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Spiral Mixer Recommendations?

J

jim_deggys

New member
I am building a very large Pizza Food Truck and am in need of a spiral mixer. I plan on mixing dough in my truck since the commissary I share is limited on space. Any recommendations on a, dependable, <$4,500, good warranty, UL compliant, 30-50 quart spiral mixer? If possible Tilt head, removable bowl, and <36" tall.

Thanks in advance
 
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Any of the spiral mixers available right now are all very good as well as dependable. For options you want to look for two forward speeds and a drain plug in the bottom of the bowl. Between the two, the two speeds are a deal breaker by me, the drain plug is icing on the cake. Forget the tilt head and removable bowl, I’ve not seen them even offered on mixers that small. Champion Machinery Company (CMC) in Joliet, Illinois makes a very good one if you are looking for “made in the USA”.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
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Many of the spiral mixers I see, even the small ones, are 3 phase. I assume your truck won’t be set up for 3 phase so begin by targeting what mixers are manufactured in your desired size range and have electrical sprcs that you can work with. If your truck isn’t set up to run 220 volts, you will be extrememly limited on the brands you can choose from.
 
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Thanks for the replies and input. I plan on using 1 phase 220 volt in my truck. I looked into the CMC and couldn’t find anything in the size range I could use. I did stumble over a few threads here in PMQ and the PM forum that referenced Mecnosud Spiral Mixers. The 44 Kilogram mixer comes with tilt head, removable bowl, 2 speeds, timer, and a 2 year part and labor warranty, and its 31" tall so will roll into my cabinet, all for about $4K. I would like clarification on the warranty before purchasing and will post my findings. Has anyone heard anything about these Mecnosud?? What do you think?

http://www.artisanpizzasolutions.co...sEDmwzAvSHFIVI3ujfDKrsfwb15xKz_B2cxoCit3w_wcB
 
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Jim;
That’s a lot more mixer than a 30 to 50-quart. Spiral mixers are sized differently from planetary mixers. The strongest 60-quart size mixer will only mix about 87-pounds of a typical pizza or bread dough while spiral mixers are sized by the weight of flour they are designed to mix efficiently so you will have the capacity to mix as much as about 168-pounds of dough at a time. That said, you can still mix a dough as small as 25% of capacity so it should serve you well.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
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Jim;
That’s a lot more mixer than a 30 to 50-quart. Spiral mixers are sized differently from planetary mixers. The strongest 60-quart size mixer will only mix about 87-pounds of a typical pizza or bread dough while spiral mixers are sized by the weight of flour they are designed to mix efficiently
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Click to expand...
Looking at the link, this company seems to label their mixers differently. They say Their 44 KG mixer can mix 1 bag of flour and has a 40 quart bowl. No chance of fitting 168 pounds of dough in a 40 quart bowl. Hard to see fitting 50 lbs of flour in a 40 quart bowl for that matter.

I’ve never heard of the brand, but that doesn’t mean much. I use an Empire spiral mixer but have never looked into other brands. Truth be told, there’s not that much to spiral mixers, I’ve had my Empire serviced once in the 8 years I’ve had it and run 50ish bags of flour through it every week. I wouldn’t be so concerned about a warranty but if you are I would double check everything they claim, especially about who will service this under warranty and if the warranty will cover all labor. The mixer you reference is made in Italy, make sure they have a legitimate network of service companies here in the states.
 
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Jim,
I make bagel dough for my business, Left Hand Bagels. I own the Haussler SP-20 Spiral Mixer. The bowl is 25 quarts and has a maximum dough capacity of 39 pounds with a maximum flour capacity of approximately 22 pounds. These maximums are based on typical bread dough hydrations.

The SP-20 requires only single phase, 120V household electrical systems.

Through trial and error, I have been able to make 25 pound batches of bagel dough with approximately 50% hydration using high gluten flour. Haussler mixers are made in Germany and can be purchased from Pleasant Hill Grain at www.pleasanthillgrain.com in Nebraska.

The SP-20 is about $3200, depending on the options such as stainless steel body, caster wheels, etc.
Pleasant Hill also sells smaller models. The SP-30 is a new item for Pleasant Hill, it has a larger capacity bowl and requires 220V, 3-phase power.

The bowls are removable and the spiral hook tilts upward. The mixer is built like a tank. I have owned my SP-20 for over a year with only bagel dough production. You most likely would be able to make closer to the maximum capacity of 39 pounds with pizza dough. Most spiral mixer companies recommend dropping the max capacity by 10% when using high gluten flour and by another 10 to 15% when making bagel dough.
 
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Hi Chuck,
Do you mind if I ask you about your experience with the spiral mixer you mentioned? I’m in the process of opening up a bagel shop in Philly, and I haven’t used a spiral before but I’m excited about it. I’ve been looking in the area of 50qt for my mixer, and thinking of starting with a cheap brand - Eurodib, and then maybe stepping up once I see what my real needs are. Could you explain what factors are limiting your production size in your 20qt?
 
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Hi Ringo,
The Haussler SP-20 has a 25 quart capacity. The Haussler spec sheet shows a maximum flour capacity of approximately 22 pounds of flour and 39.9 lbs of dough. The spec sheet does not specify dough hydration for these limits, but my personal experience for bagel dough of 50% hydration is approximately 16 pounds of hi-gluten flour with 8 pounds of water plus other ingredients for a total dough weight of 25 pounds. The bowl is nearly full with this batch of bagel dough, but it mixes it really well and it is consistent from batch to batch. My reason for choosing this mixer is that is uses single phase 120v electricity, so I was not limited to using it in a commercial kitchen that might not have 3-phase power, plus it is durable and easy to maintain.
 
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Gotcha, thanks. I’m not limited in my power options, but I’m hesitant to spend over $10k on a machine without knowing if my size needs will change. That being said, it’s hard to find a smaller unit that has options like removable bowl or tilting top to make removing dough and cleaning the bowl easier. Your model seems like a decent option, thanks for the suggestion.
 
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Cutting the dough out of the bowl is not a big chore and it is easier than cutting the dough out of a bowl used on a planetary mixer of comparable capacity. As for cleaning, just look for a plastic drain plug in the bowl so you don’t need to bail it out like a sinking boat. The easiest way to clean a spiral mixer is to fill it with a few gallons of very hot water then cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic and let the steam do the work for you, all it will need is a quick scrubbing with a pot brush and a rinse (that’s where the drain plug comes into play, just unscrew the plug to drain the bowl).
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
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