KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Mixer


 

Rusty James

TVWBB Emerald Member
Found one of these for sale, and it appears a gear may need replacing (slips when mixing).

I am mechanically inclined, and I was wondering if these units are worth fixing. Do any of you work on these machines?
 
I think LMichaels is the guy you want to speak with.

I've replaced the gear on an older Kitchenaid mixer (model K5SS) and also own the older version made by Hobart (K5A). If you're reasonably handy, you can probably fix it. There are plenty of youtube videos that covers the repair.
 
Some Amazon comments (pertaining to OEM replacement gears) complained about poor quality gear material. Reckon there are aftermarket gears for these mixers?
 
Some Amazon comments (pertaining to OEM replacement gears) complained about poor quality gear material. Reckon there are aftermarket gears for these mixers?

Feel free to look me up www.themixerdoc.com The answer is yes they are worth fixing but not just straight up "parts swapping" there are mods I do to most of them to increase durability after I over haul them. When I am done with a machine it is a WAY better machine than what came out of the factory. One of the most effective (not the only) mod is the grease I use. The factory grease is WAY WAY inferior to what I use but than what I use costs me like $25 for just a few ounces. Other mods I do not divulge. Sorry. My reasoning is when I get done doing a machine I give it back better and stronger and I guarantee it for a year.
 
Larry, do you use OEM gears / parts, or do you have another supplier?

One Amazon poster mentioned something about OEM gears not being sintered.
 
I know of no other supplier of gears. BTW they are all made of "sintered" metal but I have had no issues with that. They're plenty strong and I have never had an issue with them. There is also on some machines a fiber or nylon gear meant as a "fail safe" On the large frame machines the motor has thermal protection but on the smaller and medium frame machines the nylon gear serves that purpose. Kinda like the shear pin on a snow blower. Meant to give out before the motor burns up
 
How hard do you plan on using it. I have a Pro 5 mixer that I got new on sale for a good price. It has bee good by me and I only use it for kneeding heavy doughs like Pizza, egg noodles, and pasta. I have used it enough that it craps out on me tomorrow it don't owe me anything.
 
I know of no other supplier of gears. BTW they are all made of "sintered" metal but I have had no issues with that. They're plenty strong and I have never had an issue with them. There is also on some machines a fiber or nylon gear meant as a "fail safe" On the large frame machines the motor has thermal protection but on the smaller and medium frame machines the nylon gear serves that purpose. Kinda like the shear pin on a snow blower. Meant to give out before the motor burns up

I should have said, inadequately sintered.

Check out MtnMan1963's comments about the gears...

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B015RDUJ3M/tvwb-20#customerReviews

Mind you, this may fit a different machine than the one we are thinking about buying, but I can't say for sure without checking the model number.
 
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How hard do you plan on using it. I have a Pro 5 mixer that I got new on sale for a good price. It has bee good by me and I only use it for kneeding heavy doughs like Pizza, egg noodles, and pasta. I have used it enough that it craps out on me tomorrow it don't owe me anything.

Does it use nylon gears?

My wife plans to use hers for baking needs, and I may use it for grinding meat.
 
I should have said, inadequately sintered.

Check out MtnMan1963's comments about the gears...

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B015RDUJ3M/tvwb-20#customerReviews

Mind you, this may fit a different machine than the one we are thinking about buying, but I can't say for sure without checking the model number.

I read the guys comments and he comes off like an idiot (sorry) I buy plenty of KA parts as it is my business and most all of them are produced in the USA. Also there is no such thing as "inadequately sintered gears" I almost split a gut laughing at his guy. If he is having so much trouble perhaps he needs to learn what he is doing.
What are you planning to do with it. Also be aware there are more than one version of the 5qt machine labeled as "pro". There is at least 2 of them based on the K5 medium frame lift bowl design and another 2 or 3 based on the larger frame design with both a narrow bowl and wide bowl. The gear sets are different in the K5 based machine than the other design. The K5 design uses a nylon fiber gear as a fail safe in case of over load, and the other uses a thermal protection device to cut power in case of over load.
The K5 design also uses a mechanical flyball governor to maintain full power at all speeds while the other uses a DC series wound motor coupled with electronic feedback circuit.
I have a number of the large frame 6qt machines in stock by the way of there is interest. I have them in various colors. Cranberry, dark gray metallic, and satin black along with a white one. I (like RCPlanebuyer who makes the grates and flavorizer bars for grills) usually sell on FleaBay but would just as happily sell outside of that venue and give a discount since I would not have to pay them a commission
 
I considered reliability before buying after seeing some nightmare reviews, then I watched some repair videos & read up a little before I bought. I guess there are some with plastic and some with cast gear boxes. I'm a light user but have had zero problems so far.
 
The biggest failing from KA is their use of the grease they use. It does one of 2 things. It either breaks down to a liquid and leaks all out over your food or it turns onto a solid block of gelatin and does not lubricate. It's awful stuff and causes 90% of the failures I see in my shop. As for the goofy guy on Amazon well...........let's just leave it that hes's a goofball and has no clue of what he's doing. In close to 10 years of doing the repairs I have only had ONE come back and it was for a repair not related to the original failure I took it into the shop for, plus the owner openly admitted to me they did a load that was 3x heavier than the machine was rated for. I fixed it anyway for free. Even though they knew and offered to pay me I still stood behind it. It helped me uncover other weak spots I was able to come up with mods for :D
Anyway all their machines from the Classic on up are truly built very well, NOT made in China and are made to be repaired/rebuilt as any good quality professional tool is. They can develop occasional issues but they can be fixed. I do see some come in that it was obvious someone who saw a video online and figured "I can do that" and attempted a repair only to have it fail miserably. I have seen the videos and the people who make them don't give the whole story. I think for a reason. The same reason I don't divulge the mods I make or make videos of my repairs.
 
