Water, Hydraulic, and Ratchet Presses

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Click here for Manuals and Maintenance Notes for all Machines on this page

What size press do I need?

  lbs of Picked Fruit per gallon in your press
Whole grapes 5-6 lbs/gallon (1.5 lbs/liter)
Destemmed Grapes (whites) 12-22 lbs/gallon (3.5-6 lbs/liter)
Fermented Grapes (reds) 20-30 lbs/gallon (5-5.8 lbs/liter)

The reason is that some of the juice runs out freely (due to destemming,crushing, and even more due to fermentation) while loading the press. [A 1/2 ton picking bin is about 225 gallons.] For example, if you have 2000 lbs of red grapes, then you can expect one press of 70-100 gallons or 2 presses of 35-50 gallons, etc.
  • What type of Press should you buy? Here is a little comparison.
  • Water presses are faster and easier to use than ratchet presses. Like hydraulic and ratchet presses, they must be nearly full to operate. One possible advantage is that they do not require electrical power—only household water pressure.
  • Hydraulic plate presses offer the tradition of ratchet presses and comparable speed and performance of water presses. They can be gentle because the pressing force has a wide range of adjustment.
  • The traditional wooden ratchet press is relatively slow, inexpensive, easy to maintain, and very reliable.

Bladder (Water) Presses
Processing time for Water presses and Hydraulic Plate presses are similar. Varies from about 20 minutes for small presses up to 1 hour for large presses. Ratchet presses take 1-2 hours.

The central threaded shaft and hardware to hold the bladder are stainless steel. Model number is the capacity in liters.


BP-460

BP-320-W


The BP-160 now rides on 4 wheels.
Model
Capacity
Price
Replacement INNER Nylon Liner
Replacement Rubber Bladder
Replacement OUTER plastic cover
Notes
BP20
20 Liter, 5.3 Gallon
$750 in stock
---

$90
15" height

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 S/S basket. Painted basin and lid. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included. Will ship via UPS.
BP40
40 Liter, 10.6 Gallon
$895 in stock
$60
~47" circ.

$150
18" height

$20
~49" circ.
S/S basket. Painted basin and lid. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included. Will ship via UPS.
BP40-S/S
40 Liter, 10.6 Gallon

$1395 in stock

$60
~47" circ.

$150
18" height
$20
~49" circ.
 All stainless steel including lid and basin and stand. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included. Will ship via UPS.
BP80
80 Liter, 21 Gallon
$1195 in stock
$70
~60" circ.

$175
22" height

$25
~62" circ.
 S/S basket. Painted basin and lid. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included.
BP80-S/S
80 Liter, 21 Gallon
$1795 arriving May
$70
~60" circ.
$175
22" height
$25
~62" circ.
All stainless steel including lid and basin and stand. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included.
BP160
160 Liter, 42 Gallon
$2795
in stock
$85
~70" circ.

$350
27" height
$30
~72" circ.
S/S basket. Painted basin and lid. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included. Rides on 4 wheels. Also tilts for easy skins removal.
BP160-S/S
160 Liter, 42 Gallon
$3650
in stock
$85
~70" circ.
$350
27" height
$30
~72" circ.
All stainless steel including lid and basin. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included. Rides on 4 wheels. Also tilts for easy skins removal.
BP300-S/S
300 Liter, 80 Gallon
$5695
in stock
$105
~85" circ.
$495
35.5" height
$35
~88" circ.
Stainless steel including lid and basin. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included. The frame (which is painted steel) has 4 wheels for easy moving and also tilts for easy cleaning. Hoist for removing lid. Basket is 36.5" H x 25.5" D. Overall dimensions are 41"x 43" x 85" H.
BP450-S/S
450 Liter, 119 Gallon
$7495
in stock
$135
~98" circ.
$495
35.5" height
$40
~100" circ.
Stainless steel including lid and basin. Nylon liner and Plastic cover included. The frame (which is painted steel) has 4 wheels for easy moving and also tilts for easy cleaning. Hoist for removing lid. 580 lbs. 4'x4'x8'
BP80E-S/S
80 Liter, 21 Gallon
$1795 in stock
---
$195
19" height
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 All stainless steel. 45 cm diameter basket. Looks like BP150-W, except all stainless (and smaller). Nylon liner and Plastic cover not included.
BP150-W
150 Liter, 40 Gallon
$?
$40
27" height
$295
26" height
---
 Wood basket. Painted stand. 55 cm diameter basket. See photo below. Nylon liner and Plastic cover not included.
BP320-W
320 Liter, 85 Gallon
$3195
in stock
---
$475
36" height
---
 Wood basket. Painted stand. 70 cm diameter basket. Rides on 3 wheels. See photo above. Nylon liner and Plastic cover not included. 3/4" hose barb inlet. 1" hose barb outlet.

