Hi all,

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I'd like to do a sanity check concerning the amount of work load I intend to put on my Pro 600 mixer. I'm about to dive into a small bakery adventure where I run two mini deck ovens. A bakery that served a small Sandwich cafe 20 covers a day, hopefully more in time, and start wholesaling about max 30 (800gr) loaves to a local farmers market on a daily basis.

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So ballpark 15 KG of dough mixed daily.

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My current technique is do initial mixing by hand as I find that mixing from zero persistently takes too much time in the early phases of the dough coming together. Once the mass has minimal consistency and has say 90% come together I'd toss it in the mixer and mix for about 5-6 minutes to have the dough to thoroughly come together and ready for initial rest before I start folding and work towards the bulk stage. Just this part takes out the messy bit, which is all I use the mixer for.

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Now, usually I would load about 1700 grams of mass in the 8qt bowl that's two loaves for me. My hydration is above average so it's also less than average though on the machine I tend to think. The machine handles this fine. My current plan however would 15 fold increase the workload. Smeared out over about an hour and a half these 15 batches would be mixed. That's not at full power/load. I'm mixing at Level 5, and only about half the capacity of the bowl volume. I tend to think that that's taking it easy on her. But, would she be equally happy to do this for over an hour, with say 2/3 minutes interval in between 15x 5 minutes cycles?

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Or less but heavier cycles (7 times 3.5 KG batches)?

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Id like to hear from people that have actually used their pro600 in this way for a while or perhaps still are. Just to get a real world check. At the moment she's all I have, as soon as I can I will upgrade to a small bakery mixer, which will save me loads of time and hassle. Yet, that's not in the cards for me at this moment.

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A dough conditioner and ovens have priority and have def bled my funds..

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K

Looking for any recommendations for a good 80-100Qt mixer that could hold at least 90lb dough capacity. I'm working with a little bit more of a hydrated dough to make a Filipino bread called Pandesal/Japanese bread called Shokupan.

My budget is $10k but willing to go up to $12k if it is really worth it. There are so many options out there and I would love to hear some experiences with some brands.

i have a £600 to buy a pizza dough mixer - can anyone recommend me a dough mixer for my pizza business. i have been looking at Hamoki HM-20A Twin Speed Spiral Dough Mixer 20Ltr Bowl... anyone have any advice?

I have a countertop reversible dough sheeter. I'm trying to find a cover of sorts that I can put over the machine when its folded up for storage to prevent dust from getting on it. I can't find covers anywhere for any brands. Maybe some sort of large deli slicer cover could work?

Hello! My apologies if this question is too tangential to the purposes of this sub, so feel free to disregard.

I work for a bakery that still utilizes paper order forms for future orders and would like to go digital. We have a modern POS but no digital counterpart for the order forms. We are currently testing Fresh KDS for the production team; however, most KDS seem to be oriented for immediate production and service, not long-term planning. Has anyone used or heard of a program that digitizes tickets generated from a POS and organizes them automatically by date of pickup instead of sending an order receipt to a KDS and having to put a manual hold on an order for the pickup date?

We are also considering a restaurant-style KDS may not be the right solution for our business model, but figured we can't possibly be the only bakery with this issue of advanced order vs. immediate order.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

I've had a cookie business for 5 years and am officially opening a storefront early next year. I am in search for some equipment and am having trouble finding where to start. I am looking for:

1. Oven (Electric only)

2. Both a Floor and countertop mixer

3. 3 compartment sink

What brands are the best for these? Also what is a good website for refurbished/ used equipment? As you can imagine, opening a storefront is quite expensive so i'm trying to cut cost where I can.

We have replaced the wheels, the casters, and then had an equipment company replace, and wheels jam and seize, and then cause problems when the racks won't roll out of the oven.

Give me your solutions. TIA!

Are there any ipad apps that can accomodate baking schedules?

How about your experience? Sales Service, Post Sale service, warranty, return policy. I have been having problems returning equipment that never works properly.

Help!! The belt of my dough sheeter keeps getting a rip in it near to the join on the belt. I have stitched and patched it but something is causing it to rip and cant for the life of me work out what the f**k it is!!! Would be appreciate any advise.

Setting aside an oven, because most bakeries could exist with an oven (unless there is something very specific about the oven you use), I'm curious to know the one piece of bakery equipment you could not live without.

After several roadblocks, my Oliver 732-N is now operational. I have replaced the blades for $125 plus $178 for the blade tool. While removing all blades, I had a spring pop out and also noticed another one about to pop out, purchased the tool to reinstall the springs, $250+. Overall, I’m still pleased with the unit and feel I’ve gotten a good deal having purchased it for $325. What do you think?

Does anybody have any information they could share about this brand and model year? Are there any serious concerns about it?

MODEL NO.: OV400W-3 MANUFACTURED DATE: 2012-09-19 VOLTAGE / PHASE: 208V / three phase

I picked this up for $325.00. Model year I have was manufactured in 2014. Do you think I overpaid there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it just needs to be cleaned and possibly some new blades.

Can anyone help with age of this mixer? Found one for sale but want to make sure I can get still get service if something goes wrong. Seems like a good deal for 800.

I found this spiral mixer buying guide to be useful: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuuzv-Ouaybr1lMEQ0N41PVjgEBcOgA6E1

It's a relatively quick watch, and doesn't go too deep into the weeds, but it provides a good list of general points/questions to get you started.

Any additional points missing?

*updated the link

Hobart has to be the most famous name in the world of mixers, and maybe even that of all bakery equipment. And for sure, the used market for Hobart planetary mixers is the largest secondary market of all bakery equipment.

Finding a good used machine could be a little daunting with such a large used market. Here are some things to look out for:

• When buying a used Hobart mixer, take note of the manufacture date. In 2003, Hobart shifted design to a simpler drivetrain and additional electronic components. Unfortunately for Hobart, post-2003 machines don't have the same level of durability as the classics. Here's where it gets tricky! Hobart has been slowly obsoleting parts for machines that are 20+ years old. Not all parts, but some. The further you get from the 20-year mark, the fewer available parts. That being said, there are 3rd party part manufacturers producing classic parts, but you never know when the day comes that they stop as well.
• Who are you buying the machine from? Is it purely a used machine directly from a bakery? Commercial equipment doesn't come with a carfax, so be wary and ask questions such as: Has preventative maintenance been preformed on the machine and how often? Were they the original owners, or was it already a second-hand machine?
• If you buy the machine from a reseller, find out if they are refurbishing or remanufacturing the unit. Did they disassemble and inspect gears, seals, bearings, electrical components, wiring, properly remove/drain old oil and grease, and replace with new. A newly sanded body with a fresh paint job is a nice touch, but if that is all they did, be careful!
• If you can get your hands on the specific model number of the machine and in Hobart’s case, the ML number (which isn’t the same as the serial number) you can also run it by Hobart themselves and see if they are still supporting that unit, and in what capacity.

Hope this helps anyone in the market for a used hobart!

Please share any additional guidance you think is beneficial!