I Gave Away Kitchenaid Mixers For Gifts This Year

Durangler

@WeberWho ....

Took my Hobart Kitchenaid apart last weekend. All metal gears, no plastic. Found more numbers that didn't correspond with the other parts. No worries as I know this mixer has not been tampered with.

The original grease was beginning to harden, but still lubricating. Very minimal running.

Wiped everything clean & used your recommended Tri-Flow synthetic grease, about 1/2 tube.

Re assembled & fired it up. Heard a bit of a sticky sound as the grease worked around the gears.

I had a bolt missing (3 of 4 under the tilt stand) that's on ordered along with new brushes. The gasket remained intact throughout the cleaning process.

Thank you for the inspiration to get this mixer back to almost new condition. It wasn't all that difficult. 

Durangler

BTW.... Those power cord loop clips that hold into the base .....

Just disconnect the wires, black & white from the connectors & unscrew the green wire from its post.

jlsm

@Durangler, funny, I was also missing a bolt, in the back. Are you replacing the brushes just as part of a tune-up?

Durangler

@jlsm....

The bolt with the lock washer is in place, the other bolt is gone.

Honestly, I don't even know is the brushes need replaced, but I was in order mode with the bolt & needed a new Wire Whip (the one I have has a broken wire/tang thingy) so I tossed in 2 brushes.

How do you know if the brushes go bad? I think if the motor skips and sputters it's brush time, but not certain.

So, yes, part of the tune-up.

WeberWho

@Durangler Awesome! Glad to hear about the successful grease job. The sound of fresh grease running through the gears is a thing of beauty. I regreased my friends Hobart Kitchenaid mixer and gave it to her on Saturday. I got a big hug from her. "This thing use to bounce all over the place and now it's so smooth" she said. Happy, happy, happy! It was her grandma's mixer. The mixer should be around many more years.

I need to replace the brushes on an older Kitchenaid Hobart mixer I picked up for $20. The Craigslist ad said it was good for parts. Went home and plugged it in and fired right up. Ran great. The third time I turned it on it didn't run. I'm guessing it's just bad brushes. I have new brushes but haven't tossed them in yet. Hopefully it's only a $2 fix. Will toss in some new grease and brushes and see what happens.

WeberWho

Durangler said:

BTW.... Those power cord loop clips that hold into the base .....

Just disconnect the wires, black & white from the connectors & unscrew the green wire from its post.

Sorry to bring an old post up but I have to give a big shout out to @Durangler for the tip on the disconnecting the wires instead of the clip. I bought an old Hobart/Kitchenaid mixer for a coworker and repacked it with new synthetic grease. Your tip came in super handy. Thanks!

DMW

I just ordered an 8qt Kitchenaid Commercial mixer from webstaurant.com. On sale right now for $549 with free shipping. I hope it will be awhile before I need to rebuild, but glad you have this posted. Once I received the new one, I'll probably tear down our 4.5qt and get it cleaned up.

nolaegghead

I had to replace the seals and grease one I had for years.  I just put automotive lube in it.  Never had another problem with leaks.

WeberWho

nolaegghead said:

I had to replace the seals and grease one I had for years.  I just put automotive lube in it.  Never had another problem with leaks.

Definitely would have been much cheaper than food safe synthetic grease. ($20+ a tube) Apparently the synthetic grease won't break down over time. Is it worth the extra money? Who knows. Easier to sell a mixer with words like "synthetic" and "food safe" in the descriptions I guess. 

texaswig

@WeberWho I've e seen a view kitchen aid mixers for on CL  around 100 bucks. What's the best one to get and which one should I stay away from.?

WeberWho

@texaswig In the late 80's Hobart sold off Kitchenaid to Whirlpool. After a couple years Whirlpool started to use their own parts inside Kitchenaid mixers. The quality of parts went down from when Hobart owned them. Cheaper motor and they started to switch internal gearing to nylon. (Safety feature so the cheaper motor doesn't burn up under a heavy load) Some of the current Professional models have steel gears. (I'd stay away from Kitchenaid mixers that were made within the last 5 years. Whirlpool had a huge lawsuit brought against them for all the issues they've had with them. Apparently the motors they were putting in them were junk)

The best way I spot older Hobart mixers is by color. Outdated colors give them away. The accessory cover plate will usually be a blank stainless cover. The band on the mixer might say Hobart Troy, Ohio. (Newer ones will say St. Joseph, Michigan) The bowl lock plate will sometimes say Hobart on them. Others might say Hobart on the inside of the base. Some won't say anything at all. You can also ask the owner how long they've owned it. 

Durangler

@WeberWho? Happy to be of some help.
Your assistance in my endeavor was great! 
Thanks for that indeed. 
The old mixer is running fine.

nolaegghead

WeberWho? said:

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nolaegghead said:

I had to replace the seals and grease one I had for years.  I just put automotive lube in it.  Never had another problem with leaks.

Definitely would have been much cheaper than food safe synthetic grease. ($20+ a tube) Apparently the synthetic grease won't break down over time. Is it worth the extra money? Who knows. Easier to sell a mixer with words like "synthetic" and "food safe" in the descriptions I guess. 

I really did think about it...is this safe?  Will I kill babies?  Then when I opened the can of Lithium grease, it stinks so badly, I reasoned if any of this almost black smelly grease leaks into the food, it'll be obvious to at least three of our senses.  So I did it.

texaswig

Professional it is. Haha

BYS1981

Here is to hoping i made this year's list...

WeberWho

BYS1981 said:

Here is to hoping i made this year's list...

Haha too funny! This year I'll probably be shopping for stuff the night before Christmas!

northGAcock

Jeremiah said:

This is a great post. Are the hobarts better? What do I look for when hunting? Is there a particular model that I should look for? ie artisan? I've been wanting one and this could be a fun project at the same time. Thanks

Caution on the Comercial Hobarts....if you ever have to buy parts, prepare to take out another mortgage. That said, for home use they should last for ever.

Photo Egg

Picked this up today.
lighting makes the colors off and even 2 tone but its in great shape.
Not white, Bone/Ivory color maybe? Came with paddle, wire whip and dough hook.

caliking

Pawn shop or CL?

Focker

Photo Egg said:

Picked this up today.
lighting makes the colors off and even 2 tone but its in great shape.
Not white, Bone/Ivory color maybe? Came with paddle, wire whip and dough hook.

Nice score D.
I comb KA for that reason alone, but most have no attachments with them.  My Dad has an old Sunbeam from the 50s, but no attachments.
Have been combing for a Hobart grinder for awhile.  Anything Hobart, is serious.  My $350 slicer with extra knife, was a great find.

WeberWho

Great pick up Darian!

Photo Egg

WeberWho said:

Great pick up Darian!

Will look into rebuilding it soon using all your tips and photos. Thank you!

Photo Egg

caliking said:

Pawn shop or CL?

Pawn Shop for this one. I have another white one in the garage that i found at goodwill several months ago.