need bread mixer, small institutional size

Howdy,

Depending on what broke, it might be possible to get it repaired even though the manufacturer is no longer available.

What went wrong...?

All the best,

First you let go your sentimentalism.....Your old mixer is gone... Repairing an old and extinct mixer may cost you a lot of money that can be better invested on a new equipment. .Sell it to the junk shop or bury in your yard.....Put a fittting epitaph..... Now You are looking for a 20 quart size mixer than is suited for breadmaking?....There are many second hand mixers as well as brand new ones of that genre......you just have to look for it. in bakery trade journals ...etc., classified adds .for bakery equipments... You may have to procure a different machine with a better performance than your "dead" one. Say a different mixing mechanism.... not specifically a planetary type as that is not the best for bread making; rather such as a spiral mixer, reciprocating Artofex type, .fork type French mixer , Z--blade mixer etc.....even the magic mill if they have the size capacity that you desire.. take your pick..... Roy

The smallest Hobart might work for you. There are many used ones around and servicing should not be a problem. If machine footprint really matters, there are a few quasi-industrial machines. Mine is the Swedish Magic Mill which does 10 cups of flour without even getting noticeably warm. (Caveat: stay away from the KItchenAid anything.)

Repair is unlikely, although I'm checking. A gear has broken on the shaft connecting the motor to the dough hook, so the shaft rotates and pops out. Mfr. was Country Engineering in Wisconsin and they've been gone for years. Cost 20+ years ago was $264 as it had demo'ed at Organic Gardening kitchens. Probably made 2500-3000 loaves mostly for family use.

Thanks, Jan

LDR,

I saw a Hobart but it was too big; I'll try again. Footprint's not a problem; it will live on a heavy rolling cart and does all its work without being moved. Most of my breads call for 8-10 lbs. of flour. And I know I need more than KA for what I ask of it: 2500-3000 loaves of bread in 20+ years, most for family use.

Jan

Roy, I agree that in this case repair is unlikely. A welding repair was done about 10 years ago, but w/co. out of business for years, enough is enough.

Secondhand's fine. And I don't object to something totally different, as long as the size is appropriate, results are the same, and cost is moderate. Thanks for the suggestions--I'll re-search.

Jan

Hi Jan,

Hobarts are made in sizes from 5 quarts up to hundreds of quarts...

All the best,

Hi again Jan,

It is most unlikely that the broken gear was unique to that mixer. With your description of the problem I would suggest that a repair is even more likely.

Good luck with it,

Since your original mixer was a 20 qt you should stay with that size.

That leaves out most of the heavy duty kitchen mixers that I know of. Most at 5 qt or less.

A Hobart mixer with paddle and dough hook may meet your requirements but tend to be expensive even secondhand.

Thunderbird do a very similar mixer at about $1600 new.

Try

You could also try ebay.

A repair seems like an option if you can find someone handy to size the gear. If it needs to be made for you forget it.

There are a dozen or more on eBay

The Fine Art of Cooking involves personal choice. Many preferences, ingredients, and procedures may not be consistent with what you know to be true. As with any recipe, you may find your personal intervention will be necessary. Bon Appetit!

replying to J.Bittner , Jeff Naujok wrote: Too bad I never saw this at the time.

I am the son of the owner of Country Engineering. Although I'm not sure if I could help out much, I could probably have found you the parts you needed, or at least found out where my dad had sourced them from.

In case anyone else ever hits this discussion, hopefully I'll get pinged, and offer what help I can.

Jeff

I doubt it's still relevant, but I'm the son of the owner of Country Engine ering, and while the company is long out of business, I'd be happy to see i f I could find the original source for the parts you need. If nothing else, I'd love to actually own one of the mixers my dad made, as I was 10 years old when the rising price of the motors and pots drove him out of business.

Jeff