I'm trying to determine if this machine will be strong enough to process 2 cows - can it handle continuous use over a few days?

Processing whole animals is a big job. Just for comparison DO check out the mid-upper range LEM grinders. Hunters seem to love them....US built with solid metal throughout. (No plastic gears like $100 grinders) For my yearly grind of under 50 lbs of burgers & pork sausage it's just not worth the higher end prices to me. I'd say think about spending between $400-$1000. BTW, Youtube has TONS of videos with REAL people (hunters mostly) who'll demonstrate how their machines perform. Very informative.

I just purchased this meat grinder .What is the true wattage and h/p. CF

The motor is obviously not truly 3000w. I assume this runs off of a standard 120v outlet, and if so, 3000w would require 25 amps of current. Most home breakers are 15A with 14 gauge wire, although you will see some 20A breakers used with 12 gauge wire (usually to garage outlets, etc.). It likely runs fine on a 15A breaker, so its maximum wattage would be less than 1800w. Anything higher and it would kick the breaker. With that said, 1500w would easily power a motor substantial enough for a home meat grinder. And be careful not to confuse torque with horsepower.

is this easy to clean - how many parts involved?

I find the easiest way to clean this unit after grinding meat and making sausage in it, is to put all of the dirty greasy parts in the dishwasher. PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT USE ANY DETERGENTS AT ALL. Be certain to set the water temperature to high or just set it to the sanatize setting. The extreme heat from the water will dissolve every bit of fat from any of the metal parts. If you add a dishwasher detergent pack to the cleaning, any and all aluminum parts will oxidize and you will lose that original polished look of the aluminum. I make over 250 pounds of sausage, salami, coppa (cappicolla) every month and my unit still,looks brand new like the day I bought it 2 years ago. If by chance you did ruin the finish on the aluminum, you will need to scrub each piece with a very fine steel wool (0000) grit and then polish each piece with a non toxic aluminum polish. Good Luck

Are the gears metal or plastic?

Ben, Thank you for reaching out and asking about our STX International Turboforce 3000 Platinum Edition Electric Meat Grinder. The motor is a brush motor that runs the gears. The worm drive is made of 100% hardened carbon steel. The 1st reduction gear is made of POM (Polyoxymethylene) molded onto a hardened carbon steel bushing with a brass insert. The second reduction gear is also made of POM molded onto a hardened carbon steel bushing with a brass insert. The main drive gear is made of 100% hardened carbon steel. POM (Polyoxymethylene) is an engineering polymer that is used in many sizes of precision gears that require high stiffness, high abrasion resistance, high heat resistance, low coefficient of friction and excellent dimensional stability. We used to have all of the gears in our electric meat grinders made of hardened carbon steel, but in 2008 we changed to having both of our reduction gears made out of the POM/steel. By changing these two gears to POM/steel (although they are more expensive than all steel) our grinders can now take a lot more abuse and they also run much smoother and quieter than a gear system made with all steel gears. I hope that this was helpful, and if you have any additional questions please feel free to contact us toll free at: 844-861-4762. Best Regards, Tiffany Customer Service Tech STX International Products

Brand	STX INTERNATIONAL
Model Number	STX-3000-TF
Color	White
Product Dimensions	41.91 x 16.51 x 36.83 cm; 5.44 kg
Capacity	3 Pounds
Power / Wattage	1800 watts
Voltage	110 Volts
Material	Stainless Steel
Item Weight	5.44 Kilograms

STX International Turboforce 3000 Heavy Duty 5-In-1 Powerful Size #12 • 3 Lb High Capacity Meat Tray • Sausage Stuffer (3 Sizes) • Kubbe Maker • Electric Burger/Slider Maker • Meat Claws

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