Hi all wanted to introduce myself, since I am new to the forum. I have been floating around here for a while with timber harvester stuff. Figure it was time to jump in. Currently I have a 36 timber harvester that is a fully hydraulic mill and I absolutely love it. Definitely have a saw dust addiction, currently the saw runs amazing just has a minor learning curve. Currently the set works seem to has stopped working, due to water touching the main board above the mill. Does anyone have a spare board or know someone that can fix the board? I would love to get the setworks back just to keep me cutting the same size boards all the time.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/IMG_20170430_180654877.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1517272073)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/27922-1.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1517272062)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/27928.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1517272422)
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, tylerltr450!
Quote from: Chuck White on January 29, 2018, 07:37:58 PM
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, tylerltr450!
Thank you its exciting being here and hopefully to learn more.
Welcome tylerltr450,
Have you opened the "circuit" to see whats up?
Many times a printed circuit board can be repaired, if that's your issue
Best
D
You could try contacting Ken Clouser on the web at "clouser farms" and asking him. He used to be one of the largest sales reps for timber harvester. He now manufactures his own brand of mills but he may know the source that timber harvester used for those boards.
Quote from: dgdrls on January 29, 2018, 09:11:11 PM
Welcome tylerltr450,
Have you opened the "circuit" to see whats up?
Many times a printed circuit board can be repaired, if that's your issue
Best
D
I have looked at the board and I found that is an issue with power going to the cpu. I can power the CPU with the usb header on the board but I cant seem to get the power to the cpu. I just cant seem to figure out if its a resister or a a relay on the board.
Quote from: Brad_S. on January 29, 2018, 11:17:46 PM
You could try contacting Ken Clouser on the web at "clouser farms" and asking him. He used to be one of the largest sales reps for timber harvester. He now manufactures his own brand of mills but he may know the source that timber harvester used for those boards.
I have been to Kens shops since he is some what local to me only about 2 hours away, and he was able to point me in some directions but everything came up empty seems that the one company I had hopes for told me that the board doesn't look like something they produced for the harvester but they may have created boards for them
Probably a real dumb question here, but in the pictures of your mill it looks like the log stops are on the same side as the loader arms and it looks like the blade is sawing "away" from the log stops? That is backwards from the way I would have pictured it.
Greg
Welcome and I wish you well in your search.
Quote from: apm on January 30, 2018, 08:21:17 AM
Probably a real dumb question here, but in the pictures of your mill it looks like the log stops are on the same side as the loader arms and it looks like the blade is sawing "away" from the log stops? That is backwards from the way I would have pictured it.
Greg
Greg,
The saw loads from the right side the clamps move on the left side so when loading the log will roll into the clamps. The posts or log stops come up on the right. and yes the mill saws to the left or away from the log stops.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/2.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1517331089)
Welcome from another forum new guy! Hope you can find your repair parts!
Quote from: tylerltr450 on January 30, 2018, 11:49:45 AM
Quote from: apm on January 30, 2018, 08:21:17 AM
Probably a real dumb question here, but in the pictures of your mill it looks like the log stops are on the same side as the loader arms and it looks like the blade is sawing "away" from the log stops? That is backwards from the way I would have pictured it.
Greg
Greg,
The saw loads from the right side the clamps move on the left side so when loading the log will roll into the clamps. The posts or log stops come up on the right. and yes the mill saws to the left or away from the log stops.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/2.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1517331089)
The rationale behind that is that once the first slab is removed, you are sawing into the clean face more often than dirty bark. It extends the blade life.
Quote from: Brad_S. on January 30, 2018, 01:15:25 PM
Quote from: tylerltr450 on January 30, 2018, 11:49:45 AM
Quote from: apm on January 30, 2018, 08:21:17 AM
Probably a real dumb question here, but in the pictures of your mill it looks like the log stops are on the same side as the loader arms and it looks like the blade is sawing "away" from the log stops? That is backwards from the way I would have pictured it.
Greg
Greg,
The saw loads from the right side the clamps move on the left side so when loading the log will roll into the clamps. The posts or log stops come up on the right. and yes the mill saws to the left or away from the log stops.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/2.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1517331089)
The rationale behind that is that once the first slab is removed, you are sawing into the clean face more often than dirty bark. It extends the blade life.
Correct what he said
Well all I have extremely good news, after a year or 2 with losing the setworks on the mill I have finally figured out what the issue was.
It looks simple in the picture but it was extremely hard to find where the fault was since there is just about no documentation for this board. What I was able to find was that the first capacitor on the board was bad. This is right after the AC to DC converter on the board. I cant believe i missed it for so long, what I was going to end up doing was to run the CPU after the 12v to 5v converter which would allow me to run the CPU safely off the diagnostic USB but after playing around with it i figured out that the power was never making it to the 12v to 5v reducer which then gave me a condensed area on the board to spend more time. After all of that I was able to diagnosis that only one of the capacitors were bad. So now I have one on order and will be able to be up and running again with the dummy buttons haha.
Below is a image that i modified to show other harvester users the flow of power, the red arrows is the flow of power from the main power and the orange is the ground.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/Millmain_Board.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1517661725)
Good job finding that one! Much more difficult to do without schematics. Electrolytic caps have a limited lifespan and all will eventually need to be replaced. I see they used a US Digital Encoder. That's the same make that Wood-Mizer uses on their SimpleSet system.
