New Huky owner from Vermont, USA

[korkiley]

I recently inherited a Huky 500 so I'm looking for basic operating instructions. I've been roasting for about 5 years and my own roaster was a Hottop. I did about 5 roasts with many Roastmaster roasts as a guide. It went pretty well but the roaster developed some disturbing noises after a couple of roasts. I didn't discover the lubricant until after I had completed the five roasts. The roaster was set up in its original location for those five roasts. Now I must purchase a propane tank and re-assemble it here in Vermont. I'm hoping to get all of my questions answered on this forum in combination with others like Home-barista. I've searched in vain for an operator's manual and a schematic or two showing the parts and how they function. I'm assuming that there isn't an official one. I found instructions here that have helped me get started.

[edtbjon]

Welcome!
Well, the closest thing to a manual is indeed this very forum. You'll probably find that most of your questions already have been discussed, so the search function is a good friend. But feel free to ask any question you like.
Many of us are active over at HB too. I've found the videos from MillCityRoasters to be very educative for roasting in general. (There's an early video where the roaster Joe Marrocco uses his own Huky500. They have since learnt more on producing these videos... )
 

[Gregr]

Welcome 
Regarding the propane tank- if you have a hardware store nearby it might be easier just to rent one from them. I believe I paid around $30 for the full tank and it lasted over a year. The stove that comes with the roaster seems very efficient.

[hankua]

I haven't pulled my drum off as of yet as its not had heavy use; even though it's a 2013 model. Personally I don't see any reason to take it apart, unless the bearings need replacing or the drum gets out of alignment.

A lot of the fasteners on the Huky are tiny and easy to strip out, If you want to lock them in a touch of thread locker doesn't hurt. I'm not a fan of the ball end Allen drivers; getting some better tools is a good idea.

The motor gears are noisy and that's normal; the drum rubbing or grinding against the faceplate is another issue.

[korkiley]

Thank you all for the welcome and other comments. I always wondered why my brother wanted a Huky. From looking here and elsewhere, I'm now beginning to understand. There's a great community behind the product.

I tried running my drum today and it wasn't so awfully noisy. I also tried working some of the lubricant from the supplied syringe into front and rear bearings. It sounded OK so perhaps expansion from heating (I had done 4 roasts almost back to back) was what caused the alarming noises.