i hate woodmizer rant with questions

[spencerhenry]

i posted in another thread about the "super expensive part". i started this new thread hoping that i might get some quick answers. i gave up on the piece of chit for today, working with little screws, nuts, and bolts in hard to reach areas with temperatures in the 20's in the snow and ice has made my fingers hurt from cold, and my feet being wet and cold doesnt do much for my attitude either.
 last week on thursday i was milling along, but quit for the day. the accuset 2 wasnt working perfectly, but it was working when i shut off the mill. friday was to be a nice warm day so i figured it was a good day to get this milling project done. i had all the logs ready to go in front of the mill. friday morning the sun is not up yet and i get it started, but while starting it, i get an error on the screen saying "check breaker and cable", i have seen this message before and it goes away. but that day, it did not go away and after a phone call to woodmizer he quickly tells me that the 'H' bridge is shot, but that i need to check the fuse block for bad connections as well. this is where the first thing that pisses me off starts. IF THEY KNOW THE FUSE BLOCK CAN CAUSE THE H BRIDGE TO CRAP OUT, WHY DONT THEY SEND OUT A NOTICE THAT MILLS LIKE MINE WITH THE OLD FUSE BLOCK SHOULD HAVE THE BLOCK REPLACED BEFORE IT KILLS A $650 PART so i order a new fuse block, and H bridge at a price of $800! fast forward to today, thursday, almost a week later. the parts are here, i blow off coyote hunting to get home and put the parts in. it was probably in the low 20's but sunny. i grabbed a bunch of tools from the shop and get to the mill and start reading the directions. simple enough to install the new fuse block, but what a pain in the arse. there is almost no space to get a hand into to hold a nut for a bolt coming from the inside of a small box, while holding the new fuse block in place inside the box. the positive cable coming from the battery also doesnt clear the new fuse block. pith off #2 WHY ARE NUTS USED IN PLACES WHERE IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET FINGERS AND NUTS, HOW ABOUT THREADS IN THE BACK OF THE BOX ?? in the instructions is says to disconnect the battery cables before installing these parts, the H bridge is dead, and there was no fuse block installed after i was told to take it out to inspect it. so how do i move the saw head? the guy at woodmizer says to hook jumper cables up to the motor to raise the head. simple enough if you can get something with a battery near the mill. i move some stuff around and manage to get cables to the motor. within 20 seconds of cables being attached, my jumper cables melt through and become worthless, but i did get the head up high enough to remove the battery box cover. so now i have the new fuse block installed, but if my memory is correct, the instructions show the wires to the solenoid backwards from the way they were? oh well, i will call and confirm which way is correct. BUT before i put the cover back on the fuse box, i need to install the new fuses. according to the directions, i need a 450 amp and a 225 amp. the problem is, the fuses that came with the block are 225's, and 150's. which brings me to pith off #3. when i ordered the parts i asked for the brass block that contacts the contact strip, i asked the guy 3 times if he got that, yes he said. i asked because the total didnt seem right and i wasnt sure it registered with him. WELL, THE BRASS BLOCK WAS NOT SHIPPED, OR ON THE INVOICE, AND WHOMEVER PACKED THE BOX GAVE ME THE WRONG FUSES! ok fine, i am *pithed because even when i do finish the install, i cant run the mill until i get the fuses, it was already late afternoon so i knew they would not be shipped today anyway. looks like i will lose another couple of days. somewhere during all of this frustration and wet cold feet, hands, and butt, my phone keeps beeping at me that the battery is low, which ultimately resulted in its premature death after bouncing off the edger.
 so it is on to the H bridge. i pull it out of its fancy plastic bag and pull out the instructions, except there are no instructions. there is only a "pre-installation checklist". i commence to removing the old one and again am annoyed with the little nuts and bolts in hard to reach places, but i get the H bridge out but leave the motor wires attached so i know which ones go where. BUT, i cant install it to the bracket because with it in place, there is no way i can put nuts on the bolts let alone get them tight. so i remove the bracket from the box and install the H bridge to the bracket and then reinstall the bracket with the H bridge mounted on it. i connect the two left motor wires, and the right two wires, but there is a capacitor also connected to the right two wires, does it stay or does it go? i dont know, there are no instructions. but, here comes pith off #4, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SPACE ABOVE THE H BRIDGE TO CONNECT THE TWO PLUGS THAT CONNECT THE H BRIDGE TO THE CONTROL PANEL! it is not even close! and the wiring that has those plugs is NOT cheap, when i installed the accuset 2 the first time, i damage one of the plugs and had to buy a new wire harness, at a price of about $130.
 so after i get in the house and start to get warmed up, i called woodmizer for the 3rd time of the day. i still do not know about the capacitor, or why the new H bridge is mounted higher than the old one, or when i will get the correct fuses. what i DO know is that tomorrow, when the temperature is supposed to be well below zero in the morning, i will NOT be handling little nuts, bolts, screws and wires. i also know that there is no way i will have the fuses until at least monday but more likely tuesday. so the fuse block that i could have been warned about has now cost me about 4 hours of diagnostic and repair time, a minimum of 11 days of down time, and $800 in parts. thanks woodmizer!    oh, but i am not done, i still have to finish installing the parts.

 so here are the questions: 1. does the capacitor remain in place or not? 2. can i remove the bolts that hold the entire H bridge together so that i can lower it in the box? 3. is there a photo or instructions somewhere that show proper wiring connections to the fuse block and solenoid as well as to the H bridge?

 the reason i ask about the capacitor is that the new H bridge is visibly different than the old one, the new one has capacitor looking things sticking out the bottom.

