Daily Maintenance for LT-40

[Jjoness4]

I continually see folks getting thousands of hours on Woodmizers and other mills.  I am just learning my LT-40 and wanted to know what you guys did on a daily basis to insure that you get long service out of your mills.  Of course I am doing the things that the WM manuals recommend but there may be best practices that you have adopted that goes over and above the minimum requirements.  I want to pass this machine on to my son when I am too pooped to pot.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Daily: I lube the chains and mast with ATF
Weekly or so I grease everything and lube the track wiper with atf.
My diesel engine leaks oil so I check this every other day.

[Andries]

^snip^ doing the things that the WM manuals recommend ^snip^

That's best advice right there.
My "over and above" advice would be:
- end of day: leaf blower to get sawdust off of everything. Some sawdust (oak) is acidic.
- cover the mill. UV rays from the sun will degrade plastics quickly. Tarps are ok, but sheds are best.
- Don't try to custom upgrade or out-fox the designers. Your mill is the end design of many years of user feedback and refining by engineers. Let the machine do it's job to within its limits.
- don't cheap out on parts. Every machine has high wear parts. Wheel belts, roller guides, etc. Every mill has an operator that has a knuckle head moment ( or day  ). Buy the part needed from the company that made the mill, or is recommended by them.
- passing the mill on to your son? Get him involved and train him early - on the best ways to operate the mill.

I spent yesterday making lumber on the mill with my boy.
I can't think of a better way to spend a day.
Have fun!

[Jjoness4]

^snip^ doing the things that the WM manuals recommend ^snip^

That's best advice right there.
My "over and above" advice would be:
- end of day: leaf blower to get sawdust off of everything. Some sawdust (oak) is acidic.
- cover the mill. UV rays from the sun will degrade plastics quickly. Tarps are ok, but sheds are best.
- Don't try to custom upgrade or out-fox the designers. Your mill is the end design of many years of user feedback and refining by engineers. Let the machine do it's job to within its limits.
- don't cheap out on parts. Every machine has high wear parts. Wheel belts, roller guides, etc. Every mill has an operator that has a knuckle head moment ( or day  ). Buy the part needed from the company that made the mill, or is recommended by them.
- passing the mill on to your son? Get him involved and train him early - on the best ways to operate the mill.

I spent yesterday making lumber on the mill with my boy.
I can't think of a better way to spend a day.
Have fun!

Thanks guys for responding.  My son has his own business and is extremely busy but he finds excuses to come over and help his old dad saw when he can.  I agree it is a good way to spend a day. 

So I need to get a 55 gallon drum of ATF, right? 

[Bandmill Bandit]

Everything above X2!

Use a high quality silicone grease. DON'T over grease.

A leaf blower is a very good investment.

Personally, I detest ATF and have switched to Graphite spray for the mast and AmsOil metal protectant for everything else. My mill hasnt seen a drop of ATF for 2 years and I dont regret it!

FYI The recommendation to make the switch came from a long time wood mizer Rep, now retired. 

[DGK]

Daily - brush off the sawdust & clean up under the mill. :-)

[petefrom bearswamp]

Bandmill, I think i will try the graphite spray on the mast as I can hear a rubbing noise fairly often on it.
This is after checking the pad adjustment.
The amsoil product is used on both chains?

[Magicman]

Daily: up/down mast, chains, log clamp rods, and track wiper get ATF.  I usually squirt the up/down mast and chain again at mid-day.  The blade guide in/out chain and blade tension rods gets sprayed with a lube.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Pretty much same as most. Very diligent about following WM advice and recording the 50 hour services. Check oil every day before I ever crank the mill. Leaf blower after every 2-3 logs as needed and at days end. ATF on all the pulleys and rollers before start every day. ATF on the rail pads every day or 8 hours use if doing short sessions. Complete washdown on my front lot before and after every mobile job to remove all dirt and sawdust.

[Magicman]

I wish that I had a way to wash mine down between jobs, but it regularly goes from job to job.  When/where it is finally parked, there is no water available.   

[Jjoness4]

Daily: up/down mast, chains, log clamp rods, and track wiper get ATF.  I usually squirt the up/down mast and chain again at mid-day.  The blade guide in/out chain and blade tension rods gets sprayed with a lube.

"with a lube" is that ATF too?

[Rougespear]

Use a high quality silicone grease. DON'T over grease.

Care to expand on what constitutes over-greasing on these mills?  I have been wondering how much I should grease my main pillow-block bearings... I have been giving it about 3-4 shots of grease daily, but I wonder if that's too much?

[Kbeitz]

Use a high quality silicone grease. DON'T over grease.

Care to expand on what constitutes over-greasing on these mills?  I have been wondering how much I should grease my main pillow-block bearings... I have been giving it about 3-4 shots of grease daily, but I wonder if that's too much?

3-4 shots of grease monthly would be more like it.

[WV Sawmiller]

Lynn,

   A few years after we moved here we bought about a half acre lot in front of the house between the creek and road to keep someone else from moving in on us. Someone had a trailer there before we ever moved up here so there was a well and such there. My then teenage son moved a falling two story log barn there as a single story tool room and I later built my boat house there. We got the well back up in operation and when I am not sawing I park the mill on that lot as it is near the road so people passing by see it. On the back side of my boat house is my fish and game cleaning station, a big flat rock made into a picnic table with several log benches for us to have family/community gatherings and cook outs. The water is handy for washing the mill and vehicles and the boat and cleaning fish and game. There is plenty of room to circle around with the boat or mill so I take advantage of it often.

[Andries]

Something that wasn't in my manual:
There's a number of nuts and bolts and fastners that only get moved once a year or less often.
Example - the mill bunks on my WM can be adjusted for height, but I've only needed to do that once on a few of them. . . on a 1992 machine
Put some anti-seize film/paste on them.
That way, they will be adjustable in the next twenty years.
I know, that's way out there planning - but time flies when we're having this much fun!

[Magicman]

 
"with a lube" is that ATF too? 

This subject was just discussed a week or so ago.  My WM manual calls for "Teflon" spray, so I have always used something similar such as WD40 PTFE, Garage Door Opener Lube, or a silicon spray. 

I called WM a couple of weeks ago and asked and was told ATF.  I assume that they changed their recommended lube.

I have always operated the in/out while spraying so that all/most of the accumulated sawdust and whatever else is washed out.

[Kbeitz]

I always use an item called Slip plate on stuff like that.
It's a great paint for under your mowing decks.

https://www.slipplate.com/

[Bandmill Bandit]

Bandmill, I think i will try the graphite spray on the mast as I can hear a rubbing noise fairly often on it.
This is after checking the pad adjustment.
The amsoil product is used on both chains?

Make sure you do a very THROUGH wash and a LOT of hot rinse. I soaked it with a good quality engine shampoo to start off and then did an acid wash on mine as well. Did a steam rinse last.

[gww]

On greasable roller bearings, cooks recomendation is to grease them twice a day while warm.  I just post this as a responce from the mention of too much grease earlier in this thread and just for info in case it is worth anything.
http://www.cookssaw.com/index.php/increase-portable-sawmill-profits-a-production/understanding-sawmill-guides-adjustments
Cheers
gww