Happy Independence Day!
If you don’t own a Famag spiral mixer, just ignore this post. For those of you that have one, or are planning to get one, you may have heard about a problem with the bowl lock. It turns out that someone over at Famag installed the plates upside down or their testing team was out to lunch.
The problem (detailed here) is that there is a locking plate that is supposed to hold the bowl down as it rotates. It unlocks on its own as the mixing process proceeds. A big thank you to a comment by “Tim S.” who gave me the idea to try the fix I detail below. I wanted to wait a month to really make sure it works and it does! If I were to buy a new Famag now, the first thing I would do is fix this bowl lock problem. Please comment below if you have any additional suggestions or questions about the process.
STEP 1 – Remove the 4 screws holding the plate
STEP 2 – Remove the top (smaller plate) and the larger plate underneath
STEP 3 – Flip the larger plate over and place it back on the mixer
STEP 4 – Replace the smaller plate on top and re-tighten the 4 screws
That’s it! The whole thing took me less than 10 minutes and it was quite easy. Now, no matter how stiff my dough is, the plate stays fully locked and that is fantastic. Famag….I hope you read this and apply the fix right at the factory. It’s really a silly oversight on your part.
Thanks Zuri, I am awaiting the arrival of my IM-5 and plan to check this out immediately.
Is this a possible issue with all models?
Danny Ayo
Hi Danny, I don’t have a concrete answer but Brian’s late model IM-5 seems to have this problem. As he points out, check the orientation of the large hole and narrow slot. If the large hole is to the left of the narrow slot (as shown in step 3), then you should be fine. It’s easy to check by popping off the smaller disc by removing 4 screws. It’s really easy and non-invasive. Please let us know what you find!
Thank you Zuri for a service to Famag owners. Danny asked how an owner can determine if this mod should be performed. I own an IM. 5S Grilletta, manufactured in December, 2019. As shipped, my larger plate was in the orientation shown in Step 2. Note the circular hole is to the right of the narrower slot in the lower right of the photo. When the plate is flipped, the circular hole will be to the left of the slot, as shown in Step 3. When forward rotation is selected on the mixer, the bowl rotates clockwise. When the larger… Read more »
Thanks for all your feedback Brian. It sounds like (to answer Danny’s question) the IM-5 built late 2019 needs this modification. I am puzzled by your difficulty removing the bowl once unlocked. My best guess is that you are not fully unlocking the bowl from the plate by not completely rotating the larger plate counterclockwise. In any case, if you do the modification and flip the plate, I would suggest adding a little grease between the large and small plate to get smoother action. Please update us once you figure it out!
My explanation was not clear enough. It has been nearly impossible to rotate the larger plate to unlock the bowl. I cannot get even one degree of rotation without pressing on the bowl rim or rocking it slightly, even with great force. After performing the mod, the difficulty is now in the other direction, it is harder to lock than before, but now unlocks easily. As you can imagine, I discovered after flipping the larger plate that some type of food grade low-viscosity grease needs to be applied between the plates, as the friction is very high. If you know… Read more »
Thanks for clarifying. I bought some of this but I think any food grade grease is cheap and will work just fine: https://smile.amazon.com/Pack-Petrol-Grade-Equipment-LubricantNSF/dp/B00X4N3SLI/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=food+grease&qid=1593978688&sr=8-4
That is a very silly issue, I cant believe they even let it get to the customers. English sticker is wrong after the fix. So apparently FAMAG thinks what they ship it is right design.
For sure it’s silly.
Mike, this solves a problem in my IM 10S that I purchased January 2020, with the bowl unlocking when mixing stiffer dough and the strain surpasses forces holding bowl in place. It is still functional, but the bowl “wobble” makes me worry about the collateral damage in progress.
In my attempt to follow your instructions, I have been unable to remove the 4 screws holding the plate. Am I missing a special trick? Next attempt will be with a torque wrench. Let’s hope I do not strip the screws!
Thanks so much,
Patty
I don’t remember the screws being an issue for me. I assume you are using the precise allen wrench size (metric) and applying a decent amount of pressure? I really don’t think you need a torque wrench to get them out.
