Does anybody know this models shipped from Amazon are the new metal gearboxs or the old plastic ones? I'm planing to buy this model, just want to make sure whether they are the new ones or not? Any buyer has any suggestion?Thank you.Ran Does anybody know this models shipped from Amazon are the new metal gearboxs or the old plastic ones? I'm planing to buy this model, just want to make sure whether they are the new ones or not?... » Read More Does anybody know this models shipped from Amazon are the new metal gearboxs or the old plastic ones? I'm planing to buy this model, just want to make sure whether they are the new ones or not? Any buyer has any suggestion?Thank you.Ran « Show Less
900555
Mine is a licorice and also has a WU23 serial number like A. Oglesby. From the way they ship I would have guessed they get dropped shipped direct from the Kitchenaid factory, not some Amazon warehouse. For those saying they got plastic, what serial number series do you have (first two letters and two numbers)?
900556
I purchased one during the friday only sale.. and it does state on the box that it is "ALL-STEEL GEAR TRANSMISSION". I read also on another post, one customer did the research and found out from Kitchen Aid that any serial number above WU14..... are the most recent models, with the all steel gears.. Mines start with WU23..(licorice) I hope this helps.
900557
Thanks for the information guys. Mine arrived yesterday; it says all steel gear transmission on the box, but my serial number starts with WT47... making it seem like it is older than the WU serial numbers. Any thoughts? - Thanks!
900558
yeah I can answer your question. I just received mine from amazon about a wek or so ago. I was a amazon vote winner. I contacted Kitchenaid, and they told me my mixer was made in August of this year. All mixers made after april of 2007 have metal gearboxes. Read my review.
900559
I did my own research on serial numbers and dates. Mine starts with WU17.., and I found out directly from Kitchenaid that it was made in April 2007. Mine has the metal gearbox cover, so I would think that any with serial numbers similar or above mine have them too.
900560
There's a silver colored band that wraps around the top of the mixer and is held in place by a small screw in the back. Remove that screw and the silver band. Then remove the 4 screws (2 on each side) that were covered by the silver band. Then lift off the top and you will see the gear box located in the front end of the top. If it's silver colored and has some fins or ribs on one side, it should be a metal gear box. You may want to test it by seeing if a magnet will stick to it.As for the plastic vapor smell, you're on your own.
167019
I'm going through turn servo arms and sheer pins on the axles. The rear axle is clicking and sounds like a gear skip. I have 2 of these and it's been a lot of bench time working on them. I like the way they crawl but it's been order after order for parts.
199491
The two gears that turn the paddle inside the kettle are black plastic. We have had our machine for a little over 3 months (as of 29 Oct 13), and have used it about 30 times or so, and couldn't be happier with it!!! As for what's in the gearbox, I'm not sure. I can only see the two black gears above the kettle.
842597
Now, here is a kicker. On BH site it shows as DISCONTINUED! So what's the replacement if it's the case? I was hesitant to pull a trigger a couple of weeks ago when price was around $435 and obviously have missed the opportunity. However, if this is already an old model, I am very interested in a replacement.
1688420
Has yours broken? I was just thinking about ordering one. It appears that they have heating element issues with the old one. Maybe I will wait to see if someone orders it for Christmas and posts responses. Let me know what you think of yours.
1210274
Greg,You seem like the real resident expert. I've really appreciated your reviews.I'm looking at buying two pair for my grandkids, their father and I to play with. I see I can get the LTTO version on Ebay for about the same as the neer LTX. Can you tell me which you prefer (or which is better)?Thanks,Barry
377091
Thank you for noticing! I thought I was the only one who questioned this. I would never have known if I hadn't tried to order one for my mom's birthday because she liked mine so much. I nearly dropped my teeth when it was listed at $119.00. I checked the next day and it was $249.00! In addition, there was a new seller. It appears as if the second seller bought out the first one. Other sites seemed to have their stock dried up as well. When I bought mine Amazon sold it and I used my prime membership to save on shipping. Seems like someone figured out a dirty little way to scam us. I wonder how many other low profile products are going the same way. I called customer service. I did not get a satisfactory response, so I e-mailed them just now. I hope they take notice.
394323
Hi K.C.,Thank you for purchasing and glad to see you were early in the queue. Amazon was out, we shipped them more, they ran out again (you got yours shipped from that batch). Today (11-9) we shipped Amazon a truckload; expect the UL80VT-A1 to be shipping from Amazon again by the end of this week.EDIT:I think Friday of this week is realistic for them to start shipping, but it could be early next week because this is a very busy time for them receiving inventory into their warehouses.
