LEM Big Bite 20lb Motorized Stuffer

[bill ace 350]

looking for reviews on this. Thinking of purchasing one.

Better product out there at a similar price range?


Thanks

 

[old sarge]

No experience personally but maybe this video link will help as it compares the LEM 20lb stuffer to a Cabella's:

 

[bill ace 350]

Appreciate the post. lots of good info. thanks for posting

 

[pushok2018]

Hi Bill, I have LEM motorized 20# stuffer for about a year now (maybe year and a half?). I use it only when I work on 10-20 pounds butches and extremely happy with this this unit. It works perfectly with 30 mm and larger casing sizes. For beef sticks, hot dogs or kabanosy (somewhere between 18 mm and 26 mm casing) I use my LEM 5# stuffer.... I know it's kind of expediencies but I don't think you ever regret if you get that stuffer... IMO.

 

[bill ace 350]

Hi Bill, I have LEM motorized 20# stuffer for about a year now (maybe year and a half?). I use it only when I work on 10-20 pounds butches and extremely happy with this this unit. It works perfectly with 30 mm and larger casing sizes. For beef sticks, hot dogs or kabanosy (somewhere between 18 mm and 26 mm casing) I use my LEM 5# stuffer.... I know it's kind of expediencies but I don't think you ever regret if you get that stuffer... IMO.

Good info. appreciate it.

 

[bill ace 350]

Pulled the trigger. be here on the 22nd....

 

[pushok2018]

Congrats on that! I am sure you will love it!

 

[bill ace 350]

Arrived yesterday. can't wait to try it out. First project will be summer sausages. what meat used depends on if I get a deer.

 

[flatbroke]

I wish I got the motorized unit. I wonder if I can add a motor to my lem big bite

 

[Shooter71]

Hi Bill, I have LEM motorized 20# stuffer for about a year now (maybe year and a half?). I use it only when I work on 10-20 pounds butches and extremely happy with this this unit. It works perfectly with 30 mm and larger casing sizes. For beef sticks, hot dogs or kabanosy (somewhere between 18 mm and 26 mm casing) I use my LEM 5# stuffer.... I know it's kind of expediencies but I don't think you ever regret if you get that stuffer... IMO.

Pushok2018 or Bill Ace 350 - How have your motorized stuffers held up over time and how many times have you used it? I just posted the following looking for reliability input as mine broke after one use. Any inputs in you have in the following post would be helpful: Link is here and copied below:

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...rience-gear-teeth-broke-after-1st-use.302238/

Looking for long-term reliability experience of those using the LEM Motorized Big Bite Sausage Stuffers. I purchased the 30lb model and the gear teeth broke after the 2nd 5 lb batch of meat was started. The motor was defaulting out so I took the motor off and tried to hand crack the gear rod back up and was not able to make it move as something was jambed I ended up taking apart the frame in order to get the piston out and the remaining meat removed. Obviously not impressed the gear teeth were breaking after 1st use. I was stuffing with the 2nd to smallest tube, so it was not like I was putting any higher pressure on the system making snack sticks. Trying to figure out if I want to bother trying another unit or not.

For those that have one, I do have another question. After the piston goes back up it automatically stops when it has reached the top. Normally, when you use the foot pedal to move the piston down and release the foot petal, it goes up for a couple of seconds and then stops by design. What happens if the piston has been retracted all the way to the top, auto stops as designed, but then the next thing you do is momentarily press (less than a second press) the foot petal down and then release it? Does the piston still try to go back up for the normal 2 seconds even though it still is basically is still at the very top? I am wondering if this is a defect that happened as when I first used this that could have caused the gear damage instead of tripping the motor. After my first 5 pound batch which worked great, the motor automatically retracted the piston and it automatically stopped at the top. I loaded my next 5 lb batch. I recall hitting the pedal, but even though I don't recall releasing the petal immediately, I wonder if my foot did release and then even though the piston was still basically at the top, the motor tried to retract for the standard 2 seconds because I heard a loud sound like the piston was pushed up into the top, but the top piston still had room to go up space wise. I wonder if this is where the gear tooth first broke as when I tried to move the piston back down it tried going down normally but repeating would have a re-occurring clank sound which could have been where the gear did a full rotation and made a noise every time it came to a broken tooth. Eventually, the motor starting tripping and where even with hand crank I could not make it move up or down.

 

[bill ace 350]

Pushok2018 or Bill Ace 350 - How have your motorized stuffers held up over time and how many times have you used it? I just posted the following looking for reliability input as mine broke after one use. Any inputs in you have in the following post would be helpful: Link is here and copied below:

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...rience-gear-teeth-broke-after-1st-use.302238/

Looking for long-term reliability experience of those using the LEM Motorized Big Bite Sausage Stuffers. I purchased the 30lb model and the gear teeth broke after the 2nd 5 lb batch of meat was started. The motor was defaulting out so I took the motor off and tried to hand crack the gear rod back up and was not able to make it move as something was jambed I ended up taking apart the frame in order to get the piston out and the remaining meat removed. Obviously not impressed the gear teeth were breaking after 1st use. I was stuffing with the 2nd to smallest tube, so it was not like I was putting any higher pressure on the system making snack sticks. Trying to figure out if I want to bother trying another unit or not.

