And this is why I really, really, really don't like WhirlAid

[panthera]

So - we've got several Kitchenaid mixers, including a 3c.
The only one to ever fail (I'm not counting 50 year old capacitors)?
The not even six year old 610 Professional.
Look at this gear and tell me that would have happened when it was a real Kitchenaid.
Oh, and, no, dahlinks, I didn't abuse it.
OK, I'll order the gear and the new grease (careful, Whirlaid was specing the WRONG grease for this transmission for a while, too). Not an expensive or especially complicated repair - if anybody likes, I'll post the pics and steps when I get the part in a few days.
Still - grrrrrr. I've got Kitchenaid stand mixers OLDER THAN ME which have never, ever pitched a hissy fit and jumped in.

If we hadn't replaced the dratted board and sensor with the (now functional) revisions, I'd be tempted to take it down to a friend's hydraulic press and watch it shatter.

Remind me again, please, how great the Whirlpool takeovers are.[this post was last edited: 6/5/2016-11:29]

 

[lordkenmore]

Oh, Whirlpool takeovers are GREAT!

For Whirlpool, that is. They do seem to be pretty bad for everyone else...

 

[panthera]

Lord Kenmore,

You got that right.
I recollect the, shall we say, pointed, discussions about the Whirlpool takeover of Maytag. Some of us wanted them to go to a Chinese firm who had promised to keep the employees and technology.

Others simply couldn't see a proud, ameriKan firm going to anyone but a proud ameriKan firm.

Which, of course, promptly destroyed lives and whole communities by firing everyone and closing everything down.

 

gods, it was bitter and nasty and, you know what? We were right, the screaming queens and their rah-rah ameriKa were wrong, wrong, wrong.

 

Well, it is what it is. I know Whirlpool has, if only and solely in connection with this particular transmission, learned their lesson and the gear which I just ordered is proper brass as it once was and is, now, again.

 

Everytime somebody gets all rah-rah ameriKa on my German ass about how glorious no competition is and how great that Maytag is nothing but a rebadged Roper (Estate on good days), I go wash a load of clothes in one of our Maytags made back when they really were Maytag.

 

At least the Maytag man is a gorgeous hunk. They did get that right.

 

 

 

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, now you got me worried.

 

I have three KA mixers (one still new in box) I got about 10 years ago. Two are six qt models, the other (still in box) is a 5 qt. For one of the six qt numbers, I bought two, brought them home, plugged both in, and selected the quieter of the two. All have metal gears, or so the boxes say. Although there is metal, and then there is the right metal. So far no failures on the two I've used, but I can't say I put much stress on them. Main uses have included meat grinding, soap flaking, egg white whipping, grape crushing, and such. Occasional cake or cookie mixing. I'm careful not to jam spatulae in the works while it's running. Not that I'm implying Panty does, just saying. It could happen. PS-The seeds in my grapes quickly clog the strainer, but the juice is delicious. A Jack LaLanne juicer does a better job with less muss and fuss, as long as one doesn't re-run the soggy pulp through too many times.

 

My take on such mechanisms is that it may be a good idea to have one gear made of a softer metal so if there is a jam or overload, it fails and protects the other gears. Might be the rationale behind KA's move to plastic gears for a while. Sounds like the metal used in your mixer gear was a bit too soft, though. Brass is nice and if I had my way, everything would be made from it. Except for chef knives, of course.

 

 

[panthera]

I shouldn't worry

This was just a bad period. yours are a better vintage.

 

[sudsmaster]

OK, what date did the bad period start and when did it end?

 

Also not entirely sure just when I acquired these mixers. However they all came from Costco and I never toss my Costco receipts, so I should be able to track it down. Unless there's a date of mfg on the mixers themselves. I'll look.

 

 

[ilovewindex]

I have a year or so old kitchen aid mixer and it just doesn't seem the same as my other one did. I stupidly gave it away thinking new was butter

 

[vacerator]

Back in '78,

my friends mom had a model K5A and a nylon gear had stripped rendering it useless.
She took it to the nearest factory authorized service center, and they repaired it free of charge.

 

[panthera]

From what I've read

It was about the time this one (a gift) was built that things got really cheap in the transmission - 2010 - and then improved.

To be clear, just as Maytag used Tex-O-Lite and Nylon for one gear in their transmission for decades (never heard of one failing) Kitchenaid has used very high quality nylon for some gears for decades. I think it is the sacrificial/quieter/never put two gears of the same hardness together if you can avoid it thing you referenced.

 

I'd not worry about it - if they haven't failed by now, they're not of poor quality. This mixer sees very light use (it's heresy, but I prefer one of my Sunbeam Model 9 or 10s for nearly everything), so the board, sensor and now this is simply ridiculous. 

 

[nmassman44]

Yikes! And I was thinking of replacing my still working KA by Hobart mixer that I bought back in 1984. Methinks I will be holding onto it!

 

[vacerator]

Yes Panthera,

I've had my Ultra Power tilt head since 1990 as well trouble free.

