# grinder horse power



## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

for years  i have been using a small ( i think 1/3 HP ) grinder and have ground at least a  couple thousand pounds of meat  using it , sometime  in the near  future  i want to buy a bigger more powerful grinder , the one i have in mind is 3/4 HP how  much difference do you think it will make ?


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## indaswamp (Jul 12, 2022)

Larger HP grinder can handle larger semi frozen pieces of meat without bogging down. Can grind large batches quicker, and won't heat up as fast. We have two 1/2HP LEM grinders we use for our processing day when we'll do anywhere from 500-1000 pounds at a time.
I say buy the biggest you can justify if you plan on doing large batches.


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

i never do a  2nd grind  because it just more work  than its worth , i was talking with a   friend yesterday  that  has a 1/2 HP grinder and he said   the same thing about why he didn't do a 2nd  grind,  we both just use  the fine plate


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

just so  everyone knows , the one i  am thinking  about is the walton # 12


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## indaswamp (Jul 12, 2022)

So here is what I do for large batches...

I coarse cut the meat and fat into strips that will fit in the grinder. Chill to below 32*F, then I grind with the largest plate I have, which is the stuffing kidney plate. This cuts the meat into 3/4-1" chunks...perfect for mixing the seasoning and salt. For the smoke sausage- we mix, then hold in the double door refrigerator overnight to allow the meat to chill below 32*F. The next day is final grind through whatever size plate you want. We use a 6mm plate for smoke sausage.

The larger 3/4-1" chunks are a breeze to feed into the grinder and the grinder helps with protein extraction during the grinding process with the meat having already been salted....takes much less mixing to achieve a great bind. Which is another reason why I have no need for a dedicated mixer.....I let the grinder do most of the work for me.


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

i talked  to the folks at Walton yesterday and got them to measure  the  throat of the # 12 and it was 2 1/2 inches the one i am using now has is approx 2 inches  so its not a lot of difference  meat size wise,  but with the difference in HP my thinking  is that i should  be able to feed it much faster


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## rjob (Jul 12, 2022)

Agree with IDS 2 grinds. Hand cut meat to size, in the freezer for a while, first grind coarse, back to freezer then second plate size according to sausage being processed. Have a LEM#12 size(hp) makes a difference. Did 45#  in 45 minutes of frozen meat before smearing started. Grinder attachment assemble was also ice cold at start. Grinder head never stalled, Believe LEM quotes 50#'s in an hour for the #12.


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## tx smoker (Jul 12, 2022)

I've never had the need for a grinder that large but one thing to keep an eye on: the required voltage to run it. Getting into something that large you could possibly be looking at needing a 220 volt circuit...but then again, maybe not. I know I have a 1/2 hp booster pump for the pool that is running 220, but I also know that a lot of those pumps can run either 110 or 220. It just depends on how you set them up.

Robert


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## sawhorseray (Jul 12, 2022)

I've had a 1hp commercial grade grinder from Cabelas for 16-17 years now, never a problem. I don't make sausage as often as I used to, no wild hogs running around AZ, and if there were I'm too old to chase them. I've always made 25-30 pound batches of sausage, grind it once, medium plate. What has paid off is my grinder has enough power to run the meat mixer I got for it a few years ago, I also have a 20lb electric stuffer, shoulders are shot and I wouldn't be able to make sausage any other way. I doubt anyone ever complained about having too much power, something to keep in mind. RAY


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## tx smoker (Jul 12, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> I doubt anyone ever complained about having too much power, something to keep in mind.


Excellent point Ray   Now if I could just convince Tracy of this where my intended muscle car purchase is concerned, that'd be great.

On a more related note, I'm assuming that your 1 hp grinder is running 110 volt? As noted above, that might be something to make sure of. I almost goofed over this yesterday when ordering a new commercial ice maker. Was about to hit the "buy" button and noticed that it required 235 volts...and the compressor on that thing is nowhere neat 1 hp.

Robert


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

the walton # 12 is a 500 watt machine so  that is well within the most common household amp range at 110 volts


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## tx smoker (Jul 12, 2022)

cal1956 said:


> the walton # 12 is a 500 watt machine so that is well within the most common household amp range at 110 volts


Yes sir. Oddly enough, I have no idea the hp of my unit but I believe it's 850 watts and runs on 110 current. Another instance from years ago was a big table saw we had in the cabinet shop. It was 1 hp and ran on 220. I guess it's all just how they are wired to run. The pool pumps can run either 110 or 220 depending hon how the dip switches are set....at least the one I just installed on a fountain project I did. Glad the one you want will work without issue though. That's all that counts.

Robert


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## hoity toit (Jul 12, 2022)

cal1956 said:


> for years  i have been using a small ( i think 1/3 HP ) grinder and have ground at least a  couple thousand pounds of meat  using it , sometime  in the near  future  i want to buy a bigger more powerful grinder , the one i have in mind is 3/4 HP how  much difference do you think it will make ?