For those that have one, I do have another question. After the piston goes back up it automatically stops when it has reached the top. Normally, when you use the foot pedal to move the piston down and release the foot petal, it goes up for a couple of seconds and then stops by design. What happens if the piston has been retracted all the way to the top, auto stops as designed, but then the next thing you do is momentarily press (less than a second press) the foot petal down and then release it? Does the piston still try to go back up for the normal 2 seconds even though it still is basically is still at the very top? I am wondering if this is a defect that happened as when I first used this that could have caused the gear damage instead of tripping the motor. After my first 5 pound batch which worked great, the motor automatically retracted the piston and it automatically stopped at the top. I loaded my next 5 lb batch. I recall hitting the pedal, but even though I don't recall releasing the petal immediately, I wonder if my foot did release and then even though the piston was still basically at the top, the motor tried to retract for the standard 2 seconds because I heard a loud sound like the piston was pushed up into the top, but the top piston still had room to go up space wise. I wonder if this is where the gear tooth first broke as when I tried to move the piston back down it tried going down normally but repeating would have a re-occurring clank sound which could have been where the gear did a full rotation and made a noise every time it came to a broken tooth. Eventually, the motor starting tripping and where even with hand crank I could not make it move up or down.

No issues yet. Great unit.
Gave away my 15lb LEM after getting this.
Kept my LEM 5 pound stuffer.

 

[crazyjz]

Pushok2018 or Bill Ace 350 - How have your motorized stuffers held up over time and how many times have you used it? I just posted the following looking for reliability input as mine broke after one use. Any inputs in you have in the following post would be helpful: Link is here and copied below:

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...rience-gear-teeth-broke-after-1st-use.302238/

Looking for long-term reliability experience of those using the LEM Motorized Big Bite Sausage Stuffers. I purchased the 30lb model and the gear teeth broke after the 2nd 5 lb batch of meat was started. The motor was defaulting out so I took the motor off and tried to hand crack the gear rod back up and was not able to make it move as something was jambed I ended up taking apart the frame in order to get the piston out and the remaining meat removed. Obviously not impressed the gear teeth were breaking after 1st use. I was stuffing with the 2nd to smallest tube, so it was not like I was putting any higher pressure on the system making snack sticks. Trying to figure out if I want to bother trying another unit or not.

For those that have one, I do have another question. After the piston goes back up it automatically stops when it has reached the top. Normally, when you use the foot pedal to move the piston down and release the foot petal, it goes up for a couple of seconds and then stops by design. What happens if the piston has been retracted all the way to the top, auto stops as designed, but then the next thing you do is momentarily press (less than a second press) the foot petal down and then release it? Does the piston still try to go back up for the normal 2 seconds even though it still is basically is still at the very top? I am wondering if this is a defect that happened as when I first used this that could have caused the gear damage instead of tripping the motor. After my first 5 pound batch which worked great, the motor automatically retracted the piston and it automatically stopped at the top. I loaded my next 5 lb batch. I recall hitting the pedal, but even though I don't recall releasing the petal immediately, I wonder if my foot did release and then even though the piston was still basically at the top, the motor tried to retract for the standard 2 seconds because I heard a loud sound like the piston was pushed up into the top, but the top piston still had room to go up space wise. I wonder if this is where the gear tooth first broke as when I tried to move the piston back down it tried going down normally but repeating would have a re-occurring clank sound which could have been where the gear did a full rotation and made a noise every time it came to a broken tooth. Eventually, the motor starting tripping and where even with hand crank I could not make it move up or down.

I have had my LEM 20 lb stuffer long enough to make about 5 different batches of sausage with it. I was concerned about a couple of the reviews but decided to take a chance. So far so good. I hate the foot pedal. First chance I get, I will look into rewiring it.

What at least one other person has reported doing is failing to read the instructions that come with the stuffer. If you fail to properly plug in the motor unit, the automatic shut off will not work and you can actually destroy your stuffer.

I did two separate batches of snack stix this weekend. Lots and lots of pressure w a 3/8 horn. Not even a wimper. Get one, especially if you ever anticipate making sausage by yourself.

 

[Shooter71]

Not sure if my post that you quoted above was updated after I talked to LEM but the issue of the piston going up beyond the top limit switch is a known defect when u momentarily press the foot pedal at the start of the stroke, not a setup failure. They are working on a software fix and I would call their tech support to know when their update will be out before buying one.

 

[crazyjz]

Not sure if my post that you quoted above was updated after I talked to LEM but the issue of the piston going up beyond the top limit switch is a known defect when u momentarily press the foot pedal at the start of the stroke, not a setup failure. They are working on a software fix and I would call their tech support to know when their update will be out before buying one.

Yes, to me it is perplexing. How LEM managed to make a near bullet proof stuffer with all kinds of user improvements only to include a nearly useless foot pedal? I would love to speak to their subject matter experts! You know, they guys who said that they really needed a foot pedal that operates the way this one does!
Apparently, LEM is working on some sort of software update. Not sure how that is going to look. At any rate, it is a great stuffer on its own!

 

[Shooter71]

The current software fix they were investigating is that the auto retract that occurs for two seconds after the pedal is released would not happen unless the foot pedal was pressed for at least three seconds such that the piston would have gone down enough to allow for the two second retract which again is really only an issue at the very start when the piston is all the way at the top.