Best Commerical Crusher

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Invader1

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our LHBS does a really sub-standard job with their milling, so a few friends and I were thinking about buying a commercial crusher to co-use.

what are the really good options out there for turn-key crushers? seen lots of DIY threads using drills and such, would prefer to just push a button.
 
Invader1 said:
our LHBS does a really sub-standard job with their milling, so a few friends and I were thinking about buying a commercial crusher to co-use.

what are the really good options out there for turn-key crushers? seen lots of DIY threads using drills and such, would prefer to just push a button.
Click to expand...

I do all my crushing with a hand crank...... It seems a bit silly to me to power a crusher if you aren't dong a lot of crushing...... It's not that much work, and most of us need the exercise......... I have plenty of ways I could power it....it just seems a bit absurd to me.

H.W.
 
:rolleyes:

Anyway, I would look into a Monster Mill with the 2" hardened rollers, then look for threads here on powering it. Belt and sheaves with a decent motor (1hp ought to do it) will likely be the least expensive way to get up and running.

Alternatively - if your group can pony up the cash - a gear motor will work great, but new ones are killer expensive, and I think HBTer's bought up every suitable used gear motor a few years ago.

I love my powered mill...

Cheers!

grain_mill_station_01_sm.jpg
 
I have the Monster Mill 2 Pro. The thing is a beast. It could easily replace any LHBS mill I've ever seen. If I were pitching in for a mill with a few other guys I'd get a Monster Mill 2 Pro and spend the extra bucks on the hardened steel rollers. That should last you guys a few lifetimes.
 
So it seems like Monster Mill 2" and 3" are recommended.

Then I would need to DIY the motor to the mill either buying a 1HP belt motor or gear motor.

I guess my worry on the DIY motor route is knowing the exact motor and how to connect it to the mill. It seems like too slow or too fast and the crush won't be quality.
 
I just got done reading through Monster Mill, they have a 3 roll option, is that overkill and the crush comes out too fine?
 
The roller gap is adjustable on both the MM's. I have my 3 roller set at 031" and the crush has been excellent. When you set your gap remember to mark both the adjustment knob(s) & an adjacent place on the base so you can easily reset if it is moved.
 
Invader1 said:
So it seems like Monster Mill 2" and 3" are recommended.

Then I would need to DIY the motor to the mill either buying a 1HP belt motor or gear motor.

I guess my worry on the DIY motor route is knowing the exact motor and how to connect it to the mill. It seems like too slow or too fast and the crush won't be quality.
Click to expand...


You want to set it up to run around 175-180 RPM.
 
Invader1 said:
I just got done reading through Monster Mill, they have a 3 roll option, is that overkill and the crush comes out too fine?
Click to expand...

I think that the Monster Mill 2 Pro will give you any kind of crush that you'll need. It has a very wide gap range from very fine to very coarse. I do think that the 3 roller option is a bit of overkill.
 
I have the monster mill 2-2.0 and it's a beast. I use the low speed drill from harbor freight for $40 and it's a lot easier than figuring out the motor, etc. Plus space is a premium for me I don't have the room for a mill cabinet with a motor. its not a big deal to put the drill on the shaft and hold it for 2 minutes while milling 25# of grain in my opinion.

Bonus: you then have a bitching low speed drill with tons of power, I used it to mix a bunch of thinset for tiling my new bathroom this past weekend.
 
govner1 said:
My LHBS has an excellent grain mill that does an exceptional crush but I was given a Monster Mill 3 roller mill that I motorized and use w/ my brew buddies when they buy bulk grain from the LHBS. it has been excellent.
The credit for the cabinet goes to one of them:
View attachment 260838
Click to expand...

Do you have a part list for your build? I can't quite tell but it looks like you have a electric motor/reduction setup?

Are there no extra parts beyond the crusher and motor, or how does the motor attach to the crusher?
 
Invader1 said:
Do you have a part list for your build? I can't quite tell but it looks like you have a electric motor/reduction setup?

Are there no extra parts beyond the crusher and motor, or how does the motor attach to the crusher?
Click to expand...


I used an electric motor w/ a built in gear reduction. Output is 180 RPM. You need two Lovejoy connectors plus a spider. Each Lovejoy matches the shaft of either the motor or mill. Some motors require a keyed Lovejoy (mine did). This allows you to mate shafts of different diameters.
You'll also need an on/off switch.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1425510255.775077.jpg
 
Did you order the motor from American Aleworks? Did they sell the Lovejoy connectors and spider?

Not too mechanically inclined so looking for someone just to buy everything through to mate with the MM.
 
Yes, the motor w/ gear reduction came from All American Ale Works.
I bought the Lovejoys & spider directly from a local distributor for Lovejoy.
Switch, etc., came from Lowes.
 
Owly055 said:
I do all my crushing with a hand crank...... It seems a bit silly to me to power a crusher if you aren't dong a lot of crushing...... It's not that much work, and most of us need the exercise......... I have plenty of ways I could power it....it just seems a bit absurd to me.

H.W.
Click to expand...

Are u smoking something?..... this is the modern age we do NOTHING the manual way anymore get with it will ya...........

May I add you are seriously reducing production which results in less beer.... WOW!
 
Obviously when you brew as I do, in 2.5 gallon brews, the time it takes to crush a typical 4-6 pound grain bill by hand is trivial. Now if I were brewing with a 25 pound grain bill, It wouldn't take me long to go to power. If I were doing 5 gallon brews, I'd probably have gone to the pedal power system I've threatened before.

H.W.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Another hand-cranker here. I'd never want to do it if I were doing double batches. Initially it was a matter of very limited funds for brewing and it allowed me to get into milling sooner with a donated, unmotorized mill. However I've kept doing it even now that I can afford a motor. It's a quiet 10 minutes where I go over my coming brew day and what I need to do, when.

If splashing out for a mill and motor is beyond what you can do, don't be afraid to go hand-jobby. I don't know why people think it's so hard. Sure, we all like the toys - motors, pumps, solenoids - but whether or not we need them is more about what we're trying to achieve.
 
If you watch ebay long enough you can probably find a decent motor with a gear reduction. The one I'm using is 3 phase and luckily I already had a drive laying around. I think it would crush just about anything I put in it. Definitely overkill but you won't catch me throwing out my drinking arm cranking on a mill :)

Z1dqbjg.jpg
 
My LHBS has an a awesome mill I get a great crush. If they ever get bought I will have to come up with a solution like the three phase motor above.
 
slugsly said:
If you watch ebay long enough you can probably find a decent motor with a gear reduction. The one I'm using is 3 phase and luckily I already had a drive laying around. I think it would crush just about anything I put in it. Definitely overkill but you won't catch me throwing out my drinking arm cranking on a mill :)

Z1dqbjg.jpg
Click to expand...

That's so overkill. I love it!
 
slugsly said:
If you watch ebay long enough you can probably find a decent motor with a gear reduction. The one I'm using is 3 phase and luckily I already had a drive laying around. I think it would crush just about anything I put in it. Definitely overkill but you won't catch me throwing out my drinking arm cranking on a mill :)

Z1dqbjg.jpg
Click to expand...

Where do you brew that you have access to 3 phase power? Or are you using a converter?
 

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