JERRY Portable Sawmill vs Wood-Mizer LT15: Log Capacity, Feed Options and Trailer Choices

Short answer: both mills are published for logs around 800 mm (31.5 in), so log diameter alone does not separate them. The Wood-Mizer LT15 is a walk-along push-feed mill with hand-crank head lift and a 30 in (0.76 m) width of cut. JERRY's portable line offers hot-dip galvanized contact surfaces, water-spray blade cooling and a winch-and-ramp trailer, with gasoline, diesel or electric power.

Two mills in the same log class, built on different priorities

The LT15 has been the reference point for small sawmills for decades, and its published specification sheet is unusually complete: log diameter, cut width, cut depth, cant width, log weight and even a production rate. JERRY's portable line overlaps it on the number most buyers check first, log diameter, and separates on the details that decide how a working day actually runs: how the saw head is fed, how the log reaches the bed, and how the steel is protected against weather.

This article compares only figures that each manufacturer publishes on its own product page. Where a number is not published, the table says so rather than filling the gap with an estimate. Nothing here replaces a quotation for the exact model and market you are buying in.

Published specification comparison

Wood-Mizer LT15 specification as published by the Wood-Mizer official site (United States), November 2026. JERRY figures are the manufacturer's published figures for the portable line and are confirmed per order. Prices are list prices and subject to change.

Log diameter is not the same limit as cut width

A mill can accept a log larger than the board it can cut, because the saw head, the guards and the clamps all take space. Wood-Mizer publishes both numbers for the LT15: 32 in of log diameter against 30 in of cut width, with a 23 in cant width and 10 1/2 in of cut depth. That gap is what decides whether a wide slab comes off in one pass or needs a second setup.

JERRY publishes up to 800 mm of log diameter for the portable line. Width of cut and depth of cut are not published as a single figure because the frame is built to order and the head can be specified for different markets; ask for the drawing of the model you are quoted and check the three numbers together, not the diameter alone.

Production rate is the number most often quoted out of context. Wood-Mizer lists up to 320 board feet per hour (0.75 m³/hr) for the LT15. Treat any published rate as a ceiling figure for straight, clean softwood with a sharp blade and a steady operator; hardwood, knots and poor log handling will move it.

Feed system: where the working day is actually spent

Both mills are manual at the entry point. On the LT15 the operator walks alongside the head and pushes it through the cut, with a crank feed or a 12 V power feed available as an option; the power feed is published as variable up to 90 feet per minute forward. JERRY's portable line uses the same walk-along push as standard and offers a powered feed, plus an optional electric auto-set system on the portable frame for buyers who want to dial a board thickness instead of counting handwheel turns.

Neither head-lift arrangement is hydraulic on the base machines, and that is deliberate: a hand crank or a self-locking handwheel is one less circuit to bleed in the field. Where the two differ is in the feel of the lift. Wood-Mizer publishes 32 locking positions and 2 in of head travel per full turn, with a quarter scale for 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 lumber. JERRY uses a self-locking handwheel with a dual-chain pulley so the head holds position when the operator lets go.

For buyers who will cut dimensional lumber all day, the honest question is not which feed is faster on paper but whether the operator can keep a consistent feed rate for six hours. A power feed usually pays for itself on surface quality before it pays for itself on speed.

Getting the log onto the bed

Wood-Mizer publishes a 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) log weight limit for the LT15 and describes loading and turning as manual, with two quick-set log clamps and six steel side supports holding the log once it is up. The optional GO trailer adds a single axle, lights, a hitch and six outriggers so the mill can saw where the log lies, but it does not add hydraulic loading.

JERRY's trailer version takes a different route to the same problem: a winch and a loading ramp are part of the trailer package, so one operator can drag a log up onto the bed, and a hydraulic log lifter rated to 8 t is available as an option for logs that are too heavy to drag. On soft ground, the adjustable support legs and the anti-derailment stops on the track do the work that a concrete pad would do in a yard.

If your logs arrive by forwarder at the landing and average under half a tonne, either approach works. Above that, the lifter option changes how many people a sawing day requires, and it is worth pricing before you compare base machines.

Power, emissions and market access

Wood-Mizer lists six power selections for the LT15: 10 HP single-phase and three-phase electric, 10 HP and 17 HP diesel, and 19 HP and 25 HP gasoline. JERRY's portable line covers the same three families: gasoline engines with EPA and Stage V documentation, diesel with Stage V, and electric motors wound for the destination market's voltage and plug type.

Certification is where the paperwork differs by destination rather than by machine. JERRY machines are supplied with CE documentation, the factory is audited by TÜV Rheinland and holds Verified Custom Manufacturer status, and the terms are FOB, CFR, CIF or EXW from Qingdao. Wood-Mizer's LT15 page states that the mill is built in the USA and does not list CE on the product page reviewed, so a European buyer should confirm the conformity documentation for the exact unit rather than assume it.

