Carnivore grinder

[dougan]

Going to buy a grinder can’t decide if I should get 1 hp or 1-3/4hp , I know bigger is usually better but is the bigger one worth the extra cake?

[bacon_overlord]

Worry more about what the internal gears are made of, plastic, or metal. Most grinders will grind faster than you can keep up with solo anyways.

[srupp]

Hmm..I have the larger Cabelas grinder before they changed the name to Carnivore...go big. 1 3/4 hp
Get PAIRED blades with plates and always keep them paired..they wear..mate together..
Freeze blades plates auger for few hours prior to grinding cold meat..
The gears are metal, the unit is best out there IMO..been 8 years or so perfect use.
Will devour any amount of meat as fast as you can throw it down the considerable sized chute.
Big enough that it doesnt work..=creating heat = starts the proteins binding...bad...
Great choice.
Srupp

[Night Hawk 3]

A friend of mine purchased the 1HP unit a year ago, and he's used it for his home cooking (he makes large batches of ground meat), and this fall he helped me grind about 60lbs of venison.

We barely got the thing warmed up before the 60lbs was ground... took maybe 15 minutes from start to finish. It's a great grinder!

If you're doing a lot of meat by yourself, you won't keep up with the grinder; 2 of us loading the meat tray barely kept up with it - it's very fast.

I can't speak for whether the gears are steel or not, but the other parts looked very sturdy.

NH3

[Sitkaspruce]

What ever you decide on, get the foot peddle, it's the cats ass for grinding.

We have the 1 hp and we can't keep up with it, don't see the need for more HP.

Cheers

SS

[longwalk]

I have the 1hp carnivore. It’s all the grinder that 99% of home meat cutters will ever need. Put 5 deer through mine this year after helping a friend out with cutting and wrapping his deer. It grinds pretty well as fast as it can be fed. The extra cost and weight of the next model up is unnecessary.

[dougan]

Thank you for the input fellas it’s much appreciated .

[bang flop]

the 1 hp is great. as others have said.... it will grind faster than you can stuff it. one thing I found annoying is they supply you with a coarse and fine plate, but the most common one, medium, is an extra purchase for $22. also, the stuffing star is cheapo.... it's another $22 for the good one.
overall I recommend. it is a heavy beast, boarder line industrial.

wasn't aware you can get foot pedal. I don't personally see the need.

go buy it. they do occasionally come on sale.

[wrenchhead]

1hp is plenty for most....key is to cube meat first so the long fibers in the meat dont get wrapped up on the end of the auger.

[ratherbefishin]

Bigger is better but I bought the PRINCESS AUTO Kitchener 2/3 hp on sale for $129 and ground up a batch of bear meat for sausage ,worked fine for my purposes. I trimmed out the sinews and silver skin and cubed it.Ran some dry bread through it during the process to clear any fat .Most grinders work better with meat with some frost in it,but the bear meat was just cold

[brian]

I have the Cabelas pre carnivore 3/4 hp and it goes through everything... Frozen, chilled, warm, cubed, not cubed, sinew, silver skin, my iphone, and everything else I miss pretty much as fast as I feed it. Its a great grinder that I have put a lot of animals through. I can only imagine 1 hp would be even better and have visions of stuffing a whole moose through the 1.5 hp.

[Sitkaspruce]

the 1 hp is great. as others have said.... it will grind faster than you can stuff it. one thing I found annoying is they supply you with a coarse and fine plate, but the most common one, medium, is an extra purchase for $22. also, the stuffing star is cheapo.... it's another $22 for the good one.
overall I recommend. it is a heavy beast, boarder line industrial.

wasn't aware you can get foot pedal. I don't personally see the need.

go buy it. they do occasionally come on sale.

The best thing about the foot pedal is that my bloody, slimy hands don't have to touch the off/on switch when ever I need to stop.....just take your foot off the pedal and it stops. IMO it makes it a lot easier to grind, especially by yourself as well as when stuffing.

Cheers

SS

[bang flop]

The best thing about the foot pedal is that my bloody, slimy hands don't have to touch the off/on switch when ever I need to stop.....just take your foot off the pedal and it stops. IMO it makes it a lot easier to grind, especially by yourself as well as when stuffing.

Cheers

SS

I agree, a foot pedal would be the way to go for stuffing.

can you get a foot pedal for the carnivore?

[bang flop]

well look at that... there it is....
https://www.cabelas.ca/product/64889/cabelas-electric-grinder-foot-pedal

[beaverhunter69]

I have the Cabelas pre carnivore 3/4 hp and it goes through everything... Frozen, chilled, warm, cubed, not cubed, sinew, silver skin, my iphone, and everything else I miss pretty much as fast as I feed it. Its a great grinder that I have put a lot of animals through. I can only imagine 1 hp would be even better and have visions of stuffing a whole moose through the 1.5 hp.

Wonder how the 1/2 hp would perform?

[srupp]

Hmmmm watched a presentation on foot switches for grinders. .hard on motors..as they reduce speed..off on by vontrolling power..amps? Watts?..to the motor..not good.
I am not an electrician..just passing along what I viewed.
Steven

[moosecamp]

Hmmmm watched a presentation on foot switches for grinders. .hard on motors..as they reduce speed..off on by vontrolling power..amps? Watts?..to the motor..not good.
I am not an electrician..just passing along what I viewed.
Steven

The pedal Cabela's sells is just like a switch. Step on it the grinder turns on. Take your foot off it shuts off. Don't know how that would hurt the grinder motor. I've been using one for two years and no problems yet. It is very handy for a one person operation.

[whitlers]

Pedal is just an inline contact. Same as switching on and off at the grinder not an issue at all.

[SHACK]

A couple years ago 3 of us bought the 3/4 horse power carnivore and it's all we will ever need. It's a beast, just hammers through game without a hiccup. I think it's had about 6 or 8 deer though it so far, as well as a half a pigs worth of pork for sausage mix.
However the sausage stuffing tubes are pretty much a gimmick. Buy a real sausage stuffer if your going to bother making some.
You would be hard pressed to get the unit warmed up doing a deer or two.