Thread: advice for loading long logs into lucas mill

Originally Posted by Stopper

Mr lucas should read this thread. They are such great guys at lucas. 6.1m is long but should be accommodated by the mill. The mill frame should be long enough and strong enough to allow easy side loading. Dragging logs in from the end will end in tears and all this rail and post removal sounds like something they will just slow you down.
cheers
Steve

Steve

Believe me when I say they do read this . I am also sure that they will take on board any suggestion that is commercially practical.

Regards
Paul

They most certainly doPaul and I've found over the years Warren and the guys to be really approachable when it comes to ideas you might chuck at them. Dudley has even askedif he can take a look at my mk1 winders ( they only do half the job at the moment, but I reckon with some input from Dudley they will do the job in no time)

Charlsie, I had some longer logs to mill over past couple days and thought of ya, so I took a series of pics to show it a bit easier.
In particular for this job I had the endframes for the mill about 4.8m apart and was using the 6m Lucas rails with the standard extensions.

Here is the log coming into the mill...

loaded with the forklift so the first end slides in and 'around' the endframe.

Once the log is sitting on the log support on the first end...

You can see it is still way too long to fit in the mill

With the power head at the other end of the rails, unclamp the close side of the endframe on the rail and slide the rail out of the saddle

so the endframe slips past the end of the log and the log can then be brought into the mill and placed on the other log support


Now you can see the log in the mill is much larger than the space between the endframes, but the whole process took less than 4 mins including stopping to take the pictures and putting the mill back to position.

This one in the pic was 6m, but I also chucked a 6.1 and a 6.3m log in like this. I worked out with the model 10 one could cut a 6.8m log if it was setup nicely, giving the operator about 50mm clear to swing the blade at each end

allan thanks for putting the effort into the pics.i think this way is going to be the easiest way to do it.i appreciate your help and very envious of the lack of mud you have there regards charlsie

Hey mate, no problems at all, just sorry it took as long to get some 6m stuff to slice up. the pics where no probs at all.

Lack of mud - wow mate! you should see how much mud I have at 'my site' at the moment, hence why I'm cutting 'other' places atm - I'll chuck a couple up maybe after tomorrows job - gotta go to site and try get Bob the cat and my trailer out lmlao

I use a "log lifter" for want of a better name based on the design that the SEC used to use to carry power poles. An upside down U shaped frame with a car wheel either side and a bar welded on at right angles with a towing attachment on the end. From the top of the U a chain hangs from either side. The U is placed on top of the log and the chain under the log and the towing point pulled down and the log lifts. Put on 4x4 and back into mill, or if there are 2 of you or small log push by hand.