 

[panthera]

Real Kitchenaid

Mixers, like all real Hobart appliances are built to last forever. Should something fail, it can be repaired.

I'd never, ever, get rid of a real Kitchenaid mixer, especially an older one. Maybe get the capacitor changed out on a pre-electronic one and the transmission checked - no be deal - brushes, etc., too.

But replace the real deal with Whirlaid?

Nope.

Not evah.

 

[sudsmaster]

Well I looked for the KA receipts but I must have stashed them someplace so special I can't locate them now.

 

As I recall, when I first started accumulated relatively recent vintage KA mixers, it had just resumed with the "all metal transmission/steel gear" advert on the boxes, so it had stopped putting nylon gears in its higher powered stand models.

 

The date of mfg is not on the mixers themselves, no on the original boxes. I suppose I could call KA and ask them to date the S/N, but it's not that important.

 

[sudsmaster]

I may have found an explanation for the failure of some KA mixers in the past 10 or so years... Apparently prior to 2006 KA started making the gear housing out of plastic. This could flex under heavy load, causing the gears to misalign and strip. Even metal gears, apparenlty. Around 2006 KA resumed making the housings out of metal ("All Metal Transmission"), or at least that's what I gather.

 

At one point I recall taking the cover off one of my stand mixers. I don't recall noticing a plastic gear housing. It's not hard to pull the cover, so I may take a peek at the innards of the two 6 qt mixers currently out of box.

 

Here's a link...

http://www.chadwrites.com/kitchenaid-just-doesnt-give-a-damn/

 

[sudsmaster]

The plot thickens...

Just pulled the covers off the two six qt KA's.

 

The Epicurean, which is the first mixer I got, has a 475 max watt rating. It has the plastic gear housing. I pulled the housing and all the gears appear to be metal.

 

The Professional 550, with a 575 max watt rating, has the metal (magnesium alloy?) gear housing. It also appears to have all metal gears.

 

Both were pretty clean inside, consistent with the light and sporadic usage.  Lots of grease in good condition inside both gear housings.

 

The plastic gear housing is noticeably heavier than the metal alloy one. The metal alloy one looks cooler, though, especially with its little cooling fins. But the heft of the plastic housing makes me wonder if it's really a weak link. That mixer has never given a problem, but again, I don't mix bread dough with it either.

 

Apparently one can purchase a replacement metal gear housing for older mixers with the plastic ones... which I may do to avoid problems down the line. I did notice that while the metal gear housing hold down screws were straightforward to fasten, the plastic housing hold-down screws required repeated tightening to fully seat the housing. I made sure both housings' hold down screws were fully tight. Apparently loose hold down screws can cause gear problems.

 

OK, now to bed... LOL...

 

 

[vacerator]

Yes, they can

be repaired. I'm not sure about the new electronic hand mixer though. At $60 from China, it would probably cost too much to fix.
I saw a heated bowl for the stand mixers at a gourmet kitchen shop. it heats from 77 to 122 degrees f. It must use batteries. soften butter, or chocolate right in the bowl now?

 

[panthera]

A heated bowl?

Way cool.

Gear is on it's way - should get it this weekend.

 

Engineering plastics are often a more durable choice than a badly alloyed pot metal. Look at the 'Cycolac' plastic housings for those handheld GE mixers - they're indestructible.

 

So, it's not the plastic, it's the choice of inappropriate plastics, poor quality metal alloys and the abuse of once reliable brand names which has destroyed our faith in so many products.

 

Wow - thanks for that link. It's discouraging, but also pretty much proof that Whirlpool is evil.

A lot of people mention the Bosch mixers. I was given one for Christmas back in the mid-80s with all the accessories. While I vastly preferred my Braun equipment, it did run into the early 2000s without any complaint. A friend's child locked it up when we were making pizza dough, B/S/H sent me a new belt and very clear instructions on how to fix it for the cost of shipping.

 

Kitchenaid built a really good reputation over the decades under Hobart. Seems Whirlpool is bound and determined to destroy it. Pity.

 

As to cooling - I don't think one can blame this on Whirlpool. Any device which is used with oil and flour needs to be cleaned inside and out regularly. Their fans just suck it all in and it blocks the cooling vents otherwise.

[this post was last edited: 6/8/2016-09:04]

 

[vacerator]

Panthera, is cycolax

what GE used on hand mixers, say around 1959? My moms lemon yellow one lasted her well over twenty years. It was a wedding gift from my aunt and uncle. I think mom was trying to mix a heavy bread dough starter for a holiday bread and she burned up the motor. Unless the brushes were worn, and my dad couldn't be bothered fixing it.
I remember the little white lever on the bottom between the beaters that ejected them.
Then they found a vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster in fine condition at an estate sale.

 

[panthera]

Mike,

I think the ones with the ejector at the bottom were not yet that plastic. Could be wrong.

There were, IIRC, a step up in power from the Cycolac ones.

I'll see if I can find the ads - GE was really proud of it and even ran consumer ads on the advantages.

I miss real GE. Let's hope Haier can undo some of the damage Welch did. Can't get any worse, that's for sure.