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Product Details
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Product Description
Customer Reviews
Notable for pet food and human alike!I actually love having a meat grinder I've always wanted one and this meets all my needs. I make my own pet food and the pets love it. I also use it to constitute my own ground meats. They are healthier and taste better, and I think my favorite part is that my ground beef is red all the way through. It doesn't skedaddle a appeal to brown in the middle like store bought meat!
Prominent For General Use, but.....
We got this grinder in primordial June. It is now mid August and we are buying another grinder, not because we don't like the machine, but because it stopped working.
For our dogs: We grind about 40# of chicken per week, bones and all. The grinder flies through the chicken faster than we can creations it down the chute. It is loud however. One day in particular, I ground 120 lbs of meat/bone/organ/veggies. By the time I was done I could not consent. So, if you're going to do a large grind, then wear earplugs.
For ourselves: We grind beef for hamburger, and we have made sausage. Grinding beef is no hard. However, when it came to making sausage, the instructions were less than helpful. I still don't know if we used the equipment properly, but the sausage got made. I do have knowledge of that you do not want the blade in the machine while making the sausage. Regrinding the meat turned it to mash and clogged the gismo.
What this machine will do - grind veggies, meat and soft bones. What it won't do - grind fibrous or fatty meat. I tried grinding beef kidney. It positively could not be done. There are times when chicken fat will clog it. Beef with a lot of fat will clog it.
This machine is under lubricated or incorrectly lubricated for unfeeling jobs such as sinewy or fatty grinds or bone grinds. It contains all metal gears except one supple gear. The machine overheats. I noticed about a month after getting it that grease was coming out of it. The reason is evidently that the gears got hot and melted the grease, which poured out of the gear housing. I did not take the machine apart at that time, but should have. In due course, in the middle of a grind, after about 40 lbs, the machine overheated to the point that the plastic gear melted and destroyed the motor. After realigning the gears, and relubricating them, the motor car will run in reverse, but will not run forward. It will not grind.
I did not purchase my grinder from Northern Tool, so when I called about warranty information, I was blown off, since they couldn't find an account for me. I contacted the seller from whom I purchased the output and was simply told to contact the manufacturer listed in the owner's manual. The only company listed is Northern Implement, so we come full circle. I do not know who the actual manufacturer is, so getting a warranty replacement is next to impossible. Eat one's heart out story short, we have no warranty coverage.
If I had known then what I know now, I'd have spent double the money and gotten a Tasin. At the very least, I might be clever to get warranty coverage. But, at this point, after wasting $100 on a machine which I assumed had a warranty, I choose not to go with any of the machines in this mass class. It makes me regret not getting the proper type of machine in the first place. We are replacing this with a refurbished 1 HP all stainless case, blades, and plates, and all metal gears housed in lubricant, which has a full one year warranty and specifically covers damp bone grinding. We'll be spending $400, but the peace of mind is worth it.
I would recommend this product to a crony, without hesitation. BUT, I would not recommend it for someone grinding fatty or sinewy meats, and I would not recommend it as a long term instrument for massive raw feeding. I would recommend it for sausage making, for hamburger, and for general household use, or even for someone who is just feeding a bantam dog or a cat. I would recommend it as a short term solution to someone who needs a grinder for high volume raw feeding, but doesn't have the dough to spend on a higher quality machine. And finally, I would recommend that if you want any type of warranty coverage, you get this car only from Northern Tool, as the warranty seems to be more of a seller warranty than a true manufacturer's warranty.
Weighty Product
We've had this Northern Industrial meat grinder for about 6 months and have habituated to it several times. It well made, powerful and easy to use. Some other comments about the noise had us concerned before we purchased it. However, we find it to be powerful and the gear reduction system does have a baby noise, but not unexpected or unacceptable. More importantly, we can grind several pounds of meat in about a minute or two, so it isn't on very long.
The unit comes with several attachments and we purchased a supplementary blade for a few dollars in case we need it some day when the unit is no longer in production. It is very easy to assemble and to undefiled and put away.
In some ways this unit is overkill for our purposes, but we get the feeling it will last a lifetime. It is larger than the cheaper units at the big box stores, and some of them may have been tolerable. However, for us it is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime purchase so we spent a few extra dollars to get something that would last. Overall it is a good value!
The only part that could nurture to rust would be the plate with the holes and we clean it well, dry it, and then spray it with a little Pam before putting the unit away. One caution that they take precautions but is worth repeating is that the blade retaining ring does not need to be tightened very much- just relaxing. Too tight can cause excessive wear of the blade.
We also partially freeze the meat before grinding- based on lifestyle experience- haven't tried not doing that with this grinder, yet.
But for the fact that product, poor packaging
The output is excellent and, after a little bit of practice, grinds meat exactly as advertised. The shipping packaging was not so good, however. A lowest amount of tape was used on the edges of the shipping carton and the tape did not hold during shipping. Fortunately, everything arrived safely; but the box was inappropriate open on at least two sides. Thank you UPS!
Firm, durable
The commodity does a nice job. As another reviewer mentioned, it is easy to put the cutting blade in backwards. The drawing in the instructions looks like it was made by a 3-year old and is not very brightly. So make sure the blade faces the grinder plate. Also, even after drying and coating with oil some metal parts will still arise c eject the oil black.
The machine feels heavy duty, very durable and powerful. I am happy with the performance so far. I simply ground up 5.25 pounds of pork in just under 5 minutes using the coarse plate with the larger holes. The other plates with smaller holes will take more opportunity. Still a good job I think. Also, the shipping charge is high and tax was charged even though the company does not have a POS in my home regal.



