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Author Topic: How to Motorize a Grain Mill  (Read 35901 times)

Offline james

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #45 on: January 29, 2014, 10:24:21 pm »
Here is the best setup I have found.  It does not use spinning flywheels or v belts, which have taken too many fingers over the years.  It has powerful torque, it is quiet, and chews through grain in seconds. Unlike drill motors, it turns the mill at a slow constant speed - 180 rpm. And best of all, it is not expensive!


It does look considerably expensive and it also looks like a spam post

Damn I didn't notice that. However it isn't unrelated. Others have pushed brewing related products before no?

I'm not really sure what the rules are here but joining a forum and your only post is to sell a product is uncool.  Especially when you don't make it obvious that it is your company selling it

Offline euge

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #46 on: January 29, 2014, 10:45:41 pm »
Poor execution perhaps. The mods will correct things if necessary. 
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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Offline sdsmith4u

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #47 on: January 30, 2014, 12:32:12 pm »
Hey fellow brewers,
Somebody said my post looked like spam.  Sorry.  That hurts my feelings, but whatever.  I am a lifetime member of AHA.  I am importing the gear reduction motors from China because I could not find what I was looking for in the way of a motor for my grain mill.  I am the importer.  I  have not updated the web site yet, but I am going to LOWER the price to $173.00 to make them more affordable to my fellow home brewers - even if they do think my posts are spam!  Anyway, I got PowerGrinder.org because .com was taken!  The motors are absolutely perfect.  The photos on the web site are of my grinder.  This is just me importing and selling these motors NEW which ALREADY have the 10:1 gear reduction  on them.  Try to find that ANYWHERE for less than $200.00!  If you want one - or more - I have a shipment coming into LA today, so they should be ready to ship out within a week or so.  I am not a seasoned "poster" on forums, so forgive my lack of expertise.  I'm learning.  Thanks, and CHEERS!
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Offline sdsmith4u

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #48 on: January 30, 2014, 12:45:19 pm »
Sorry James.  I guess I am just not "cool".  My mission is to provide a QUALITY motor for grain mills at an affordable price.  I have been reading posts for a long time looking for a motor for my grain mill. I did not find what I was looking for, so I started importing them.  The shipment arriving in LA today is my first shipment.  If I had found motors made in the USA, I would have tried to become a reseller of those.  Does it make a difference if the person posting an item for home brewers is the one selling the item?  If you like the item, buy it.  If you don't, move on.
I hope the people who have already purchased the motors will post their reviews on this forum for fellow home brewers who are looking for a safe, effective, and affordable way to motorize their grain mills.
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Offline Jeff M

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #49 on: January 30, 2014, 05:20:03 pm »
Being passive aggressive may not be the best sales pitch.... That being said it looks like a good product. 
Granite Coast Brewing Company.
Building a clone of The Electric Brewery to use as a pilot system for new recipes!

Offline Stevie

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #50 on: January 30, 2014, 06:45:01 pm »
Let's all be cool about this. What makes this forum so much greater than others is the lack of fighting. I'm sure the seller will be more transparent in the future.

Those motors are pretty nice with the way they hookup to the mill without the need of pulleys or gears. If I were in the market, I'd snatch one up right away.

Offline el_capitan

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #51 on: January 30, 2014, 06:49:48 pm »
I'm using a low-RPM, high torque direct drive motor on my mill.  I went this route because a friend of mine gave me the motor for free.







I like it because it's really safe, and I have two young boys who like to help me.  It takes a bit longer to grind the whole grist, but it's not a big deal.  I should make a bigger hopper for my JSP though. 

I also built a motorized apple grinder for cider making, and for that I use a .5 HP motor and sheaves like you commonly see on a grain mill.  The cord looks like a mess too - it extends out about 20 feet but retracts.  I should also build a little cord shield area to hide that mess. 

This hog only rotates at 30 RPM, but it has a lot of power. 


« Last Edit: January 30, 2014, 06:57:46 pm by el_capitan »

fistfullofhops

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #52 on: January 30, 2014, 07:14:01 pm »
I used to run something similar. The mill belonged to a buddy and I had to give it back when he decided to get back into the hobby. The low rpm gear motor was a perfect match for the JSP mill. I absolutely loved the setup. It wasn't very fast; I think the speed was around 100 rpm but it was quiet and smooth, and it created almost zero airborne dust. I've been scouring used machinery sites along with ebay looking for a similar motor.

It was a pretty safe setup as far as loose clothing etc goes but if the rollers got ahold of your fingers they'd be crushed in a flash. If I were to configure one myself I'd use the exact same motor and mill but I'd put a huge hopper on it so you could set 20lbs of grain and walk away. The hopper would also help keep fingers away from the rollers.








Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #53 on: January 30, 2014, 09:40:55 pm »
Hey fellow brewers,
Somebody said my post looked like spam.  Sorry.  That hurts my feelings, but whatever.  I am a lifetime member of AHA.  I am importing the gear reduction motors from China because I could not find what I was looking for in the way of a motor for my grain mill.  I am the importer.  I  have not updated the web site yet, but I am going to LOWER the price to $173.00 to make them more affordable to my fellow home brewers - even if they do think my posts are spam!  Anyway, I got PowerGrinder.org because .com was taken!  The motors are absolutely perfect.  The photos on the web site are of my grinder.  This is just me importing and selling these motors NEW which ALREADY have the 10:1 gear reduction  on them.  Try to find that ANYWHERE for less than $200.00!  If you want one - or more - I have a shipment coming into LA today, so they should be ready to ship out within a week or so.  I am not a seasoned "poster" on forums, so forgive my lack of expertise.  I'm learning.  Thanks, and CHEERS!

Looking good.
May be you should start new thread about your offer.
Na Zdravie

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http://www.lazymonkbrewing.com

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #54 on: January 31, 2014, 12:45:40 am »
It's crazy that people can take but not use a domain name then sell it, but you have to establish business under a trademark before you can claim ownership of that.

Anyway, I like the idea. I like the price. To be honest, I don't trust the quality at all. A system that can do that should cost twice as much. Like the Chinese Honda knockoff motors... great price but be prepared to throw it away annually.

If the reliability was proven, and the means of buying it proven, I'd be a buyer.

Offline sdsmith4u

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #55 on: January 31, 2014, 08:17:12 am »
Thanks for the input!
It is true, it will be interesting to see how long the motors hold up.  I will let the buyers comment on the quality and longevity.  I am biased, but I can tell you that I have been incredibly impressed.  The motor is a brute, and seems to be made very well.  There seems to be nothing cheap about it. It's like a tank: heavy, thick, and strong.  It is not at all like what they sell at Harbour Freight.  I bought the prototype, and would not have purchased a shipment to sell if they had not been very impressive.  Normally, I try to buy American, but there just wasn't anything available. The reason the price is so low is because I am selling them personally, and I'm not doing what "retailers" do - mark everything up 100+%.  I don't have the overhead they do, so I pass the savings along to fellow home brewers.  I looked a long time for the right motor, but could not find one which was affordable, so I decided to import them myself.  So far, except for the nay sayers and sceptics, it has been exactly what I was looking for.
Happy brewing!
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and wants us to be happy!

Offline troybinso

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #56 on: January 31, 2014, 09:38:30 am »
Looks pretty cool to me. Do you have links to the coupler, etc. you need to connect it to a mill? You might want to include that on your site or even carry the products, because anyone buying that motor will need some accessories to attach it to the mill shaft.

Offline morticaixavier

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #57 on: January 31, 2014, 10:02:50 am »
It's crazy that people can take but not use a domain name then sell it, but you have to establish business under a trademark before you can claim ownership of that.

Anyway, I like the idea. I like the price. To be honest, I don't trust the quality at all. A system that can do that should cost twice as much. Like the Chinese Honda knockoff motors... great price but be prepared to throw it away annually.

If the reliability was proven, and the means of buying it proven, I'd be a buyer.

Right, but many people can use the same trade name at the same time without overlap while a domain name is a unique address. Only one entity can use it at a time period so if I secure it it is mine. if you want it you'll pay me.

I can say I 'own' the trade name 'really great beer' but so can you, and your customers up in WA are not going to accidentally end up at my store here in CA.
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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #58 on: January 31, 2014, 10:15:12 am »
I get it. I suppose it fits the free market principle better than requiring people to use their property or lose it.

Offline sdsmith4u

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Re: How to Motorize a Grain Mill
« Reply #59 on: January 31, 2014, 11:15:17 am »
Putting a link to Grainger on the web site is a great idea.  Thanks.  I will include the part numbers needed for the 22mm output shaft and the "spider" which goes between the grain mill shaft coupler fitting and the coupler fitting on the motor output shaft.  The coupler fitting which goes on the shaft of the grain mill will vary depending on the diameter of the shaft on the grain mill, so there is no way for me to put a specific part number on the web site for that particular fitting.  It will, however, be right there on the Grainger web site - easy for each buyer to find for their model of mill.
Thanks again!
Yes, Beer IS proof that God loves us,
and wants us to be happy!