up/down issues with 2001 WM lt40 super

[flatrock58]

I just bought a used 2001 LT40 Super Hydraulic mill with the Kubota 42 hp motor.  It seems to be in good shape with 918 hours total.  I have been going through it trying to fix any problems.  I am having problems with the UP/Down motor stopping when going up.  It will go up about 5-6" then stop.  The motor amps will jump from 2 amps to 10-20 amps and it will stop moving.  When it stops the Accuset reboots.  If you wait a few minutes you can go up another 5-6" before it stops again.  If you don't wait it might go 3-4".  If you don't wait and let it cool down it will end up tripping the 50 amp pop out breaker.  It will go down fine since there is less load.  The voltage is around 10-11 volts at the motor under load. 
I have checked connections and looked at the brushes.  Also greased the up/down drum switch.  It does not have any burn places that I can tell.  When going up and down there is some sparking and smoke from the brushes after running it up and down some.  I am assuming it is either a motor problem or something to do with Accuset, since it is routed through Accuset from the drum switch.  Any help would be appreciated.

[flatrock58]

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[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, flatrock58.

[woodyone.john]

Hi and welcome Flatrock,I have a similar vintage mill but petrol motor.Get the air compressor and blow any and all  carbon/ dust out of the up down motor and make sure the mast has been well lubed with atf. This works for me.
cheers john

[Delawhere Jack]

Are the guide pads that ride on the mast adjusted properly? Three of the four upper pads should contact the mast, but you should be able to slip a business card between one of the inboard pads and the mast, same on the lower 4 pads, but the gap should be on one of the outboard pads. The manual gives more details on adjustment. If the pads are too tight, or the mast is not lubed with automatic trans fluid then the friction could cause your issue.

Welcome to the FF.

[drobertson]

There are a few things to check here, a call would be in order to the techs.  It's not always a dust problem or anything of the sorts, it can be, but most likely the  circuit boards that controls it all.  Simple is nice, and most times it is, it just cost at times,  anywhere from the transducer to the H-bridge, to just a simple grounding issue.
A volt meter and a tech can work you through the process.

[woodmills1]

If your experience is like mine tech at mizer will treat you very well right even though you didn't buy the mill from them.  I have nothing but kudos and all thumbs up for how I have been treated by woodmizer. BTW I have purchased 2 mills, both used and neither from the company.

[flatrock58]

Thank you for the welcome.

 I sprayed teflon lubricant on the mast, but I will go back and check the manual to adjust  it.  The guy I bought it from said it had been stalling like this as long as he had it.  Not sure why it resets the accuset.  I took the brushes out and checked them and they look ok.  The brushes and the commutator are not too smooth.  I got the hydraulics all activating the micro switch again and hooked the debarker back up and it is running.  Just need to get the up/down figured out.

[Dave Shepard]

There are eight plastic pads on the mast. With the head all the way down, there should be one pad on the bottom that has just enough room to slide a business card between the pad and the mast. The top pads may be way off the mast, like 3/16" or so. Don't worry about that. Now run the head all the way to the top. Same deal, there should be just one pad that has a business card clearance. If you can't get a card in at those locations, then your pads are binding on the mast. If there is a bigger than a business card, then that just means you need to adjust them tighter, but don't worry about that until you fix the current problem.

My guess as the the Accuset restarting is that you are putting too great a load on the mill and drawing the voltage down far enough to trip things. As you mentioned, continued attempts to raise the head will blow the breaker, so you have too much draw. I would check the up/down gearbox to see if it is moving freely and has oil in it.

[Peter Drouin]

Is the battery new? It can be good to start the engine, but too low for the head to go up.

[flatrock58]

 I will have to check the pads in a day or two.  I charged the battery good today and it is good. 

also found this wiring issue in the box beside the battery.  The grey wire between the two lugs does not look like it should be there.  Looks like they tried to bypass something.  Any idea what is going on here?

 

 

[Delawhere Jack]

Did you get an owners manual with the mill? If not, contact WM and they'll send you one. It's a good idea to register the mill with them also. No cost, and they keep records of what parts have been ordered for each mill.

The mast pads are a fairly simple adjustment when you've the instructions, just like everything else on a WM. Should be maybe a once a year type thing to adjust them.

BTW, a spray bottle full of ATF that has a "stream" setting is very handy for keeping the mast lubed. A little squirt around each of the mast pads a couple times a day will keep the head moving smoothly. (This tip courtesy of ole Mater-Head  )

[Gary_C]

I've had this same problem with my LT-40 because it sits too much. The problem is the unpainted part of the uprights where the pads slide have built up rust. The solution is to get some emory cloth and sand the rust off all the unpainted part of the uprights and then lube them lightly with a light oil or hydraulic fluid. I've tried a wire brush but that does not take all the rust off.

 

[flatrock58]

I did get the owners manual for the mill.  Will WM have manuals for the CBN sharpener and the BMT 100? Have not seen any manuals online.  I will probably drive down to Newnan, Ga and register next week when I pick up some parts.

[Brucer]

It sure sounds like a mechanical problem to me. In other words, follow the previous advice about the pads and the mast.

[flatrock58]

I will definitely work on the mast this weekend and see if I can get to move without binding up.  I don't think it has been run much lately and has been sitting outside.

[Ga Mtn Man]

I will have to check the pads in a day or two.  I charged the battery good today and it is good. 

also found this wiring issue in the box beside the battery.  The grey wire between the two lugs does not look like it should be there.  Looks like they tried to bypass something.  Any idea what is going on here?

 

 (Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

Looks like someone shunted across the solenoid that feeds the hydraulic box.  Just means the hydraulics have power even when the ignition key is off...shouldn't cause any problems.

[slider]

Flatrock ,I had a motor fail once,the brushes looked fine but one brush spring was weak and going bad .I saw it spark with the cover off.This motor would run for a while then stop.The spring was blue due to the high amps .No more hrs on this mill leads me to think that the gear box is not the culprit .Don't forget to go over all the electrical connections especially the z fuses .They may look good but when you get them out there sometimes is oxidation or weakness due to age.I keep extras.I also replaced my battery cable ends with the ones with the studs.One other thing ,use the highest amp battery you can find.I replaced mine with a 1200 cold cranking amp.Good luck let us know.al

[pineywoods]

An obvious thing, but easy to overlook, check the lube level in the up/down gearbox. Needs to be FULL, just some won't get it. WM says use ATF, I use 80W90 gear oil, not recommended in colder climates....

[Dave Shepard]

I will have to check the pads in a day or two.  I charged the battery good today and it is good. 

also found this wiring issue in the box beside the battery.  The grey wire between the two lugs does not look like it should be there.  Looks like they tried to bypass something.  Any idea what is going on here?

 

 (Image hidden from quote, click to view.)

Looks like someone shunted across the solenoid that feeds the hydraulic box.  Just means the hydraulics have power even when the ignition key is off...shouldn't cause any problems.

It will cause problems eventually. Those big wires look like about a #4, and the jumper is about a #12. You can't move that much juice through a wire that small. If the solenoid is toast, it would have been better to move one big wire over to the other post, so it's big wire to big wire.