Add Motor to Grape Crusher

Ben

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Jul 1, 2010, 5:34:51 PM7/1/10

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Hi all,

I have a "regular" manual grape crusher that needs a good cleaning,
painting and adjustment in order to handle the wine making this
September. I am also thinking of adding a small motor to it, since
last year we made about 300 L of different types of wine (CS, Zin,
Muscat) - big family...

I'm quite handy with woodworking and DIY projects, but I'm at a loss
choosing a motor and a modality of installation: "direct drive", a
system of pulleys?!??

Did anyone of you try doing this? I can send pics of my crusher, if it
helps.

Many thanks, Ben

fishziblu

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Jul 2, 2010, 6:57:39 AM7/2/10

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Hi,

A motorised crusher does not need speed, but would do with some
torque.

I am assuming that your manual grape crusher consists of two square
toothed
rollers, within a hopper.

A 300W or 0.75hp motor would do. A pulley system/ or gear will step
down
the speed and give you enough torque. The pulley system has an
advantage
of slip in case the system breaks to halt, therefore protecting both
the crusher and
the motor. Make sure you have a handy pushbutton switch nearby, to
stop it immediately.
(or a load protector which would do that automatically).

Such a motor would rotate at a no-load speed of about 1500-2000rpm,
which is way too much.
You would need to gear it down. Aim for 60-90 rpm.

Since this is a wet environment, insulate/cover all your electrics and
connections.
Recommendation for IP67 switch.

fishziblu

Ben

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Jul 2, 2010, 7:04:10 AM7/2/10

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Thanks! That's the speed (rpm) I had in mind (empirically I counted 70
rpm manually). The one different piece of info about my crusher is
that it uses a single large drum with spikes (scary looking thing).
Would that make a difference?

Many thanks, Ben

fishziblu

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Jul 3, 2010, 3:12:20 AM7/3/10

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It shouldnt make a difference.
Spikes are usually used (to my experience) for harder fruit such as
apples.
The important thing is that all the individual berries are broken.

a

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Jul 8, 2010, 10:27:54 PM7/8/10

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> stop it immediately.
> (or a load protector which would do that automatically).
>
> Such a motor would rotate at a no-load speed of about 1500-2000rpm,
> which is way too much.
> You would need to gear it down. Aim for 60-90 rpm.
>
> Since this is a wet environment, insulate/cover all your electrics and
> connections.
> Recommendation for IP67 switch.
>
> fishziblu

>Thanks! That's the speed (rpm) I had in mind (empirically I counted 70
> rpm manually). The one different piece of info about my crusher is
>that it uses a single large drum with spikes (scary looking thing).
> Would that make a difference?
>
>Many thanks, Ben

It would make a difference to your fingers. I would recommend the following:

* that you use a RCD to protect against shocks.

* use a foot switch like on sewing machines so that you can quickly stop the
'difference' that the spikes may make to anything that enters that shouldn't
i.e. fingers, long hair, loose clothing, the cute kitten from next door etc
etc....

Mike

Ben

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Jul 26, 2010, 8:25:31 AM7/26/10

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> Mike- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Uh, arrrgh - I thought the cute kitten next door was coming to drink
the wine...maybe I got it all backwards :) - anyway, I'll let you know
how the retrofit came out, so far the crusher is dismanteled, cleaned
and in "paint mode"...

Best, Ben

VirtualDen

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Aug 25, 2010, 8:34:24 AM8/25/10

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"Ben" <ben.mih...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:4d523c0c-8fb7-4d38...@s9g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...

------------------------------------
I need to paint the chute my crusher/destemmer is sitting on. What kind of
paint are you using and is it FDA approved?

VD

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