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Tough Decision to Make

Started by wannabeonetoo, December 15, 2010, 05:10:05 PM

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wannabeonetoo

 Well it's coming down to "crunch time"  ::)
I have the cash put aside for a bandmill and have been wanting one for years. I can't decide what to do.I am leaning toward a WM LT40 or the New LT35.
I really like the idea of the autoclutch & power adjust blade guide of the LT40 and the potential for adding lubemizer & debarker in the future. But at a cost of $5000 more than the LT35, I am trying to weigh whether it's worth it. Otherwise they are the same mill (I think :-[ )
What to do, what to do.........
Any input would be welcome.

Steve

Tom

In all honesty, I've never compared the two before.  But upon initial scrutiny, the LT35, with a 25 horse engine, looks every bit the saw I had in my 1990 LT40HD.  It even has the simple setworks that my saw did not.

It served me meritoriously for over ten years and is still able to saw logs, being used as a stationary saw for a contractor now.

While I admired the upgrades of the LT40 through the years, I never found myself needing to trade up, until I ran into the situation of my customers wanting me to cut logs longer than 21 feet.

I guess a lot of the decision making would be whether you intend to become a full-fledged production mill, or if you will be a portable custom sawyer. 

I know my old LT40 did the job, so I feel pretty comfortable that either of these machines will too.  The good thing about the new LT40 is the choice of more horsepower.

Age might enter into it too.  I'm glad that I don't have to make the decision, because I'd be spending another $5000. :D

I guess I'll have to pick one thing that might help you to make the decision. That is the auto clutch.   I didn't have an auto-clutch.  As a matter of fact, my old mill's clutch handle was pulled to the side instead of back toward the operator.  As a result, I suffered from repetitive injury to my shoulders, a permanent injury.  I wish I had been smarter and recognized it, but I didn't until it was too late.  The new handle that pulls toward the operator may take a lot of the stress out of it, but the auto-clutch eliminates the threat all together.

Ohio_Bill

Don't overlook the used sawmill option. There are several nearly new mills out there. I sold my LT40 this summer and was going to purchase a new one, but after some looking I was able to find a LT40SH RA used. I would not been able to get all the options that it has with the funds I had available if I went new.
Bill
USAF Veteran  C141 Loadmaster
LT 40 HDD42-RA   , Allis Chalmers I 500 Forklift , Allis Chalmers 840 Loader , International 4300 , Zetor 6245 Tractor – Loader ,Bob Cat 763 , Riehl Steel Edger

woodmills1

2 woodmizers, both used............... :P.............good idea
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

customdave

You might want to contact Woodmizer to check for sure, but my understanding is the LT 35 saw head is not made strong enough for the debarker down the road , so I would check on this. Good luck with your decision...


                                Dave
Love the smell of sawdust

bugdust

Been there,done that! My first mill was the LT40, but I soon wished I had gone with the hydraulics. Thankfully I quickly sold the LT40 soon after making the LT40HD purchase. I would suggest adding the debarker if nothing else. As for which model, be careful not to undersize if you think future plans might require additional horsepower. I'm not sure of the cost difference now, but you can bet it will be more on the day you wished you had spent the additional cost. Good luck.
Since I retired I really like work: It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.

red oaks lumber

lt40hd no questions, that 5 grand will seem like a steal later on
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

Bibbyman

I feel your pain.   

If it were a choice between a standard, no option LT40HDG25 mill and a LT35,  I'd go the LT35.  Pretty much the same features and performance level but $5,000 less.  Plus,  the single post design allows for the front doors to swing open.

But,  if you want some of the many options available on the LT40 line,  you really don't have a choice.  Wood-Mizer may or may not add these options to the LT35 mill.

I assume you've read the topic "New!  Wood-Mizer LT35"?

