It's started??

[Tom King]

Checking CL today, there was a 2022 LT35 with all the goodies and 50 hours on it up at lunchtime.  The ad said that it was posted 13 hours ago.  I checked back a little later, and the add was down.

Price was 35k.

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

Sawmilling is hard work and its gotten pretty hot in my neck of the woods!! Prices at the pump and the grocery are up. I have to wonder if mills will continue to be in such high demand and hold so much value. Id hate to see the housing market fall out but Im afraid we are on the downhill side at this point. We shall see....Brian

[Magicman]

Yup, no surprise because any sawmill that was bought on impulse will probably be for sale.  :

[WDH]

They are coming up for sale on Facebook.  

[WV Sawmiller]

Looks like he turned a nice profit out of the deal so don't sell him too short.

[Tom King]

It had a long list of extras with it, as well as what looked like all the options.

[Tom K]

I've been wonder on how this is all going to play out for awhile now. Lot's a mills on order with little money down and long lead times. Prices jumping fast on new mills, and even faster it seems on used mills. 

How many guys are going to take delivery with a payment schedule, use a few hours and try to sell for a profit?

How many guys are going to decline delivery when the mill is ready because they changed their mind, or don't have the money for it?

How many used mills will be on the market when guys get there new mill? 

Is the drop in retail lumber prices going to pinch out the guys sawing framing lumber? If so how long will that take? 

It will be interesting how the next year or two play out.

[Bruno of NH]

The manufacturers are going to have lots of mills for sale 

[firefighter ontheside]

I've seen several mills for sale on FB in the last couple weeks.  I believe I've seen two LT35, one LT40 and another brand fully hydraulic mill as well.  The prices are high, but they are selling.

[Tom King]

I heard an Uncle say one time that one pony would satisfy every child in the area because the family would get tired of taking care of it, and let someone else get it.  I remember one making the rounds around that time.

I think maybe the same sort of thing is going to happen with sawmills.

[RichTired]

It may be like bass boats and travel trailers. I have known of a few people that went fishing one time or camping one time and spent lots of money on boats and/or travel trailers. Only to use them a short while and either sold them (for a loss) or they are still sitting in their basements, backyards, or driveways. ???

[Wlmedley]

A few years ago I told some people I worked with that we should make a list of things that we think we would like to have,draw straws and each buy one thing and then switch out every year.That way no one would be stuck with a bunch of stuff they got tired of.My boat hasn't been in the water for over a year. :laugh:. I love to fish but my wife has health problems and can't go and I can't leave her alone.

[Wlmedley]

I have no plans to sell my little sawmill  :D

[WDH]

Down here there are many more people offering wood for sale.   Lots of slabs, all green.  Everyone thinks that they can buy a sawmill and make money.  Wait till that green slab inventory builds up and there is no space in the backyard to stack or store them.   Oh, but sawing is fun  .

I am pretty easygoing and willing to share and help people.  But, that can come back to bite you. There have been several people that told me one thing but did another after I shared my hard won experience and best practices with them so that in essence what I did was help set up a competitor that now undercuts me.  

Now everybody and their brother has a sawmill around here selling green slabs cheap.  We will see how long that lasts.  

[stavebuyer]

There was never any reason for green slabs not to be cheap. At one time avocado and harvest gold appliances in the kitchen and shag carpet in the living room were all the rage.

[Hackeldam Wood Products]

Everything goes in cycles. Harley Davidson motorcycles are a example. A lot of people bought mills with no research and little experience. At some point lumber prices and demand will drop and there are going to be a lot of mills for sale at reduced prices. Slabs are the same,tastes will change and only high quality slabs will have value. A sawmill is not a get rich quick scheme it takes hard work, knowledge and commitment.

[btulloh]

There's an LT40 Super w kubota diesel for sale on CL with 141 hours, shed kept. $31,000. Interesting. Pulaski county (SW part of Va.

[YellowHammer]

Sawmills are the ultimate "off the grid" toy to many.  At least once a week I get calls as to what type of sawmill somebody should buy, and I tell them get whatever they want because when it gets delivered a year from now, they won't want it anyway. 

Or the people who say "I want a sawmill so I can have my son, son in law, grandchild, fill in the blank, so I can teach them how to be a man!"  Of course the guy who's telling me this is as old as the hills and can barely walk and has dreams of his youth again. 

Or the many calls I get from people who say "I just got a mill and sawed up some kind of wood and how much are you going to pay for the wood?"  I reply "Nothing" and they say, "well, where else can I sell it?"  Not my problem...

I have no doubt that one of the reasons the mill manufacturers have not rapidly spooled up in the last year or two, is that they know that as soon as they do, market forces will cause them to spool back down, and the smart decision is to just keep an even supply.  Lots of the mills they have deposits on will get dropped by their customer backing out and the manufacturer will get left holding the bag.  Too many surplus mills and not enough customers.  People watching too much off grid TV and home repair shows find out how hot it is outside when they step out to walk their dog.   



 

 

[Daburner87]

Everything goes in cycles. Harley Davidson motorcycles are a example. A lot of people bought mills with no research and little experience. At some point lumber prices and demand will drop and there are going to be a lot of mills for sale at reduced prices. Slabs are the same,tastes will change and only high quality slabs will have value. A sawmill is not a get rich quick scheme it takes hard work, knowledge and commitment.

Yea, but those youtube videos sure make it look easy :D.
Harleys are kinda an odd comparison though.  They make inferior products and charge far more for them.  When you buy a Harley you are buying the name.  You aren't getting a better motorcycle, or reliability, or something faster than the competition...  Just an overpriced hunk of metal with dated technology.  

[Walnut Beast]

Full hydraulic mills are still bringing a premium. I don't see them dropping off dramatically. When the new mills go on sale if and when I'm expecting 2-9k off on the top models 

[Resonator]

I'm always looking what goes up for sale for used construction equipment, dozers, backhoes, and particularly mini excavators. Often times a landowner will buy one to do work on their land, and then "finished all the projects I had, time to sell" is the ad line I see repeated over and over. Thinking quite a few sawmills will be the same. After their dream house - cabin - garage - fill in the blank wood project is built, and a lifetime supply of 2x's and 1x's has piled up, relatively new low hour machines will be on the market.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Even before Covid I used to regularly see ads like "10 y/o sawmill with 50 hours for sale." It amazed me after I got mine and found how much I enjoyed it. Obviously the other owners must have been smarter than me or something and figured out pretty quick that cutting and handling logs and sawing and stacking lumber could be a lot of work. Either that or they had a project they started and finished but if that was the case I don't know why they waited so long to sell it afterwards.

   If I was smart I'd probably have waited and bought a good used mill but I certainly don't regret the customer service and support that came with my new mill although I now believe I'd probably have gotten it from WM on a used mill if that was the used brand I'd bought.

[thecfarm]

My world is tractors.
I bought an 8 year old one with 800 hours on it!!! 
But I do understand the sawmill thing too.
Some don't understand you have to buy logs, to cut lumber. 
I have 2-3 lifetime supply of logs on my land.
Kinda goes the same way.
People buy sawmills and tractors on an acre of land.  
Some buy it to make money, but they can't sell themselves too.

[Crossroads]

You are correct WV, my first mill was a used WM and the customer support was great. When I bought the new mill, It was easy to get another WM. 

[barbender]

Yep, I've had excellent customer service from WM for my used mill👍