[djbnh]

Our 1993 ProLine KSM5 5 qt. KitchenAid mixer has been a workhorse  for 29 years, happily kneading, whipping, grinding, shredding, etc. away. A month ago while doing a large batch of bread dough the mixer sounded strained as it labored to finish the job. Oh boy, I wasn’t looking forward to getting a new machine. So it was off to the interwebs for some research, which led me to YouTube and three videos (the Mr. Mixer series) that tutored me on how to take apart the machine, remove the old gear grease, and repack the unit with fresh grease. I note that our KitchenAid, apart from being thoroughly cleaned after each use, seemingly never needed servicing – which means that the 29 y/o gear grease, original to the unit, was long overdue for replacing. (Some sources during my research recommended regreasing mixers every 10 years.)

So I ordered and received a can of new food grade grease, picked up a set of punches from the hardware store, and in front of the TV set up a worktable with newspaper / a roll of paper towels / box of Qtips / screwdriver with various bits including a Phillips #3 / hammer / miscellaneous picks / some plastic gloves (highly recommended!) / a small trash can. About 2.5 hours later I was done. I found the videos to be straightforward. The hardest task for me was getting the pin out to free the planetary; the next hardest was removing all the old grease. Gear disassembly was painless; upon inspection, I was happy to see that all the metal gears and the gear worm were still in great condition.

The results were telling. Our Kitchenaid is working effortlessly and running cooler on all its tasks. Bread and cookie doughs mix easily, even the tricky sticky variants. The shredding attachments continue to breeze through veggies and cheese, albeit more quickly and quietly.

Interestingly the regrease has caused me to reflect on KitchenAid’s grinder attachment. I’m not the grinders biggest fan, nor do I expect it to keep up with a heavy duty dedicated meat grinder. However, we only grind up to 5-7 lbs. of meat at a time so it’s been a sufficient attachment. I got to use the grinder post-regrease: it quickly processed a 5 lb. portion of pork shoulder, working through it much faster and quieter than before. Winner winner dumpling dinner!

[mresseguie]

Great educational post - thank you!

Our KitchenAid mixer is about 18 years old, but it gets little use, so I suspect it’ll last longer than yours before it needs regreasing.

We never bought a grinder attachment and don’t grind our own meat. Do you know the approximate fat content of ground shoulder or butt? My wife prefers 20% fat content for her dumplings.

Michael

[jules]

Nice work djbnh!

I've done the same with a Kenwood Chef and it's very satisfying to have a piece of equipment that, even at 18 or 20 years of age, can be rejuvenated with some DIY servicing. Mine needed some new brushes for the motor as well as the grease but it's relatively straightforward work.

Spare parts drying up for the Kenwood which is a pity but that particular company has been bought out and while the new models look spectacular I don't think they're quite as robust as the older models.

[djbnh]

Great educational post - thank you!

Our KitchenAid mixer is about 18 years old, but it gets little use, so I suspect it’ll last longer than yours before it needs regreasing.

We never bought a grinder attachment and don’t grind our own meat. Do you know the approximate fat content of ground shoulder or butt? My wife prefers 20% fat content for her dumplings.

Michael

Michael, this forum has some opinions on pork butt fat content, estimates ranged 20-30%.

[Phil_S]

I just replaced my 30+ year old KitchenAide with a new model.  I was whipping a meringue, the transmission went & motor burnt out.  The new ones are much different.  They reconfigured the bowls and mixers (dough hook, paddle, & whisk) and are much more efficient.   The motor is now microprocessor controlled.  Most noticeable when kneading  dough.  The processor tries to keep a constant speed so with dough it's constantly adjusting adding more or less power when necessary.  It's really very cool to observe.  It's an outstanding tool to work with.

[djbnh]

I just replaced my 30+ year old KitchenAide with a new model.  I was whipping a meringue, the transmission went & motor burnt out.  The new ones are much different.  They reconfigured the bowls and mixers (dough hook, paddle, & whisk) and are much more efficient.   The motor is now microprocessor controlled.  Most noticeable when kneading  dough.  The processor tries to keep a constant speed so with dough it's constantly adjusting adding more or less power when necessary.  It's really very cool to observe.  It's an outstanding tool to work with.

I can't speak to the microprocessor control. I can talk about some of the newish KitchenAid models. The ones with plastic gears  don't seem to last; some cooking forums I belong to bemoan that KitchenAid lessened the quality of the lower level machines considerably. I believe the current Kitchenaid Professional / Proline Series all have metal gears; other series, including the Professional Series made before 2006, have used plastic worm gear / gear housings that failed prematurely. Happy cooking!

[milanomike]

We have a Hobart made 4.5 quart KA that my mother gave us.  It has worked flawlessly for 30+ years.  But, I needed a larger unit for my bread making hobby, so got a 5 quart where you lift the bowl up via the handle.  This was great as the old unit would twist the bowl super tight into the base during kneading. 

Unfortunately, the new unit (~4 years old) is junk.  First it started putting black filing bits on top of the beater/dough hook, took it apart and found the drive gear severely worn.  NP, get new one and install, clean and regrease.  OK for a month or 2, then it starts putting black bits again on top of beater/dough hook.  A closer look says its metal grindings.

Disassemble again, clean out new grease and realize the spindle for the assembly that holds the beater is pretty galled (tech term for worn/hacked up) as is the bushing it spins in.  Both bits are all over the internet suggesting this is a common issue.

So, rebuilt and overhauled and so far so good.  Summary, either KA got a  bad batch of spindles or these are junk, time will tell.

I might keep my eye open for an old KA model as a backup.

Hope this helps someone.  Mike