Quote from: Ga Mtn Man on February 03, 2018, 08:11:20 AM
Good job finding that one! Much more difficult to do without schematics. Electrolytic caps have a limited lifespan and all will eventually need to be replaced. I see they used a US Digital Encoder. That's the same make that Wood-Mizer uses on their SimpleSet system.
Thanks GA Mtn Man, those US Digital Encoders seem to be a very popular encoder for head movement. And yes the schematics would have been very helpful so without them is probably what took me so long. I would like to try and build a second board and pull the coding off the CPU but I just haven't tried to do all of the work yet for that. Might have to try and take that up next winter.
Finally got the board to run off its own power again.
When I took the capacitor off I realized that there was the main trace missing from the ac to dc converter and to the capacitor. So I had to make my own trace in order to get power back to the capacitor.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/Trace_and_new_capacistor.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1518270127)
Booted up and CPU shows ok
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/9_Show_active.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1518270123)
I'm going to have to hook it up to the mill and let you all know how it goes.
The capacitor make soft DC. Takes the ripple out...
Quote from: Kbeitz on February 10, 2018, 08:58:36 AM
The capacitor make soft DC. Takes the ripple out...
Correct and keeps that nice and clean DC current to the fragile computer system.
Hey Kbeitz your pretty close to me, about a hour south near Pottsville.
Quote from: tylerltr450 on February 10, 2018, 09:02:28 AM
Quote from: Kbeitz on February 10, 2018, 08:58:36 AM
The capacitor make soft DC. Takes the ripple out...
Correct and keeps that nice and clean DC current to the fragile computer system.
Hey Kbeitz your pretty close to me, about a hour south near Pottsville.
Yep... I take it that your somewhere around shenandoah?
Quote from: Kbeitz on February 10, 2018, 09:10:24 AM
Quote from: tylerltr450 on February 10, 2018, 09:02:28 AM
Quote from: Kbeitz on February 10, 2018, 08:58:36 AM
The capacitor make soft DC. Takes the ripple out...
Correct and keeps that nice and clean DC current to the fragile computer system.
Hey Kbeitz your pretty close to me, about a hour south near Pottsville.
Yep... I take it that your somewhere around shenandoah?
Yeah Close enough a little more south but in the general area.
[/quote]
Yeah Close enough a little more south but in the general area.
[/quote]
I get down to black diamond antiques and renninger's flea market every so often
Quote from: Kbeitz on February 10, 2018, 09:18:08 AM
Yeah Close enough a little more south but in the general area.
[/quote]
I get down to black diamond antiques and renninger's flea market every so often
[/quote]
yikes even renningers that's dedication to come that far for that.
[/quote]
yikes even renningers that's dedication to come that far for that.
[/quote]
I really like a good flea market. I went to leesport flea market once. What a drive.
Best flea market on Pa is in Jacktown Pa. at the engine show.
Quote from: Kbeitz on February 10, 2018, 09:30:24 AM
I really like a good flea market. I went to leesport flea market once. What a drive.
Best flea market on Pa is in Jacktown Pa. at the engine show.
Yeah that is a good one I was there before, nothing like a good flea market
Well guys the computer works again like it should runs perfect!
Here are perfect 1x1s
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/perfect_1x1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1518291940)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/steask_2.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1518291939)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/45473/steaks.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1518291935)
Glad you were able to figure it out.
IF at first you dont succeed keep on tryin and eventually you will suck seed.
PC
Quote from: apm on January 30, 2018, 08:21:17 AM
Probably a real dumb question here, but in the pictures of your mill it looks like the log stops are on the same side as the loader arms and it looks like the blade is sawing "away" from the log stops? That is backwards from the way I would have pictured it.
Greg
One of the best features of a Timber Harvester.... you saw into fresh cut would instead of bark..
Quote from: Dewey on February 11, 2018, 11:07:16 AM
Quote from: apm on January 30, 2018, 08:21:17 AM
Probably a real dumb question here, but in the pictures of your mill it looks like the log stops are on the same side as the loader arms and it looks like the blade is sawing "away" from the log stops? That is backwards from the way I would have pictured it.
Greg
One of the best features of a Timber Harvester.... you saw into fresh cut would instead of bark..
Dewey,
That is the best part about the Timber Harvester, always cutting into clean wood instead of having to run the mud saw/ debarker all the time.
My WM does not have a debarker.After my opening cut I most always turn the log into the back stops,270°,so I'm cutting in to clean wood.I feel it makes a big difference in blade life and reduces the time spent cleaning logs.I still pay attention to the exit side of the log for dirt and rocks.I don't like to see sparks when I'm sawing.
Quote from: 47sawdust on February 12, 2018, 09:01:00 AM
My WM does not have a debarker.After my opening cut I most always turn the log into the back stops,270°,so I'm cutting in to clean wood.I feel it makes a big difference in blade life and reduces the time spent cleaning logs.I still pay attention to the exit side of the log for dirt and rocks.I don't like to see sparks when I'm sawing.
With TH you are able to turn it once and you able to get into a clean piece of wood, that saves me so much more time then having to do that a bunch of times.
Timber Harvesters demise certainly wasn't due to an inferior machine. I still maintain that it was perhaps the best out there. Internal problems are what sunk the company.
They went out of business the year I started looking for a mill.I was disappointed.The man behind the business had built a firewood processor that was as fully featured as the sawmills.I agree with Brad,the mills were top shelf.