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The All Terrain Sawmill (ATS) is a portable sawmill designed for operation in remote locations and rough terrain. It meets our clients’ demands for an affordable and portable sawmill that can handle the tough conditions of farm, beach, snow or jungle.
A popular choice for the Pacific Islands, the ATS can be walked onto the milling site and set up, whether the ground is flat or sloped. The tracks adjust to the terrain easily and make light work of many timber types including hardwood. The quality of the ATS is lightweight and durable being made almost entirely from stainless steel and aluminium, making portable milling a far less daunting task.
The mill requires less maintenance than other portable sawmills on the market. Peterson blades have a robust plate which reduces the load on each tooth, meaning the need to re-tension is less frequent. Also, the mill operator is able to service the ATS gearbox with a simple service kit, unlike imitation mills which require a return to factory “swap-out” service.
The ATS uses a raised track system, allowing it to be assembled on nearly any terrain type – tracks are raised and lowered with both winches at the operator’s end for more efficient portable milling. An ATS makes milling valuable wood in hard-to-reach areas easy and profitable with its distinguished recovery rate.
“Mill almost any log diameter you wish without buying any other upgrades or attachments. This can be achieved by chocking the uprights higher with blocks. If you have a supply of large oversize logs, the ATS is the way to go!” – Read more reviews
Side by Side Sizing
Both vertical sizing winches on the ATS are at the operator’s end to minimise walking time, unlike imitation models by other companies, that position the winches at each end. Additional crank handles for the ATS allow you to adjust to log taper easily, meaning more efficient cutting for portable milling and greater recovery from your log.
Parallel To Grain Cutting
Peterson’s ATS mills have a unique and innovative track raising system to allow either side or end to be lowered and raised independently, depending on what grain you wish to follow. i.e. if you have a log with a very large end and a very small end, you can change your cutting angle as you move through the log, so you always get good straight timber.
Durable, Low Maintenance Blades
Peterson blades last for 2-6 years with normal use and maintenance. However, some swing blade sawmill owners have been using the same blades for over 10 years! To decrease downtime, the Peterson blade can be sharpened while it is still on the mill; in less than 10 minutes, and without having to remove any guards. For your convenience the sharpener is pre-set to fit your blade size which makes for much more productive sawmilling.
Cut Wide Boards with Ease
A unique feature of all Peterson Portable Sawmills, is the ease of double cutting timber slabs by a single operator. A double cut is the joining of two horizontal cuts together to obtain a wider board or slab using both sides of the blade, doubling your maximum width cut with ease!
Positive Lock for Left/Right Sizing
Peterson’s left/right sizing system is run by chain and sprocket, with a turning handle and lock. So that means it will only move when you unlock it, and you can position the sizing very accurately to within 1mm. No slippage, and top accuracy for every board.
Power Options
Petersons are proud to offer 35hp and 37hp Kohler, 35hp Briggs & Stratton Vanguard big-block gasoline engines, as well as a 15kw 3 Phase option. More horse power makes it easier on the engine when you’re cutting hard wood, and also allows you to cut through a log more quickly.
Cyclonic Air Filter
These state-of-the-art filters separate clean air from debris and liquids by the design and rotation of the air intake. Petersons have many unskilled operators in remote areas that often forget to clean/change their air filters regularly, but their Kohler or Vanguard Briggs & Stratton motors with cyclonic filters just keep going anyway! Heavy duty cyclonic filters can give up to three times the life of standard duty air filters.
Quality and Warranty
We manufacture the Peterson Portable Sawmill range using quality materials such as hand polished stainless steel and aluminum that make them virtually rust free. This also means the mills are robust in performance, and most importantly – have long-term durability in even the harshest conditions. Because we have faith in our manufacture, and we want you to as well, we offer a 2-year frame warranty on stainless and alloy frames manufactured by Peterson.
Elevated Engine Position
Petersons mount their sawmill engines higher than other manufacturers for two reasons: firstly, to ensure the air filter intake is further away from the sawdust output. This prevents sawdust build up and overheating of the motor. And secondly, to allow the ability of double-cutting to full depth, without the motor and gearbox restricting the opposite side of the blade.
