These are Yellow Delicious apples being prepared for the cider press.

In 1993 I purchased a cider press (American Harvester by Happy Valley Ranch). The first year I cranked the grinder by hand, but it didn't take me long to put an electric motor on the press. Here you see my mother and I getting ready to press the first batch of cider.

Everyone seems interested in helping press cider. My sister and brother-in-law helped one afternoon. We usually press 10 to 15 gallons at a time, and you end up with about 2 wheel barrows of pulp.

 

Below you'll see some modifications I made to the Apple cider press.

In 1994 I mounted this 1/2 HP

(1725 RPM) electric motor.

The pulley on the motor is 2 inches and the pulley on the grinder shaft is 10 inches.

This gives a nice and relatively safe speed to grind the apples into pulp.

I drilled a quarter inch hole in the cast iron housing where the grinder shaft fits in.

Then I can add some vegetable oil as lubricant for the spinning shaft.

In 1995 I had a local welding shop make me a Stainless Steel insert which fits in the bottom of the wooden platform.

This Stainless Steel pan is easy to clean and protects the plywood base where the pressing tubs sit.

 

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