Ground Mount vs Trailer Mounted Sawmills

Should you do a trailer mounted sawmill for portability or do a static ground mount? We go over the benefits of both

Whether or not you want to put your Woodland Mills portable sawmill on a trailer or have it ground mounted is an important question every soon-to-be sawyer asks themselves before they purchase.

It's important to know the benefits of doing a trailer mounted mill as opposed to keeping it on the ground. Let's go over the advantages of both and see which is right for you.

Ground Mounted Sawmills

Putting your sawmill firmly on the ground has a number of advantages, especially if you're planning on building a sawmill shed or some kind of permanent place for it on your property. 

Do you own a woodlot or forested property with lots of trees? In that case, you probably want a permanent setup to mill lumber that's from your land. This setup is preferred by those who plan on milling their own trees, or have plans to haul logs in from outside their property.

In terms of why you'd want to do this, here as some benefits.

Pros

• • You can have a sawmill shed or roof over it and don't have to worry about rain or the elements affecting your sawmill

  • You don't have to worry about constantly re-levelling your mill, since it's staying stationary

  • You can have all your tools and equipment close by, such as you cant hook or chainsaw

  • Can have a permanent log pile setup installed nearby for easy access to your logs

  • Gives you the option to build a log-loading platform to ease log staging and loading onto your sawmill bed

Cons

• • Having a permanent setup for it makes it harder to move if you want to relocate it or add a trailer later

  • Depending on the size of your sawmill shed, concrete pad or other infrastructure you build for your mill, it could make buying accessories like track extensions more difficult if you don't plan for them in advance

  • You may have to build an elevated platform if you prefer a more ergonomic working height

Putting your sawmill on the ground is great for those who don't plan on taking their sawmill mobile. If you know it's going to be in the same place every time you can build up the perfect setup, have everything you need close by and set up your log pile so it's easy to move logs onto your track.

Many sawyers will put their log stand at the same height as their mill so they can easily roll logs onto the track, something that's easier to do when your sawmill is ground mounted, since it's not as high up.

Types of Ground Mount Setups

Whether or not you decide to cover your sawmill with a roof is up to you. Some sawyers will build a lean-to shed or some kind of structure around their mills, while others just use their Woodland Mills sawmill covers, which are great for keeping your mill protected from weather.

But there are lots of different types of ground setups for where you want to place your mill. Some popular choices include:

• • Concrete Pad: Many sawyers will pour a concrete slab to mount their track. This is a great option because of its permanence, and if you pour it flat and level then you know it'll make levelling your mill even easier. The downside to this is that once you set your concrete up you are dedicated to the size of mill you currently have. If you think you might upgrade to a larger mill or set up track extensions down the road, you may want to pour a larger concrete pad than you think you need now.

  • Wood Cants: Another popular option is to create a wooden frame to mount your tracks on. By setting up two wood cants that run the length of your sawmill track, you can create a level frame to rest your mill on top. The benefit of this is that you can always extend the length of your track later, though wood does tend to warp and shrink as it dries, so you may need to readjust your mill over time, otherwise it may your ability to do flat, level cuts.

  • Steel Tracks: Less popular, but another notable method of mounting your sawmill is on steel tracks. Commonly sourced from recycled railway tracks or steel I-beams, this sturdy mounting method ensures your track will stay flat over time. If you need to add extra length though, you can add more beams to your steel frame. If you want you can even build a concrete pad underneath and bolt your beams, for a guaranteed strong connection. That would be a permanent setup that won't go anywhere if there's a nasty storm.

Trailer Mounted Sawmills

Opting to put your portable sawmill on a trailer plays to one of the best strengths of the machine; it's portability.

This setup is preferred by those who don't plan to mill trees from their own property, but instead want to travel to places with logs and mill them on the spot. It's also great for people who own vast acreage or multiple properties, and need to be able to take their equipment wherever it's needed.

Having the option to take your sawmill anywhere you want opens up a world of opportunities. There are lots of advantages to having your mill mobile:

Pros

• • Can mill anywhere you want, taking your sawmill to the trees as opposed to taking the trees to your mill

  • Can mill for others, offering portable milling services to neighbors or taking up the job of a sawyer-for-hire

  • Can quickly hitch your trailer and get to the job site, milling quickly without needing to haul logs back home

  • Optimal working height

Cons

• • You will have to re-level your mill each time you relocate it

  • You'll also need a plan for moving any lumber that you mill off-site

If you want the ultimate level of portability, to mill logs wherever they may be, then this may be the right setup for you.

This will really benefit sawyers who:

• • Sell slabs or lumber, since you can mill trees and move slabs without needing to haul logs back to your property

  • Run portable milling services as sawyers for hire, turning customers trees into boards and slabs for them

  • Have large acreage and need to be able to mill logs at any spot on their land without hauling them back to a sawmill shed

Your decision

Ultimately it's your choice as to whether or not you want to ground mount or trailer mount your sawmill. Something to remember though is that, like most accessories, you can always get a trailer later, but this will mean disassembling your sawmill track, removing the head and reassembling it on the track.

For a lot of people it's just easier to get the trailer to start with, but this will be up to you.

Regardless, you've got yourself a great machine for milling lumber wherever you need it, whether you want to take it on the go or set up a permanent installation on your property.

Check out the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group to see other peoples' setups and get inspiration on what your ideal setup could look like.