Powering a M-14 Belsaw mill

Irish_Jake · December 30, 2020, 02:08:15 PM

Afternoon all -

I have a recently set up Foley Belsaw that I'm currently running off the PTO of a Ford 8n, which is underpowered for the saw and what I'll be cutting with it (a lot of green red oak, among softer woods). I'm looking for a standalone engine to power the saw, but not having a lot of luck on CL and FB Marketplace. Part of the problem is that I don't know what to search for, which ideally is a stand-or-wheeled engine with a flywheel or PTO and at least 50hp, at least as far as I'm thinking. So what I end up finding is a lot of listings for car engines, or cars, or tractors.

I do have the advantage on my belsaw that my PTO connection is not directly on the blade shaft - it's offset to a second shaft at the end of the saw, and a 7" flat belt connects to the blade shaft from there. That means that I'm not locked into a rotation direction on my engine since I can run my belt straight or w/ a 180 twist to reverse the direction of turn. I can also work with either a PTO drive as I have now, or adapt it to another belt drive or other type of connection as needed. I'd prefer not to deal with the mess of starting from scratch with a car/truck engine though.

Any suggestions on what to look for and where to look for it? In an ideal world I'd like to find something under $500 that will fit my needs.

sealark37 · December 30, 2020, 02:21:46 PM

You should try to find an International Harvester UD-9, or better yet, a UD-14 diesel power unit. At your $ limit, you may need to do some repair. Either will more than double the sawing power you have now. Posting your location in your profile may assist your search.

Irish_Jake · December 30, 2020, 02:59:24 PM

Quote from: sealark37 on December 30, 2020, 02:21:46 PM
You should try to find an International Harvester UD-9, or better yet, a UD-14 diesel power unit. At your $ limit, you may need to do some repair. Either will more than double the sawing power you have now. Posting your location in your profile may assist your search.

Location updated, I'm in West Michigan, Grand Rapids area. Repair / rough shape is fine. My 8n is a full rebuild so I'm comfortable with it. That said if there's something perfect that's a bit higher I'll stretch.

moodnacreek · December 30, 2020, 07:17:36 PM

To bad you are not close by as I am cleaning up around the mill and have the set up That I ran a Bellsaw with. In fact I have 2 0r 3 engines that would work . The way I did it was with a shaft mounted on the power unit frame U jointed to the Bellsaw mandrel. A belt driven governor rigged to the carburator is needed on a car or truck engine. The twisted flat belt eats alot of power, I never liked that but of course I did that first.

Nebraska · December 30, 2020, 07:25:30 PM

Might be able to expand your search farther west and look for irrigation power units or power units from manure handling pumps, 500.00$ for running may be hard to find though.

Hackeldam Wood Products · January 01, 2021, 04:43:22 PM

Quote from: moodnacreek on December 30, 2020, 07:17:36 PM
To bad you are not close by as I am cleaning up around the mill and have the set up That I ran a Bellsaw with. In fact I have 2 0r 3 engines that would work . The way I did it was with a shaft mounted on the power unit frame U jointed to the Bellsaw mandrel. A belt driven governor rigged to the carburator is needed on a car or truck engine. The twisted flat belt eats alot of power, I never liked that but of course I did that first.

Probably worth the trip. He could get a good engine with sound advice from a expert.
Happy New Year.

Irish_Jake · January 03, 2021, 12:39:34 PM

Quote from: moodnacreek on December 30, 2020, 07:17:36 PM
To bad you are not close by as I am cleaning up around the mill and have the set up That I ran a Bellsaw with. In fact I have 2 0r 3 engines that would work . The way I did it was with a shaft mounted on the power unit frame U jointed to the Bellsaw mandrel. A belt driven governor rigged to the carburator is needed on a car or truck engine. The twisted flat belt eats alot of power, I never liked that but of course I did that first.

What kind of engines do you have available?

moodnacreek · January 03, 2021, 05:11:24 PM

All ford v8's. Nothing is turn key. On one set up is a 302 power unit of a chipper. You would need to extend the frame sideways and mount a drive line and pullies and I would have all this . I should still have the 1 3/4" connection to the sawmill mandrell.

Iwawoodwork · January 04, 2021, 12:41:19 AM

Hey come on West just a little farther,

I have a1986 ford f350 4x4 with a 6.9 diesel that has a lot of miles but runs ok, I was going to use it to rum a Belsaw that I have since sold.
The plan was to cut the frame off at the back of the crew cab, weld a trailer axle there and use the driveline as a pto shaft to the mill. That was if I ever needed to move it I could use the 4x4 and front wheel drive,
You might be able to find a cheap old retired diesel farm truck in your budget. I just (6mo ago) bought a Allis Chalmers Gleaner combine, full closed cab, with a good AC 3900 diesel, 150hp, complete still able to drive for $500.00 . It has a multiple V belt drive. also hydraulics for the combine head, lots of neat parts. Look around the farms for old retired swathers or combines, might find a diesel power unit cheap.