New Mill Rollers

Systems, Gear, & DIY
1

So last weekend, I replaced the rollers on my Barley Crusher.  Right away, I could feel that the knurling on the new rollers was much sharper than on the old ones.

This morning I milled some grains for an APA and it was crazy how much harder it was to crank the mill (I usually mill by hand) though I left the gap at the factory spacing.

Anyway, it totally fixed the problem of having the non driven roller stop turning.  I wasn’t sure before what was causing the issue, but it definitely appears to be a wearing down of the knurling over time. I think I bought the mill originally in the second half of 2007.

2

Where did you buy just the rollers from to fit it?

3

I just emailed them.  Their contact info is on the website.  Rollers are $50 plus shipping.

http://www.barleycrusher.com/

4

Wait, I thought they replaced them for free because it’s warrantied? I’ve had my mill since early 2009 and I’m pretty sure the rollers probably need to be replaced…it’s having a hard time pulling grain through even with an O ring on the non-drive side roller. I’ve been conditioning my malt the last year to help it pull the grain through. But now it’s starting to not even pull it through with moist malt. Argh…

I emailed them last year, they said to send it in and they’ll test it out and replace what needs replacing…nothing about having to buy new rollers.

5

Have you tried swapping ends on the 2nd roller?

6

I returned my Barley Crusher to have the rollers replaced last year.
The only cost to me was the shipping to them.
They paid the cost of the return shipping.

The mill works better now than it did when it was new.

7

+1

I sent mine in a couple of years age.  They rebuilt it at no cost and shipped it back.  It’s been working great.

Paul

8

How long did it take before you got it back from them?

And, Jeff, yes I flipped the roller around; several times now over the last couple years.

9
10

Bought my Barley Crusher back in 2011, just replaced the rollers a month ago. New rollers fixed all my crushing problems. I will not hesitate to replace them a lot sooner if/when it starts acting up. I fought issues for way longer than I should have.

I did not do it under the “warranty” as I figured that the rollers are technically a wear item. Eventually they will dull and it’s not a manufacturing defect. I didn’t feel right asking them to replace it for free. I figured a $50 investment over 5 years is more than reasonable.

11

Well it is under warranty, so you shouldn’t have to pay anything. I’ve put up with my milling issues for far longer than I should have as well. I may send in mine in, like, November or something. Probably should sooner than later, but I don’t want to wait a month. Suppose I could borrow a friend’s mill.

12

I’m on the fence here. I see it both ways and I guess it depends on how the warranty terms.

13

Regardless of how anyone chooses to procure them, it’s clear to me that new rollers are the solution.  Enjoy.

14

I’m thinking it took about about 3 weeks.  It was a while ago so I’m a bit fuzzy.

In terms of warranty, it has a lifetime warranty and pretty much everything that can go wrong with it is a “wear and tear” issue.  BC was happy to repair, I was happy to have it repaired.  Seemed like a good outcome.

Paul

15

Good to know, thanks! I’ll be sending mine in at some point, for sure. It’s a no brainer.

16

I have the same mill that over time exhibited the roller turning problem (the O-ring lasted about 30 seconds). Disassembling, cleaning and relubricating the rollers fixed the issue for me.

I dust it off after each use, but it is not meticulously clean and a lot of gunk builds up over time.

It has worked well for me for about 12 years now and needs cleaning every couple of years (I grind through about 240 pounds of grain per year on average).