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6 Foot Copper Strip Issues

Started by highleadtimber16, February 18, 2013, 12:45:17 AM

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highleadtimber16

Hey Guys, I've been having some problems with my 6' copper strip and it's really starting to bug me. We tend to get quite a bit of rain/moisture here on the West coast and my copper strip/brass piece is continually corroding. Causing the brass piece to short out when engaging the hydraulics. This makes it arc and leave little burnt spots. I have to clean the strip and the brass piece almost every 2 days! It's just another time consumer that I don't need. My mill is about 500 feet away from the ocean so I know that probably doesn't help, but there must be something to stop this? All my logs come out of the saltwater. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a major factor also.


  

 
Thanks, Ryder
2011 Wood-Mizer LT 40 hyd w/ 12' Extension,
EG 200 Wood-Mizer
Cutting Old Growth Cedar from Queen Charlotte Islands.

stavebuyer

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,7789.msg269830.html#msg269830

I love my mill but no matter how much I adjusted and cleaned my power strips(my lt70 has 2) pitting and arcing were always issues. Waiting until the pump(s) quit pumping before the moving the head seems to help. I did the "bibbyman hydraulic upgrade" and plumbed my LT70 into an external hydraulic pack. The additional log handling speed and the fact it eliminated all the "dead  spots" on the power strip bumped our production by an additional 30 logs sawn the very next day. Not as easy to do if your mobile.

T Welsh

highleadtimber16, I have problems with mine and I am on the opposite side of country from you and not near corrosion. I have to polish the burnt spots of every other day or so. I keep them adjusted as per manual. I have tried die electrical grease on the shoe and strip,but it collects saw dust and fails after a half day of sawing. The best remedy I have found is to keep the saw dust and debris from building up in between the springs that tension the shoe to the strip. Tim

Peter Drouin

Mind did that when I got it , I adjusted the tension to have a good rub on it ,Im good to go, good luck
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Magicman

My first thought is to question whether you have enough tension on the contact to insure that it is firmly in contact with the copper strip.
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

pineywoods

Hey guys, don't forget there's another one on the bottom of the frame rail. If that one doesn't make contact, the hydraulics will still work, but the current for the pump motors flows through the head support bearings (cam followers). 200 amps through a bearing will pit the races.
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

barbender

As others said, make sure you have enough tension on that shoe. I've not had any problems with mine.
Too many irons in the fire

kderby

I had a similar problem.  I even purchased another copper strip due to the pitting on the old one.  I did not need to install it as I placed a new bronze shoe and I have not had a problem for over a year. 

The dead spots are frustrating but touching things up with an abrasive (cheap sandpaper even worked) will clear it up in the short term.

KDerby

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: kderby on February 18, 2013, 11:27:51 AM


The dead spots are frustrating but touching things up with an abrasive (cheap sandpaper even worked) will clear it up in the short term.

KDerby

Exactly.  :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

SPIKER

We had automated trolly hopper crane that had 3phase 240-VAC running it.   The Shoes were copper on copper 4 lines (ground) they have spring tension in twist and compression on the 3 sided copper channels the shoes ran in.   

Keeping ALL of the (hots and Grounds) clean was an issue for sure.   the environment was DUST everywhere and a really fine type that built up no lube could be used.   Biggest part was breaks in tracts would catch shoes and pop em off.   

We ended up adding dual sets of shoes to EVERY LINE (in your case that is a 2nd HOT and 2nd GROUND) for DC pump.   You may also have to add a short length of COPPER to it so the 2nd set of contacts dont over-travel one end or the other.  You SHOULD be able to use even Motor Brushes for this second contact just be sure that everything is isolated that needs to be and or in contact where needed.

In our case the Trolly Crane had to be powered while moving, in your case stopping the motor prior to moving will help at the cost of production speed.

Mark
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

Nomad

Quote from: kderby on February 18, 2013, 11:27:51 AM

The dead spots are frustrating but touching things up with an abrasive (cheap sandpaper even worked) will clear it up in the short term.

