Dear Judie Ashford,
A few months ago I posted my experience with Kitchenaid Mixers. My
prize Kitchenaid mixer was purchased in the late 80's, possibly 90 or
91. It has been cranking out bread dough ever since, including 4
batches of brioche (20+ minutes of kneading each). I wanted
something larger and bought one of the new 6 qt Kitchenaids about a
year after they came out and burned out the motor twice. Luckily it
was replaced under warrantee.
The person who repaired the mixer told me that the newer motor,
though a higher wattage, was smaller and tended to burn out. The
older Kitchenaids had a larger motor that filled the top (hence the
way it looks) that didn't burn out. I gave me new mixer to a friend
who would only use if for cakes and cookies (kneading bread dough is
MUCH harder on the motor).
My model is the 'commercial' 5 quart they made at one time and it
shuts down if the motor overheats and has a restart button. I have
had to restart many times, but the mixer works fine. If your mixer
starts up, I predict that it will work great!
Good Luck!
Mary J. Stackhouse