new grinder is on the way.

[Lloyd Smale]

Had a gander moutain #12. Its been a great grinder and has ground up 100s of deer. It was a constant fight though to second grind meat for summer sausage. Ive been procrastinating for a couple years now and finally pulled the plug and ordered a weston #32. Used the money left over from the guns i sold to pay the dogs vet bills. Even ordered a power steak cuber attactment for it so no more cranking that handle either. dad was happy as hes been using a grinder attactment for mas mixer so he will get the old one. Which is a GIANT step up for him. Cant wait to get this animal and make a batch of sausage. Next thing on my list is to replace the 5lb vertical stuffer with a 15lb unit. Then ill be styling.

[Moonie]

I like the grinder attachment for my KitchenAid but I do want this stuffer:

http://www.meatprocessingproducts.com/dks-240.html?gclid=CMTho7mDrrICFcKP7Qod72MAHg

[fatnhappy]

you'll like the #32. I got mine maybe 10 year ago, there's no comparison to smaller grinders. It goes whump and you have a pile of ground meat. Last year a buddy popped by to grind about 150# that he had already butchered.

He was done with the grinding before his 2nd beer.

I too am using a 5 lb vertical stuffer. It's the same one grizzly and everyone else carries. My only complaint is the lack of a speed gear for running it back up.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup thats the pain in the but with it. It will only get you about a stick of summer sausage before needing to be refilled and cranking it back up is a pain. One that held 15 or 20lbs sure would be a time saver. Same with my meat mixer. I cheaped out there too and got a 15lb unit. Should have gotten one of those 50lb units that hooks to a meat grinder.

[fatnhappy]

yup thats the pain in the but with it. It will only get you about a stick of summer sausage before needing to be refilled and cranking it back up is a pain. One that held 15 or 20lbs sure would be a time saver. Same with my meat mixer. I cheaped out there too and got a 15lb unit. Should have gotten one of those 50lb units that hooks to a meat grinder.

Well heck Lloyd, when you decide to upgrade to a 50# mixer pleae keep me in mind for the 15# unit. I still mix 25# at a time by hand in a meat tub. It's pretty rare for me to make more than 25 or 50# at a time anymore.
Once upon a time weston was the North American distributor and authorized repair center for Trespade. Back then you could get factory refurb units for 50¢ or less on the dollar. I wince to think that I passed up 15 and 25 lb stuffers for $100

IIRC they were refurbing in Cleveland back then.

[Lloyd Smale]

I mixed by hand for a couple years. Believe me a mixer box is God sent!! Even more so for burger then sausage. Its not that it taste any better its just that it looks much better with the fat evenly distributed thew the meat. Wow id sure jump on a big stuffer like that for a 100 bucks today!! I did buck up and by a meat cuber attactment for it. I make alot of venison cube steaks too and did it before on my buddys manual one. That should save me alot of work too.

[Lloyd Smale]

It came yesterday. What a beast. I had to use a hand cart to get it in the house. thing must weight close to a 100 lbs! Ground up 25lbs of scraps in about 5 minutes though. I think you could stick a whole front shoulder in it bone and all and it wouldnt even grunt. wifes happy. She cant even budge it off the counter so claims its no longer her job to clean the grinder when im done for the day.

[Just Duke]

It came yesterday. What a beast. I had to use a hand cart to get it in the house. thing must weight close to a 100 lbs! Ground up 25lbs of scraps in about 5 minutes though. I think you could stick a whole front shoulder in it bone and all and it wouldnt even grunt. wifes happy. She cant even budge it off the counter so claims its no longer her job to clean the grinder when im done for the day.

Got a pic Lloyd?

[Lloyd Smale]

http://www.westonsupply.com/Weston-Commercial-Grinders-p/commercial%20grinders.htm

[fatnhappy]

YIKES!

I guess the early bird gets the worm. I paid $250 ish for mine 10 years ago.

[44man]

That is a BEAST!
I used the Kitchen aid for years and it was a chore to make a few pounds.
I had a lot of points so I bought the Cabela's 3/4 horse grinder. I swear I can stand in the garage and throw meat into it. So much better and all I really need. It came with all the stuffing tubes, etc.
It takes longer to carry it to the table then it does to grind meat.
Even a little upgrade is amazing.
My grandmother made the best sausage in the world with not a word on paper so I do not have the recipe. I remember pork, rice, pig ears but nothing else. I have her hand grinder and old stuffer, home made. A metal tube with a hand cut wood pusher. How she worked is amazing.
She also made the best apple pies on earth! I remember sitting close to the pot belly stove that was glowing white hot while she made great eats without a cook book in the house.
A good grinder is like a fine gun, just looking at them is a pleasure.

[Lloyd Smale]

kind of like loading gear. The right quality equiptment means the differnce in having fun and pulling your hair out!

[gbrown]

I've used the KitchenAid for meat, as well, but with one blade and little power, a long chore and plenty of take-down and clean time. I inherited a Thunderbird 12GS from my long time hunting buddy about 3 years ago. Goes through a deer in about 45 minutes. No problems. I told my daughter the other night, if I could get the house in small enough pieces, I could grind it all up in less than 8 hours. Fighting with a grinder made for light jobs is a chore. Match the right tool for the job and it is easy to do. You get what you pay for, is all I can say.
P.S.--I also inherited, from my father, a big 1/2 or 3/4 horse commercial drill motor like they use on construction sites. I got a huge mixer blade for drywall/paint and stab that through a 13 gallon kitchen bag which covers the motor, so nothing falls off of it. The mixer blade is sanitized prior to this. I season and grind the meat and it goes in a sanitized 5 gallon bucket over night. Fits in a large (96 or 100 qt Igloo cooler) The next day, I stick that mixer in it and move it all around, up and down. I wedge the bucket into a corner next to a plug and hold it with my legs as I mix. Does a great job. Let that set for another 12-24 hours and then stuff as I do a second grind. Works well for me.

[Moonie]

I've used the KitchenAid for meat, as well, but with one blade and little power, a long chore and plenty of take-down and clean time. I inherited a Thunderbird 12GS from my long time hunting buddy about 3 years ago. Goes through a deer in about 45 minutes. No problems. I told my daughter the other night, if I could get the house in small enough pieces, I could grind it all up in less than 8 hours. Fighting with a grinder made for light jobs is a chore. Match the right tool for the job and it is easy to do. You get what you pay for, is all I can say.
P.S.--I also inherited, from my father, a big 1/2 or 3/4 horse commercial drill motor like they use on construction sites. I got a huge mixer blade for drywall/paint and stab that through a 13 gallon kitchen bag which covers the motor, so nothing falls off of it. The mixer blade is sanitized prior to this. I season and grind the meat and it goes in a sanitized 5 gallon bucket over night. Fits in a large (96 or 100 qt Igloo cooler) The next day, I stick that mixer in it and move it all around, up and down. I wedge the bucket into a corner next to a plug and hold it with my legs as I mix. Does a great job. Let that set for another 12-24 hours and then stuff as I do a second grind. Works well for me.

I couldn't agree more, I have a large kitchen aid but I don't use it for large jobs. My grinding needs are small currently.