Wiring Question Grain Mill Motor

[Morrey]

Some brewers on HBT have grain mills setup with a dedicated drive motor. I have been using a corded drill to power my MM-3, and often have to use the reverse on the drill to unbind the rollers if I run too slowly or if I try to start under a heavy grain load in the hopper.

Supposedly these binding issues will go away with the All American Ale Works 180rpm high torque 115VAC motor I ordered, but I still fear binding will happen. This motor is so much more simple to wire off/on with on being forward to mill grains, but this leaves out the ability to shift to reverse and unbind the rollers if need be. Wiring is quite complicated plus I'll need an expensive rotary drum switch to give me the forward/off/reverse function.

Question to anyone using a dedicated mill with a direct drive system like the one I am designing......Does your mill ever bind to the point you find it necessary to reverse your rollers?

 

[porterpounder]

If you add the grain with the mill running, you're much less likely to get binding. I've always used a belt-drive pulley system on my mill and it never binds when adding grain while running. On the off chance that there is enough grain in there to cause any binding, a quick spin back on the drive pulley attached to the mill post followed by a restart has always cleared it immediately. It's also a lot quieter than any direct-drive mill I have ever seen or used.

 

[day_trippr]

I don't use the particular motor mentioned, but I occasionally have needed to use reverse gear to un-jam the mill.
fwiw, my gear motor only required a DPDT-Center Off switch to wire both directions...

Cheers!

 

[Morrey]

If you add the grain with the mill running, you're much less likely to get binding. I've always used a belt-drive pulley system on my mill and it never binds when adding grain while running. On the off chance that there is enough grain in there to cause any binding, a quick spin back on the drive pulley attached to the mill post followed by a restart has always cleared it immediately. It's also a lot quieter than any direct-drive mill I have ever seen or used.

This particular system I bought is a direct drive with a built in reducer. I see how it would be easy to get out of a bind by spinning your drive sheave backwards by hand. I think I'll simply start the mill and add grains slowly...easy fix.

I don't use the particular motor mentioned, but I occasionally have needed to use reverse gear to un-jam the mill.
fwiw, my gear motor only required a DPDT-Center Off switch to wire both directions...

Cheers!

I called an electrician buddy of mine and he says very simple to wire with the correct DPDT center off switch you mentioned. I ordered one from Dayton today and this should solve any potential binding issue I may encounter. Plus as Porterpounder mentioned, if I start the mill w/o a hopper full of grains, this may help too.

 

[beergolf]

No worries with the All American Ale Works motor. That thing is so strong that I seriously doubt that it would ever bind up. I have one on my Monster Mill MM2 pro and I think it would grind rocks without slowing down. I just fill the hopper, flip it on and walk away. It does not even hesitate when starting up. I see. no need for wiring it to reverse.

It is an awesome motor.

 

[Morrey]

No worries with the All American Ale Works motor. That thing is so strong that I seriously doubt that it would ever bind up. I have one on my Monster Mill MM2 pro and I think it would grind rocks without slowing down. I just fill the hopper, flip it on and walk away. It does not even hesitate when starting up. I see. no need for wiring it to reverse.

It is an awesome motor.

This is precisely the feedback I was hoping to solicit. Apparently I made a good choice to purchase this motor, and UPS tracking has it arriving early next week.

My MM-3 has the standard 1.5" inch rollers, but I opted for the 1/2" mill drive shaft. I also bought the base and the hopper kit that is available for my mill. As mentioned, I am using it now sitting on a 5G bucket with a corded drill to drive the mill. The way I mounted the mill on the base is offset and intended so the drill will counterbalance the mill on top of the bucket. You can see the motor's drive shaft wouldn't be long enough to meet as oriented. So MM designed the base for the mill to be rotated 180 degrees so the mill's shaft is hanging over the edge of the base if used with a direct drive system.

I'll be interested how closely the two shafts and couplers align since I'd like to keep the mill on the base its on now. Based on the picture you attached, I may end up needing to lift the mill even higher to get the correct coupler alignment. Some other pictures I have seen show where folks add fender washers under the motor base to match alignment. I'll just wait and see how it aligns when the motor arrives.

Good to know your review of the system and the power it offers. Seems I was worried for nothing. Thanks...and BTW, your mill is one to envy for sure!!