I've got a choice to make soon. I need a larger fleshing machine. I've heard the new Dakota V machines are much better than the older versions. Yes, I've heard you get what you pay for, and the Dakota's have been considered toward the bottom of the line.....but I'm just wondering are the new ones worth getting. I only do about 15 game heads a year, but I want to trap and tan a bunch of Beaver this Spring.
Or I have the opportunity to buy a used Quebec model (full sized) that has been used quite a bit. I might add that it needs a knew blade. The price on it is $450. It comes with a home made table. Which should I get? Thanks, Steve
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that's a great deal as long as it has been taken care of. B. Bishop
Steve,
I don't understand the statement of bottem of the line. I have a Dakota V and I find it to be a great, high quality machine. Lets face it, a fleshing machine is a motor with a pulley attached to a pulley mounted on a blade. The blade in the Dakota is supported by bearings and mounted on a housing. The nice thing about the Dakota is the baked on powder coating on the housing. Easy to clean and should last a lifetime. The only thing that I would consider better is a complete stainless housing. As for the blade, if you are doing many capes you might want to consider a stainless blade, but you can always upgrade the blade. That's where the business is on the machine anyhow. My opinion is that the Dakota is a high quality machine for your size of shop. I like mine.
Read the archives. I'm not going to get into it any deeper than that, but you really SHOULD read and understand what a "top end" machine is all about.