Cider guys
- Thread starter woodduck
- Start date
Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
I first bought a hand grinder and 7 gallon press.
Grinding is the hardest part. You can buy a hand grinder but you need to motorize it or it takes forever to get the job done.
If you have more than a bushel or two it takes a long time.
I then tried making cider with a juicer.
That was weird. The juicer made a lot of foam that wouldn't go away. But if you only want to make a few gallons, this is the way to go.
Since I have 50 apple trees and another 50 maturing I knew someday I would need a bigger processor so I designed and built an apple grinder (called a scratter) and bought a Harbor Freight 20-ton press. You can see my pressing videos here.
2018 Cider:
2019 Cider:
Grinding is the hardest part. You can buy a hand grinder but you need to motorize it or it takes forever to get the job done.
If you have more than a bushel or two it takes a long time.I then tried making cider with a juicer.
Since I have 50 apple trees and another 50 maturing I knew someday I would need a bigger processor so I designed and built an apple grinder (called a scratter) and bought a Harbor Freight 20-ton press. You can see my pressing videos here.
2018 Cider:
sandbur
5 year old buck +
Great video.
Deer won’t eat my cake.
Will you scratter work with crabs down to 3/4 inch and apples up to 4 inches?
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sandbur
5 year old buck +
My grinder for crabs. Larger apples are put in the grinder with the press.
I find that very large apples like Zestar, Prairie Magic, and Hazen need to be cut in half or they plug the grinder on the press.
I would like an economical way to grind all sizes of apples in one step. Cheap is the key word!
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Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
Planting fruit trees sometimes gets to be an obsession.
Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
If they won't eat your cake then just dump it around your trees for mulch.
Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
My scratter will grind anything up to 6" diameter. Apples, pears, squash, watermelon, little kids' toys... doesn't matter. Everything gets tore down to 1/4" pieces.
Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
My grinder for crabs. Larger apples are put in the grinder with the press.
I find that very large apples like Zestar, Prairie Magic, and Hazen need to be cut in half or they plug the grinder on the press.
I would like an economical way to grind all sizes of apples in one step. Cheap is the key word!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Prof.Kent
5 year old buck +
How do you sanitize it after use?
My grinder for crabs. Larger apples are put in the grinder with the press.
I find that very large apples like Zestar, Prairie Magic, and Hazen need to be cut in half or they plug the grinder on the press.
I would like an economical way to grind all sizes of apples in one step. Cheap is the key word!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
sandbur
5 year old buck +
How do you sanitize it after use?
My grinder for crabs. Larger apples are put in the grinder with the press.
I find that very large apples like Zestar, Prairie Magic, and Hazen need to be cut in half or they plug the grinder on the press.
I would like an economical way to grind all sizes of apples in one step. Cheap is the key word!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just flush it with lots of water. Same thing for the wooden press and grinder.
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woodduck
5 year old buck +
My grinder for crabs. Larger apples are put in the grinder with the press.
I find that very large apples like Zestar, Prairie Magic, and Hazen need to be cut in half or they plug the grinder on the press.
I would like an economical way to grind all sizes of apples in one step. Cheap is the key word!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What is the maximum size your garbage disposal grinder can handle? I assume the opening is about 2"
sandbur
5 year old buck +
I have sprayed those close to home, twice during the last two summers.
Most deer apples and those in odd corners of the farm do not get sprayed.
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sandbur
5 year old buck +
My grinder for crabs. Larger apples are put in the grinder with the press.
I find that very large apples like Zestar, Prairie Magic, and Hazen need to be cut in half or they plug the grinder on the press.
I would like an economical way to grind all sizes of apples in one step. Cheap is the key word!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What is the maximum size your garbage disposal grinder can handle? I assume the opening is about 2"
That is about right. I get a much better yield by using this for smaller apples.
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aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
My old press and grinder. Worked great for low volume. Now I make about 200 gallons or more per year so I needed to upgrade
aerospacefarmer
5 year old buck +
grinder on left will grind a bushel of apples in about 45 seconds if fed properly and then off to the stainless steel press for juicing. Works amazing. This is the UPGRADE
cavey
5 year old buck +
Oh oh there she is!!!!! ... I was going to make a apple scratter till I seen one of these in action. The grind on them turns it into a pulp like mash far better than the fly wheel like scratters (they chunk it out) and this style is far more simple to make (simple effective design) .. and they eat apples at a really nice rate.
Looks like you are set! Im jealous...
