AVALON™ CIDER PRESS FAQ

How large is the basket?

The baskets are 12" diameter by 13.5" tall and hold approximately 1.3 bushels of chipped fruit.  The baskets are made of 18 gauge stainless steel and feature smooth ribs on the interior for a snug fit of the pressing plate without snagging or tearing the bags, and super-strong reinforcing bands on the outside.

How much pressure does the screw apply?

The screw and hand wheel, with normal hand and arm exertion by a person of average physical ability, easily applies 10,000 lb force, or about 90 psi (pounds per square inch) to the fruit in the basket.  Cranking with full strength reaches 12,000 lb, over 100 psi.  The screw and thrust bearing have very low friction and require no augmentation with cheater bars or multiple people.  The ideal pressure range for optimum juice extraction and taste is 70 to 90 psi.  Higher pressure is wasted effort and detracts from the juice.

What is the juice yield?

The juice yield by weight, for the apples we've run, has been 60% to 65%.

How much juice can I make in a day?

The grinder chips a bushel of fruit in about one minute.  To feed that fast requires pouring the apples into the hopper in a controlled manner - that's faster than one person can hand-feed.  

Cycling the press with a full basket yields 3.5 to 4 gallons of juice and takes about 5 minutes, or up to 40 or 50 gallons per hour, or 400 gallons in non-stop 8-hour day, or much more in a longer day.  This level of production requires an energetic crew of 2 or 3 people, or more.

If you're limited by fruit but not time, and want the best juice yield, your yield is improved by pressing, waiting, increasing the pressure, and waiting, so your juice yield may be better, but throughput might be on 250 gallons in a day.

How much does it weigh?

The Avalon grinder weighs 75 lb.
The press frame with base, screw, handwheel, pan, wheels and handles weighs 100 lb.
Each basket weighs 8 lb.
The pressing plate with thrust bearing weighs 10 lb.

How does it ship, and for how much?

The press, all the press accessories one basket ship in one box that weighs 125 lb.
The grinder ships in a box that weighs 90 lb.
The second basket ships in its own box at 10 lb.

At present, shipping the complete package costs $150 for the lower 48, or $75 for the grinder alone.