Need help

[Treecuttermo]

I am need help choosing the right planer/moulder for our first one. We own a sawmill and will be running our own lumber green/air dried until we get a kiln going. Will be yellow pine and everything under 8" will be coming from a bandsaw everything wider would be off the mill. I have looked at so many different options I feel like I'm running in circles. Here is the issue, the main use would be S4S with some t&g. I want to be able to s4s up to 2x12. While we won't be doing a lot over 10" I would like the capability. I would also like to have the option to run moulding later.
 From what I have seen the best option would probably be a PH360 or Baker M412 or woodmaster 4000. My only concern with one of those is the speed. I'm thinking it would need to run 20+fpm to keep a good working speed and I'm not sure how long one of these smaller machines would handle that. 

[Walnut Beast]

I would recommend the Woodmaster 4000. SouthSide on the Forum here is the owner of one, a expert on it and has run it many many hours. He is the man that knows your questions. 

[Tom the Sawyer]

Do you have a market for moldings and planed lumber that was green or air-dried (outdoor decking?).  Wood shrinks as it dries and, personally, I would think it would be difficult to put out a consistent, quality product that is going to change dimension once it gets into a customer's home.

[Walnut Beast]

Do you have a market for moldings and planed lumber that was green or air-dried (outdoor decking?).  Wood shrinks as it dries and, personally, I would think it would be difficult to put out a consistent, quality product that is going to change dimension once it gets into a customer's home.

I agree. I would think you would just be running dried wood through the machine

[Treecuttermo]

There is a lot of people who want to use "sawmill lumber" over "store bought lumber" for decking but they don't want rough sawmill lumber.  I know it will all have to be dried for some time, but it will just be air dried for now.  The t&g would be dried longer to ensure the shrinking was done.  I also think the moulding market is here but haven't researched it much yet.  There used to be a mill local that sold S4S and t&g but he passed away a few years ago and his equipment was sold off and there's not been anyone who replaced that need, and that's what we are planning on doing.

[Walnut Beast]

Do you have a market for moldings and planed lumber that was green or air-dried (outdoor decking?).  Wood shrinks as it dries and, personally, I would think it would be difficult to put out a consistent, quality product that is going to change dimension once it gets into a customer's home.

Your lumber needs to be properly kiln dried and sized properly before it goes through the machine. You need big power requirements and big dust extraction from the machine also 

[customsawyer]

If you sell T&G lumber that isn't kiln dried you are asking for trouble. Sooner or later someone is going to install it in their house and when it shrinks and develops cracks between each board or the pitch starts to run they will blame you.

[Southside]

There is also the bug issue of non KD lumber going into a home.  The 4000 will run 20 FPM all day long.  Will you and your help run at that speed is the question. You will also need a way to straight line your lumber before it goes into any of those machines, be it an edger, or an SLR.  Lastly if you want to be serious with your production then the issue of thick lumber will need to be addressed with a single surface planer ahead of the moulder so you know absolutely what the thickest value is you are feeding into the moulder.   

[Treecuttermo]

Power and dust extraction are not an issues that is all in place.  The lumber will be sized and ready for the machine.  

[boardmaker]

Treecutter,

CustomSawyer and Southside have very valid concerns.  Not telling you what to do, but I highly recommend using kiln dried lumber over air dried.

I've only used single head molders in my home shop.  At work, we have a 5 head Profimat.  In both cases, we s4s.
In any of the machines you mention(4head), I would definitely s4s.  The machine will runs so much better than even just with one edge straightlined and the rest rough.