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Furby and stump_jumper and John; Thanks!

Started by TexasTimbers, February 16, 2007, 08:47:34 PM

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TexasTimbers

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Furby, stump_jumper, and John (stumps fine son) for bringing my mill down. They braved storm and blizzard and I just wanted everyone who knows them, which is practically everyone on the forum, that they is good people! But that's nothing you don't already know.  ;)
Thanks again fellas.

For a little update, I have already gotten about 85% of the maintenance which needed to be done to it before I start sawing wood. There's still a few things I need to get used to also. But what I did today - only got to work on it for about 3 hours . . . . .


  • Installed new battery
  • Tightened the dragback chain (had to remove a link)
  • Tightened the up/down chain
  • Trouble shot the debarker (see note below)
  • Changed the oil and filter
  • Greased 5077 grease fittings  :D
  • Repaired hydraulic pin on lifting arm
  • Filled blade tension resevoir with fluid
  • Repaired locking pin for debarker swing arm
  • Installed kernie on debarker wire splice
  • Soldered swing arm motor wire splices
  • Heated and flattened bent rear jack plate
  • Taped numerous mouse-nibbled wires inside electrical control panel

One thing about this mill. I know why they call them "Super" . . .they are SUPER easy to work on!  Even going into the control box after tracing my "no voltage" problem from the debarker back to the control box, I traced it all the way back to . . . . .  operator error  :)
What I mean is, I was flipping on the debarker switch on and expecting it to work. Nothing. So I started at the debarker with my VTVM and worked back, thru the switch, until I noticed the wire that feeds the switch first runs through the, um, er, ahem, rotary switch that controls the head travel, which, as you know, must be engaged for the debarker to work.  ;D
Heck if I knew that I wasn't trying to cut wood yet.  ::)

So there was no problem but it was a good thing I tore into the panel because a mouse had wreaked havoc in there. Bare wires everywhere. I can see where it had happened before because their was electrical tape on old gnawed wires. Normal stuff really.

I don't have all the manuals I need but I will order them. I need the electrical manual, the hydraiulic manual, and from reading the operators manual it appears there is an engine manual to be gotten too.

Tomorrow, I have to reconnect the hydraulic hoses to the log loader. One piston was left open to the elements, are there any precautions I should take or just have the hoses made, attach them, and let 'er rip ???

Wish I could have worked on it all day I would be cutting wood tomorrow. I might anyway if I can tolerate the cold. It got down to 16 degrees before it finally warmed up enough for human commotion.  :o

I still haven't given it a bath. Furby and stumpy thinks the coating of salt is what is keeping the hydraulics from working because the contacts aren't passing the voltage. Didn't get a chance to fool around with those today. Are there any precautions I need toknow before using high pressure wash on it? I know enough not to spray directly into the cracks of the control box and whatnot. Or directly into the engine oil filler tube etc.  ;D Anything else ???


The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

farmerdoug

Kevjay,  I have just one thing to tell you.


Congratulations on getting a Woodmizer. 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)


Farmerdoug
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

pineywoods

Congratulations Kevjay, that mill should serve you well for a long time. Mine is pushing 7000 hrs and still going strong.
Couple of things I would suggest you check before you start sawing..
1 The hydraulic pumps draw power through a brush running on a copper rail on the side of the frame.  that's got to be clean.  Whats not so obvious is another big brush that runs under the bottom of the frame . If this is dirty, non functional, etc, the hydraulics will still work, but they draw the ground return through the bearings on the head support rollers.  Not good for ball bearings.
2 Remove the cover plate under the water tank. There's a gearbox under there for the up-down movement. It's a worm gear box, needs to be full of oil. The bearings for the drive bandwheel are enclosed in what looks like a piece of 4 inch pipe. They run in an oil bath. Check the oil level. Those bearings are expensive. Don't ask how I know.

After you have sawed a bunch of logs and get familiar with the WM go look under this forum for a long thread on mods to sawmills. Most of them are for woodmizers. not so much modifications as just handy additions from folks like Bibby and others. Priceless information.
Enjoy
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

TexasTimbers

Thanks pw, this is the kind of info I need.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Furby

Sounds like you have been busy Kevjay! :)
Not bad for someone who don't like the cold. ;)

BBTom

I use a power washer on mine frequently after a road job.  Just don't try to take the paint down to new looking and you will be fine.  Purpose is to get the salt and grime off.  The sooner, the better, road salt is why this is called the Rust Belt.

The bottom sliding contact is the normal problem after a road trip.  dirt and grime get between it and the bottom rail.  I use a 3M scrubbie with ATF on the rail to clean it up.

It has been noted on the forum before that some "stainless" steel wool in the end of the tube that mounts the control box keeps the little wire munchers at bay.

If you cannot figure a way to clean out the disconnected cylinder, you sould order a new filter for the hydraulics and after reconnecting everything, replace the filter after about 10 hours of running.  Might not be a bad idea in any case.

Good luck, I feel certain that you will become another Orange believer soon.  ( almost put fanatic in there, but didn't want to call myself a fanatic)

2001 LT40HDD42RA with lubemizer, debarker, laser, accuset. Retired, but building a new shop and home in Missouri.

ARKANSAWYER


  Well it looks like them Northern Boys are headed my way this morning.  I am going to try to talk them into one of my adventures.   This is one of them "Hey! Yall, Watch this!" type deals.  Got to roll some large oak logs down a steep bank onto a goose neck trailer parked in the ditch of a gravel road.

  Quit working on that machine and just saw something!
ARKANSAWYER

thurlow

Well, it doesn't apply in this situation (obviously), but I think you've left some words out of your quotation; it actually goes, "Hey y'all, hold my beer and WATCH THIS".  ;D
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Jeff

Make sure Johnny is way way back running the camera!
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Tom

Y'all be careful, ya hear?   Or, you'll get red shirted. :-\

LT40HDD51

Lots of great ideas so far (...except maybe Arkansawyers...  :D :D). Bang on about the hydraulic contacts. Doesnt take too much arcing to ruin the copper strip and brass contacts (top and bottom), or at least make the hydraulics intermittant and aggravating.

How old is your mill? Is it time to look at motor brushes and that sort of thing? IMO, at least take the motors apart and clean and inspect them if it has many hours at all. My blade guide in/out motor stopped working mysteriously one day, and it turned out to be too much wet brush dust in there grounding it out. Needed brushes pretty soon, too (only about 500 hrs., but I'm a recovering bg arm tweakaholic  ;D). Recently our up/down motor starteds acting up and giving me accuset problems, turned out to be one of the brush spring/retainers was put in screwy. Little things like these become job-stopping problems in the middle of a work day  ;).

Quote from: pineywoods on February 16, 2007, 10:22:47 PM
...Remove the cover plate under the water tank. There's a gearbox under there for the up-down movement. It's a worm gear box, needs to be full of oil. The bearings for the drive bandwheel are enclosed in what looks like a piece of 4 inch pipe. They run in an oil bath. Check the oil level. Those bearings are expensive. Don't ask how I know...

Good ideas. May as well change both for the amount of fluid they hold. Dex 3 ATF in the main drive bearing and 80w90 gear oil in the up/down gear box. Also, if the drive bearing assy. is low on fluid, pretty much the only culprit can be bad seals on the shaft. If the bearings are still good and the seals are shot, WM can get you just the new seals, or get them from a good bearing supply.
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

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