Hello All,
Since the last post asking questions about adding hyd toes to my mill, I did a little studying on hydraulics and figured out an inexpensive way to add them. I got the hydraulic leveling system off an old Winnebago. It came with four hydraulic cylinders, the valve, hoses and the 12volt pump and reservoir. I was able to make it work, and it works well, not to say a lot better than the manual ones. I was wanting to get the valve into the factory hyd box, but it just would not fit. So it had to go below the box.
I did have to get three hoses made, and had I shopped around I could have saved about $50, but the whole thing cost me about $300.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19476/100_1868.JPG)
This is where I was able to tap into the hyd manifold. The one in the foreground is the pressure side, the one in the back is the drain to the tank.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19476/100_1869.JPG)
This is where I mounted the valve. I has four valves, but I'm using two. It sticks out a bit more than I would like, but this was all I could come up with that didnt require alot of fab work. That bracket is the only weld on the mill.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19476/100_1871.JPG)
Here is one of the cylinders. The spring return is not as fast as a double acting cylinder, but again, it works great and is much faster than manual.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19476/100_1873.JPG)
Here is the finished guard for the valves. Sorta ugly, but strong and should offer protection.
This should hold me well until I decide if I really need to upgrade my hydraulic system altogether. Other than cutting the slot in the hyd box, and a few drilled holes on the mill, it required little in the way of cutting or drilling.
Thanks for previous info.
That's using your head. Great idea.
YH
Very nice work! Is your mill a manual mill with hydraulic upgrades or was it originally a hydraulic mill?
nice job .you may want to consider adding rollers to that.They make things much easier when moving big stuff on the mill.
Nice job. Now you'll have to paint the rest of the mill.
I like it. I will have to try and find a set up like that.
Are those RV leveling jacks?
Thanks for the kind remarks.
Ncsawyer, my mill came with hydraulics, but had manual toeboards.
Magicman, yes they are RV leveling jacks.
Ga Mt Man, I'd like to paint the entire mill, thinking of doing it sometime this summer if there is time for it. It would not look so "old" when sawing for others. I hear from time to time, "wow, that cuts really good for such an old mill"
Quote from: homesteader1972 on March 12, 2015, 07:03:16 PM
Thanks for the kind remarks.
Ncsawyer, my mill came with hydraulics, but had manual toeboards.
Magicman, yes they are RV leveling jacks.
Ga Mt Man, I'd like to paint the entire mill, thinking of doing it sometime this summer if there is time for it. It would not look so "old" when sawing for others. I hear from time to time, "wow, that cuts really good for such an old mill"
That's EXPERIENCE ya know. :D
Homesteaders first name is McGuyvor :D
I love stuff like this....
;D
I want to add a little more spring to my toe boards.
Sometimes I end up having my offbearer push them down while I operated the down lever.
Hello,
Chuck the toe board on the early mills with springs pulling the cylinder down. Most times the seal gets stuff behind the seal. Replacing the seal will most times fix these. When you remove the seal clean with a round wire brush on a drill. Might be a inexpensive fix.
Marty
Spring part # P09742 $ 7.02
Seal Part # P09740 $ 8.50
Thanks Marty!
I usually try to keep the area around the cylinders clean and a little lube on them too!
When I had Woodmizer do a tune up on my mill a couple years ago the tech suggested removing the spring that returns the Toe Board valve to the center. Now if I turn it to the down position the weight of the next log will push the Toe Board down.
What I was getting at was that if there was no weight on the toe-board, it would sometimes not go down.
They always go down if there is a log sitting on them!
Chuck
Sounds like yours has been modified already. Before the change I had to hold the selector and push down at the same time. And if I forgot It sawed these NICE LONG WEDGES. :D
John, I was talking about the actual toe board, not the operating handle!
It would always go down when the lever was pushed down when there was weight on the toe board, but if there wasn't weight on it, sometimes it wouldn't go down on it's own.
ChucK
Mine worked the same way before the change. But I had to hold this valve until it was down. Now I just put it in the down position and it stays there. When the log pushes on it it goes down.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10066/Toe_board_1.jpg)