KDerby

     Try a copper scouring pad from a supermarket.  Won't do near the damage, and works just as good.
Buying a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter
WoodMizer LT50HDD51-WR
Lucas DSM23-19

highleadtimber16

Hey all, thanks for the reply's. Once I'm at'er next week I'll tighten the boot, and give the strip a real good clean with a wire wheel. I've never had this problem until I had to move my saw out of the shed last December  :'(   I do miss my shed!!
2011 Wood-Mizer LT 40 hyd w/ 12' Extension,
EG 200 Wood-Mizer
Cutting Old Growth Cedar from Queen Charlotte Islands.

Magicman

I'd go easy with the wire wheel.  I use 600 grit emery cloth.
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

Chuck White

The green scrubbers like you would use at the kitchen sink will do a good job cleaning the copper strip too.

I was having an arcing problem with my mill last summer and I just figured out that I was using the hydraulics before the sawhead was completely stopped.

I then would make sure that the sawhead was absolutely stopped and then I didn't have any further problems.
~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!

highleadtimber16

Now that I think about it I usually start the hydraulics before the head has stopped. I will make sure the head is stopped now before engaging the leavers. I think if I use a fine brass wheel it should be ok on the strip.....
2011 Wood-Mizer LT 40 hyd w/ 12' Extension,
EG 200 Wood-Mizer
Cutting Old Growth Cedar from Queen Charlotte Islands.

haywire woodlot

I use a small brass wire wheel on a cordless drill to tune mine up. x2 on the proper spring tension on the bronze shoe.
Dave

Brucer

Every time there's an arc, the strip and the contact get slightly pitted. This makes the connection more likely to arc and the whole thing just escalates.

Corrosion -- even just ordinary oxidation -- increases the resistance at the contact point and causes a voltage loss. This causes the motor to draw more current which adds to the problem.

When it started on mine after a couple of years I cleaned everything up really well and put a lot more pressure on the contact shoe. That maintains the contact better and it also abrades the surfaces to help keep them clean. I haven't had to clean the strip in the last 5 years.

Operating the hydraulics when the head is moving is definitely a no-no. This causes arcing even with a clean strip.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

stavebuyer

Is there any way to adjust the time the pumps will run after the hydraulic lever is released? Seems like mine ran for about 5 seconds or more which may not sound like much but it really adds up on small logs?

terrifictimbersllc

Doesn't sound right if it's like my LT40, the lever pushes a switch which activates a solenoid which controls the pump.  On/off is instantaneous.
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

customsawyer

I am with TT something isn't right there.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

Magicman

Your microswitch is not releasing or you may have a solenoid sticking.  That needs fixing.
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

LeeB

speaking of micro switches, when you throw out that old microwave, cannablize it first and get the magnets and 2-3 switches out of it, plus a bunch other good stuff.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

stavebuyer

Quote from: Magicman on February 19, 2013, 07:28:22 AM
Your microswitch is not releasing or you may have a solenoid sticking.  That needs fixing.
I agree something never seemed right but I don't think the DCS remote mills have micro-switch's like the other mills do. Similar delay when switching between bed functions.

highleadtimber16

My solenoid welded itself together a couple months ago and the pump continued to run after I let go of the lever. Luckily I shut the mill off a couple minutes later for a lunch brake. Otherwise I never would have heard the pump and it would have most likely burnt out. Was a very simple and inexpensive fix for a new solenoid. The microswitch actually cost more!
2011 Wood-Mizer LT 40 hyd w/ 12' Extension,
EG 200 Wood-Mizer
Cutting Old Growth Cedar from Queen Charlotte Islands.

Magicman

That sealed microswitch is pricey, but most any microswitch will work.  The WM switch comes with leads and this one has terminals, so some modification is necessary.


 
This one has been on my sawmill for about 8 years, and cost less than $3.00.
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

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