On a WM Super, What Max is real on log lenth.

[Chris Burchfield]

I know they say 21', I have not checked the span tables for max span of Loblolly or Southern Yellow Pine which will have some bearing. I know WM would not say 21' if it were not so. For those of you with LT40's up to Super's is 21' extremely close quarters? A 24" X 21' is not but 3900+ lbs. which is the max log diam. in what I'm collecting right now, with 28" dia being max for the mill.  The hydraulic arms are good to 5000 lbs. so this is not a problem. I'm about to start cutting log length and don't want to have to go back and cut off another 6" or foot, for ease of on deck sawing or handling. TYIA friends.

[KILROY]

 Chris,
 Yes it is close quarters. I tell customers 20' 6". It is easier to position the log and you can get the blade out of the end of the log. If longer pieces are necessary they can also be cut. The cant can be slid back and forth. I cut a couple 24' cedars several days ago.
 Why do you need such large pieces? How are you going to remove them from the mill?

[Tobacco Plug]

Yes, you can cut 21' logs on a WM, but it is a royal pain.  21' is the absolute maximum and you can run into problems with the end cuts of the log being out of square.  After all, they are cut with a chainsaw and not a square!  Unless you really must have 21' material, you should cut it shorter.   Good luck!

[MULE_MAN]

I was waiting to see what everybody else had to say about the 21 ft length
to see if it was just me are what   The 21 ft is the MAX. and it's so close.  I
pretty well just go 20'6" .  Are else the log has to be sitting PERFECT , And there's
no room to play with, So when you turn the log it still better be in between the 21
foot mark , are you have a problem. 

[Tobacco Plug]

When I have cut some 21' material, I have tried to cut the log a little OVER length.  That way, you can take your chainsaw and trim up the length to the marks on the mill.  That helps some, but it is still a royal pain.

[pigman]

I tell my customers I can only cut 20ft.  I can cut 21ft but it is a royal pain as the others have said.  Some customers tell me that they have heard that the WM40 is supposed to cut 21ft logs. I tell them to call WM and buy one and cut all the 21 footers they want.  The mill will also cut a 36in diameter log without trimming, but it better be as smooth as a steel pipe.

[Bibbyman]

If I had to cut a lot of logs 20' and sometimes longer I'd get a 6' or 12' extension.  I'd also charge a lot more for sawing long stuff - even if the mill has the extension.  It just takes a lot more effort to handle the stuff.

[Chris Burchfield]

Thank you everyone. I think 20' by your comments it is. 20' 6" after a lot of practice. Whether they are rafters or ceiling/floor joist, you have pitch to a roof and what is needed for overhang when you are trying to achieve a length. You also have maximum spans for the different woods and grades. Grades include Visual Inspection, Machine test and Stress test. You also have to consider the intended load. I still have to check the span tables as 20' may be too long for 2" X 6", 2" X 8", 2" X 10", or 2" X 12". Some times you can make the span if your on 1 foot centers vs 16". Span tables: http://www.southernpine.com/spantables.shtml . Thanks again, Chris.

[Tom]

My Lt-40 was sold as a 20' mill but you could load a 21' log onto it.  You had to have the log within an inch of the blade on the input side to get an inch of clearance on the output side, but it would work.  That's why I shied away from 20' lengths and looked for a 24' mill.  If my customers hadn't wanted so much 20' stuff, I would not have shopped for a longer mill.  

Having a mill that will cut 20' really has the graces of allowing you to cut 16' and 18' freely.   When you are trying to wade through a stack of 100-16' logs, having that leeway is the difference in production sawing or carving.

My current mill has the capability of cutting a max. of 25'.  It is sold as a 24' mill.  It has benefited me the most in that it will cut 20'-22' without my losing my temper.  That has opened up a market for me.  If someone wants 24' material cut, we get out the tape-rule, joggle the log, double check the position when it is turned and I just grit my teeth so that I don't become too anxious and ruin my day.  

[Bibbyman]

Wood-Mizer actually cataloged and made and LT80 - a 27' version of the LT70.  It had dual axles and three loading arms. Also extra hold down clamps.

They demoed it at the 20’th anniversary party.

I understand they made two, maybe three of them.  One they sent to Africa and the other, last time I seen it,  was setting behind their engineering department.

I asked WM why they didn't bring it to market and they said they were able to sell an LT70 w/6' or 12' extension.

