Welcome to our quick guide to help you prepare for a successful new season of milling this winter. In this article, we will help you understand a proper and routine winter maintenance plan for your Portable Sawmill. Whether you plan to use your products this winter or put them away in storage, this guide will provide you with a summary of how to keep your machine in good working order. It is important to make a proactive effort to make repairs and do maintenance in accordance with the recommended procedures found in your Operator's Manual.

Throughout this guide, there are references to both the Kohler® Motor Owner’s Manual and the products Operator's Manual.

No matter the make or the model, whether it be your Portable Sawmill, Wood Chipper or Stump Grinder - we are here to help you prepare and gear up for a successful new season! The goal of this article is to help you prolong the life of your Woodland Mills investment.

Before we begin, it is important to never make blade guide adjustments, remove or install blades, conduct any other maintenance or make any other adjustments while the engine is running. Always shut the engine off, remove the ignition key, and turn the engine off before carrying out any of the aforementioned procedures. Consult your engine manual for safe shutdown procedures to prevent accidental ignition.

Ensure you run the motor completely dry before it's put away for an extended period of time or use fuel stabilizer before storing. Place a heavy-duty sawmill head cover overtop. Our custom-fitted Woodland Mills Portable Sawmill Head Covers have sewn seams and four velcro straps to secure the cover to the saw head.

If you do decide to run your mill this winter, ensure to position the engine's air cleaner cover properly depending on the weather. As you are preparing for winter you'll want to position it to the cold weather operation position where the air cleaner cover has the snowflake decal out. Doing this will reduce the likelihood of the carburetor icing, as the air cleaner cover is rotated to draw warmer air from the muffler.

Note: running the engine with the cover positioned for cold weather operation in normal conditions can damage the engine. Once the operating air temperatures rise, follow our Preparing For Spring Maintenance Guide. 

If you plan to continue to mill this winter, the below list require inspection before each use:

• • De-Ice the bunks and track rails, ensuring your sawmill head can move freely across the track before loading a log.
  • Bandwheel Bearings — Inspect before use to ensure they are not worn. Bearings are sealed and do not need to be greased.
  • Blade Guide Bearings — Inspect before use for excessive grooves or scoring in the bearing case. Replace if necessary.
  • Sawhead Lifting Cables — Regularly before, during, and after operations; inspect the cables for any wear or kinks. Ensure that the cables are in perfect condition. Oil coiled part of cable often to prevent premature wear. Replace with new cables as necessary.
  • Check Engine Oil— Check the engine oil level before each use and if oil must be changed, use the table below based on your engine model and operating air temperatures:

Note: The engine is equipped with an oil alert system, meaning that if the crankcase oil level is low or empty, the power is cut to the spark plug and it will not start. Oil should be changed every 100 Hours or Annually (whichever comes first).

Inspect periodically:

• • Blade Tension — Grease threads of tensioning “T” handle when dry or as required. Use multi-purpose, extreme-pressure grease.
  • Log Clamps — Spray cam mechanism with dry silicone spray frequently.
  • Belts — Check the condition and wear of the drive and idler belt. The belt also provides a cushion for the blade to ride on. Ensure the belt is proud (sitting higher than) on the steel band wheel. If the blade is riding on the band wheel, it could cause it to slow during the cut or come off. It is always best to check the drive belt tension with the blade off the mill. This will give you the true tension on the drive belt.
  • Drive Belt — Periodically check the tension of the drive belt. You should inspect your drive belt periodically for any signs of wear of improper tension. A worn or loose drive belt can cause the blade to stop during the cut.
  • Sawhead Vertical Posts — Spray posts before use with a silicone spray lubricant such as “WD-40 Water Resistant Silicone Spray,” “3-in-One Silicone Spray Lubricant," or “Jig-ALoo.”
  • Bandwheel Guards — Routinely remove any build-up of sawdust that may collect inside the bandwheel guards.
  • Spark Plug - Replace the spark plug and set gap every 500 Hours or Annually (whichever comes first). Perform this procedure more frequently under severe, dusty, dirty conditions.

Do not run lubricant for the initial 30 minutes of milling. Run the blade dry to break-in the belts. After the belts have been broken-in, use water with 1 tsp (5 mL) of liquid dish soap per tank if air temperatures are 34°F (1°C) and warmer or use winter windshield washer fluid in air temperatures 32°F (0°C) and colder.

Note: never use diesel fuel or kerosene as blade lubricant. These substances lead to premature wear of your belts and poor sawing performance.

You can contact us by completing the Technical Support Request form on our website. Our tech support team operates Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 4:30PM Eastern Standard Time. Contact us or call us at 1-855-476-6455 (Press 2 for Tech) for assistance.