ISO outdoor ice maker..

[Kingdaddy]

I need an ice maker capable of operating in hot weather (Texas) with about 40-50 lbs of ice making capacity. I’ve been looking at the portable kind that will almost put out enough ice and their very fast, but it turns out that they only make the hollow ice cubes and those melt in your drink very fast and don’t do well for icy blender drinks I’m’ told.

If anyone here has any experience or owns an outdoor or portable ice maker please let me know what you think and how it works for you.

[TATTRAT]

hrmmm... in my best experience for bulk ice out doors, it is just best to have a cooler/ice chest, filled with bulk bagged ice. in a party scenario, there is no way an ice machine can keep up.

there are multiple ways to store it and it not look like a cooler full of ice, out door ice chests can be attractive, but be prepared to pay.

[Kingdaddy]

Ive got a pretty nice outdoor ice chest but it costs $18 a weekend to fill it with ice to keep everything cold and make drinks. I guess what I really need is a refrigerator and ice maker, but if the ice maker is big enough it will alleviate the need for a refrigerator.

[Uncle Bob]

Check around for prices on an ice maker that produces the amount of ice you need...$18 week might look more attractive.....

[Michael in FtW]

I'm with TATTRAT and Uncle Bob - unless you're willing to pony up the bucks for a commercial ice maker ($2,000+) with more capacity than you need - a good large ice chest and some bags of ice will probably do much better than one of the small ice makers - and you're not paying for the energy to make the ice, or having to pay to repair it.

Although not cheap, compared to some other brands, I would probably go with one of the Coleman Xtreme or Ultimate Extreme models ... which will hold ice 5-6 days at 90ºF ambient temp. Even given our 102ºF weather that should be good enough to hold ice for a 12-hour BBQ.

You might call the guys at Acemart (817) 498-5900 and talk to them about what you want. They might be able to help lead you to an ice maker that might do what you want. Of course, we have other folks that sell used restaurant equipment here in Fort Worth - just break out those yellow pages and let your fingers do some walking.

[Kingdaddy]

Originally Posted by Michael in FtW

Of course, we have other folks that sell used restaurant equipment here in Fort Worth - just break out those yellow pages and let your fingers do some walking

Thats a great idea, maybe Craigs list or something like that.

[Michael in FtW]

Actually - if I had ment checking Craig's List or eBay I would have suggested them. Since FtW is my home, and I know a bit about what is available ... that is why I suggested what I did.

[Kingdaddy]

Originally Posted by Michael in FtW

Actually - if I had ment checking Craig's List or eBay I would have suggested them. Since FtW is my home, and I know a bit about what is available ... that is why I suggested what I did.

Where is a good place to start looking for used equipment here in Fort Worth, I've already tried Ace?

[TATTRAT]

Also, I know that some restaurant auction off equipment when they are closing down or doing a remodel. Those are normally in the back of the newspaper.

[Michael in FtW]

Originally Posted by Kingdaddy

Where is a good place to start looking for used equipment here in Fort Worth, I've already tried Ace?

Search these catagories in the Yellow Pages:

Ice Making Equipment & Machines
Ice Making Equipment & Machines Reparing & Service
Restaurant Equipment Repair & Service
Restaurant Equipment & Supplies

Also, check the classified ads in the Star-Telegram.

Sometimes the repair guys buy non-working units for scrap (or get them for free for hauling them away) and refurbish and sell them for cheaper than working units available from some of the buyer/resellers. I had a BIL that used to do this. That's why I included them in the list of places to check.

There are a lot of places going out of business ... many will try to sell their equiment via the classified ads before they resort to selling to a used equipment buyer. They can get a little more than the used equipment buyers are willing to pay - but less than what they are selling the same thing for.

The key is to shop around and know the market.

I doubt you will have much luck finding something as small as a 50-lb/day unit - but a couple of years ago I found a couple of 250-lb/day units ranging from $500-$800.

Of course - you could always buy a freezer and make your own ice. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs - so 50-lbs of ice would only be a matter of freezing 6 gallons of water (which you could divide up into whatever portion size would be most convenient for you to break up for you applications).

Happy hunting!