The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Sawmills and Milling => Topic started by: francismilker on March 12, 2013, 10:31:55 PM

Title: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: francismilker on March 12, 2013, 10:31:55 PM
I finally got around yesterday to starting my boat trailer retrofit to make my mill mobile.  I spent several hours welding, fabricating, and painting.  By end of day tomorrow, I ought to be able to make a board or two at someone else' house.  I still have to cut my leveling legs out of some long stock, mount the tongue jack, and put some trailer lights on it. 

So far, I've made a cantilever arm for loading and rolling logs with a winch, installed 6 leveling leg recievers with T-handle bolts, and used two scissor jacks to put some toe board levelers on each end of the mill for leveling my logs on the first two cuts.  There's more to come. Rome wasn't built in a day.

I took lots more pics but am having quite a lot of difficulties getting them uploaded.  Every time I'm almost there I get a message that says "internet explorer has stopped working to protect your computer from this website"  Anyone want to give me any suggestions here?  It's probably user error. :o




 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30534/IMG_02245B15D.JPG) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30534/IMG_02295B15D.JPG) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30534/IMG_02275B15D.JPG)
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: hackberry jake on March 12, 2013, 10:58:59 PM
Looks like you did a fine job! Almost looks factory!
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: scully on March 12, 2013, 11:02:10 PM
Wow ! awsome work ! these mills are real popular but seldom do you see someone go to the extreems that you have ! You just added a couple grand to the tag on that one !
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: MEMountainMan on March 12, 2013, 11:04:46 PM
It looks really good. I'm kickin around the same thing for my LT15. Now that I have the sawmill everybody has logs to saw.
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: thecfarm on March 12, 2013, 11:06:53 PM
That does look good. I have no idea about your error code. this user gets enough errors codes too.   ::)  I usually only load no more than 3-4 pictures at one time,just because that's all I have at one time.
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: francismilker on March 12, 2013, 11:11:54 PM
Quote from: scully on March 12, 2013, 11:02:10 PM
Wow ! awsome work ! these mills are real popular but seldom do you see someone go to the extreems that you have ! You just added a couple grand to the tag on that one !

Believe it or not, I only got a little less than $200 in it after I picked up some cheap, used tires today.  I couldn't find any 165/80/13 new locally without ordering them so out of inpatience I bought some good used ones. 

The gallon of Implement Orange paint was the most expensive item at $44 per gallon! 

Thanks for the compliment.
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: Tree Feller on March 12, 2013, 11:17:25 PM
The trailer looks great. Does it also have leveling jacks?
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: francismilker on March 12, 2013, 11:35:35 PM
I didn't put leveling jacks on it.  Instead, I welded on 6 vertical pieces of square tubing with T-bolts on them that I can drop leveling legs in.  I'll use one bottle jack or something similiar to march around and level it with one leg at a time for now.  I have plans of installing a water level tube with several upright sight glass guage glasses inline to make quick work of leveling but the hardware store was closed today for me to get clear tubing and barbed fittings. I might get to it tomorrow. 

I've got a metal box that's roughly 2x3' that I'm going to mount to the tongue to keep extra bands, hard hat, gloves, and countless other things that are a must with me at all times. 

I've had dozens of calls up to this point to come to someone's place to slice up a few cedars but haven't been conveniently mobile enough to do it.  Oh well, if I never get a mobile call I'll not be stooping over to pick up slabs anymore!
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: giant splinter on March 12, 2013, 11:56:40 PM
That was fast and a great job, glad you bought new tires and wheels ..... I could see the air in the far tire in your photo
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: VictorH on March 13, 2013, 01:47:03 AM
Advice on Internet Explorer is to stop using it  :D and switch to Chrome or Firefox.  Nice trailer and mods btw.
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: Chuck White on March 13, 2013, 12:40:44 PM
Real good job on the trailer build!  smiley_thumbsup
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: OlJarhead on March 13, 2013, 01:27:19 PM
Wow!  Fast!  Here I am MONTHS in the making and still only barely able to move mine!

I'm curious how stiff the frame is?  Do you have ramps to load logs?  A pulley system? 

Looks great!  Did you rattle can the frame?  That's what I'm thinking I'll do since heavy use will pretty much destroy any expensive paint anyway!
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: francismilker on March 13, 2013, 03:19:14 PM
I do have some ramps made out of pipe and stiffened up with angle iron for log loading.  I built a cantelever (hard to see in the pics) that slides in to two recievers under the trailer near the axle with a winch mounted atop it for loading.  I also put a boat crank winch back-up in case of low battery.

I didn't rattle can it.  I went to Sherwin Williams and bought a gallon of laquer based "Implement Orange" paint (Pretty close to WM orange) and sprayed it with a HVLP paint gun.  It didn't take much thinning as I wanted to put on a pretty heavy coat of paint.  It won't look good for long though I'm sure. 

I took the trailer on a road trip today and drove my normal county road and highway route.  It tracked really good behind me and didn't seem to have much flex or tweak as I tight cornered or manuevered tilted turns.  When parked on level ground hooked to my pickup, it seems to have a little sag on the tailend which doesn't bother me much.  The leveling legs will take care of that.

I put my new lift assembly cylinder on today and didn't fix the problems I'm having with raising/lowering the head.  I've got a call into WM service dept. to get some more advice.  They are looking in to it and will call me back a little later.  Once I get it to where I can lift and lower the head, I'm off to sawing!
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: m wood on March 13, 2013, 04:28:53 PM
francismilker, I see your in OK.  What did you do for registering, license, tags etc.? 
mark
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: rimshot on March 13, 2013, 08:30:52 PM
HIi fm,


Excellent job on that trailer.

I still can't figure what has changed on the lt10 that makes yours and mine along with HandyCamper's brand new LT 10's so hard to operate the head up and down.  They have made LT 10's before and never had this problem.  All of a sudden,the heads don't want to move up or down anymore.  Seems like something has changed, but what is it.

These are very nice units but I have to give them an F on that darn head assembly and I hate to do that because they are a great company.  Anything on a log mill designed to move has to move especially the motor head.  That's all there is to it. What's changed that makes the new units so darn hard to use.

The last I knew they were going to experiment with a new higher poundage aircylinder but I have heard nothing about results.  It was supposed to be tested Tuesday.  I am banking on WM to make this right along with others.

rimshot





Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: Happycamper on March 13, 2013, 08:53:08 PM
Great job on the trailer (very professional) you'll get a lot of use out of it being mobile.
                                    Jim
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: Skoalbandit78 on March 13, 2013, 09:00:06 PM
Great looking trailer.
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: WDH on March 13, 2013, 09:07:55 PM
At first I thought that you had made a mistake and made the trailer upside down  :D.

Good job!
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: POSTON WIDEHEAD on March 13, 2013, 09:21:00 PM
Quote from: WDH on March 13, 2013, 09:07:55 PM
At first I thought that you had made a mistake and made the trailer upside down  :D.

Good job!
oz_smiley˙ʎɐʍ ʇɐɥʇ ʞuıɥʇ noʎ ʎluo   
Title: Re: My LT-10 is now mobile!
Post by: francismilker on March 14, 2013, 12:28:16 PM
Quote from: m wood on March 13, 2013, 04:28:53 PM
francismilker, I see your in OK.  What did you do for registering, license, tags etc.? 
mark

None needed in OK since it's under 26000 GVW.   There's redneck trailers all over the place without any registration.  I did put rear lights on it, but that's all I need to be legal.