PROS and CONS of the LT40 Woodmizer

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[KatrinaRussell]

Our lt40 had issues when bought used.
It had worn track bearings and the feed motor controller circuit board was weak and died. Turned out the feed drive motor needed rebuilt and we turned the armature and rebrushed it. Running with an upgraded feed control board was a big improvement. Then the bearing replacement along with setting correct rail to roller gap made it way more rigid.
Finally woodmizer instructed us on cutting hardwoods like red oak, switching to a certain type of blade for hardwood. Much better.

[masunshine]

You go girl. Very proud of you to do what you do. I was a farm girl and could lift 100 lb. Bags of feed when men were grunting. Gotta love it.

[taftamick]

Nice! Picking up an LT40 tomorrow at Carolina Woodmizer... Been waiting a year for it...

[Comp]

The electric over hyd is an issue but a good fix is adding a aux battery to the system.. That way the pump always has good power and you have way less down time. I make a battery box that hangs from the frame and is out of the way. Works great.

[russclewley]

I just ordered my LT 35 in March. I am planning on using it in my retirement.

[davidnicholson]

I started with a Wood Mizer LT27 back in 2003 and upgraded in 2010 to a LT40HD. The first recommendation I have for the operators is to WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING THE BLADES. I have never had a problem with the Contract Strip, but then I never operate the Hydraulics while the Saw Head is in motion. I also never had a problem with the Water Cord after I secured it to the Idle Side Blade Guide with a wire tie. I would keep the factory hose rather than substitute something complex. I did have the small Micro Switch Assembly for the Hydraulic Lever inside the Hydraulic Control Box that turns on the Pump when one of the control levers is moved fail at about 700 hours. A simple repair.

[sailmeday]

Great equipment video !!! Any future buyer would appreciate the pros and cons of this model , patient with video details . I am not a sawyer . On the water line, consider a second outer tube ( clear or not) . The tube over tube, "shield " can then take the travel beating, while keeping the lube line remains safe. 2nd can the water tube line length be shortened, just a little ? One thing I have done over the years is to encourage friends, designers, etc. , new owners of anything ... to "adapt" any part of the equipment to be a better piece of equipment. Safer, faster , lower wear and tear, reduced maintenance, etc. A little more detail on the con part with the hydraulic travel, I would have enjoyed . Manufactures will never think of everything during designs. And small "fixes" can be amazing for, any number of reasons. Consider a full maintenance video series on each of your yard equipment, the whys, why nots, seasonal - suggestions ( like frozen logs take more attention ) . I really enjoy the transparency and quality of your video work and the honest family values. What a wonderful relief your whole family brings, in a world full of uncertainty . Your mom must have lungs like an opera singer, selling and taking orders over the phone everyday . haha. You whole team is a very cool, funny and my goodness, hard working group. Any suggestions are not criticism. Happy to hear the dozer is back in operation I appreciate how every tool, in your yard, has many uses, that pay for themselves. Keep having fun .

[kurtsmith]

Woodmizer makes a good sawmill but so does cooks, timberking, and baker. I'll always prefer fully hydraulic, fully supported, steel sawmills over a cantilevered head that needs to be set up 1/16in high on the unsupported side of the head. Get profficient at troubleshooting electric issues and keeping your sawmill out of the weather will minimize electrical issues. Also, not a fan of 1.25in blades for production cutting but obviously there a cost savings on the smaller blades vs 1.5 or 2in blades. Additionally I can't say having the dust chute on the operators side was a stellar design move either.

[bladewiper]

Very interesting. Very well done. I would think the debarker would be a great feature.

[TheOldJarhead]

On your ground bar, those burn marks are due to not stopping the mill head before using the hydraulics. If you let the mill head stop moving and then operate the hydraulics with it stationary it won't cause the burn marks on the bar ;)

[coldspring]

The manual engagement is not dependent on electronics....I like that

[franciss.]

We have an older LT40 fully manual mill. I can see much of it is similar to your mill. In 2011 we had about 2 1/4 miles of gas pipeline through our property and had a lot of revenue to upgrade the mill. My stubborn uncle 81 yrs old at the time refused to make the change and still saws with the old mill for his enjoyment mostly.

[craigmouldey]

I liked the guage that tells you what is going on with the blade. So, at the end of the day it is a big band saw with some great perks and a few draw backs.

[hatchwoodproducts]

To bypass the power strip on your mill (remote option with the plastic link chain ) all you need to do is remove the power strip then run a welding cable from your battery threw the plastic links to the hydraulic pump solenoid. With this setup you can run the hydraulics whenever you want.

[petersnelling]

Nice video. You could fit the lubricant line with braided hose like brake lines or aircraft pressure lines. Probably overkill but you would need to run it through the sawblade to damage it…

[kennymysak]

Another amazing job explaining everything about the sawmill. Hope your feeling better soon. Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours. Keep up the great videos

[patrickshull]

Yes the power pickup strip is a weak link. But with very occasional adjustment to the bronze contact block and very lite sanding of the copper strip once a month you should not be having many problems let alone replacing them.. Not to minimize your problem, but I've owned 5 mills in the past 34 years and I've never replaced a contact strip. Possibly the bronze block is in too close and grinding the copper strip or too loose and it keeps arcing . I would talk to Martie because whatever it is you should not have to replace that strip for at least 4-5k hrs.
Water line problem: I noticed your line runs under the blade guides. My line comes in over the top and plugs into the block above and to the right of the roller. I have the high performance guides but I thought they used the same system. Good luck and be safe.

[ROCKINWHEELERS]

Hello young ladies. I'm a Disable Senior citizen. I would to submit a request to see your youngest Brother in your videos as he is working. He surely reminds me of my youth, working along side my POPS IN THE 60'S until POPS' PASSED AWAY ON DEC, 17 1973. WE DID A LOT OF LAND CLEARING, BACK FILLING, MASONRY, PLUMBING, CARPENTRY- ROUGH & FINISH, ELECTRICAL, AND I SHOULD HAVE JUST SAID ALL PHASES OF CONSTRUCTION. MOST OF ALL I WAS A CURIOS YOUNG MAN GROWING UP. I JUST HAD TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING IF I. CAN. THANK YOU ALL FOR EVEN READING MY REQUEST. I WAS ALSO SHOWING MY ROSIE / wife of 48years YOUR YOUNGEST SIBLING.

[matthewhofer]

Yes i agree with fully hydrolic, the electric part in fed up of, uses allota battery power in winter cold conditions.

[lars]

Nathan at 'Out of the Woods' just got his new LT70. Pretty fancy. Don't know about the long haul though.