Do you have any recommendations for an electronic sifter? It might be a silly question, but it is what it is! I don’t digest whole wheat of any type well. I’d like to try grinding and sifting the bran out of einkorn. Thank you.
I love my KoMo mill, and this attachment works well: https://pleasanthillgrain.com/komo-flour-sifter
Thank you so much for getting back to me! I am surprised you use a KoMo mill. I’ve only watched a few of your videos today, but I got the impression that you use a LOT of flour each day! This KoMo mill looks way too tiny for your activities? I read all of the reviews for the sifter attachment on the Pleasant Hill Grain website. Most of them were positive. One review caught my eye. I will paste it below: “We worked out a milling and sifting process, which works real well. 1. ) Mill coarse flour (black dot… Read more »
I rarely make loaves entirely out of fresh-milled flour. Most everything is a mixture of milled flour with white organic flour from Central Milling. Here I am picking some up: https://youtu.be/lNws3QgAx8Q. I make a lot of pita, and naan is not much different. If you only use milled wheat, you will generate a ton of bran, and most people don’t have much use for it – so there’s a lot that goes in the garbage. That’s why I mix the white flour with milled whole grain (no waste). In other words, I don’t do any sifting at all. That’s why… Read more »
Interesting! Thank you. I will search for some sifters! 🙂
Hello Mike,
Do you have any specific friends or bloggers you can refer me to who do this? (sifting). I searched and could not find. Thank you.
Yikes! No, sorry, I don’t. But if I were searching, I would ask here: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/forum
Just bought a Famag 8s bowl is STUCK to rotation plate. cannot torque if off. tried pushing down, light pulling in a circular motion I even got a flathead screwdriver and using a small hammer, tapped at each bottom bolt. nothing. Tried clamping plate so it is static, while turning to unlock position, no luck really stuck on there. HELP
I’m not sure I understand. Is the locking mechanism not turning to unlock it, or is it unlocked and the bowl is not coming off the plate?
Cannot unlock it, it’s stuck on rotating plate 😟
Without seeing it from every angle, it is impossible to say. I think you already know (but just in case) that the locking plate may unlock by rotating it opposite to what you are attempting. The mechanism is not always intuitive, and you should be 100% sure you know which is the right direction before forcing anything. There could be something mechanically wrong with the plate or a piece of debris is preventing it from rotating. Since it is new, I would obviously reach out to the seller for assistance.
Pleasant Hill Grain has a video on changing the plate. They do not show your configuration as being the correct one. They said flipping the plate can cause the bowl to loosen during operation. They show the large hole to the right?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TUyQxxyxkmc
I’m so confused I’m considering the fixed bowl to avoid all these issues I’ve been reading about. Or no machine at all considering the cost of this mixer, Famag should guarantee a good machine. Having to repair something out of box just isn’t acceptable.
It’s really not a big deal even if the bowl is run completely unlocked. I wouldn’t avoid the mixer because of this. I also strongly recommend a removable bowl over a fixed one. It is so much easier to clean, that I often avoid my fixed-bowl mixer for that reason alone. Famag makes a fantastic mixer. I have been running mine hard for many years and it’s still going strong.
Thank you Mike. I’m trying to decide between the Im-5s and the Im-5s hh. I would prefer the im5-sHh but I need to be able to work with low hydration as much as high hydration . I noticed the rpm’s start at 98 for the im5-s and 130+ for the im5 shh. I have little knowledge of spiral mixers but I’ve read that a faster rpm doesn’t always mean better. That low hydration dough needs a lower rpm.
Any advice always welcome
I must admit I don’t understand the difference. Is the HH model just faster RPM overall? I imagine that would not do well with low hydration. In fact, it could put undue stress on the motor when the hydration is lower (the gear ratios favor speed over torque). I have used my standard Famag (it is the 10S model) for ciabatta, which is around 80% hydration. The results are spectacular. A spiral mixer is already a one trick pony. To buy one that is even more specialized for high hydration? I wouldn’t go there unless you had a baking business… Read more »