Ordering from China also changes the shipping arithmetic: ocean freight, insurance, port charges and import duty sit outside the machine price and vary by destination and by Incoterm. The FOB, CFR, CIF and EXW difference is set out in this comparison of Incoterms for forestry machinery.

Steel protection is a climate decision

Powder coat protects what it covers; it does not protect what rubs. JERRY specifies powder coating on non-wearing surfaces and hot-dip galvanizing on every contact and fastening surface, including the track and the log-contact faces, because those are the areas that lose paint first in wet timber and coastal air. The reasoning is set out in this note on galvanized contact surfaces.

Wood-Mizer specifies industrial-grade powder coat paint over a steel box bed frame. Both approaches are normal for the class; the difference shows up in year three in a wet climate, and the maintenance schedule you are willing to keep matters as much as the coating itself.

Price, terms and what the list price leaves out

Wood-Mizer publishes US$11,095 as the starting list price for the LT15, with the GO trailer at US$2,995, the power feed at US$1,495 and a 6 ft 8 in bed extension at US$1,195. Those are list prices and subject to change, and the configuration that leaves the factory at that number is not the configuration most buyers end up running.

JERRY quotes per order with an MOQ of one set, because the frame length, power unit, voltage and trailer are specified together. That makes a like-for-like comparison a matter of putting both quotations on the same sheet: same power type, same bed length, same loading method, same Incoterm, and the same list of documents. Ask each supplier for a landed cost to your yard rather than an FOB or ex-works figure, then compare.

Which buyer fits which mill

A homestead or farm cutting for its own buildings: either machine covers it. The LT15 has the longer published paper trail and a dealer network in North America; JERRY's advantage is the trailer package with a winch and ramp at a specification quoted to your logs.

A small commercial sawyer cutting on customers' land: the deciding factors are log weight and travel. If logs are skidded to the mill, the manual bed is enough. If the mill travels to the log and the log is heavy, price the hydraulic lifter against the cost of a second operator.

A buyer exporting to Africa, Southeast Asia or South America: voltage, plug type, documentation and spare-part shipping matter more than a 1 in difference in cut width. Both suppliers can be asked for the same document pack; compare what is actually included.

A buyer who wants a wider class of comparison first: the same product line has been compared against Woodland Mills HM130MAX, Norwood LumberMan MN27 and Hud-Son Hunter and Sawyer, and the hydraulic class against the Wood-Mizer LT40.

Questions buyers ask before choosing

Can a JERRY portable sawmill cut a 32 inch log?

The portable line is published up to 800 mm (31.5 in) of log diameter. A 32 in log is 813 mm, so check the exact model and the end trim before committing; the factory will confirm the maximum for the frame you order.

Does the LT15 have hydraulic log loading?

No. The LT15 specification lists manual loading and turning, with two log clamps and six side supports. Hydraulic loading and turning appear higher in the Wood-Mizer range, and the optional GO trailer adds mobility rather than hydraulics.

Which machine costs less?

The LT15 is published from US$11,095 as a list price. JERRY quotes per order with an MOQ of one set, because power unit, bed length and trailer are specified together. Compare landed cost for the same configuration, including freight, duty and documentation, rather than the headline figure.

Can JERRY supply a single-phase motor for a workshop?

Yes. The portable line is offered with electric motors wound for the destination market, with 110 V and 220 V single-phase options and three-phase on request. Confirm the plug type when ordering.

How long a track can be ordered?

Track is built to order in sections, with two adjustable support legs per metre so the frame can be levelled on uneven ground. State the longest log you expect to cut and add margin for end trim.

Key facts

• JERRY portable line: log diameter up to 800 mm; gasoline (EPA and Stage V), diesel (Stage V) or electric power.

• Wood-Mizer LT15: 32 in log diameter, 30 in cut width, 23 in cant width, 10 1/2 in cut depth, 4,000 lb log weight, published up to 320 bd ft/hr.

• Both base machines are walk-along push feed with manual head lift; powered feed is optional on both.

• JERRY: powder coat plus hot-dip galvanized contact surfaces, water-spray blade cooling, 0.02 mm guide clearance, winch and ramp trailer, optional 8 t hydraulic log lifter.

• JERRY: CE documentation, TÜV Rheinland factory audit, Verified Custom Manufacturer, MOQ 1 set, FOB / CFR / CIF / EXW from Qingdao.

• Wood-Mizer LT15: list price from US$11,095, GO trailer US$2,995, power feed US$1,495, bed extension US$1,195 (subject to change).

Next step

Send the longest log you expect to cut, the board sizes you sell most, your power supply and your destination port, and we will quote a configuration against those numbers rather than a catalogue page.

Email: jerry@jerry-sawmill.com
Site: forest-machinery.com