O Nice

Peter Drouin · July 24, 2015, 10:17:19 PM

I was getting ready to bring the mill to the Old Home Day here in town for a 8am start Saturday. I will give a demo of the mill.

Have my logs on the one ton.
Red Oak, W Oak Hemlock W Pine and Cherry.

So I go over to pack up the mill and bring the head to the front and pick up the back legs. When I walked back the mill fell.

So I ran the head back after I put the back leg down.

Got the leg back on.

But something was not right. :D

It is just the box bent 8th" steel .
Went got Mr John to help. ;D

As good as it's going to get tonight.

The mill runs fine. 8) 8)

4x4American · July 24, 2015, 10:24:14 PM

Uh oh! That's not good! You know, it says in the manual, that if you're set up on concrete, you need to have the stationary outriggers!

What happened there hard to see?
Hope you're set to go tomorrow!

Peter Drouin · July 24, 2015, 10:36:52 PM

Quote from: 4x4American on July 24, 2015, 10:24:14 PM
Uh oh! That's not good! You know, it says in the manual, that if you're set up on concrete, you need to have the stationary outriggers!

What happened there hard to see?
Hope you're set to go tomorrow!

The 4 bolts broke that holds the leg to the mill, And there on wood blocking. :D

sandsawmill14 · July 24, 2015, 10:37:10 PM

glad you got it fixed

4x4American · July 24, 2015, 10:41:49 PM

Well it's a good thing you weren't sitting on it or worse underneath it! Put some grade 8 bolts in there!

Jim_Rogers · July 24, 2015, 10:46:33 PM

What caused four bolts to all break at the same time? Sound like you may have had some wear in them to the point where they were just about to let go and then they did.

Jim Rogers

Magicman · July 24, 2015, 10:51:12 PM

I believe that those are carriage bolts, so there is not much option on the grade. I once hung a rear FAO when I was making a turn and sheared it off.

YellowHammer · July 24, 2015, 10:54:51 PM

Glad you got it fixed. The Demo jinxed you.

beenthere · July 24, 2015, 11:28:27 PM

Good it didn't fall down at the demo.
Did the bolts look worn that broke? All fresh breaks?

WV Sawmiller · July 24, 2015, 11:37:15 PM

Peter,

Glad you nor anyone else was hurt and you have the mill back in operation. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Peter Drouin · July 25, 2015, 05:51:29 AM

I will replace all the bolts with grade 8.

Quote from: beenthere on July 24, 2015, 11:28:27 PM
Good it didn't fall down at the demo.
Did the bolts look worn that broke? All fresh breaks?

All fresh, but maybe worn some.

Percy · July 25, 2015, 10:55:15 AM

Oh my!!!! THat didnt look good at all. I just put stationary legs on my 70....I think I'll replace all those carrage bolts after seeing this......maybe once a year.

"Mr. John" :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

snowshoveler · July 25, 2015, 11:39:37 AM

Wow...
that would have scared the "you know what" out of me.
Maybe if you could put a block of wood under there to keep if from going right to the ground.
If you could find a block of wood that is.
And just because no one else said it...pictures of you sawing the truckload are always nice.
Regrds Chris

Dave Shepard · July 25, 2015, 07:21:19 PM

Quote from: 4x4American on July 24, 2015, 10:24:14 PM
Uh oh! That's not good! You know, it says in the manual, that if you're set up on concrete, you need to have the stationary outriggers!

What happened there hard to see?
Hope you're set to go tomorrow!

Not sure that would have helped, they use the same bolts. Although, with the stationary legs, you get an extra one that goes in place of the hitch.

Ocklawahaboy · July 25, 2015, 08:22:32 PM

Before I had my mill, I used to go to a Saturday/Sunday festival and a fellow would demo his mill and sell lumber. Some of us placed special orders for logs that he had at his house on Saturday and he was going to bring them on Sunday. A guy hit his trailer on the way home on Saturday and knocked an axle loose on one side and that wheel off. I didn't get my magnolia log. Maybe demos really are a jinx.

Peter Drouin · July 25, 2015, 09:12:13 PM

The day went well.

Cherry. You can see the width in the first pic.

When I got home, I found a trailer in the yard and have no idea why. :D :D

I did take off two legs to look at the bolts. all bent 1" in from the end hard to see in the pic.
By the end of the day tomorrow they will be all new . Grade 8.

Dave Shepard · July 25, 2015, 09:58:11 PM

The stationary legs have a piece of bar stock welded on the bottom of the plate so that transfers the load from the box tube to the leg. I don't remember if the jacks have that or not. Would be easy to weld a piece of 1/2" square stock on just like the stationary legs.

4x4American · July 25, 2015, 10:37:35 PM

I would think you could get grade 8 carriage bolts from a Fastenal or similar, not sure what you have in your area. Maybe even Curtis would. Be stronger if they have a shoulder instead of threaded all the way through.

If I ever built my own mill, everything would be grade 8! I don't trust anything less!

Larry · July 25, 2015, 10:59:55 PM

If its any solace that doesn't just happen to WM mills. I twisted the tongue jack off when out on a portable job about a month ago. I was jacking it up when it slid off a pile of rocks...most common in Arkansas. Luckily I still had the outrigger jacks down on that end of the mill and chocked wheels so not much drama. In my case I replaced the oem jack with one that had 3 times the load capacity.

deadfall · July 26, 2015, 12:02:16 AM

Quote from: Dave Shepard on July 25, 2015, 09:58:11 PM
The stationary legs have a piece of bar stock welded on the bottom of the plate so that transfers the load from the box tube to the leg. I don't remember if the jacks have that or not. Would be easy to weld a piece of 1/2" square stock on just like the stationary legs.

That seems worth considering. It would eliminate a shearing force at the bolts.

On edit: I went out to see the outriggers and they do have that square bar in place already on my '05. So, it apparently wasn't shear forces that broke the bolts. It would have had to be a tensile force, probably over time, that got 'em.

Peter Drouin · July 26, 2015, 06:44:55 AM

I think it had a lot to do with slabs and lumber dropping off the cant with the drag back.
Before I made the table.

4x4American · July 26, 2015, 08:11:58 AM

I agree. Also, do you park your head all the way back at night? There's quite a bit of weight there.

Peter Drouin · July 26, 2015, 05:42:18 PM

All new bolts are in. When I had the jacks off I fix them too, WM Idea is a pith. :D
Start you have to take off the top nut which has no threads just a roll pin to hold it on. A little heat and the pin will come out.