[red oaks lumber]

i dont think its woodmizers fault your having a bad day if its to cold or your fingers wont fit, simple fix, hire some one to do it.

[spencerhenry]

are you for real? first off, the reason i was having a "bad day" was because of screw ups at woodmizer. sending the wrong part for one, and two for failing to supply instructions for how to properly install their parts.
 hire someone? boy you are a real comedian. next time why dont you just not post anything. there are plenty of people like you on other sites, why dont you just go be a jerk there.

[Autocar]

Spencerhenry, Forgive me but I have a smile from ear to ear. Many times I wonder why engineers design things like that. If it was mine I would mount the new parts where a fellow could get to them. Ya made my day  we all have them but when your wet and cold a fellows sence of humor goes south. Hang in there spring is right aroud the corner.

[r.man]

Spencerhenry, sorry I can't help but I do feel for you. My fingers are always too large or my arms are not flexible enough for many of the jobs I need to do. Hope for warmer weather and more complete instructions and don't let it get you down. Sometimes the world is  against you but it will just make the good times sweeter.

[MartyParsons]

Hello,
Are you talking about the black round tube with two wires capacitor? Yes you do not need to install it. It is now built into the new H bridge.

Yes if you have a mill with Accuset or Accuset 2. Please replace the fuse block or check the fuse connections. The last two I repaired had the Red wires on both sides of the fuse, this would not be a good idea because there would be no fuse protection.
The fuse block should have directions for all mills to help with install. The new H bridge may not have any directions.

The positive battery cable, I remove it while I am replacing the fuse block. Spray WD 40 on the wire and push it back into the hole if the rubber comes off please put it back in the hole. I turn the battery cable 90 deg and the length of cable will now be in the battery box.
The 1/4 " bolts that hold the H bridge some are longer to go through the bracket. Yes you can move them if it will help you lower the bridge to make room for the wires.
The nuts on the back of the fuse block are " yes quite a pain" I put grease on my wrench and say a prayer. Tape will also help hold the nuts.
The hydraulic hot contact solenoid is wired like this. The big terminals are one to fuse and one to the contact. The little terminals have a red wire ( 12 V from key switch) and the diode Red wire. The other small terminal has a voltage drop " black " coming from the battery negitive and the other end " black" of the diode wire.

WOW I hope this helps!
Marty

[Buck]

I hope it goes better tomorrow Spencer. Red Oaks aint so bad..just don't mention GW Bush around him

[POSTONLT40HD]

Now this is a new read for me.

There is a thread on here where everybody has posted modifications to their mill. These modifications and problems we post are not over looked.

Maybe Woodmizer will pick up on some of your complaints and make adjustments. Input from the field is what makes our mills better.

Things will get better....but I'm like you Spencer, I HATE cold weather!

[inspectorwoody]

I sure hope things go better for you spencerhenry. 

However, I think if you give Wood-Mizer a fair shake, they will show you why they are the best selling mill out there and Customer service is #1!

And even when you drug Wood-Mizer though the mud, Marty was still kind enough to answer and try to help.

Keep your head up. It will get better. You will get through this. 

[jueston]

but I'm like you Spencer, I HATE cold weather!

that makes 3 of us..... it seems like that hard to reach peice is just waiting for -10 to spew a puddle of oil which you have to lay in to fix......

[hackberry jake]

99% of the time I'm envious of bells and whistles, but this is one time where I'm glad I have a simple manual mill.

[spencerhenry]

thanks marty, those are answers that i needed. wish i could have gotten those earlier today.


