Steve777: You are wonderfully brave to take apart a mixer gearbox! I am in awe. The only question I have concerns the material of the gearbox case. Is it a steel case, or is it plastic? If it is a plastic case, then the problem could be caused by heating up due to the load, followed by distortion due to softening of the warm case. Several reviewers on another site encountered plastic gearbox cases in the newer mixers. But with a bit of luck, you might have one of the golden-oldies with a steel case. best regards, Peter-A

I have an old (30+ years) KA-Hobart 4.5, which has been a real workhorse. The only limit has been the capacity of the bowl. I also have a KA Pro 6, which DH got for a Christmas gift in 2006. With a special offer from Amazon and a rebate from KA, he ended up paying $275.00. I haven't had any problem with this machine laboring with anything, including heavy whole-grain doughs. Nor have I experienced the loudness some have mentioned. Maybe it differs from machine to machine? Wattage can't be trusted. Most wattage figures only list the amount the machine pulls from the outlet, not the wattage it puts out. For example, the $1500 5-quart Hobart now available for home use actually has a very low wattage. So what? Wattage doesn't indicate power, at least not as the number is commonly used. Here's a quote from Cooks Illustrated's last review of mixers regarding the wattage issue: "If I hadn't included the Hobart in the lineup, I might never have discovered the sneaky truth behind wattage ratings. Most mixers list their power in watts; Hobart is the only one to use horsepower. When I learned that 1/6 HP equals a mere 124 watts, I scratched my head in puzzlement. How could this quiet, powerful workhorse have the lowest wattage rating in such a hacking, shuddering group (from 250 watts to 1,000 watts)? Turns out Hobart is the only mixer to list output power rather than input power. What's the difference? Output wattage is the amount of power the motor actually produces--which flows out of the motor, moves through the mixer arm, and, ultimately, smacks the ingredients around. Every other mixer lists input wattage, which is simply the power that flows from the electrical outlet into the mixer's motor. What does input wattage tell you about the power of a mixer? Absolutely nothing--it's purely a marketing gimmick. To wit, the six models that failed the bread dough test (our initial round) had power ratings ranging from low to high, mostly high (275, 350, 400, 450, 700, 700). In addition, every other test showed absolutely no correlation between mixer performance and wattage. (If manufacturers were willing to provide output wattage figures, comparison would be easy, but this key bit of data is never offered.)" So apparently, whatever mixer you decide to buy, wattage shouldn't be the criterion. Carol

Like Momj47, I have mine out, and bought a quilted cover for it. I have my food processor down low, and it's quite a PITA to get it, so I didn't want the same issue for my mixer, and just keep it on the counter in a corner. I know people like their lifts, but I didn't want to spend the money for one, didn't want to take up the cabinet space, and worried that it would break eventually. So the counter has really worked for me. Also, I found that I needed the cover, or crumbs and stuff would get inside the bowl, and then when I had to use it, I'd have to rinse out the bowl. I bought my cover on eBay. People are so imaginative there, and there are all kinds of designs you can buy (i.e. not just the boring white KA mixer cover). I got mine personalized with embroidered words "MY Mixer", which I thought was funny to capitalize the "MY". I don't know the decor of your kitchen, but you can find covers in all sorts of colors, patterns, vintage looks, embroidery, you name it, you can get for the quilted mixer cover on eBay. Just search there for "mixer cover" and you'll see.

Here's a before pic: And here's the after:I don't think the grease they had in there was doing much good. The oil had separated and it was just caked around various interior areas, not going through the gears at all. From a lubrication perspective, it's not an ideal setup, since the grease is just free to end up not being on the gears at all (there's no gear case filled with oil). If it lasts me another 15 years though, I'll be happy.