Hand crank meat grinder.

[Jakeemt]

Hey guys with the season right around the corner I have been thinking about a meat grinder. In the past I have always brought it to a buddies but, that may not be feasible this year. I am on a fairly tight budget so I was thinking about a hand crank. Do you think the Wesson #10 will work or should I double down for the #36? Also does it have to be SS or will the tinned ones work alright without getting metal flakes in my meat.  Thanks Jake.

[DanielB89]

Jake,

I have used a hand crank before and oh my!  call me a sissy, but after cranking out a deer and a hog and #40 or burger.. I bought an electric one.  I know that my family has had good luck with the $100 ones from academy, but i bet you can find a much better one on eebbaayy.  I bought one last year and it is much better than the one hand crank.  

If i had to get a hand crank, get the larger one.  Be sure you can mount it to something SOLID!

[John Scifres]

If you are doing one deer at a time, it isn't a bad choice.  I did many deer that way before I got an electric one.

[Zradix]

I've used a PORKERT hand crank for years.
Not sure the size #...it was about $50 10 yrs ago.
I think it's a #8
Only 1-2 deer a year with the occasional cheap pork steaks for making sausage.

I grind basically the whole deer. Cut one back strap into steaks and grind the rest..well not the inner tenders of course...lol

Anyway, it's not too big a deal. Yeah it takes some time.
But it isn't bad dude.
I normally grind about 8lbs at a time (about the size of the bowl I have that fits under the grinder)
Then package it up.
Grind another 8#..etc
That way it sorta breaks up the grinding and it doesn't get too monotonous.

Just run the blades and plate over a stone or some glass covered with fine Al oxide sand paper after about the 5th deer.

It's only hard if the blades are dull...and they don't dull very quickly.

The parts where the metal touch aren't plated..I have never noticed any tin or speckles in any meat.

[Daz]

If you or any of your friends are shadetree fabricators it isn't hard to convert a hand cranker to an electric.

Pull handle, find pulley/key arrangement that will fit (may need some basic file/grinding work), an old motor out of an electric clothes dryer (and belt). Build a stand out of wood, set up the pulleys (and have a tensioner system for foolproof operation) and go.You can be fancy and wire it so that you can vary the speed if you want to as well.

I had a run where i was finding big handcrank grinders in the local good will for $3.50 each, and then rigging motors on them and giving them to friends and family. I probably did four in a month.

I used to do the hand crank.
  I would say just go get the  $99.99 model at cabelas, youll be a lot happier in the end.

   ofcourse you could build one with a motor. I think you can get grinder and pully at dicky bubs in eureka.

[Biathlonman]

I bought a cheap one last year to do small jobs and it was a piece of junk.  For small projects the grinder for the wife's kitchen aid mixer works pretty well.  For more then that we break out the big family Cabelas!

[karrow]

do you have a table saw or any other power tool with a electric motor on it. if so its real easy to hook those grinders up to a motor with a new belt and the wright sized pulley. wouldn't want to do a bunch that way, but one or two a season isn't bad

[m midd]

I used a hand crank once.... Shortly after i put a pulley, belt and electric motor on it

[Big Lefty]

If you're doing a deer or two a year, I think a hand grinder would be fine.  I did it that way for a few years.  When doe tags became numerous, I had to get an electric.  Black Friday is normally a good time to find a good deal on an electric grinder.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I found an antique electric grinder at an estate sale.  it works well on the one or two deer a  year.  It wouldnt hurt to look since you are on a budget.

The hand cranks work best if you have a  helper.  You hand them the meat and they crank lol.  we used to do all our deer with them. They work fine with a little extra effort.

[Matty]

I got an electric one at H F TOOLS, COST ABOUT $40 I think.
I've done a few deer, pork loins, rib eyes. Even entire chuckars bones and all. (For the cats).
Just a thought.

[ksbowman]

I picked up an old Oster meat grinder at an estate sale several years ago for $15 and it has been super. I'll grind one or two deer a year and it is slick and easy. A whole lot better than the old hand operated grinder I had before.

[Bjorn]

Hand crank is OK and better than some electric grinders..........I use an industrial grinder it is done likkety split!

[Jakeemt]

A member pm me and offered to send me a #36 for the price of shipping. Lots of nice folks on this board. If it proves to just be a massive pain then I will just pass it along to somebody else and buy an electric one. Lol, however with my track record of blown stalk I think it will be just fine!  

[Eric Krewson]

I started with a #10, moved up to a #36 that cost me about $80 new at the time. After running a few deer through the #36 I gave it away, too much work.

I found a used Chinese electric grinder on the auction site for less than $30 and have used it for years. It sounds like a B-52 taking off when it runs but will grind anything I throw at it.

[wapiti]

Hand crank? NEVER-EVER-EVER again.I'll but a cheap electric one off the auction sight before I hand crank game into burger and sausage again. With that said I saved my money and bought a LEM .35HP. Eats everything I feed it. House sat for a gal once and she had dogs that "required" chicken quarters everyday mixed with their food. She boned em out. BWAH! I cooked em and chucked em in my grinder bones and all. Worked perfect. Bet I ran 30# of them through it over that time.

I believe the #36 is the one to use if you decide to motorize.

[Pointer]

Hand grinders are a workout lol

[Gunnison]

I bought a Kitchener #32 hand meat grinder w/ a v-belt wheel on it. Picked up an electric motor, wired it up and walla, an inexpensive meat grinder that'll do all the grinding I need to do. Works great!!