<scratches head> Interesting view on the grease.

My g/f & I have a Pro Line 6 qt. I managed to loosen up the head after making quite a number of batches of very stiff bagel dough. There's a pair of dowel locating pins that had to be driven back in as well as tightening the screws. In this process, I did note that the grease did seem to be a little stiffer than I'd like, the volatiles do seem to be evaporating off. I wouldn't quite call it a gelatin state, it's more crusty.

Having said that, it's still the gold standard for stand mixers for me. About the only thing better would be something that says Hobart on the side.
 
Yup, I also have some of the older Hobart K5 series machines in stock. While on the outside indistinguishable from the Whirlpool version subtle differences become apparent. Much heavier castings (especially at the front for the front bearing support) larger front bearing, better quality rear bushing in a heavier end plate also. I have sold these to caterers and bakeries who use the living daylights out of them and have never ever had a failure and some of them have been out there for 6 or more years with not so much as peep.
 
Yup, I also have some of the older Hobart K5 series machines in stock. While on the outside indistinguishable from the Whirlpool version subtle differences become apparent. Much heavier castings (especially at the front for the front bearing support) larger front bearing, better quality rear bushing in a heavier end plate also. I have sold these to caterers and bakeries who use the living daylights out of them and have never ever had a failure and some of them have been out there for 6 or more years with not so much as peep.

Larry, what's your eBay seller account name? You can PM me the info if you don't want to post it.

I bought my Hobart K5A from the original owner's granddaughter who "upgraded" to a newer Kitchenaid.
 
I read the guys comments and he comes off like an idiot (sorry) I buy plenty of KA parts as it is my business and most all of them are produced in the USA. Also there is no such thing as "inadequately sintered gears" I almost split a gut laughing at his guy. If he is having so much trouble perhaps he needs to learn what he is doing.
What are you planning to do with it. Also be aware there are more than one version of the 5qt machine labeled as "pro". There is at least 2 of them based on the K5 medium frame lift bowl design and another 2 or 3 based on the larger frame design with both a narrow bowl and wide bowl. The gear sets are different in the K5 based machine than the other design. The K5 design uses a nylon fiber gear as a fail safe in case of over load, and the other uses a thermal protection device to cut power in case of over load.
The K5 design also uses a mechanical flyball governor to maintain full power at all speeds while the other uses a DC series wound motor coupled with electronic feedback circuit.
I have a number of the large frame 6qt machines in stock by the way of there is interest. I have them in various colors. Cranberry, dark gray metallic, and satin black along with a white one. I (like RCPlanebuyer who makes the grates and flavorizer bars for grills) usually sell on FleaBay but would just as happily sell outside of that venue and give a discount since I would not have to pay them a commission


Got word from the seller that they replaced this part a few years ago.

They are not sure if this is the actual part that needs replacing, this time, however, but the malfunction (skipping) feels the same...

51Pe9j3%2BCwL.jpg


For what it's worth, their asking price for the mixer is only 35.00. I assume the attachments are worth that much. What would repair costs, including shipping, be for a 30 pound mixer?
 
Larry, what's your eBay seller account name? You can PM me the info if you don't want to post it.

I bought my Hobart K5A from the original owner's granddaughter who "upgraded" to a newer Kitchenaid.

Mu Ebay handle is themixerdoc. I don't have anything up there right now. I am building 2 6qt machines as special order. One for my daughter's 30th bday and the other is for a guy who traded it to me for one I had rebuilt and now his granddaughter wants the one he traded in so I am going to rebuild to for him so he can gift his old machine to his granddaughter. Plus with all the projects I have had going on it's been nuts here at the corral/nut house
 
Got word from the seller that they replaced this part a few years ago.

They are not sure if this is the actual part that needs replacing, this time, however, but the malfunction (skipping) feels the same...

51Pe9j3%2BCwL.jpg


For what it's worth, their asking price for the mixer is only 35.00. I assume the attachments are worth that much. What would repair costs, including shipping, be for a 30 pound mixer?

Which model exactly are you asking about? As this "type" of follower exists in all of them however it is not the same part. Are you able to point me to photos of it? FWIW, my base cost of a rebuild is $65. This includes all labor, a full cleaning, any production mods I do tot he machine(s) depending on the model and full speed and height adjustments to factory spec..
Shipping to and from my shop is not included in the price or parts needed to make the repair. i,e, gears, pins, brushes, electrical parts, etc. The base rebuild price is good on any regular KitchenAid unit whether from Hobart or Whirlpool.
Re, the old K5(A) series or old K45 series (not SS models) while I can do full refurbs on them they have completely different speed control and electrical systems and parts can no longer be found to repair them. So sadly if there is any electrical issue(s) with them all I can do is offer a small stipend for the unit and it's accessories and hope to find homes for the parts in other machines. The good news is those electrical issues are very rare and if the unit has not been mistreated in it's life (over loaded or not cooled down after a hard run) I can make them like new again
 

 

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