+1... and I don't need a fancy electric motor/pulley system. Just attach to the chuck of a decent drill and you are good to go. Or if you want a workout for your arm... just use the hand crank.I suggest the BarleyCrusher. Had mine for a year and a half and its been great. Bought it straight from BC Products. No issues.
Grain mills
#21
Posted 07 May 2009 - 11:38 AM
#22
Posted 07 May 2009 - 12:11 PM
Not sure why one would want to go the SS route either but the option is there. Mine is the base model MM2 I got discounted on scratch and dent, another benefit of buying direct from the manufacturer. It was only 90 bucks shipped and I have about 10 bucks into the hopper/mounting base/collection bin. As far as the crush goes, I think most homebrewers will be happy with whichever mill they decide upon after they've determined what gap size is correct for their sparge setup. My bias is simply on the quality of the machining and materials used. MM's rule.Am I correct that just the rollers/housing for the monster mill (with SS rollers) cost more than the whole barley crusher that's all ready to go? How much better can the crush really be?
#23 *_Guest_Blktre_*
Posted 07 May 2009 - 12:19 PM
#24
Posted 07 May 2009 - 12:31 PM
Really?? This only has happened to me once or twice, and I was always able to free the stuck grain my manually spinning the bottom roller to free up the grain that was lodged in there. I know that you said that you tried to mount it a number of different ways, but is there any chance that your bolt hole spacing was off a little to cause the whole thing to be a bit askew? The only reason I mention this is that I know that some have had problems with this causing the rollers not to spin freely...which sounds like your issue. Anyway, sorry to hear about this ... major bummer.I tossed my 3 roller MM in the drawer. What a huge waste of $180. No matter how the rollers were adjusted, tension on the detents, or how it was mounted, grain jammed and wouldn't spin the opposing rollers. Had awesome customer service from the man himself but to no avail. I went back to my original BrewTech that i traded a 6er for and have never looked back.
#25
Posted 07 May 2009 - 12:37 PM
#26 *_Guest_Blktre_*
Posted 07 May 2009 - 01:04 PM
Dude, i spent many, many countless hrs. beating my head against the wall messing with this thing. Fred is a wonderful guy. Just this thing didn't work out. Its so bad i refused to sell this headache to another home brewer. Your advice is sound. But not this case. The rollers i can spin freehand with a flick of the wrist. No dice.Really?? This only has happened to me once or twice, and I was always able to free the stuck grain my manually spinning the bottom roller to free up the grain that was lodged in there. I know that you said that you tried to mount it a number of different ways, but is there any chance that your bolt hole spacing was off a little to cause the whole thing to be a bit askew? The only reason I mention this is that I know that some have had problems with this causing the rollers not to spin freely...which sounds like your issue. Anyway, sorry to hear about this ... major bummer.
#27
Posted 07 May 2009 - 01:10 PM
#28 *_Guest_Blktre_*
Posted 07 May 2009 - 01:14 PM
Holy cow guys......I'm talking about the 3 roller w/detent CrankandStein not the MM. I apologize about my mix up. Regardless Fred designed the CC. So i cannot comment on the MM. Supposedly Fred had designed out the flaws of the CC into the MM. But judging by the pics of each, i sure cant visually see the design change. My bad.....Carry on.....I will thrown another vote in for the Monster Mill. I have a 3-roller CrankandStein. It is a fine mill, but for the money the MM is a better mill IMO. I have used 2 and 3 roller models in both brands.
Edited by Blktre, 07 May 2009 - 01:14 PM.
#29
Posted 07 May 2009 - 03:18 PM
#30
Posted 07 May 2009 - 09:33 PM
#31
Posted 08 May 2009 - 04:31 AM
The problem I usually have with projects is they rarely end up saving me any money :PI'll likely go with the BC just b/c I can use it straight out of the box. I'll probably hand crank a couple of batches and then eventually try hooking my drill up to it. I'm curious - what mills do you guys have and how many times do you usually run the grain through them?Like others have said, almost all of us who have bought a roller mill are happy with it.With that said, if you give us your budget and goals, that will help us to give you a better idea of what may fit your needs the best.For example - when I was first looking into mills, the barley crusher looked great to me because it was ready to go out of the box. Then I started to think about hand cranking the mill, and realized that I would eventually want to motorize the mill, so I wanted to go ahead and do that from the beginning. I also wanted a larger hopper. Since these costs were built into the cost of the barley crusher, I decided to go with a crankandstein at the time. I bought a simple 2 roller adjustable model, and built the base/hopper and used a motor with spider couplings. I am satisfied with the results of the crush, and haven't even adjusted the gap once. I bought my C&S before monster mill. Honestly, if I were for some reason to get a new mill, I would most likely get a Monster mill (there was drama with C&S, you can read up on the history if you like). Since I am not in college any more, and working, I would also go with the 3 roller model if I were to upgrade now. I bought the 2 roller when I was still in college, and had just bought grain in bulk, so funds were a bit tight.
#32
Posted 08 May 2009 - 07:33 AM
+1I have learned to go into most projects for the fun and the challenge. Between the time invested and redoing at least part of it, off the shelf as an attractive deal.zymotThe problem I usually have with projects is they rarely end up saving me any money
#33 *_Guest_Blktre_*
Posted 08 May 2009 - 08:04 AM
I certainly hope the MM 3 roller has the CC flaws designed out of it. Fred says it is, but id get some user reviews before i bought one. I'm $180 gun shy after my experience.Since I am not in college any more, and working, I would also go with the 3 roller model if I were to upgrade now. I bought the 2 roller when I was still in college, and had just bought grain in bulk, so funds were a bit tight.
#34
Posted 08 May 2009 - 09:14 AM
W/ my BC I've never crushed more than once. Although if you do a lot of 6 row you may want to do it 2x or adjust the rollers which is easy to do. Whole rye can use a 2nd crush but it varies.I use a lot of Mo and it is nice and plump I never have to crush twice.The problem I usually have with projects is they rarely end up saving me any money :PI'll likely go with the BC just b/c I can use it straight out of the box. I'll probably hand crank a couple of batches and then eventually try hooking my drill up to it. I'm curious - what mills do you guys have and how many times do you usually run the grain through them?
#35
Posted 08 May 2009 - 10:25 AM
+1W/ my BC I've never crushed more than once. Although if you do a lot of 6 row you may want to do it 2x or adjust the rollers which is easy to do. Whole rye can use a 2nd crush but it varies.I use a lot of Mo and it is nice and plump I never have to crush twice.
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