Its 1/3hp. 3/4hp will be a huge step up, go for it.

HT


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

i think what i am looking for is more ease of feeding it and speed in pushing meat through the plate, also not having to put as much downward  pressure on the meat stomper ,  the one i am using will bog ( you can hear the motor ) as it gets under a heavy load , i don't know if going to a higher HP will  help should i decide to do a  2nd grind or not , but it would be nice to have that option


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## tx smoker (Jul 12, 2022)

cal1956 said:


> i don't know if going to a higher HP will help should i decide to do a 2nd grind or not , but it would be nice to have that option


I don't know that you'll see a noticeable difference on the second grind being that the meat has already been through once. You'll definitely see a difference on the first grind though, especially if some of your meat chunks are frozen...which happens to me regularly. Fortunately the unit chews right through the frozen stuff.

Robert


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## sawhorseray (Jul 12, 2022)

The 1hp grinder I have runs off of a 110 grounded wall plug Cal. I started out mixing sausage meat with my hands in a tub, arthritis everywhere, that got old fast. Then I got a crank meat mixer, worked well enough





34 years a union carpenter, now I get cortisone shots in both shoulders, I couldn't turn that crank now if I had to. Hell, I can't turn the handle on a manual stuffer, that's why I went electric.





Age and circumstances will dictate what one can and cannot do. I absolutely love making sausage, it's worth the gear investment to me. RAY


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## Murdy (Jul 12, 2022)

cal1956 said:


> i talked  to the folks at Walton yesterday and got them to measure  the  throat of the # 12 and it was 2 1/2 inches the one i am using now has is approx 2 inches  so its not a lot of difference  meat size wise,  but with the difference in HP my thinking  is that i should  be able to feed it much faster


1/2 inch doesn't sound like much, but you are talking about a circle, so that half inch at the edge counts for a lot more than the first half inch off the center.  If I remember my high school geometry, that half inch will get you about 50% more actual area.  ( A 16 inch pizza is nearly twice as big as a 12 inch in area )


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

it stands to reason that the auger and plate would  be bigger also  and that would help speed  things along


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## indaswamp (Jul 12, 2022)

cal1956 said:


> i think what i am looking for is more ease of feeding it and speed in pushing meat through the plate, also not having to put as much downward  pressure on the meat stomper ,  the one i am using will bog ( you can hear the motor ) as it gets under a heavy load , i don't know if going to a higher HP will  help should i decide to do a  2nd grind or not , but it would be nice to have that option


You shouldn't need to push down with the plunger. That is just to free up the throat of the grinder in case any pieces stick to the sides of the grinder throat. If you need to push down with pressure, usually meat not being cold enough is the issue. The grinder should chew through whatever you put in it...you should have to try and keep up.....ESPECIALLY on first grind!


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 12, 2022)

The # as in 8, 12, 22, and so forth does graduate in both throat and plate size. Personally I run the LEM Big Bite #8 with their dual grind head. This does the dual grind in one all in one pass, it’s slick. I don’t cube meat for general grind. I cut long strips that fit the throat size and just let the grinder eat, and it’s hungry.


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

its cold enough , i just try to speed things up


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## pineywoods (Jul 12, 2022)

You will notice a difference in HP for sure and I agree go as big as your comfortable with I think many 3/4 hp grinders have a reverse should you ever need it.
I have an old LEM 1.5 hp #32 and it will grind through stuff fast and bigger chunks it grinds pretty much as fast as you can feed it. I think it's rated at like 700 lbs per hour or something crazy like that. We used to process a lot of wild hogs and ground pretty much all of them so the size was nice when you had 10-20 hogs to do. Back then all we made was fresh sausage and doing a second grind was pretty easy as well since the neck is so big.
Now the problem with it is it's real heavy and is a pain to clean I don't usually bother making sausage if I'm not doing at least 100 lbs to make it worth the effort with that grinder.


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## Brokenhandle (Jul 12, 2022)

Like 

 pineywoods
  we have a 1 1/2 hp grinder...heavy yes! Grind anything I want...yes! But had friends that had one and loved it,  so bought one several years ago. Have never been sorry about it either. Runs on 110 volt, only thing I added after 1st use was foot control. 

Ryan


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## cal1956 (Jul 12, 2022)

i wish that waltons gave  more specs for their  equipment ,but they seem like nice folks when i  talked with them, its going to be a while before i buy so  i have time to decide which new grinder to get


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## indaswamp (Jul 12, 2022)

I'm sure someone here on SMF probably has the grinder you are looking to buy and can take pictures of the electrical tags or take measurements for you....if you ask nicely that is.....


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## cal1956 (Jul 13, 2022)

now thats an idea !  i really didn't think anyone sold anything on  here, i'll ask when its time to buy !!


