6 Best Budget Fanning Mills For Under 500 That Old Farmers Swear By

You’ve just spent hours threshing a small plot of heirloom wheat by hand, and now you’re staring at a bucket of grain mixed with chaff, dirt, and weed seeds. The old-timers knew that cleaning this harvest was the difference between usable grain and chicken scratch, which is why a good fanning mill was a cornerstone of every farm. For a small operation, you don’t need a massive, expensive machine; you need a reliable workhorse that gets the job done without breaking your back or your budget.

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The Enduring Utility of a Clipper No. 27 Mill

Finding a used Clipper No. 27 is like finding a piece of farming history that still works perfectly. These machines were built when iron and wood were meant to last generations, not just a few seasons. Their design is simple: a hand crank turns a fan that blows away light chaff while the grain falls through a series of shaking screens that grade it by size.

The real challenge isn’t getting a Clipper to run; it’s finding the right screens. Each crop—from wheat and oats to beans and corn—requires a specific set of screens with different hole sizes and shapes. When you find a mill for sale at a farm auction or in a dusty barn, the first thing to check is whether it comes with a good assortment of screens. If it doesn’t, you’ll be on a quest to find them, which can sometimes cost as much as the mill itself.

Despite the hunt for parts, a well-maintained Clipper is an investment. It operates without electricity, is easy to repair with basic tools, and can process a surprising amount of grain in an hour. For anyone serious about growing their own grains for flour or animal feed, this is the benchmark against which all other budget mills are measured.

VEVOR Manual Winnower: Top Hand-Crank Value

Not everyone has the space or the need for a full-size fanning mill. If your main goal is simply separating light chaff and dust from heavier seeds, the VEVOR manual winnower is an incredible value. It’s essentially a fan in a box with a hopper on top. You pour your threshed grain in, turn the crank, and the air blast blows the light debris out one chute while the clean, heavy grain falls out another.

This machine is not a true grader. It won’t separate small weed seeds or broken kernels from your primary crop like a multi-screen mill will. But for cleaning a bucket of sunflowers for pressing, wheat for your chickens, or large beans for storage, it’s fast and remarkably effective. Its lightweight, portable design means you can easily store it in a shed and bring it out when needed.

Think of the VEVOR as a specialized tool. It does one job—winnowing—and it does it well for under $150. For the small-scale gardener or homesteader just getting into grain, it’s the perfect entry point. You get 90% of the benefit of a larger mill for 20% of the cost and effort.

Go-plus Electric Cleaner for Small Batch Speed

When you’re processing small, high-value batches like garden seeds, speed and convenience matter. The Go-plus electric cleaner and similar models are designed for this exact purpose. They use a small electric fan to create a steady airstream, allowing for hands-free operation once you get the feed rate and fan speed dialed in.

This is the machine you want for cleaning a few pounds of saved tomato seeds or separating paprika pepper seeds from the dried pulp. The process is much faster and more consistent than winnowing by hand with a bucket and a fan. You can set it up on a workbench and process your entire seed collection in an afternoon.

However, these units are typically made of lighter-gauge metal and plastic. They aren’t built for the rugged, continuous use that a vintage cast-iron mill can handle. Consider it a fantastic tool for the dedicated seed-saver, but don’t expect it to clean 100 pounds of oats for your livestock.

Farm Tuff Seed Cleaner: Built for Durability

The Farm Tuff brand occupies a middle ground between the lightweight electric models and the heavy-duty vintage machines. It’s often built with a sturdier frame and a more powerful motor, designed for someone who is regularly cleaning more than just garden seeds. This is the kind of machine you’d buy if you have a quarter-acre of buckwheat or a large corn patch to process for animal feed.

While still compact, these cleaners often have better controls for adjusting airflow and sometimes include a basic screen or two for grading. The build quality is meant to handle the dust and vibration of processing grain without shaking itself apart. It’s a practical, no-nonsense tool that prioritizes function over finesse.

You’re paying a bit more for that durability, but the investment makes sense if you plan on processing 50-pound batches regularly. It bridges the gap for the hobby farmer who has outgrown a simple winnower but isn’t ready to commit to restoring a 300-pound antique.

