I have a grinder set up that I've built. Been using it for upwards uf 20 years. Started with a standard #32 hand grinder. Replaced the hand crank with a pully, and added a half horse heavy duty electric motor. Worked great. Not sure what the RPMs were, but it was fast. Couple of years ago, I decided to slow it down. Added reduction pulley set and it is now running at 75 RPMs. Have done several deer afterwards, and all good.
Now, it doesn't want to push meat through, especially on the second grind. I was processing the first deer of the year Monday evening. First grind worked, but not as good as usual. I can normally just drop chunks of meat in and off they go. Instead, several times, I had to use the stomper to get the meat started down the auger. On the second grind, it took the course ground meat until the auger was full, and that was it. Would hardly push any through the plate. I couldn't force it through with the stomper.
Took it apart and the knife blades seemed dull, though I've never paid them much attention (if it ain't broke, don't fix it). Sharpened them on 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Back together. Worked, but barely.
The inside of the grinder body appears normal. The auger appears normal. A few bright spots, but not worn. Frankly, the plates and knife don't look any different than they ever have, but that's where I think my problem has to be.
I'm thinking about replacing the knife and seeing if that works. Do you replace the grind plates whenever you replace the knife? Any other ideas? Thanks, Al
