bent my log roller LT30 Manual mill -

[srt]

Yesterday, while cutting up a nice 10' long, 30" diameter red oak log, I bent the Log Roller beyond use.  What appears to have been caused by the direction of pull being offset a few inches from the Block to the Log roller.  However, I may be real wrong, and might have done something stupid, causing it to bend sideways.  I just can't figure out what!!

Since I'm pretty new to using the mill, and this was the heaviest log I've cut up before, maybe I did something wrong.  However, I had the book open to the page that shows how to work it, and was following it.  I have rolled other logs before, just not this heavy.  The cable did not fall off the pulley, causing it to get stuck and pull it sideways.

Can anyone offer any insite here?  Did I do something wrong, or is this something I need to watch for and do differently in the future?

[Russ]

Do you have it on a trailer ? If you don't secure the turner in the high position it will drag on the ground when you tow it. Hitting a bump, stump, rock or man hole cover would do it in. Its easy to forget after a long day and you want to get home.

[backwoods sawyer]

The sheer weight of a log that size with a slight sideways pull will do it. Build the new one a bit heavier and reinforce the mount area to distribute the pull.
Glad to hear you were doing it by the book. Big logs are a challenge even on the bigger mills, extra caution is require when milling them.

[Brucer]

I bent the turner on my old manual LT40. The arms bent sideways just where they attach to the claws. To fix it, I removed the turner, unbolted the claws, and used a welding torch to heat the arms so I could straighten them. Then I welded a piece of 1/4" x 2" Flat Bar to connect the arms together where they had bent. Never had a problem after that.