# Sausage Stuffer Questions...



## chef jimmyj (Sep 28, 2012)

Is there any difference or advantage to Stainless Steel stuffing tubes over Plastic?

There has been discussion of O-Rings...Some are expensive and hard to find others are cheaper. Which brands use the easy to find O-Rings?

Are they the same one?

Who sells these O-rings?

Some have said the Grizzly and LEM stuffers are the same. T or F?

Are the parts interchangeable?

Whom is the best source for parts?

Christmas is coming, where should I look for the best special deals?

Do any Stuffers come with Clamps?

What type of clamp works best?

I have read that it is not recommended to make Slim Jim's with a 3/8" tube on a 15Lb Stuffer. Is there any way to make it work?

Any other sage advice?

Thanks in advance for every ones answers...JJ


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## smokinhusker (Sep 28, 2012)

Wow great questions, so you must be putting one on your list! I can't help you cause I'm really no expert. I chose the 5# LEM based on the price, the all metal gears, and the size for us and I got it locally. I did order an additional O-Ring as a back up. It comes with plastic stuffing tubes but I did order the 3/8" separately and I've got the foot pedal. I don't have a dishwasher, so I did get the cleaning kit of brushes with it. They are a life saver, at least for me. I also use the silicone food spray with the stuffer to help with clean up.

I'm guessing you'll get some better answers soon!


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## rexlan (Sep 28, 2012)

5# Grizzly is great and cheap.  LEM is the same and 2x the cost.  Hard to figure out which one right? 

Plastic gear will be very hard to damage unless you're totaly unreasonable ... O-ring is $1.00

5# (for most people) is a lot of one variety of an item unless you're doing salami but not a big deal to reload.

Plastic tubes are fine.  Buy a piece of 1/2" Cpvc pipe (it is smaller).  Use the 1/2" tube and shove a piece of the Cpvc inside and then you can stuff the 20-21MM casings just fine for the Slim Jim's.

2 cheap 4" C-clamps will do the job -- Walmart.


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## diesel (Sep 28, 2012)

I have a 15# LEM and it is awesome.  It was a gift otherwise I would have gotten the 5# model.  The LEM came with 2 C clamps.  I have plastic tubes and they are fine.  I am very happy with this stuffer and it works great. 

Above it correct it is expensive and I probably would have went with the grizzly if I were to purchase it myself.


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## jkc64 (Sep 28, 2012)

I bought the Lem 5# it was higher but I have a butcher supply store 5 minutes from work and they give great service. They carry casings and AC Leggs. It is a great stuffer I also bought the 3/8 tube and their new catalog offers all the stainless tubes if not happy with plastic. One of the cheaper would have worked fine but I support my local shop when I can. It did come with 2 clamps. I also can get all the parts from them.


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## diggingdogfarm (Sep 28, 2012)

Chef JimmyJ said:


> Is there any difference or advantage to Stainless Steel stuffing tubes over Plastic?



The stainless tubes are smoother and thinner, but in a good way, the meat goes through them a bit easier, and casings slide on easier, they are, of course, much more expensive than the plastic.



Chef JimmyJ said:


> There has been discussion of O-Rings...Some are expensive and hard to find others are cheaper. Which brands use the easy to find O-Rings?
> Are they the same one?
> Who sells these O-rings?



As far as I know,the LEM, Northern and Grizzly stuffers all use the same easy to find and inexpensive o-ring. Grizzly sells the o-ring for the 5 lb. stuffer for $1.00



Chef JimmyJ said:


> Some have said the Grizzly and LEM stuffers are the same. T or F?



False, the LEM has metal gears, the Grizzly and Northern have poly gears.



Chef JimmyJ said:


> Are the parts interchangeable?
> Whom is the best source for parts?



On another forum, I heard that the LEM metal gears and screw do not work on the Northern stuffer, but they do with the Grizzly (but may require a little filing so the handle slides on easier), otherwise, all parrts appear to be interchangeable. Grizzly has the best price on parts.



Chef JimmyJ said:


> Christmas is coming, where should I look for the best special deals?



Grizzly has the best price on a 5 lb. stuffer, $80...I have one and I'm very happy with it.



Chef JimmyJ said:


> Do any Stuffers come with Clamps?
> What type of clamp works best?