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,46178.0.html
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

band-it lumber

auto clutch, debarker are 2 options that should be standard on all mills hydraulics are a must too. i am on my 3rd woodmizer in 13 yrs

Buck

The 40 is such a good machine. There are some good buys out there on used. Same good customer service.
Respect is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust is gained. Loyalty is returned.

Live....like someone left the gate open

Brucer

What're you going to do with it? What are you planning to saw? What kind of shape are you in? Do you know for sure you're going to just love this work?

When I got started I planned to buy the LT27. When the dealer heard I was planning to run a part-time business with it, he convinced me the LT40 would be a better choice. He was right. I was on a tight budget, so I couldn't afford a hydraulic machine or options like the debarker.

Working part-time without a debarker wasn't a big deal. Most of my logs were pretty clean and manual cleaning worked for the rest. No problem using the manual clutch lever, either -- I was in pretty good shape.

A year later I found myself sawing full time, often working with logs dragged through the mud. Hydraulics became a necessity. So did a debarker. I had a track record by then so I was able to get a loan to upgrade to a hydraulic machine. I sold the old mill in 4 days!

People told me later I should have bought the hydraulic machine to begin with, but they were wrong. The work wasn't there, at least not until I had proven that I was reliable and did good work. I didn't earn enough in the first year to make the payments on a hydraulic mill.

Six months after I'd gone into full production mode with the hydraulic machine, I noticed a little stiffness in my right shoulder. Tom's told us about his shoulder problems before, so I took note and added an autoclutch. It wasn't necessary when I started, but it sure is now.

I was lucky in that I had a chance to run an LT40 for someone else for 4 months. By then I new I was one of those crazy people who can't survive without sawdust in their lungs (or boots).

I'd say if you aren't planning to saw full-time, and you've got access to clean logs, and you're in good shape, consider the LT-35. I suspect you'll have no trouble selling it if you decide to upgrade -- it looks like it'll be a pretty popular machine.



Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

wannabeonetoo

Thanks guys, all good advice.
I'm not sure where this will lead me, I've read the many accounts of the part time sawyer suddenly becoming a full timer ! I'm semi retired and in good shape however the old clock is ticking so looking down the road too. I've always loved wood & the woods and all things outdoors so this would be a good fit.
I think I'll take a road trip tomorrow to the WM HQ's about an hour+ drive from me. I saw on the WM used mill site that there is a used LT40 at their site. More $ than I want to spend , but at least can have a good look .

Thanks,
Steve

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: wannabeonetoo on December 15, 2010, 11:53:52 PM
I saw on the WM used mill site that there is a used LT40 at their site. More $ than I want to spend , but at least can have a good look .
Uh oh  ::) ::) ::)
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Buck

Yep. Uh Oh....another man done gone.   ::)
Respect is earned. Honesty is appreciated. Trust is gained. Loyalty is returned.

Live....like someone left the gate open

Chuck White

I wouldn't be without my debarker.

As I understand it, the LT35 doesn't have the option of adding a debarker.

The LT35 also has a single-post mast, whereas the LT40 has the dual posts.  More strength and durability!

If you think you might go into a hobby/business, there isn't much of a decision to make, LT40HD.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

ljmathias

Don't know anything about the LT35 but I love my LT40,especially the hydraulics. I always try to buy more than I need and then grow into it, but lately, the only growing has been around my middle, and I'm not very happy about that... :(

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

Tronvik

Steve, My vote is for the lt40, I like the lt35 but I think the lt40hd will last longer and hold its value better. Tron
1984 lt30, john deere 750

Magicman

I've almost responded to this thread several times.  I have absolutely no experience with the LT35, so I can not make a comparison or a judgment call.

It's well known that I run a LT40 SuperHydraulic.  Why?  Because that is what the man had that I bought it from.  I was extremely fortunate, and with no mill knowledge, made a good decision.

Consider buying used.  Buy the largest mill with the most bells and whistles that you can afford.  Those options are there for a purpose.  To increase the accuracy of your product and increase productivity, both in sawing and log handling.