Garden Hose Adapter for Water Press $7
Connect a garden hose to fill bladder and press out juice. [The connection on the press is a 1/2" hose barb. The Garden Hose Adapter takes this to a female garden hose connection.]
Includes GHT Swivel Nylon Fitting, 1/2" braided tubing, and 2 stainless steel clamps.
Please note this does not work with the wooden bladder presses.


BP-300-S/S in tilted position. Note hoist is holding lid.


BP80, BP40 (cutaway cross section showing bladder), and BP20 liter water presses.

BP-150-W
Notes on Using a Bladder Press
It is recommend to use water, not air, to drive the bladder press. Household water pressure is more than sufficient to operate the press. An air compressor must be regulated down to ~30 psi or you run the serious risk of rupturing the bladder and even injury.
Be careful to avoid stems or any sharp item from getting into the press for fear of it puncturing the bladder. Most holes can be patched. You can apply talc or a thin coating of vegetable oil during the off season to extend the life of the rubber bladder.
Ratchet Presses
Model number is the basket diameter in cm. For example, RP70 has 70 cm diameter basket. . Click here for Instructions.
Model
Capacity
Basket Diameter x Height
Price
Optional Nylon Inner Liner
Notes
RP40
19 gallon
40 cm x 55 cm (16"x22")
$495
in stock
$35
Net Weight 145 lbs.
RP50
35 gallon
50 cm x 65 cm (20"x26")
$650 May arrival
$40
Net Weight 240 lbs.

RP55
45 gallon
55 cm x 70 cm (22"x28")
$850 May arrival
$45
Net Weight 320 lbs

RP70
87 gallon
70 cm x 85 cm (28"x34")
$1695 May arrival
——
Net weight 675 lbs.
Optional Nylon Liner is placed inside the basket. (None of these ratchet presses are supplied with the liner.) Liner helps to reduce the spraying of juice from the basket. You may also wish to cover the press with plastic to minimize cleanup.

Hydraulic Plate Presses

PLATE hydraulic press: a steel plate attached to a piston does the pressing.

  • Pressure adjustable from 80-300 atmospheres.
  • Tilt frame for easy loading.
  • 4-wheels on 87 gallon. 2 wheels on others
  • Operation Instructions

87 gallon Hydraulic Plate Press. Stands ~7.5 feet high. Rides on 4 wheels. Smaller units have two wheels-see photo at right.


Manual hydraulic press

Note that all the hydraulic presses tilt for loading fruit.

Capacity
Power
Basket
Price
Optional Nylon Disc
Optional Nylon Liner
Dimensions
Tio-70-Motor
87 Gallon
230 V, single phase
Wood
$5695 in stock
$95
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No. 70 basket. Net weight 850 lbs. 49" x 95"
Tio-50-Manual
35 Gallon
manual
Wood
$2525 in stock
$65
$40
No. 50 basket. Net wt 440 lbs.
Tio-40-Motor
19 Gallon
110 V
Wood
$2395 in stock used
$35
$35
No. 40 basket. Net weight 290 lbs. 32" x 66"
The Nylon Discs can be placed in middle and/or top of the press to assist in pressing. Particularly useful for wet pressings and large presses.