Homend Grain Grader: Precision for Seed Savers

While most cleaners focus on removing chaff, the Homend Grain Grader and similar multi-screen units are all about precision. These machines are designed specifically for sorting seeds by size, which is critical for anyone serious about saving seeds for planting. By separating the largest, healthiest seeds, you are actively selecting for the most vigorous genetics for next year’s crop.

These graders typically operate with a hand crank and feature multiple, interchangeable screens. The grain is fed into the top, and as it passes over the shaking screens, it’s sorted into different chutes. The largest seeds come out one chute, medium ones another, and the smallest seeds and debris are separated out.

This level of control is overkill for cleaning chicken feed, but it’s invaluable for improving your seed stock. Imagine being able to plant only the plumpest, most promising corn kernels or wheat berries from your harvest. That is how you develop a landrace variety perfectly adapted to your specific soil and climate. This tool is for the farmer who sees seeds as an investment, not just a commodity.

Hunting for a J.L. Owens "New Superior" Mill

Everyone knows about Clipper mills, but the old-timers in the know often keep an eye out for a J.L. Owens. These fanning mills, often painted a distinctive red or blue, were another high-quality brand from the golden age of farm equipment. They are less common than Clippers, but every bit as capable.

Finding a "New Superior" mill often feels like a treasure hunt. They pop up at estate sales or tucked away in the corner of a barn, sometimes with a full set of original screens. Their construction is robust, with hardwood frames and heavy-duty components that were meant to be repaired, not replaced.

If you come across one, check the wooden shaker box (the "shoe") for rot and make sure the fan spins freely. Like any vintage mill, the value is often in the included screens. An Owens mill with a good screen collection for under $500 is a fantastic find that will serve your homestead for a lifetime.

The Restored A.T. Ferrell No. 1: A Workhorse

The A.T. Ferrell & Co. Clipper is the undisputed king of vintage fanning mills, and the No. 1 or the smaller M-1 are true workhorses. These are the machines you see still operating perfectly after 80 years of use. Buying a restored one, or taking on the project yourself, gives you a piece of equipment that will outlive anything you can buy new today.

A restoration project usually involves checking and oiling the babbitt bearings, ensuring the fan is balanced, and making sure the wooden frame is solid. Often, the wood just needs a good cleaning and a coat of linseed oil to be ready for another century of work. The mechanics are so simple that nearly any problem can be fixed with basic tools.

The satisfaction of taking a dusty, forgotten machine and bringing it back to life is immense. A restored Clipper isn’t just a tool; it’s a connection to a more self-sufficient past. It will clean your grain flawlessly, operate with the quiet hum of well-made machinery, and become a centerpiece of your farm’s infrastructure.

Final Verdict: VEVOR Manual vs. Vintage Finds

Choosing the right mill comes down to a simple trade-off: time versus money, and convenience versus capability. There is no single "best" option, only the right option for your specific situation.

For the hobbyist who needs a solution right now to clean a small harvest, the choice is clear.

• Go with a new machine like the VEVOR Manual Winnower. It’s affordable, arrives at your door in a few days, and works straight out of the box. It solves the immediate problem of separating chaff from grain with minimal fuss.

For the homesteader building a resilient, long-term system, the better path is patience.

• Hunt for a vintage mill like a Clipper, Owens, or Ferrell. The search may take months, and it might require some cleanup or minor repairs. But for your effort, you get a machine with far greater capability—one that can clean, grade, and sort almost any seed you can grow. It’s a lifetime investment for a one-time cost.

Ultimately, the new electric and manual winnowers are excellent for their intended purpose: simple cleaning of small batches. The vintage fanning mills are complete grain processing systems. Decide which you truly need before you spend your money.

Whether you choose the immediate convenience of a modern winnower or the enduring legacy of a cast-iron antique, incorporating a fanning mill into your workflow is a major step toward self-sufficiency. It transforms a pile of messy, threshed grain into clean seed for planting, nutritious feed for animals, or wholesome food for your family. That simple mechanical process is what closes the loop on a truly sustainable harvest.