The Grizzly dosen't come with clamps, I bought two 4 inch "C" clamps for $3 each.



Chef JimmyJ said:


> I have read that it is not recommended to make Slim Jim's with a 3/8" tube on a 15Lb Stuffer. Is there any way to make it work?



I think that Pops uses a 3/8" F.Dick stuffing tube on his 15 lb. stuffer. Pops?

FWIW, here's a video review of the Grizzly 5 lb. stuffer...ignore what he says about the release valve, it comes apart easily for cleaning.

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

Here's a video that shows the difference in size of the 5 lb. and 15 lb. stuffers and a horizontal stuffer.....this is a good video.....

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

~Martin


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## roller (Sep 28, 2012)

I got mine from Northern Tool on sale for 99.00 its like the LEM. I have had it awhile now and its works great no problems at all. I did order a Snack Stick SS tube from LEM for it...


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## sound1 (Sep 28, 2012)

Jimmy, your timing could not have been better. While turning cucumbers into pickles last night the wife asked why I have not made any snack sticks lately..I told her I needed a new stuffer. Tis on the Christmas list now.

I'm looking forward to what folks post on this one.


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## fpnmf (Sep 28, 2012)

If you would consider a "pre-owned" Northern 5 pounder shoot me a PM.

I have the big boy now and the northen sits next to the little slicer in the shed..













stuffer 003.JPG



__ fpnmf
__ Sep 28, 2012


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## sound1 (Sep 28, 2012)

Nice..


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## chef jimmyj (Sep 28, 2012)

Well thanks again for the detailed info. It would appear that a 5Lb Grizzly seem to be the recommended stuffer to purchase. It is my understanding that reloading, even 3-4 times, is no big deal and in the event I make the ever popular Slim Jim's the 5# unit is the better choice to avoid damaging the drive shaft...JJ


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## daveomak (Sep 28, 2012)

The 5# Grizzly has given me great service...  I grease the can and piston... when making small snack sticks, I add extra water or some other adult liquid so it squeezes out easier....  The 5# batches is not problem.. I keep the remainder in the refer so it stays cold and doesn't come close to violating JJ's 40-140 rule... LOL....    It can take awhile to stuff 5# of andouille and link it etc. so keeping the rest in the refer is ideal...

Dave


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## diggingdogfarm (Sep 28, 2012)

It's no big deal to refill it once, but If I was regularly making batches larger than that, I would go with the 15lber.
I spin the handle as fast as I can with my hand in close to the shaft to bring the piston back out, no big deal.

~Martin


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## sound1 (Sep 28, 2012)

Has anybody checked this type of two gear stuffer out?


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## pops6927 (Sep 28, 2012)

Yes, I got the 3/8" F Dick poly tube for sheep casings on my 15lb Northern Tool and it works great!  Easy to make little link sausages with it!  The Northern Tool 5lb has poly gears, but the 15lb has metal gears.


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## fpnmf (Sep 28, 2012)

>>>>>>>[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]  The Northern Tool 5lb has poly gears[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]OK..who has actually had a poly gear break???[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]It is sorta like the old mechanics saying.." Dont put 500 foot pounds on a 1/4 fastener".....[/color]


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## jarjarchef (Sep 29, 2012)

Jimmy....too funny on your timing...

I just found out my oldest daughter needs a higher protine diet. ( she lives with her mom and i do not usually ask too many questions about her time there) So while talking with her and asking her what she eats and all that. She was telling me that the only time she gets jerky and slim Jim's is with me. Her mom does not think they are healthy. I don't like the cost, find them to be a very good source of protine, just don't like the sodium amounts.


So experts you have been warned. I am coming your way.........soon! :biggrin:


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## slownlow (Sep 29, 2012)

fpnmf said:


> >>>>>>>[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]  The Northern Tool 5lb has poly gears[/color]
> 
> [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]OK..who has actually had a poly gear break???[/color]
> 
> [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]It is sorta like the old mechanics saying.." Dont put 500 foot pounds on a 1/4 fastener".....[/color]


I have read from people on here and other places that have had the teeth on the poly gears wear down. I'm not sure if it was user error like keep cranking the handle when it's bottomed out or just from using it so much, but just in case, I bought a metal gear for my grizzly 5Lb.  

