too many hours ?

[board]

hello everyone.     i posted a ? on here about 2 and a half years ago and had a great response. Ive been reading others post ever since. Back then i was building a log home and working construction dreaming about a sawmill business. Well i got the house done [allmost] and still working construction. My question is i have been looking at the lt40 online used ones not new, cant aford that. Any how what would be to many hours on machine and what would be to old ? Like a car with 150,000 and everybody tells you to stay away from it. looking for something to do when i retire but need alot of practice before that day about 7 years.   

[Bill Gaiche]

Welcome back. First we dont know where you are located to start giving you the best advice from. I was in Mt Vernon,Mo yesterday and there was a used one on Wills lot. Will was at a show so I couldnt get any details on it. Good luck, bg

[paul case]

In my opinion, the motor is the worst wearable part. At least those can be replaced without too much trouble and generally only cost $3000 or less for a gas motor, depending on what you are looking at of course.
A friend of mine has an 97 lt40 25hp kohler and it has some 8500 hours on it 3500 of those on this, its second motor. The mill is still in good shape and cuts fine. He had to replace the hydraulic pump the other day though. Stuff does wear out.
However I think that a person sometimes does downplay just how much wood you can saw for a motor hour. Those tach's only count for hours at engine rpms, that is 3 hours idling at 650 would equal 1 hour running at 1950 rpms.Those motors idle down when they're not sawing.
I jumped in and bought a 94 lt40hd and it is a working little saw. I like it and am impressed at how much grunt work it takes out for me. PC

[Ohio_Bill]

In an industrial or commercial environment it is not uncommon to see 10,000 hours or more on a machine. Most part time application you see are under 5000 . I have owned 3 Woodmizers over the last 14 years , Two of which have been new .I now have a LT40 SH and I could not justify the price of a new one so I bought a used one that had about 4000 hours on it  . I am pleased with my purchase  . One thing that makes buying a used machine not so scary is Woodmizers Great support. 

[board]

hey bill, i live near newboston ill. about 45 miles south of moline ill. along the mississippi river. looking for something under 15,000 if thats possible. Does not have to be lt40 but i would like to have the hydraulics construction has wore my body out. probably wont purchase one untill late spring or summer.

[Bill Gaiche]

Look at WM website and they have a used mill section that displays photos and info about the mills they have listed. They may even can help you by phone if you like. Also Sawmill Exchange has a big listing. Good luck, bg

[pineywoods]

How many hours is too much ? There is a wm lt40 right down the road from me that has over 17000 hours, still in daily use. It has electric motor. Most motors should last somewhere around 5000 hours given reasonable care. I swapped mine out at 6400. It still ran, but was sorta tired. Friend of mine just swapped out the kohler on his mill at just a tad over 5000 hrs. He looked all over for the cheapest replacement. Woodmizer had a direct replacement, he was up and running in a day. Other than a motor, probably the next most expensive to replace would probably be a hydraulic pump or the circuit board in a setworks pkg.

[slider]

board,give woodmizer a call,ask about service limits on hydraulics,electric motors,etc.i bet they can help you.ask about gas versus diesel .make sure  the frame is straight,not tweaked.not common but it can happen.like paul said the power unit is usually the first big expense.i started with a lt 40 hyd then later traded up but the 40 was a fine mill.still is,like you said the hydraulics are going to make things so much more enjoyable for you.the roller tow boards may not seem like much when you are shopping but they make moving that big cant back and and forth so much easier.keep us posted on your search and good luck. al

[Magicman]

My sawmill is showing about 5800 hours on the second hour meter and is also on it's second engine.  Since I am the second owner and all of the seconds happened prior to me buying it, I really do not know how many hours are on what.

Regular engine servicing and sawmill lubrication and alignment is the key to it producing a quality product.  With WM's service and support, I have no worries.

I will be replacing the entire wiring harness associated with the glow plug relay tomorrow.  I'll take a few pictures.   

[board]

thanks bill.     Hey piney would you recomend electric over gas, if so why? just wondering this is all new to me.

[pineywoods]

thanks bill.     Hey piney would you recomend electric over gas, if so why? just wondering this is all new to me.

If you are a fixed setup, electric is much better,quieter, cheaper to run, longer lasting.  BUT a 20 hp electric motor pulls lots of current. You need 3 phase power one way or another, and that can get expensive. .

[board]

thanks magicman, I always enjoy reading your comments.

[trapper]

On older woodmizers with seperate key and stop switch the hours can realy run up without any wear on the engine if you forget to turn the key  off. 

[thecfarm]

It's good you have time to look and ask questions. Ever been around a sawmill before?

[board]

yes, i had a little hudson i used to take the top and bottom off my logs to build our house. All red pine ,about 225 of them , but mill couldnt handle much more than a 12 in. log.