Hobart 4332 or 612 Meat Grinder - Which one to keep?

[bsf]

I still have in my possession the extended family-sourced, Hobart 612, 1/4HP meat grinder I presented in the following thread. I left it wired as 120V.

https://www.smoked-meat.com/forum/fo...ol-crib/43981-

I have available to me my father’s Hobart 4332 1-1/2HP with a #22 hub. The motor is currently wired as 240V. My father purchased the motor unit and a new, #22 Hobart grinder attachment from a Hobart service shop ~30 years ago. My father and his friend opened the unit at that time and checked all the gear case internals. If I understand correctly, everything looked good and they replaced nothing but the grease. However, I located what appears to be bearings and seals for the motor unit. The equipment was meticulously maintained and comes with a good assortment of sharp knives matched with their plates.

Both units were used heavily by my immediate or extended family. My primary use for them was venison processing. However, especially since my father needed to stop hunting due to safety concerns, my interest in deer hunting has been almost non-existent. I have not used my 612 in 4 – or 5 – years.

Lack of storage space for me is a limiting factor. I can run a new 240V circuit for the 4332; pricey though it would be with current copper prices. However, frankly, I would likely only be keeping one of the units for sentimental value; and for the possibility I decide to take up deer hunting again and/or grind other meats. Neither is likely to be used in the next 1-2 years. The 612 is more portable and easier to “tuck away” some where. The 4332 is more capable and likely in better mechanical condition; but quite heavy and would likely remain on the custom roller stand on which it currently sits. It takes up a fair amount of space.

Thoughts?

[Texas-Hunter]

You kinda gave your self the answer, If being storage is an issue the 4332 is not your friend, they are a beast and take up a lot of real estate on a counter. The 612 is still a hoss on grinding meats and you seem to have a space to call it home already. Now if you were to look into expanding your grinding skills for others and make a little bank I would build a cart to put it on and check into a 220v to 120v step down transformer in lieu of dropping that coin on new wiring for a circuit. I bet you can find one for under 200 bones.. I think it would need to be about a 3000 watt inverter, but I am no sparky.. Good luck keep us updated..

[1MoreFord]

Another potential option is that the 4332 may possibly be rewired to 120V. There should be a wiring diagram on the grinder somewhere to check. This could be much cheaper than installing a new electrical circuit. Though this would require a large enough 120V circuit to power the grinder. Best checked with an electrician to be sure.

[Texas-Hunter]

Another potential option is that the 4332 may possibly be rewired to 120V. There should be a wiring diagram on the grinder somewhere to check. This could be much cheaper than installing a new electrical circuit. Though this would require a large enough 120V circuit to power the grinder. Best checked with an electrician to be sure.

I believe what he has in around 10 amps at 220v.. I'm not sure if Hobart built these to be multi voltage but worth looking into..

[bsf]

I am still mulling over the situation. I am not very sentimental, but I value quality tools and what people accomplish with them. My father, while he was still able, related to me butchering hogs and grinding pork with his to-be father-in-law; using the 612 as far back as the late 60’s. After my father purchased the 4332 and began using that, he processed 100-200 of his and family members’ whitetails with the help of that unit.

I probably only mentioned the 4332 requiring a new branch circuit because I drank a fair amount of wine before that post. The materials cost for a new branch circuit is manageable. I ran a dedicated 240V 20A circuit for the 4332 at my parent’s residence, but installed 15A breaker. The unit never tripped that breaker. The purpose of the 15A breaker, as opposed 20A, was to provide greater protection for the motor windings. IIRC, the 4332 has no integral motor overload protection. Same with the 612, but I installed a breaker in the back of that unit. A new 240V 20A circuit is manageable.

BTW, yes, AFAIK, the older Hobart, single-phase units indeed can indeed be used as either 120 or 240 with the appropriate motor winding connections.

I will probably make a decision within a few days.

[nickelmore]

Some were multi voltage and some were fixed. If you remove the rear "silver" cover the voltage will be stamped in the top of the motor edge. If you can changer the 220 one to 110 it would have more resale value.

[bsf]

I realize traffic on this forum is quite low, now. However, I am providing a conclusion to this thread. I facilitated sale of the 4332 for my mother yesterday. Included in the sale was the very nice roller stand my father built for it; and a large lot of meat processing accessories. A first cousin once removed and his son purchased it. They indicated they would be using it today to process venison. Selling it was quite a sad event. That equipment was an important part of my father’s life. He was an avid and very successful whitetail hunter. In the later years, I am not certain if smoking summer sausage and hot sticks was a means of using up huge volumes of venison, or smoking was the reason my father harvested so many deer year after year.

I mentioned in one of my posts my father and his coworker (and friend) carefully inspected the 4332 after purchase many years ago to evaluate for any appropriate maintenance. Sadly, that coworker of my father passed away about 1 – month ago. I hope the new owners get many decades of use out of the equipment.

[gmotoman]

I realize traffic on this forum is quite low, now. However, I am providing a conclusion to this thread. I facilitated sale of the 4332 for my mother yesterday. Included in the sale was the very nice roller stand my father built for it; and a large lot of meat processing accessories. A first cousin once removed and his son purchased it. They indicated they would be using it today to process venison. Selling it was quite a sad event. That equipment was an important part of my father’s life. He was an avid and very successful whitetail hunter. In the later years, I am not certain if smoking summer sausage and hot sticks was a means of using up huge volumes of venison, or smoking was the reason my father harvested so many deer year after year.

I mentioned in one of my posts my father and his coworker (and friend) carefully inspected the 4332 after purchase many years ago to evaluate for any appropriate maintenance. Sadly, that coworker of my father passed away about 1 – month ago. I hope the new owners get many decades of use out of the equipment.

Thanks for the follow up. Nice conclusion to the story.

[nickelmore]

It sounds like it was a win win for all. Tell your cousin to take off the bottom cover and there should be a wiring diagram on how to switch it to 110.

[bsf]

I suspect they already implemented a solution for powering it. Apparently, they had been watching the FB Marketplace ad for it since I listed it 3-4 months ago. It seemed they already had some general and specific plans. They indicated to me they had venison ready for processing and would be using it the day after purchasing.

A correction in case someone in the future reads through this thread. I erred in a previous post when I stated we installed a 15A breaker for the branch circuit supplying the 4332. It was a 10A breaker.

[Richtee]

Sniff.... that’s a great story. Interesting which he loved more, harvest or processing. Maybe both equally?

Happy New Year!