Cider press & apple crusher

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Cider press & apple crusher
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Old-Chads-Orchard

Joined: 07 Dec 2005
Posts: 394
Location: Malpas, Cheshire

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 13 9:40 pm Post subject: Cider press & apple crusher

I have around 150 trees planted over the last 3 years, only 30 fruited this year, and need a press to cope with this year and next before I get something more custom/substantial. Potential another 200 trees will be planted in the new year

Autumn has seemed to have appeared rather quickly & the apples will be ready soon. As usual I am disorganised & need to get an apple press urgently, less urgently a decent crusher. Been looking on ebay and the following look to be what I am after for now

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CIDER-FRUIT-PRESS-40-LTR-OAK-STAINLESS-STEEL-/360729656600?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item53fd29bd18

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Large-Fruit-Cider-Press-40-litre-home-brew-/321195058421?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item4ac8b7a4f5

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-30L-FRUIT-PRESS-HAND-MADE-FROM-EUROPEAN-OAK-BEECH-APPLE-CIDER-WINE-PRESS-/171097037452?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item27d62d9a8c

bottom of the list is

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Quality-30L-Fruit-Press-Apple-Wine-Cider-/310358150844?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item4842c98ebc

Any suggestions for the disorganised?

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 13 9:48 pm Post subject:
Rent a shredder. Use this to shred the apples. And you can build a decent press for twenty quid in an hour. I have plans somewhere...

OtleyLad

Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 6:02 am Post subject:
This works for smaller quantities: If you have enough freezer space, put the apples in overnight, take them out the next day, let them defrost for 24hrs and you can almost squeeze the juice out of them by hand. You get more juice that way with no need to crush at all. I made this press using a bottle jack from Argos:

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 6:32 am Post subject:

With the number of trees that you already have plus the ones that you might plant in the future, its going to be well worth you investing in one of these. They hold their price really well and come in at just under £700. Its what we use.

https://www.vigopresses.co.uk/Catalogue/Fruit-Presses/Rack-Cloth-Screw-Press-91307

Forget the 100 gallons a day, because we get way more out of ours than that. The next press up in the Vigo range is an electric one that costs thousands rather than hundreds, so we just work our manual one harder.

I know it might look a bit expensive but we use this piece of kit to mill the apples and its been worth every penny we spent on it. Those manual mills might be OK for small quantities but you'd work your nuts off mushing the quantities that you're talking of.

https://www.vigopresses.co.uk/Catalogue/Crushers/Centrifugal-Mill-91202

The difference between them is something similar to comparing the performance of a machine gun and a musket.

Old-Chads-Orchard

Joined: 07 Dec 2005
Posts: 394
Location: Malpas, Cheshire

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 7:23 am Post subject:
Have been looking at the Vigo stuff, what size is the bottom tray & tray to cross beam on that? May ask a fabricator mate to price up making me one.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 7:26 am Post subject:
I'll get my tape measure out for you on ours later today.

Old-Chads-Orchard

Joined: 07 Dec 2005
Posts: 394
Location: Malpas, Cheshire

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 7:28 am Post subject:
thanks

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 7:42 am Post subject:
go for the cloth & rack press as Bodger suggests. My John made ours. Also am now looking at alternatives to acacia pressing racks as VIGO are both expensive and...out of stock!

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 8:13 am Post subject:
Vigo are expensive for most things but they stock just about everything that you can think of and their service is excellent.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 9:29 am Post subject:
Im thinking of doing HDPE 450mm squares and routing them with channels.

DorsetScott

Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 500
Location: Bournemouth

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 12:05 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

Rent a shredder. Use this to shred the apples. And you can build a decent press for twenty quid in an hour. I have plans somewhere...

Nick

I was just about to post a topic asking about building a press (as I can't afford to buy one and have just found a source of enough apples), any chance you could post it up when you get a sec?

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 12:24 pm Post subject:
Any use?

DorsetScott

Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 500
Location: Bournemouth

Posted: Tue Sep 03, 13 7:44 pm Post subject:
Thanks for the link Jamanda. I'm figuring given my non existent budget and lack of metalworking skills of any kind, I'll be looking more at something like OtleyLad posted. However it's nice to dream

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 13 6:37 am Post subject:
For a bigger press Im looking at this.... https://www.slorchards.co.uk/Building%20an%20Apple%20press.pdf

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 13 7:03 am Post subject:
I need to be able to up my pasteurizing capacity, so instead of buying another Vigo pasteurizer, this morning I've ordered one of these. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Burco-Cygnet-MFCT1030-30-Litre-Counter-Top-Manual-Fill-Water-Boiler-Stainless-St-/300951130626 It looks to be able to do exactly the same job.

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