Kooler Ice Legacy Ice Vending Machines – KI810 & IM500 Bagged Ice Vendors

Legacy Ice Vending Machines: Kooler Ice KI810 & IM500

The Kooler Ice KI810 and IM500 legacy ice vending machines are the models that established automated bagged-ice retail in the United States. Both machines make, store, bag, and dispense ice around the clock with no attendant: a customer pays, and a 10 lb bag drops in roughly 10 seconds. The KI810 is the high-volume unit, pairing an 800 lb insulated storage bin with a Scotsman C1848 Prodigy ice maker rated at 1,909 lb of ice per 24 hours — and the cabinet was engineered to accept a second C1848, lifting output from about 84 bags per day to 200+ bags per day.

The IM500 is the compact sibling, built around a 500 lb insulated bin so it can work sites where a full-size ice house simply will not fit.

Both legacy ice vending machines are framed in high-strength, corrosion-free aluminum alloy with food-grade molded plastic storage bins, so they hold up outdoors in sun, rain, and freeze-thaw cycles. Because the machine produces ice on site instead of merchandising delivered bags, there is no route driver, no melted-inventory loss, and no per-bag wholesale cost — the inputs are water, power, and empty bags. That simple operating model is why these two designs have stayed in revenue service for well over a decade at car washes, convenience stores, and rural crossroads across the country.

Specifications

Key Features That Made These Machines the Standard

• Scotsman C1848 Prodigy ice makers — a commercial cuber that remains a benchmark for reliability; parts and service knowledge are everywhere in the refrigeration trade.
• IceTalk™ remote management — monitor sales, trigger free vends, and reset the bill validator from your phone, with automatic alerts when stock runs low.
• Bag tracking — the KI810 counts bags dispensed against bags loaded, closing the door on inventory shrinkage.
• Two-button vending — standard 10 lb bag or a dual-bag bulk option for coolers and boats.
• Serviceable layout — filters, bag magazines, and mechanical components sit behind accessible panels, so routine maintenance is an owner-level job rather than a service call.
• Payment flexibility — bill validator standard, with an ePort card-reader retrofit available so legacy units can accept credit and debit like current machines.

About Kooler Ice

Kooler Ice, Inc. is a Byron, Georgia manufacturer that has specialized in ice and water vending machines since the mid-2000s and remains one of the most recognized names in the segment. The KI810 and IM500 were its first two production designs, and the company still publishes documentation and provides after-sale support for these models more than 17 years on — a longevity signal that matters when you are buying equipment expected to sit outside earning for a decade. Full legacy-model documentation is available on the official Kooler Ice legacy models page.

Where Legacy Ice Vending Machines Earn

Ice vending performs best where people grab ice on the way to using it: car washes, gas stations and convenience store pads, campgrounds and RV parks, marinas and boat ramps, beach and lake towns, hunting and fishing corridors, and rural intersections underserved by grocery ice coolers. The KI810’s 800 lb bin and 200+ bag dual-maker ceiling suit high-traffic seasonal sites, while the IM500’s compact 48-inch-wide footprint drops into locations a full-size ice house can’t touch.

Because the machine manufactures its own product from a water line, operating costs are typically limited to water, electricity, bags, and periodic filter changes — which is why ice vending is often cited as one of the leaner-overhead vending categories. If this is your first machine, the Vending Startup Program covers siting, utilities, and launch step by step, and you can compare other units in our ice vending machine collection.

Condition, Warranty & What’s Included

Legacy ice vending machines are pre-owned units that are no longer built new, and every machine we ship is inspected, cleaned, and function-tested — ice production, bagging, vend cycle, and payment systems — before dispatch. Add it to your cart or hit Buy Now to check out securely, and our team confirms your order and emails an invoice with bank wire-transfer details. Refurbished and pre-owned machines carry a 1-year limited parts-and-service warranty with remote technical support for US customers, per our published Warranty Policy; consumable filters and bags are excluded.

Why Buy From Finn Vending Sales

Free freight shipping across the continental United States, orders tested and dispatched within 1–2 business days of payment confirmation, a 30-day return window with free return shipping on approved returns, and optional professional on-site installation and startup assistance. Prefer to talk numbers first? Add it to your cart or hit Buy Now to check out securely, and our team confirms your order and emails an invoice with bank wire-transfer details.

Compare related machines

Buyers weighing this machine also look at these Finn Vending Sales listings:

• IM500 LEGACY ICE VENDING MACHINE — $32,000
• IM1000 SERIES III Ice Vending Machine — $36,000
• IM600XL Ice Vending Machine — $39,000
• SnoMaster SM-700 Ice Vending Machine — $8,700

Frequently Asked Questions

How much ice do these machines actually produce?

Each Scotsman C1848 Prodigy is rated at 1,909 lb of ice per 24 hours. In practice that supports roughly 84 ten-lb bags per day on a single-maker IM500 or KI810, and 200+ bags per day on a KI810 fitted with the optional second ice maker.

Are parts still available for legacy Kooler Ice models?

Yes. Kooler Ice has supported the KI810 and IM500 for over 17 years, and the C1848 ice maker is a mainstream Scotsman commercial unit that any refrigeration tech can source parts for.

Can these machines take credit cards?

Legacy units ship with a bill validator, and an ePort card-reader retrofit is available so the machine can accept credit and debit payments alongside cash.

What power and plumbing do I need?

Both models run on 220V single-phase power — the KI810 calls for 80 amp service — plus a 3/4-inch water supply line and a drain. A licensed electrician and plumber should complete the site hookup.

How big is the KI810, and will it need a pad?

The KI810 measures 52″W × 134″D × 111″H and weighs approximately 2,600 lb, so it sits on a level exterior concrete pad rather than indoors. The compact IM500 (48″W × 42″D × 72″H) fits standard ice-merchandiser spaces.

Are these machines new or refurbished?

They are pre-owned legacy models — Kooler Ice’s original designs — inspected and fully tested before shipment, and covered by our 1-year refurbished-equipment warranty.

How is delivery handled?

Freight shipping is free within the continental US. Your machine is prepared within 1–2 business days after payment and delivered curbside by freight carrier; on-site installation packages are available if you want it set, leveled, and connected.