Piston
Elite Member
Your correct, the motor is a little 10hp Yanmar diesel. I absolutely love the engine, it has a great amount of torque for it's little size and will run all day on one gallon of gas. I had a hard time finding an hour meter for it though since most of them tie into the spark of the spark plug. I finally had to bite the bullet and spend $90 on one designed to work with the engine.Piston, what motor is that on your mill, looks like a little diesel? Also, what are your recommendations on a grapple that's ideal for sawmill work?
I chose the open bottom grapple from WR Long because of the "versatility" of it regarding the mill. Some open bottom grapple's don't have the flat tines on the bottom, they sort of "curve" upwards throughout the length of the grapple. That type would work well for things like moving slab piles and logs, but the main reason I wanted to flat bottom was to support lumber and timbers using a nice flat surface. With the curved radiused style, you will get "dents" in your lumber because it's only supporting the wood on the outside corners of the squared off lumber. I use the bottom portion of the grapple as my "holding table" for any lumber that still needs to be edged. I keep it low to the ground on the side of the mill that you walk along, and put all my pieces that need to go back on the mill for edging right onto the grapple.
I used my friends root rake style before buying my grapple, and I didn't like how it didn't have that "flat" bottom to it. It was still 10 times better than not having a grapple, but compared to the one I purchased it's a big difference when using it around the mill. I probably would have bought the root rake style as that's what I originally wanted (I think they look so much cooler ) but after using that grapple I knew it wasn't the best for using around mill. This is also why I didn't go with the open bottom style that has the radiused bottom tines vs. the flat ones. As much as I love my grapple, it can't handle everything...
Also, check this link for a great way to stack/sort/store your lumber on homemade "pallets".
http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=48895.0
You did a great job on your mill setup, looks very stable and solid enough to handle all the "jostling" around of the logs. :thumbsup: You have a beautiful view from your mill as well!
Do you know how to "fold" your blades?