maybe i did "drag woodmizer through the mud", but to not send directions with a "delicate" electronic component is, in my opinion, stupid. i asked about the capacitor because i wondered if it was still  needed after seeing the new H bridge. turns out my suspicion was right.  woodmizer has been pretty good, but there are things that pith me off now and then, usually it is about how to work on them. sending me the wrong parts? that just costs me time and money. in my original rant i forgot about the box of blades i sent back, 7 degree, were cutting GREAT, but after a bunch of material they got dull. when i got them back NONE of the 5 i tried cut for beans. i quit using them, havent touched them since. it takes time to deal with  tracking all these problems down. sure, i can send them back, but the last time i did that they just charged me for it and sent them back. no determination if they were bad or not, and i paid to sharpen them twice.
 thanks to all that have responded with humor, not redoaks i sent him a piece of my mind. if everyone out there is anything like me, paying someone to work on their stuff is a ridiculous thought. if i paid people to work on my stuff, i would be operating at a loss everyday. but that is what my frustration is with my mill. i constantly have little problems, i have only got 1100 hours on it and it seems like i have to replace parts frequently. maybe that is just the way it is, i guess i just need to charge more. but my customers may just walk at that point?
 if i had nothing to do it wouldnt bug me so much that this repair is costing me, by the time it is over, almost a full day of labor not to mention the dollar cost. but it is peak firewood season, i have a truckload of logs waiting to be processed, logs in front of the mill, and 100 acres of timber to virtually clearcut and cleanup slash before the middle of april. i am a one man show.
 i have never used any other brand of mill, i bought a woodmizer because they have good resale and seemed to be the best. some days i believe that, other days i think about selling off all the machines and going to get a job.

 funny, after being on the phone for the last 3  hours and 20 minutes trying to get my phone # transferred to a new phone, i am more relaxed than before i started. the phone screw up cost me some money for sure, hopefully the guy that was coming to buy my motorcycle will call again later.

[mandolin]

Man, I really feel bad for you. My wife chews me out sometimes because I constantly ask "Why do these companies make things so hard to work on?" I, too, have large fumblesome hands that don't work the way they used to and sometimes I get real aggravated. But usually, I get things fixed and going again.Keep at it and I bet you get it up and running.

[5quarter]

Spencerhenry...your fortunate that you have a manufacturer you can yell at occasionally. when things go wrong on my mill, I have to march inside and yell at the mirror... Hope you get some better weather to wrap up your fix.

Chet

[redbeard]

 Hang in there Spencer keep the focus going. I don't believe there is one person on here that has never cussed there mill out. Exspensive parts and repairs can be really stressful especially when you have orders to complete. Martys post sure sounded encouraging and iam sure some other WM owners will chime in with fix it tricks. The cold weather sure dosen't help matters that's for sure. Hopefully tomarrow will be a better day and you can get back to sawing.

[Cedarman]

Our track that is  on our not woodmizer mill is going bad. Sawmill company change designs and they don't carry these parts so I am dealing directly with a supplier.  Takes $2800.00 to replace and will take 6 weeks to get.  Luckily we can still use it, but it may eat up bearings at $200.00 a pop. If it does crater, our main mill will be down for 6 weeks and there is nothing we can do about it except wait for parts. Parts are on a boat from Japan.
We bought a replacement track and it is 1/16" short out of 10'. Company didn't tell me that it takes special track when they are butt jointed.  It takes days for the supplier to get back and I have to call and leave messages.  One person at a supplier (not the sawmill company) got sick for 2 days and my tough luck as she must handle the order.
Since 1983  WM even though it stumbles at times is head and shoulders above any other company we have ever dealt with.   At least we can keep sawing on the WM and WM resaw.

[bandmiller2]

Spencer,I feel for you mate,I have used computerized setworks and their handy but their is a price to pay.I would much sooner have my hand on a hydraulic valve handle than a little toggle switch wired to a solenoid. Frank C.

[WDH]

boy you are a real comedian. next time why dont you just not post anything. there are plenty of people like you on other sites, why dont you just go be a jerk there.

maybe i did "drag woodmizer through the mud", but to not send directions with a "delicate" electronic component is, in my opinion, stupid.

 thanks to all that have responded with humor, not redoaks i sent him a piece of my mind. if everyone out there is anything like me, paying someone to work on their stuff is a ridiculous thought.

Spencerhenry,

I understand your frustration and hope that you can get your problem resolved soon to your satisfaction.  I understand also that you are madder than a wet hen for what has happened.

However, I, and some other members of the Forum, are uncomfortable with the tone of this thread.    You posted this thread to ask legitimate questions.  However, before you got to the questions, you were definitely ranting and raving, and I believe that some of your comments were over the line.   

What is stupid and ridiculous is not viewed the same by everyone, and these adjectives are inflammatory.  Calling a member a "jerk" when they responded with a suggestion that you did not like is not appropriate for the Forum. 

I hope you take this feedback as constructive because I am only doing my job as an Admin.  Anyway, I hope that you can get back to sawing soon and maybe the members here can offer some positive perspective and advice on the issues that you are facing. 

[stumpy]

Good job WDH

[spencerhenry]

it is not ok for me to call him a jerk, but it is ok for him to post a snide comment?

woodmizer may be better than most, but that does not change the facts. 1. there are items on the mill that are unnecessarily hard to work on. 2. woodmizer sent me the wrong parts costing me at least another 3 days of down time. 3. H bridge modules have been known to fail due to bad connections in the old style fuse block, but there has been, to my knowledge, no notice to mill owners of this potential problem. 4. a $650 part that could easily be hooked up wrong should come with instructions.

the answers from marty confirm my questions on installing the new H bridge. theoretically i now have the information to properly install it. just wish i had all the parts too!