Anyone able to convince me to buy a Woodmizer LT10?

[hamish]

The LT10 is a near perfect set up for disassembling and taking it to the logs, two bolts per fame section, esily removeable head, one could re-assemble and be up and cutting in next to no time at all (bolt the rail sections to each other, level, mount mill head.......enjoy a cold drink).

 

[gemniii]

Why would you drag a log?? That's why they invented log arches! You have a 7610 that should be just fine ahead of a good arch, and i'd MUCH prefer to use an arch than keep setting up any mill.

If you do much milling at all, you are going to wish you spend a LITTLE more and got a much BETTER mill for bigger logs.

Rob

I should have used the word transport, because to me even using a log arch or trailer I'm still dragging something behind me.
Most of my land is hilly, with the roads on the ridges and my lots seem to end in the valley. I want to build trails, food plots and watering ponds. Most of the water is downhill and the trails will be on the order of half a mile or more long, ending at the low spots.

Based on videos, web search, and talking to the Woodmizer sales when I got a hands on the LT10, setting up requires putting down a good level base (some 6x6's), putting down the rails, and putting the head unit on the frame. I plan on doing that about 10 times over the next couple of years. It did not look complicated or time-consuming.

I want to use most of the wood on site, for things from posts to sheds, and don't see the need to carry the trees a half mile out up hill, mill them, and carry them back in. I probably will use some form of log arch or yarding system around the site where I set up to mill the trees.

As far as

spend a LITTLE more and got a much BETTER mill for bigger logs

I've got a pair of 660's to make bigger logs into smaller logs. And your capitilization of "little" makes me wonder what you think "little" is. The on sale Woodmizer LT10 (10HP) came in at about $3.2K, is there something else NEW within 10% of that price, pretty much fully assembled, with warranty? 20%? Yet as light as the LT10? I thought the Norwood ML26 was up at about $4K.
One of my limiting factors, as I've mentioned, is weight, I'm shooting for a limit of around 500lbs. Larger mills weigh more.

 

[TraditionalTool]

Based on videos, web search, and talking to the Woodmizer sales when I got a hands on the LT10

There 'ya go! The answers are out there. :msp_rolleyes:

I'm sure you did your homework, and hopefully your mill works out great.

The LT10 will work for you, I'm sure of that. However, Rob has done a fair amount of milling, I believe more than me. Even I tried to offer similar advice. A little more mill goes a long way.

I want to use most of the wood on site, for things from posts to sheds, and don't see the need to carry the trees a half mile out up hill, mill them, and carry them back in. I probably will use some form of log arch or yarding system around the site where I set up to mill the trees.

Why not just setup once and get an area on your property setup for milling. Where you could have a deck, and mill them. If you really do plan to use the wood for sheds and/or buildings, some of the wood might need more processing. You might consider setting up one specific area, where you could have a deck with the logs to be milled, with the mill setup for easy access with the tractor, and where you can easily take that and stack itl A setup like that will greatly increase your productivity, IMO. You'll need to store the wood as you mill it, also, unless you leave it stacked around your property.

And your capitilization of "little" makes me wonder what you think "little" is.

I can't speak for Rob, but knowing now that you learned all about saw milling in about 2 days on the Internet, along with talking to WoodMizer sales, I feel like I wasn't giving you the benefit of the doubt. Your a sharp guy! The rest of us need to learn the honest way, by doing it. Please do post pics when you start felling and milling up your timber. I know I'm anxious to see! :msp_thumbup:

 

[gemniii]

<snip>
Why not just setup once and get an area on your property setup for milling. Where you could have a deck, and mill them. If you really do plan to use the wood for sheds and/or buildings, some of the wood might need more processing. You might consider setting up one specific area, where you could have a deck with the logs to be milled, with the mill setup for easy access with the tractor, and where you can easily take that and stack itl A setup like that will greatly increase your productivity, IMO. You'll need to store the wood as you mill it, also, unless you leave it stacked around your property.
<snip>

Well

Why not just setup once

I plan on trying to be a 1 man operation building with "green" lumber. I'll have 1 trailer, 1 tractor, 1 truck, 1 mill.
Right now I've got 7 separate parcels in Mississippi, and I plan on getting more. Although I like seat time the process of:
transporting logs up the hills with my tractor
loading them onto my trailer
driving them somewhere
offloading
milling
loading the lumber
driving the lumber back to where it was grown
transporting the lumber down to the site
all involves a lot of transport time versus tree felling and milling. And also with all "transport time" I need to add in fuel at $X/gallon.

It seems simpler to drive the milling machine to the site and set up there. And remember, I do plan to set up about 10 times over the 7 properties and taking years for the whole process. This is not a "get this done by tomorrow". I'm just an old retired guy puttering around in his gardens, it'll be about 400 acres of gardens growing trees, but what the heck.

And I'm trying to keep the process extremely "low impact" on both the environment and my wallet. One site has gullies along a logging road that has some erosion over 6' deep, making these roads impassable. Another site the 4 wheeler trucks have started getting into and have made ditches three foot deep where they were just doing tire spinning.

In the back of my mind is the thought process to eventually have these multipurpose narrow trails leading down to a central spot where I can easily yard down selectively harvested trees. The clearcut process is ok for some monoculture stands of SYP but ruins the environment of a mixed hardwood forest.

As always I enjoy this discussion because you guys have helped me "refine" my plans.