Mills, especially used ones, tend to hold their value, so trading up in a few years is also a viable option. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Bibbyman

Just to give an alternate prospective,   buying new vs. buy used,  simple vs. all the bells and whistles. 

For the first time mill owner, I'd tend to recommend buying a new simple mill over a used mill with all the bells and whistles.   Here's my thinking.  There is plenty enough of a learning curve to start out flat footed learning to saw and learning to operate and maintain the mill.  So starting out with a used, high end mill just makes the learning curve even steeper and possibly rockier – being the potential for more problems.  A new mill owner may not be able to detect where the problems lie and how to correct them.  But starting out with a new simple mill that has been properly adjusted and serviced by the factory,  the new owner is less likely to encounter discouraging problems early on.

In my experience, we started out with a manual LT40G18.  We added a home-built hydraulic log turner and a Jones debarker.   We later bought a used early model LT40 Super Hydraulic.  It didn't have any options.  In 2002, we stepped up to the LT40HDE25-RA with Accuset, dragback, debarker, etc.  Maybe we were just old (52 at the time) but even with 7 years of sawing experience,  it was a leap.   It was a couple of days before we could start to understand and use the Accuset.   We didn't use the debarker for a few weeks until we were familiar with the new way of operating the mill.  The mill is likely twice as complicated as a standard LT35HD or LT40.   It has 5000 hours on it.  Far from worn out,  but I'd hate to turn it over to someone who has no experience at either milling or familiar with the mill and all its little quirks.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Papa1stuff

Buy  the best and biggest you can ,then when you don,t know what to do ,just come here and ask ,there is a wealth of information here .
And if in trouble there is always some one to help you ;D
1987 PB Grader with forks added to bucket
2--2008 455 Rancher Husky
WM CBN Sharpener & Setter

Banjo picker

I'll throw my hat in the ring with the get all the bells and whistles you can afford folks...thats what I did and I am glad I did...Its just a fact that you are going to have to learn to do some adjusting on the mill anyway...A new mill may not even be exactly just like you want it when you take delivery....If you option for the set works , I would think you could run it manual until you get comfortable with everything else...Everything else you can get just makes it easier and nicer to run....If you want to rotate your logs with a cant hook by all means do so, but if you have the hydraulic turner I will bet it won't take you too long to figure out how to spin that log with it and just use that hook to get the log in position on the deck..JMO  Tim
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

wannabeonetoo

Thanks guys, I went to the HQ's & they had a LT35,LT28, LT40 (demo unit),used consignment LT40 , LT15GO. So needless to say my head is swimming with choices. I'm really liking the used mill with "bells & whistles" so I may make an offer on it & if that doesn't fly the next in line will most likely be the LT35. Either way it goes I know the machines are "top shelf" quality and the support seems to be top notch too !! Keep the ideas coming ! I really like the input & points of view !

Steve

wannabeonetoo

Oh yeah, forgot to add...........while I was there one mill was picked up,a training session was taking place in the shop,another mill (the LT35) was to be picked up later in the day, so I think in spite of the crap economy, WM is doing alright. A testimonial of sorts to their product  ;D

Steve

WH_Conley

Unless your logs are going to be brought in from the stump with an arch, or some other way of keeping them out of the dirt, get a debarker. Blades cost more than a debarker. Mine went out on a job that I tried to finish without it, within an hour or so I quit and got it rebuilt.
Bill

wannabeonetoo

Quote from: WH_Conley on December 17, 2010, 09:13:28 PM
Unless your logs are going to be brought in from the stump with an arch, or some other way of keeping them out of the dirt, get a debarker. Blades cost more than a debarker. Mine went out on a job that I tried to finish without it, within an hour or so I quit and got it rebuilt.

So that steps me up to an LT40 ???
Thats why I'm having a tough time with this dang decision !!! Awe to win the lottery..........that would put an end to all this waffling  :(

Steve 

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