BigAl
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- Joined
- 23/6/04
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My Barley Crusher must be about 4 years old now. Im up to mash #53 (tonight ) with it, these days crushing 20kg per batch, but for the most part only ~10kg so its done well less than 1 tonne. It is driven by a wheelchair motor (courtesy of Doogiechap) which spins at ~150rpm.
When i first got it it was great, it had an o-ring on one of the rollers to drive the second roller, though this o-ring probably lasted one crush before it ripped apart. I found that even without it, it still crushed well and had no problems pulling grain into the rollers even on a very fine crush.
Over time it has begun to stall mid crush, with the roller spinning but grain not being pulled through. I assume its probably the smoothing of the rollers. I would have to constantly sweep between the rollers to try and get it crushing again. Increasing the roller width helps, but it is at the expense of mash efficiency.
Wetting the grain also helps but im not prepared to leave my grain partially wet overnight as i often do the crush the day before. Last night i had to constantly prod the rollers to get the grain crushing again, so a 15 minute relaxing crushing job with beer in hand took more like 1 1/2 hours, :angry:
My question is for the Barley Crusher owners out there.
Are you experiencing the same longevity issues?
Have you managed to come up with any solution to drive the second roller that doesnt clap out after 1 crush?
Can the knurled rollers be re-sharpened so it pull grain in like it used to?
Any other ideas?
Cheers
When i first got it it was great, it had an o-ring on one of the rollers to drive the second roller, though this o-ring probably lasted one crush before it ripped apart. I found that even without it, it still crushed well and had no problems pulling grain into the rollers even on a very fine crush.
Over time it has begun to stall mid crush, with the roller spinning but grain not being pulled through. I assume its probably the smoothing of the rollers. I would have to constantly sweep between the rollers to try and get it crushing again. Increasing the roller width helps, but it is at the expense of mash efficiency.
Wetting the grain also helps but im not prepared to leave my grain partially wet overnight as i often do the crush the day before. Last night i had to constantly prod the rollers to get the grain crushing again, so a 15 minute relaxing crushing job with beer in hand took more like 1 1/2 hours, :angry:
My question is for the Barley Crusher owners out there.
Are you experiencing the same longevity issues?
Have you managed to come up with any solution to drive the second roller that doesnt clap out after 1 crush?
Can the knurled rollers be re-sharpened so it pull grain in like it used to?
Any other ideas?
Cheers