King-Size Portable Ice Cream Maker

1989 - Volume #13, Issue #6, Page #30

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"It's the only one of its kind in the world," say Cledus and Vera Stites, Odon, Ind., about their trailer-mounted homemade ice cream maker that's operated by two gasoline engines and consists of one 25-gal. and two 5-gal. units.
The Stites built their traveling ice cream maker five years ago to exhibit at an antique machinery show. "I was asked to make and sell ice steam using my wife's already well-known recipe," says Cletus. "I already had one 5-gal. unit, which was the largest cornmercially available ice cream maker, but it couldn't supply enough volume to keep up with demand. With the help of a local machine shop that specializes in manufacturing hog and cattle equipment, we built a 25-gal. triple-action freezer with a fiber-glassed wooden tub and stainless steel can, paddle and gear head. However, the 25-gal. unit still wasn't big enough so we purchased a second 5-gal. unit."
Last year at the show the Stites made 375 gal. of ice cream, selling two big dips in 10-oz. cups for $1. They used 18 cases of canned evaporated milk, 112 gal. of whole milk, 300 lbs. of sugar, and 120 dozen eggs. To reduce the time it took to make ice cream at the show, they broke and beat the eggs two days before the show and put them on ice in a refrigerated truck.
Stites developed his own unique drive system for the ice cream makers that includes a one-of-a-kind rubber tire "clutch". To drive each ice cream maker, Stites simply lowers the clutch wheel so it contacts both the flywheel on the antique gas engine supplying the power, and a wheel that drives a gearbox that drives each ice cream maker. When Stites wants to stop the ice cream maker, he simply pulls a lever to raise the rubber wheel. A winch and cable assists in removing the paddle and lifting the full 25-gal. stainless steel can from the fiberglass tub and lowering it into a cradle. Ice cream is then dumped out of the cradle, over the side of the trailer, and into plastic pails.
Contact FARM SHOW Followup,Cledus Stites, RR 1, Box 18, Odon, Ind. 47562 (ph 812 636-4189).

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King-Size Portable Ice Cream Maker FARM HOME Food 13-6-30 "It's the only one of its kind in the world," say Cledus and Vera Stites, Odon, Ind., about their trailer-mounted homemade ice cream maker that's operated by two gasoline engines and consists of one 25-gal. and two 5-gal. units. The Stites built their traveling ice cream maker five years ago to exhibit at an antique machinery show. "I was asked to make and sell ice steam using my wife's already well-known recipe," says Cletus. "I already had one 5-gal. unit, which was the largest cornmercially available ice cream maker, but it couldn't supply enough volume to keep up with demand. With the help of a local machine shop that specializes in manufacturing hog and cattle equipment, we built a 25-gal. triple-action freezer with a fiber-glassed wooden tub and stainless steel can, paddle and gear head. However, the 25-gal. unit still wasn't big enough so we purchased a second 5-gal. unit." Last year at the show the Stites made 375 gal. of ice cream, selling two big dips in 10-oz. cups for $1. They used 18 cases of canned evaporated milk, 112 gal. of whole milk, 300 lbs. of sugar, and 120 dozen eggs. To reduce the time it took to make ice cream at the show, they broke and beat the eggs two days before the show and put them on ice in a refrigerated truck. Stites developed his own unique drive system for the ice cream makers that includes a one-of-a-kind rubber tire "clutch". To drive each ice cream maker, Stites simply lowers the clutch wheel so it contacts both the flywheel on the antique gas engine supplying the power, and a wheel that drives a gearbox that drives each ice cream maker. When Stites wants to stop the ice cream maker, he simply pulls a lever to raise the rubber wheel. A winch and cable assists in removing the paddle and lifting the full 25-gal. stainless steel can from the fiberglass tub and lowering it into a cradle. Ice cream is then dumped out of the cradle, over the side of the trailer, and into plastic pails. Contact FARM SHOW Followup,Cledus Stites, RR 1, Box 18, Odon, Ind. 47562 (ph 812 636-4189).

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