| Blade Size (Radius) | 8″ | 10″ |
|---|---|---|
Blade Quantity | 2 | 2 |
Motor Options | Honda 22hp | Honda 22hp |
Kohler 27hp | Kohler 27hp | |
Honda 25hp | Honda 25hp | |
Vanguard 35hp | ||
Vanguard 37hp | ||
Maximum Standard Cut | 8″ x 8″ (203mm x 203mm) | 10″ x 10″ (254mm x 254mm) |
Maximum Double Cut | 8″ x 16″ (203mm x 406mm) | 10″ x 20″ (254mm x 508mm) |
Log diameter (Standard)* | 6′ (1.8m) | 5′ (1.5m) |
Log length (Standard)* | 20′ (6m) | 20′ (6m) |
Supplied Track Length | 19' + 9' (5.7m + 2.85m) | 19' + 9' (5.7m + 2.85m) |
Maximum Track Length | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Hi/Lo Tracks | Optional | Optional |
Electric Winch | Optional | Optional |
Planer Blade | Optional | Optional |
Sander Disk Kit | Optional | Optional |
Clip on-slabber | Optional | Optional |
Tapered Board Attachment | Optional | Optional |
Tachometer | Optional | Optional |
Microkerf Blade Kit | Optional | Optional |
Giant Frame Upgrade | Optional | Optional |
Weight | 606lbs (275kg approx.) | 606lbs (275kg approx.) |
Materials | Aluminium & Steel | Aluminium & Steel |
Average production** | 850-2,500bft (2-6m3) per day | 850-2,500bft (2-6m3) per day |
Petersons have a range of portable sawmill accessories that are available for purchase at any time (model dependent). Our range of accessories have been designed to help increase production and add value to the lumber that comes off your mill.
Tapered Board/Weatherboard Attachment
The weatherboard attachment kit allows you to cut angled boards, often referred to as lap siding, bevel siding, splay cut or clapboard. It can be fitted to your modern WPF or ATS to set your sawblade to predetermined angles to cut such angled boards for siding. Variation in angles is allowed to ensure you can change the thickness, width, and pitch of the siding you require.
Clip On Slabber Chainsaw Mill
The ultimate in portable sawmill accessories. Petersons’ Clip On Slabber chainsaw mill is a popular accessory for millers who want dimensional lumber AND a slab or two from the same log. When milling down to a suitable slab, simply swap the swing blade for the Clip On Slabber to get your slab then swap back and finish milling dimensional lumber!
Micro-Kerf Blade
With the development of the MicroKerf blade, Petersons are now able to offer a thinner kerf blade that still has all the benefits of circular saw technology. This ultra thin blade can reduce the kerf to a tiny 4mm, and is the first of its kind in the portable sawmilling market. It minimizes the wastage of valuable wood and maximizes the amount of quality, useable timber produced from each log.
Planer Blade and Sanding Disc Kit
A Peterson Wood Planer Blade is an integral tool for dressing wide beams and slabs cut with your WPF and/or Clip On Slabber. The Wood Planer Blade is mounted in place of your standard mill blade to skim over the surface of your timber for planed results. Purchase with the Peterson sander disc for a complete finish to bring your timber to the finish you desire, saving hours of hand sanding or extra machinery.
The ATS can be set up in around 15 – 30 minutes by yourself, and around 10 – 20 minutes with two people. The mill is packed down in under 10 minutes.
1. Set up the skids at the ends of the log. |
2. Install the uprights and peg the diagonals into the ground.
3. Clip in the tracks and ensure they are parallel by looking down them at eye level.
4. Clip in the telescopic winding shaft.
5. Wheel the carriage to the tracks and install, then raise the tracks.
6. Remove the jockey wheels. The portable milling process can now begin.
Click the ‘Playlist’ link 
in the top right corner to select an ATS video:
A massive avalanche in the beautiful Himalayas of Langtang destructed all the trees within an area of almost 3 kilometers. Samaritan’s Purse successfully managed the milling of 15,000 cubic feet of wood at an altitude of over 10,000 feet above sea level by procuring the ATS.
Imagine a small portable mill winched into the forest by cable, trees selected by sustainability, and just the sawn timber carefully removed by hand. No clear-felling, no ugly scars to the landscape, no erosion, no dirty rivers, no messy roads or noisy trucks, and minimal disturbance to native plants and animals.
The group had no interest in getting a bandsaw mill. Glenn explains: “We wanted to make quality dimensional lumber such as 1-to-1.5-inch boards that were straight and accurate enough to use or sell without any further processing.
Scot Postle has been fascinated with sawmills from the time he was a small boy. Growing up on a beef cattle farm they always needed lumber for fences and barns. His dad and grandpa always wanted a sawmill but their only choice was to take the logs to a local mill.
Petersons export worldwide from our factory in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Encountering fluctuating freight, raw materials, currencies and export costs, therefore we have tailored pricelists pertaining to each country. We also have over 40 different mill options to suit all applications, so it often helps to call and speak to us about your particular needs.
If you would like to recieve a copy of our digital Info Pack and Price List, please click here.
