Grinder????

[1der]

Any recommendations on a meat grinder?  Looking at a BassPro or Cabela's. my needs are only for a few deer a seasons. How big will do the job, comfortably? I don't think I need the biggest and I don't want a small one.
1der

[alscalls]

Check harbor freight, Northern tools, sportsman's guide, Just to name a few........I would go with an electric one with a Sealed motor as they are quick and easy to clean.......I just know you can beat the Bass pro or cabbellas prices.

Oh yea you can check LEM products (Ohio) too.........sometimes they have some dent and scratch sales.......

[Hawks Feather]

I have the Cabela's 1/2 HP commercial (their lowest level) and love it.  It is heavy enough that it doesn't walk around on the counter and just eats up the venison and spits out ground meat.  I bought it a couple of years back when it was on sale and Cabela's had sent out a coupon for a discount for anything over $100.  I have only ground a couple of deer each year, but you can't really tell that it has been used.  The first year I used my wife's food processor grinder and that was a job - it didn't want to chew it up and the motor got pretty hot.

I think HuntNCarve has also done some business with this source and liked it.  http://www.sausagemaker.com/

Jerry

[GunDog]

I do a lot of processing here for friends and family. All of my equipment is Hobart and I've never had any trouble with none of it. I have friends that have purchased the BassPro and Cabelas grinders and like them as well for what they use them for. I had a bad experience with one of their cubers, but that's another story ......  On a grinder for personal use I would not recommend nothing smaller that a #12 head. Anything less you'll do twice the work, and so will your grinder. There are several auction places that sell good used processing equipment on line. You may also want to check out ebay, you can find some pretty good deals on equipment there from time to time! Good Luck to you ....... 

[msmith]

I bought a Cabelas grinder a couple of years ago. Either the 1/2 or 3/4 horse, I can't remember. It was their most popular one whichever one that is. I didn't really need a grinder as my M-I-L has one, but I got tired of running to her house whenever I needed to work up a deer. I got the cuber attachment and it is worth it's weight in gold. Overall, I love it. This year I am going to use it to make some sausage as it has the attachments for stuffing casings too.

[FinsnFur]

I wondered about getting one of the hand operated Cabela grinders and putting a motor on myself. I got all kinds of electric motors laying around. It wouldnt be much of a job at all.
Think it'd hold up?

[pitw]

I wondered about getting one of the hand operated Cabela grinders and putting a motor on myself. I got all kinds of electric motors laying around. It wouldnt be much of a job at all.
Think it'd hold up?

Many people around here do just that. 

[alscalls]

I bought one of the real big hand crank ones and did that........you can grind 600lbs. an hour if ya want.....LOL But you dont want.....LOL 

[Mallardsr]

I took a hand crank model and attached it to a 1/2 hp motor and a 50:1 gear box. Dont put anything in there you dont want ground up. It ate one of my wife's kitchen knifes. She was less than impressed. You dont have to worry about feeding it to fast!

[FinsnFur]

Ate the wives kitchen knife uh?
I bet that was some sharp lookin burger.

Well it sounds like it'll work then. I may go that route, verses paying a couple hundred for something that does the same thing.

[Tikaani]

Have a Cabela's 1hp, hunting partner has one too very pleased with it, comes with sausage making attachments.  Have the cuber as well, buzzes through 500-700 pounds of moose meat every year.

John 

[msmith]

Hey Jim,

That's what we had til we got the Cabelas one. It works fine, but we wanted the sausage tube stuffers and mostly the cuber attachment. That thing iis great.