This LEM is a perfect match gears.

http://www.lemproducts.com/product/1470/Vertical_Stuffer_Parts


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## ac45acp (Sep 29, 2012)

anybody ever use one of these?













stuffer.jpg



__ ac45acp
__ Sep 29, 2012


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## daveomak (Sep 29, 2012)

ac45acp said:


> anybody ever use one of these?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


One other member asked about these stuffers a few weeks back.... I read the reviews on Cabela's and they weren't good...  A few more bucks for a tried and true vertical would be money well spent.. IMHO...    Dave


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## diggingdogfarm (Sep 29, 2012)

Yeah, forget about the horn stuffer and go with the vertical!!!
Horn stuffers are a pain in the butt!!!

~Martin


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## mike johnson (Sep 29, 2012)

I have a 10lb. vertical stuffer from MTN it has a 2 speed gear system but the only time I use the 2nd one is bringing the plunger back to the top faster.


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## rexlan (Sep 29, 2012)

Of course if you want to go "deluxe" then this is the ticket

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/126802/anyone-want-a-water-stuffer-41


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## ronrude (Sep 29, 2012)

That grizzly looks exactly like my LEM except for the gears.  I Love my LEM, but bought it at a store I like to frequent.  I paid $149 but it came with a bunch of sausage kits so I don't feel like i really spent any more when adding in the cost of the kits.  The kits I have tried have been great so far, but I have been having way more fun trying my own recipes to use them all yet.

Maybe I should try that hot Italian kit today.?.?


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## boykjo (Sep 30, 2012)

What they all said...LOL

JJ I would recommend between a 11 and 15 lb stuffer and not get the 5 lb'er... you will wish you went a little bigger ... Refilling is not the problem its the moving around , touching things, trying not to make a mess or pick up any contamination.... Its best just to fill once and finish....... I have plastic gears on my 5 lber and have had them slip/pop making hot dogs but they haven broke yet....... Its a good time to let everyone know you want visa gift cards for christmas.... Bundle some gift cards and and sausage stuff goes on sale during the holidays with free shipping... you can really score a great deal...

Good luck

Joe


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## shannon127 (Oct 4, 2012)

If you still need a Stuffer, I have a couple of TSM 5# "Made in USA".  Bonus as I also live in Harrisburg


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## BGKYSmoker (Oct 4, 2012)

I went thru 2 sets of poly gears so just broke down and spent the few extra $ on the LEM 5, Quite a few moons ago.

Wanted one of the bad boy motor stuffers like Craig but just dont have the room in the wheeled house.


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## boykjo (Oct 5, 2012)

nepas said:


> I went thru 2 sets of poly gears so just broke down and spent the few extra $ on the LEM 5,


Because your a maniac...............LOL


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## couger78 (Oct 5, 2012)

No plastic here...













3967416260_c72a6e470a.jpg



__ couger78
__ Oct 5, 2012






Nor here...













335780619_fccef1443d.jpg



__ couger78
__ Oct 5, 2012


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## bbqonice (Oct 7, 2012)

DiggingDogFarm said:


> The stainless tubes are smoother and thinner, but in a good way, the meat goes through them a bit easier, and casings slide on easier, they are, of course, much more expensive than the plastic.
> As far as I know,the LEM, Northern and Grizzly stuffers all use the same easy to find and inexpensive o-ring. Grizzly sells the o-ring for the 5 lb. stuffer for $1.00
> False, the LEM has metal gears, the Grizzly and Northern have poly gears.
> On another forum, I heard that the LEM metal gears and screw do not work on the Northern stuffer, but they do with the Grizzly (but may require a little filing so the handle slides on easier), otherwise, all parrts appear to be interchangeable. Grizzly has the best price on parts.
> ...


I have a 15lb Northern Tool Stuffer and it has steel gears...not plastic....not sure of your info...maybe the smaller models have plastic.

it is the cheapest stuffer online for 15lb i found about 4 or 5 years ago...just clamp to the table and go...it has a low ratio though...some dont like.  you really have to crank it sometime...but one crank and you are pushing out pretty good amount.  Some like the crank 10 times real easy and go nowhere models.

what to watch with the plastic tubes....I accidently squished one of mine one year...no big deal...squished it back from oval to circle....but when I put my hog casing on and started stuffing...the one side had enough of the crease that it tore the casing.  Thus I had to sand it down.  Not a problem since.

good luck with anything u buy.  hey...what the heck...you are making sausage...nothing better to do.


