it.  Too loose, poor cuts.  Too tight, engine breaks.
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

Jjoness4

Chatter in the cut can also be due to cutting too slow, particularly at the entrance to the cut.
2017 LT40HDD35 , Kubota 4701, Ford 3000, Stihl Farmboss

SawyerTed

Chatter can also be caused by bad bearings in the roller guides. 
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Lawg Dawg

Ok, it's raining so I'm working on my chatter in poplar problem...wasn't doing this in pine or oak...

I got 22lbs. at 7/16" deflection



 



 

I installed a BRAND NEW 10 degree, I know this blade should cut poplar smooth as glass, but this is my result  :(



 

Any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
2018  LT 40 Wide 999cc, 2019 t595 Bobcat track loader,
John Deere 4000, 2016 F150, Husky 268, 394xp, Shindiawa 591, 2 Railroad jacks, and a comealong. Woodmaster Planer, and a Skilsaw, bunch of Phillips head screwdrivers, and a pair of pliers!

100,000 bf club member
Pro Sawyer Network

Smithkp

I got something pretty close to that using the turbo blades and went back to 10 degree double hards and it went away.

 
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

Crossroads

This is really grasping for straws, but it the blade level with the bunks? Could the front of the blade being low cause that? I hope you find the cause and get it resolved 
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

terrifictimbersllc

My guess, I cant see everything in the photos and the last 2 posts may be showing different things, but.....

If the marks are parallel to the blade, then the blade has a set issue with one or more teeth, or, 

if the marks are diagonal relative to the blade, it is probably the very common band harmonic that often happens at the beginning of a cut and goes away further down the board.  If the harmonic thing it will change dramatically or go away if you cut at a different speed, most likely faster. 
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Magicman

Verify your engine RPM's when sawing, vary your blade tension, (higher/less) or flat spot on blade guide or bad guide bearing.  Is the idle side of the head shaking/vibrating while 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

Lawg Dawg

After talking to Marty on the phone this morning I think I figured out my main problem...too slow feed rate...plus he gave me a nice little tip to tap the blade tracking bolt head on the idle side with a rubber hammer and that would drop the tension about 300 or 500 lbs. sure enough it did, so tourqed it on down good. The drive belt was too loose, tightened that up, then run it right against the governor, like riding a wave!  Results 100 times better! I can live with this!



 

But I think my manual is for a different style turnbuckle..when I turn mine counterclockwise it loosens the drive belt. Plus I have an adjustable collar with a set screw on the turnbuckle. It doesn't show that in my manual.





Thanks everyone! I don't know what I'd do without Forestry Forum, probably be on a roof somewhere putting on shingles!  :D
2018  LT 40 Wide 999cc, 2019 t595 Bobcat track loader,
John Deere 4000, 2016 F150, Husky 268, 394xp, Shindiawa 591, 2 Railroad jacks, and a comealong. Woodmaster Planer, and a Skilsaw, bunch of Phillips head screwdrivers, and a pair of pliers!

100,000 bf club member
Pro Sawyer Network

Dave Shepard

What does your mill call for for tension? My Super is 18 pounds at 7/16". As soon as I saw that washboard photo I suspected slow feed rate. 

I like that hole in the guard for the gauge. I know what I'm doing to my guard soon. 8)
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: Dave Shepard on October 11, 2018, 03:05:10 PMI like that hole in the guard for the gauge. I know what I'm doing to my guard soon.
Me too there's going to be one there on my mill shortly.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

John S

I don't think the diagram you show is for AutoClutch, it looks like the manual version.  Which do you have?
2018 LT40HDG38 Wide

Magicman

I believe that here were several of us that noticed that hole.  :o

Yes, wrong diagram.  ;)
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

esteadle

>>> I think I figured out my main problem...too slow feed rate...plus he gave me a nice little tip to tap the blade tracking bolt head on the idle side with a rubber hammer and that would drop the tension about 300 or 500 lbs. sure enough it did, so tourqed it on down good. The drive belt was too loose, tightened that up, then run it right against the governor, like riding a wave! <<< 

But, Did you actually figure it out? 
You changed 3 things there. 
- Was it feed rate? 
- or the tracking bolt head? 

- or was it the drive belt? 


MartyParsons

The drive belt adjustment is in the auto clutch manual. It is confusing, but you will need to look in that manual to get the correct information. The operators manual for the sawmill is different than the Auto clutch manual.


Glad things worked out.

Feed rate is how fast the saw head moves through the cut. You should saw as fast as the blade will cut and the band speed should not change ( don't bog the engine) but be within 50 rpm or less than max load RPM. :o It will not feel comfortable at first.

Marty 
"A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." -Winston Churchill

Lawg Dawg

Quote from: esteadle on October 11, 2018, 07:17:32 PM
But, Did you actually figure it out?
You changed 3 things there.
- Was it feed rate?
- or the tracking bolt head?

- or was it the drive belt?
I'm not sure because I pretty much did all 3 things at the same time...but I did figure out, the first time I adjusted the drive belt, I just loosened it up because I was looking at the wrong manual.  I have auto clutch, and that's the one I should have been looking at.  Maybe Woodmizer should address this issue since it's such a critical adjustment.


 
Good thing is, I think she's sawing like she supposed to now!


 
2018  LT 40 Wide 999cc, 2019 t595 Bobcat track loader,
John Deere 4000, 2016 F150, Husky 268, 394xp, Shindiawa 591, 2 Railroad jacks, and a comealong. Woodmaster Planer, and a Skilsaw, bunch of Phillips head screwdrivers, and a pair of pliers!

100,000 bf club member
Pro Sawyer Network

tawilson

Marty probably told you to get the jam nut good and tight. I have a feeling if you slow your feed rate back down the marks would come back.
Woodmizer has a pile of maintenance videos available, including a LT40 drive belt one.
Tom
2017 LT40HDG35 WIDE
BMS250 and BMT250 sharpener/setter
Woodmaster 725

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