[Tom]

Those mills were a couple of years too late for me.   I still think that the market is there for the longer bed in a portable configuration.   The excuses I've heard from several companies is "you can't get them in and out of drive-ways".    I think they are covering up a difficulty in designng a bed that will work.   Or, may be afraid of impacting a market for their extensions.

I have run into problems sawing in an urban environment with my longer mill, but my farmer customers love me.

The market for 20' and longer material may be slim, but it is there.  Having the capability has been a plus in my area.

[KILROY]

 Chris,
 If you are cutting the wood or having it cut. Why limit yourself to 2" thick material? For more strength, cut 3" or 4" thick.

[Bibbyman]

Gust for S&G, I found the picture of the LT80 from the archives.

[Chris Burchfield]

Now that is a Hoss!!!

[ARKANSAWYER]

Yep! I wanted an LT80 but WM said "nope! no deal."  Said I could have a LT70 with 6 ft bed extension and bolt it all down.
  Wanda has a 12 ft bed extension and the first time I used it it was paid for.  Use it just onece or twice a year but it comes in handy.

  Chris,  When you stop by the house I have some 21 ft pine logs to saw so we will run a few of them through your mill.

[Chris Burchfield]

Sounds great. I'm not a logger or a sawyer yet. I've done pretty good as a laborer hauling limbs. A man with the right equipment fell 10 big pine for this 85 yoa man who is giving me the logs. Didn't get to see  the feller fall them. I'm limbing the trees, hauling the limbs by trailer 300' to the road. A service will pick the limbs up. As you can see above, I was trying to see the best length I needed to cut them to. Still about 110 trees to do. Was glad they only took down 10 as the needles are drying out quick with this heat making them a fire hazard till I can get it cleaned up.  Been around 100 deg. F. here in Memphis. Cooled off some yesterday when that front came through. Went by W--M--T picked up four of those neck coolers. $2.88ea. Soak in water 3 - 5 minutes they swell up like a smoked sausage. Same stuff used to keep roots of seedlings wet in shipping. Keep em in a six pack size cooler with ice. Pull one every 30 - 40 minutes wearing it on your neck like a neck tie. Up against the jugular veins, really does help keep you cool. I sweat so bad, have to wear a head band to keep it out of my eyes and off my glasses.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Just a note Chris,  When I get logs like that and do not have orders for the lumber yet I cut them off at 25 ft and 33 ft and haul them home on my 27 ft gooseneck.  Most of my pine is sawn into 8, 12, 16 ft lengths and by cutting my logs off at 25 and 33 I can get the most popular size logs out with out much waste.  IT is always a crapshoot but by in large it comes out good if you can haul and move them. 
  If you take the rubber stoppers off the end of the mill you can gain an extra 4 inches on sawing 21 ft logs.  YOU MUST BE CAREFUL AND NOT SLAM THE HEAD INTO THE ENDS OF THE MILL.  Just one of them little deals that can make or break a good days sawing.

[Chris Burchfield]

Today wasn't too bad, 91 deg. F.  I feel more like a log dragging mule though. I've been watching the paper for a trailer.  A fireman friend offer a bed plate for $100 w/ a 2 5/16"? ball, came off a Dodge, I have a 1500 Ram.  I said yep. I'm limited to 8100 on the weight. Glad you mentioned a 27', gives me something to look for. I don't remember what the max lenth is for an extension with a remote on the Super. Bibbyman said it paid for itself first job, I would like to be able to cut longer for timber frame construction. There is no one in  the Memphis are offering timber frame. There is a log home dealer. I've not checked them out to see where the logs come from. I hope everyone has a Happy and Safe 4th of July Weekend.

[Bibbyman]

  Wanda has a 12 ft bed extension and the first time I used it it was paid for.  Use it just onece or twice a year but it comes in handy.

Bibbyman didn't say it, Arky did.  We don't have an extension.   

I think 6' is the longest extension available with remote station.

It's sometimes tough to do business with local businesses.  I think it must be some kind of rule by the Teamster's Union that logs have to be hauled in from at least half a state away and the product delivered at least three state away.

[Brucer]

I think 6' is the longest extension available with remote station.

Yep, that's what the latest catalog says.

Measured the carriage travel on my 2005 LT40 today -- 21'- 0 1/8" . So if you had a 21' log with the ends cut absolutely square, you could just barely lower the blade past the end of the log and still have the teeth break out the other end. 'Course the blade itself would still be in the wood, so you wouldn't be able to raise the head until you pulled the slab or flitch off the cant.

I ain't so good at cutting the logs sqaure, so 20' - 6" is my official limit  .