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## diggingdogfarm (Oct 7, 2012)

I was talking the 5lb. stuffers when I mentioned the poly gears, most all of the 15 lb. stuffers of the same design have metal gears, except for the one sold by Sausagemaker ( both 5 and 15lber.), which are Lubricomp resin gears.


~Martin


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## smokinhusker (Oct 8, 2012)

nepas said:


> I went thru 2 sets of poly gears so just broke down and spent the few extra $ on the LEM 5, Quite a few moons ago.
> 
> Wanted one of the bad boy motor stuffers like Craig but just dont have the room in the wheeled house.


I was afraid of this happening, so I just got the LEM 5 - no plastic gears!


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## genek (Oct 9, 2012)

I got a horn type from the local farm supply store, about $50.00. It claimed to be five pound but I could only get thee pound into it. On large casing summer sausage it was ok, but the killer was the small tube for the fresh sausage in 21mm casings, so much blow back past the piston I spent more time putting the sausage back in front of the piston.

So I got the Grizzly 5 pound and it works like a charm. The horn is relegated to the garage.

GeneK


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## hoity toit (Oct 14, 2012)

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/g/a/86845/my-sausage-stuffer/

This is the one I have,. Its 11lb and has 2 speeds, all stainless steel. Got it from WaltonsInc.com used to be MidWest Supply. .It has held up well and Im happy with it. I also use the food grade silicone from Lem for the gasket. I was told by a friend that you couldput some plastic wrap under the stuffer plate if the gasket ever fails and he said it would seal it good enough to get the job done if the gasket ever fails.. thats all I know..


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## boykjo (Oct 15, 2012)

Hoity Toit said:


> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/g/a/86845/my-sausage-stuffer/
> 
> This is the one I have,. Its 11lb and has 2 speeds, all stainless steel. Got it from WaltonsInc.com used to be MidWest Supply. .It has held up well and Im happy with it. I also use the food grade silicone from Lem for the gasket. I was told by a friend that you couldput some plastic wrap under the stuffer plate if the gasket ever fails and he said it would seal it good enough to get the job done if the gasket ever fails.. thats all I know..


Just a heads up HT

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/115175/2-speed-vertical-stuffers

Joe


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## junkcollector (Oct 15, 2012)

ac45acp said:


> anybody ever use one of these?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i used to use one of those units 8-10 years ago. got married and moved 4 times in 6 years. all my food prep stuff went into storage. we recently got it out. unfortunately i never have figured out what happened to my stuffer. it was the same as the one in your pic. cast body with a zink coating or something. there are some of this style made of stainless but more expensive. at the time, i was happier than a hog in slop with this kind of stuffer. since i have had to buy a new one, i ended up with a 5lb lem vertical. got it off amazon.com. we're prime members so we get overnite shipping for $3.99, no exceptions from *prime* shippers. So i got to poking around, found my lem at $149, then they had *used* ones that also qualified for prime. checked em out. ended up getting one shipped to my door arriving the next day for $120 n change. looked new, listed as used.


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## dward51 (Oct 15, 2012)

I was at Bass Pro this past week and happened to wander through their outdoor cooking section.  Got a look at the 5# LEM vertical stuffer, and I think the guys saying go with a 10 to 15# model are right.  That 5# model looked pretty small to me in real life.  If you have a local Bass Pro, Cabela's or Academy Sports you might want to check out the size in person before putting your money on the table for a purchase.

On a side note I was compelled to pick up a Lodge 10.5" square cast iron skillet while there. Why square?  Seemed like it would fit bacon and grilled sandwiches better.  And I have my great grandmothers round skillets anyway (my mother washed them when she inherited them, and then promptly hung them on the wall as a decoration.  Horrors!!!!!   It's ok, they have been rescued and restored to their former black non-stick glory now)

We now return to your regularly scheduled SMF thread.....













safe_image.php?d=AQDh5aKyxQzZ88Qk&url=http%3A%2F%2



__ dward51
__ Oct 15, 2012


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