crankandstein 2d or 3d

I am ready to pull the trigger on a crankandstein mill. want stainless rollers.

but i cant decide between the 3 roller 3d or 2 roller 2d.

from what i understand the 3 roller can be a pain in the ass to get going with a regular drill and needs a bigger one with more power?? BUT gets a better crush and separates the husk more efficiently...


any input on what you would choose?

FYI i use alot of wheat if that makes any difference.

http://www.crankandstein.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=13

http://www.crankandstein.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=11

I've got a 2s (the cheapest, basic model) and have achieved 90%+ effeciency with it on factory settings.

Save your money.

I have a 3d that I motorized on a cart and its great... I get in the high 80's for brewhouse efficiency... didn't bother with the SS rollers though, but if you are going to spend the money why not get the 3 roller?

RiverCityBrewer said:

I have a 3d that I motorized on a cart and its great... I get in the high 80's for brewhouse efficiency... didn't bother with the SS rollers though, but if you are going to spend the money why not get the 3 roller?

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If i have to motorize the 3d then thats a deal breaker. I have a 18 volt lithium ion drill and another corded drill so thats what i want to use.

RiverCityBrewer said:

I have a 3d that I motorized on a cart and its great... I get in the high 80's for brewhouse efficiency... didn't bother with the SS rollers though, but if you are going to spend the money why not get the 3 roller?

Click to expand...

the 3d is 80 bucks more... i want to make sure its worth the extra dough!

FiveKaiBrewing said:

the 3d is 80 bucks more... i want to make sure its worth the extra dough!

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Save the $80 and get the 2 roller version. It can produce grist equal to any home brew mill regardless of the number or size of the rollers. Any of the commonly available roller type home brew malt mills can do the same.

I have an mm3 2.0. I used a 1/2 hp motor on it, with pulleys taking it down to 230 rpm. The massive motor will NOT start the mill with any grain in the hopper.
Just putting that out there. I still appreciate the crush speed and quality, which is just awesome.

Budzu said:

I have an mm3 2.0. I used a 1/2 hp motor on it, with pulleys taking it down to 230 rpm. The massive motor will NOT start the mill with any grain in the hopper.
Just putting that out there. I still appreciate the crush speed and quality, which is just awesome.

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wow thats nuts. and I think iread somewhere that a guy was using a hand crank on a crankenstein 3 roller.... i dont think that is a good idea.

well i guess i might go for the 2 roller as i dont really want ot make a pulley and motor setup for my mill. i want it to be easy to use and not a complicated build.

Just to clarify, the motor runs it fine as long if it is started empty. A few times it has misfed and required me to let motor bog down, then manually hand turn the driven pulley to get it started. Dangerous...

pulled the trigger on the crankandstein 2d stainless with hopper. i plan on conditioning my malt so the 3 roller is not needed. and also after seeing the motor and wormgear or pulley system i needed todrive the 3 roller.... ill stick with my trusty hand drill and keep things simple. thanks to all for your input. Don at crankandstein took his time describing his product and giving me info.

2 weeks to deliver....

hopefully it gets here quicker my system will be ready to go on the 28th.... im going to ave to bring out the hammer and pound the grain....

if your going to be a bear be a grizzly. ..

i got the 3d with stainless rollers and the 1/2 inch drive shaft... looks like a beast in the pics. cant wait to get it.

Why are you hesitant to put dry malt (unconditioned) through the two roller?

FiveKaiBrewing said:

wow thats nuts. and I think iread somewhere that a guy was using a hand crank on a crankenstein 3 roller.... i dont think that is a good idea.

well i guess i might go for the 2 roller as i dont really want ot make a pulley and motor setup for my mill. i want it to be easy to use and not a complicated build.

Click to expand...

I have the 3-roller crankenstein and I hand crank. It doesn't require any actual effort to turn the crank, it just takes a million turns to get all the grain milled and that's the actual effort.

As soon as I'm done chewing through 23+ lbs. of grain I swear that I'm going to motorize as soon as possible...then by the time I'm finished cleaning up a session I've completely forgotten about it again.