Slow elec. meat grinder fix

[Winger Ed.]

I've got a Weston #8 commercial grinder I bought about 20 years ago.
I run about 75-100 pounds through it almost every year.
It ran fine a few weeks ago, but seemed to be bogging down and getting slower even without a load.
Today, it would struggle to turn the auger a few revolutions, and trip its breaker.

Bummer......
The older I get, the less I want to use the old hand crank grinder, and a new #8 is big bucks.

So, I figured a motor or transmission shaft bearing might have gotten dried out & stiff.
I carefully pulled off the front plate/output shaft that drives the auger-- without damaging the paper gasket.
The lubricant in there is like old school STP. Its as thick as honey.

Pouring some blaster penetrating oil on the output shaft and spinning it with a drill limbered it back up.
The sleeve bearing had dried out or the lube had gotten stiff.
I got it to where I could rotate the gear/shaft by hand.
I topped off the case with a couple ounces of 90wt. gear lube and put it back together.
It ran, but still kind of slow, and under more load than it should.

So with it running- I tilted it forward so the output shaft & gear was under the lube level inside the transmission.
VICTORY!!! In a few seconds it was really getting with the program and ran like when it was new.

In the future, I think if I tilt it forward once in a while when its running will keep the bearing lubed better.

Depending on which kind of grease or thick honey looking oil is in yours-
it may prolong its life span, keep it from breaking a gear, or need to be taken apart and 'helped'.

[country gent]

I would look in the owner manual and see if it gives the recommended lube for the gear box. Ive seen some that use a 30 or 40 weight oil instead of true gear oil and some food related machine that use vegetable oils or such like crisco.

I worked in the food industry for almost 20 years.In production the hydrolics ran on vegetable oil ad slides were lubed with a cisco like grease

[Winger Ed.]

I would look in the owner manual and see if it gives the recommended lube for the gear box. Ive seen some that use a 30 or 40 weight oil instead of true gear oil and some food related machine that use vegetable oils or such like crisco.



The owners manual isn't much help other than showing how to set up the auger and safety precautions like
telling you to keep your hands out of it.

Its little gear case is sealed like the rear axle on a car. The stuff in it is definitely a petroleum product too,
and sticks to everything like poop on a baby blanket. 90wt. gear lube flows like water compared to it.

[MaryB]

The owners manual isn't much help other than showing how to set up the auger and safety precautions like
telling you to keep your hands out of it.

Its little gear case is sealed like the rear axle on a car. The stuff in it is definitely a petroleum product too,
and sticks to everything like poop on a baby blanket. 90wt. gear lube flows like water compared to it.

It sticks because it has dried out, and if it was built in China they used half dried yak fat for gear grease! I would totally flush it out and all new gear lube, something food safe. Yes there are food safe petroleum products! Like this https://www.super-lube.com/synthetic-gear-oil-iso-220-54200

[1Papalote]

Mine was locked up. Worked on it.......When it did spin it chirped badly. In short...... Changed the bearings, seal then flushed and refilled with mineral oil. Good for another 15 years.

[Keyman]

Blood has worked its way under the seal. It is most corrosive to the shaft. Maybe food grade grease before using will keep the blood out.