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## cal1956 (Jul 13, 2022)

i think we have made a decision !! 
the wife and i were just talking and i think we have decided to  buy  the walton #12 sometime this winter for the following reasons   
(1) HP
(2) volume
(3)  it can be coupled to waltons 50lb mixer
(4) it seems like we make more sausage every year 
(5) later this year some of our money  will be freeing up and that will allow us the extra  money to make the investment


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## rjob (Jul 13, 2022)

One item to checkout on the mixer is what is the minimum amount that can be mixed. If you  desire to mix 5# or 10# batches mixer might not be capable of small amounts. 
Also consider cleanup, that is a big tub will it fit in a standard sink?


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## cal1956 (Jul 13, 2022)

we have  thought about  that and the only time we would be making smaller batches would be test batches and those we will still do by hand 
as to the cleanup there is always the garden hose and soapy water haha
and if all else fails we do have  a commercial 3 compartment SS sink with drain boards i  could set up


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## Cattoon (Jul 13, 2022)

I own the Weston pro series #8. It runs on a regular outlet and is rated at 4-6 lbs a minute 3/4hp. I have done 50+ lbs several times and honestly it takes longer to clean up than grind. I also bought a foot pedal and it is worth the investment in my opinion.


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## cal1956 (Jul 13, 2022)

i  think what gives this one the edge over the other's of the same size is the attachments that  you can buy


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## Brokenhandle (Jul 13, 2022)

Look forward to seeing pics of it in use!

Ryan


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## cal1956 (Jul 13, 2022)

it will be sometime around christmas  before  i have the extra money to buy it and you can bet i'll post pictures of it


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## cal1956 (Jul 14, 2022)

i watched a video of the walton # 12 yesterday and the guy put 6 lbs of meat through it in 53 sec.   to me thats impressive


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## cal1956 (Jul 16, 2022)

after grinding about 30lbs of boston butts  this morning i could tell it was getting  time to get a  new grinder , so the wife and i talked  about it  and both agreed to pause our sausage making  until we bought the new grinder  so in about 3 weeks or  so look to see pictures of the  new grinder when we get it ,  we are going from a 
$ 60.00 machine to a $ 375.00 machine
 it will be interesting to see how much difference it makes ....oh and by the way tomorrow 
we  will be stuffing the meat that we  ground and seasoned this morning and i am going to "try"  to take pictures of the set up and  use of  the " dakota water stuffer "so that folks can see for themselves how simple and easy it is to set up and use . i will try to get at least one picture of each step


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## tbern (Jul 16, 2022)

Congrats on your new toy, hope it works great for you!


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## cal1956 (Jul 21, 2022)

i just ordered the new walton #12 grinder !!


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## tbern (Jul 21, 2022)

congrats, hope it works well for you!


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## SCBBQ (Sep 4, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> So here is what I do for large batches...
> 
> I coarse cut the meat and fat into strips that will fit in the grinder. Chill to below 32*F, then I grind with the largest plate I have, which is the stuffing kidney plate. This cuts the meat into 3/4-1" chunks...perfect for mixing the seasoning and salt. For the smoke sausage- we mix, then hold in the double door refrigerator overnight to allow the meat to chill below 32*F. The next day is final grind through whatever size plate you want. We use a 6mm plate for smoke sausage.
> 
> The larger 3/4-1" chunks are a breeze to feed into the grinder and the grinder helps with protein extraction during the grinding process with the meat having already been salted....takes much less mixing to achieve a great bind. Which is another reason why I have no need for a dedicated mixer.....I let the grinder do most of the work for me.



Good idea - I'm going to try this on my next batch- thanks for the tip..

Question - do you add culture, wine etc the night before as well or after the final grind?


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## indaswamp (Sep 4, 2022)

SCBBQ said:


> Good idea - I'm going to try this on my next batch- thanks for the tip..
> 
> Question - do you add culture, wine etc the night before as well or after the final grind?



After final grind... You do not want to put the culture back in cold temperatures after you defrost it.

And I only grind thru the kidney plate for fresh and smoke sausages, not salami.


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## SCBBQ (Sep 9, 2022)

Just got this in. Look forward to trying it out this weekend!


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## JckDanls 07 (Sep 9, 2022)

WOW... 2 hp ...   Should be able to put wheels on that and ride it around...


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## SCBBQ (Sep 10, 2022)

This thing is a horse. Look forward to using it later today.


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## SCBBQ (Sep 10, 2022)

Plates..


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## SCBBQ (Sep 10, 2022)

Switch - with reverse which I've heard is useful. ... Won't be backing up much here though!


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## indaswamp (Sep 10, 2022)

Nice!


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## Brokenhandle (Sep 10, 2022)

Very nice! And I thought my 1 1/2 hp was big. If you don't have one yet, I would get a foot pedal for it. I  got one after the first time I used mine and love it.

Ryan


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## tbern (Sep 10, 2022)

Nice and shiny, looks great!!


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