Grinder mushing meat

[V2Pnutrition]

I’ve not ran into this issue personally but I wonder if the plate and/or blade has changed enough dimensionally from flattening/sharpening etc that it is in effect loose. In other words the blade is not snug enough on the plate and is gapping some. I’m not sure how you would check without shotgunning parts and buying a new plate and knife.

Is there a bushing or washer of some kind at the back end of the auger that could wear and let the auger move back away from the plate and knife causing it to run loose?

There's a bushing/gear + screw with washer. All are tight. It's not to say it's not outside of the tolerance needed though. Something like this seems to make the most sense to me, too. I can pick up a plate and blade from Weston for under $30 bucks or so and I like that a heck of alot more than ponying up the money for a new grinder when it seems like I shouldn't need one.

 

[butcherboy]

Sounds to me like the plate and blade aren’t fitting tight. The plate and blade will get smaller after use and sharpening. This will create some play between the plate, blade, and auger creating a gap where the meat won’t get cut and the auger will try to push the meat through. This will also cause the meat to warm up. These two things together will cause the meat to get mushy.