Which motors for a Monster Mill 2-2.0?

[Jukas]

So after having my brewday shut down today because my 18v cordless drill didn't have enough of a charge to crush my grain and my spare battery was dead I once again got interested in motorizing my mill.

According to their monster website they recommend a 1700rpm 1HP motor. Poking around on grainger a bit I was only finding 1/3hp capacitor start motors for $200+.

What have other people gone with for their Monster Mill? Is there a better source for a motor that won't cost me two bills?

 

[Pilotpip]

Cordless drills aren't a great option for mills. I bet a corded drill from harbor freight would do the trick quite cheaply. I have seen a few set up on various mills and they do quite well. When/if they die, go spend $20 on another one.

 

[hillhousesawdustco]

Lots of folks use this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html

I just ordered one this morning so I can't tell you from personal experience, but it was pretty highly recommended everywhere I looked. Harbor freight stuff has generally worked fine for me in non-professional settings so hopefully this lasts a good long while.

 

[hvjackson]

Why don't you spend the money instead on a new 18v cordless drill that can charge quickly?

I have this Makita set and love it:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000V2BRM2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's light, powerful, and charges in 15 minutes (although I almost always have an extra battery handy so I generally don't have to wait).

I regularly use it on the high-torque setting with my 3-roller Monster Mill and it absolutely tears through the grain. I'm not sure I'd use it for commercial brewing because I'd be worried about overheating or excessive wear, but for a couple brews a month it's super fast and convenient.

 

[milldoggy]

lots of folks use this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html

i just ordered one this morning so i can't tell you from personal experience, but it was pretty highly recommended everywhere i looked. Harbor freight stuff has generally worked fine for me in non-professional settings so hopefully this lasts a good long while.

+1 runs my mms3 2.0 and has mixed 400 lbs of thin set for me

 

[Chrisl77]

This is what i use on my crankenstien mill. It takes a few minutes to mill 10# of grains but all i do is put the grains in the hopper and flip a switch, then go off and do other prep work. Unfortunately the place i got it from www.surpluscenter.com sold out of them and all the comparable other brands they had. I paid less the $60 for mine but i guess it all depends on how much convenience of not having to sit there and hold a drill is worth to you. If you dont need it right a way you can search gear motors on ebay.

 

[lpdb185]

i recently scored one of these on EBAY for $33 (in brand new condition)! it's overkill as far as torque is concerned, but i like the fact that it has a much lower speed. plus, it was only $33!

 

[Jukas]

This is what i use on my crankenstien mill. It takes a few minutes to mill 10# of grains but all i do is put the grains in the hopper and flip a switch, then go off and do other prep work. Unfortunately the place i got it from www.surpluscenter.com sold out of them and all the comparable other brands they had. I paid less the $60 for mine but i guess it all depends on how much convenience of not having to sit there and hold a drill is worth to you. If you dont need it right a way you can search gear motors on ebay.

I'm guessing you don't use pulleys and have it as a direct shaft connection? 106rpm seems really slow, does it have enough torque to start with a 15+lb hopper full?

Why don't you spend the money instead on a new 18v cordless drill that can charge quickly?

Because there's nothing wrong with my Bosch 18v cordless drill? I didn't make sure my spare battery had a charge and my primary battery was low. Also I'm not sure I like the constant load I'd be putting on the drill.

Ideally if I can find a motor for around a hundred bucks, I'd go to motorization route, if not I'll probably just pickup the harbor freight drill corded drill.

 

[Golddiggie]

Just for grins, how about this motor?? With the right pulley's on it, you should be able to get it spinning the mill at the desired speed. Not a bad price either. Since that fan is designed for running tools, like drill presses and bench machinery, is dual voltage (110/220V) and capacitor start it shouldn't have any issue with the mill. At just under $160 (delivered) it's not a bad cost. Especially if it gives you many years of service... It's on my wish list now to motorize my MM2-2.0 mill...

 

[FTG-05]

i recently scored one of these on EBAY for $33 (in brand new condition)! it's overkill as far as torque is concerned, but i like the fact that it has a much lower speed. plus, it was only $33!

Harbor freight link instead of ebay link.

 

[Golddiggie]

I've sourced out the pulley's needed for the motor I linked to earlier. Total cost (if I pick up the pulley's) comes to not much over $200 with the belt too. Not sure how long a belt I would need, so that's a bit of a wildcard. Of course, I'll also need to figure out what to mount it all to, but that should be minor. I actually have a microwave cart that I could use for this. Just need to cut the hole for the mill, attach it and the motor, and wire it up. With the pulley's I've sourced, mill speed should be between 150rpm and 200rpm.

 

[Chrisl77]

I'm guessing you don't use pulleys and have it as a direct shaft connection? 106rpm seems really slow, does it have enough torque to start with a 15+lb hopper full?

Yes its a direct connection with a lovejoy coupler. Its not as slow as you would think and i dont have any problems with it starting with a full hopper even with wheat malt. I would of prefered one that was a little faster but this one was the only one the surplus center had left that was 115v and a good amount of torque.