1235412
I had no issues with my plastic tracks but I did upgrade to the metal gears which added some power and torque. The nylon gears were ok but I could see them wearing out in a short period of time. The metal tracks look awesome but I don't see an advantage for these tanks cause of dirt and mud getting in the metal tracks and having to clean them all the time vs plastic.
707530
The picture is clearly the new model. This is misleading if people are getting the older model. The current model is a significant improvement. This posting should be reported to Amazon, as the picture is luring people into thinking this is the current model.
2073609
dang it, my delivery date just got moved from the 29th to the 30th.... Still not shipped... Oh well, waited 21 days so far, what's another one. Anyone who received it able to post any pictures and reviews of it on amazon? Would like to see real pictures of it being used instead of just stock photos.
1464743
I believe that the plastic gear housing debacle happened in the mid-2000's (2005-2006). Kitchen-Aid has long ago gone back to the metal gear housing on the Professional 6. The replacement mixer they sent me has metal gear housing. I think if you are buying a new brand new mixer from Amazon you will have the metal gear housing. I think KithchenAid learned their lesson on cheaping out on sturdy parts. The Professional 6 is a great mixer and I have had no problems whatsoever since then and my mixer gets heavy use as I do a lot of bread baking during the winter months and always use my KitchenAid to knead the dough. Good Luck! I believe that the plastic gear housing debacle happened in the mid-2000's (2005-2006). Kitchen-Aid has long ago gone back to the metal gear housing on the Professional 6. The replacement mixer they sent me has metal gear housing. I think if you are buying a new brand new mixer from Amazon you will have the metal gear housing. I think KithchenAid learned their lesson on cheaping out on sturdy parts. The Professional 6 is a great mixer and I have had no problems whatsoever since then and my mixer gets heavy use as I do a lot of bread baking during the winter months and always use my... » Read More I believe that the plastic gear housing debacle happened in the mid-2000's (2005-2006). Kitchen-Aid has long ago gone back to the metal gear housing on the Professional 6. The replacement mixer they sent me has metal gear housing. I think if you are buying a new brand new mixer from Amazon you will have the metal gear housing. I think KithchenAid learned their lesson on cheaping out on sturdy parts. The Professional 6 is a great mixer and I have had no problems whatsoever since then and my mixer gets heavy use as I do a lot of bread baking during the winter months and always use my KitchenAid to knead the dough. Good Luck! « Show Less
321059
Are the gears plastic or metal...I'm getting conflicting answers on site...thanks.
84546
the v2 has metal rotor head parts and metal gear servos,the standard are plastic.you will at some point want to change the servos to metal gear anyway so if you dont minds spend a little extra it will be worth it but at the same time I did get the standard model and never had a problem with it,but I did end up putting in better metal gear servos later on just to be safe.
666724
Now that's a good one..I went and looked..the housing (for the gears) is plazdic..and (without taking it apart) I suspect the gears are too..Mjr
64428
You can buy metal gears separately for $10. We had one with the regular hard (plastic?)gears they come with, lasted a few years
1811154
I am happy with mine, however it went on an early 99 f350, which uses a coarse thread. I'm unaware of the warranty or return policy. The item I ordered was exactly what i was looking for; the 8 lug hub. Don't let the generic photo fool you, pay attention to the part number. These are fine thread as everyone has stated. So.... I bought new lug nuts and late model rotor to fit. (early -99 are a little different offset, which required the rotor swap.) I replaced all ball joints while i had it apart. This unit really got rid of the "Float" which is why i replaced mine. ( 37" tires are just so heavy and abusive on parts, so i went to a 35.) I'm hoping these last lol. I am happy with mine, however it went on an early 99 f350, which uses a coarse thread. I'm unaware of the warranty or return policy. The item I ordered was exactly what i was looking for; the 8 lug hub. Don't let the generic photo fool you, pay attention to the part number. These are fine thread as everyone has stated. So.... I bought new lug nuts and late model rotor to fit. (early -99 are a little different offset, which required the rotor swap.) I replaced all ball joints while i had it apart. This unit really got rid of the "Float" which is why i... » Read More I am happy with mine, however it went on an early 99 f350, which uses a coarse thread. I'm unaware of the warranty or return policy. The item I ordered was exactly what i was looking for; the 8 lug hub. Don't let the generic photo fool you, pay attention to the part number. These are fine thread as everyone has stated. So.... I bought new lug nuts and late model rotor to fit. (early -99 are a little different offset, which required the rotor swap.) I replaced all ball joints while i had it apart. This unit really got rid of the "Float" which is why i replaced mine. ( 37" tires are just so heavy and abusive on parts, so i went to a 35.) I'm hoping these last lol. « Show Less