Advice on used presses

[roadpupp]

I have seen many used wine presses on Craigslist but don't know enough about them to judge whether they would fit my needs.

A local wine and produce place offers fresh and frozen must and I'd be interested in trying 5 or 10 gallons at a time. I realize I would have to get into TA and sugar balancing but think I would be interested in the future.

Any advice on size, age, or what to look for from this group is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[ibglowin]

If they are recent makes say less than 15-20 years old or newer and look to be in good shape you should think about used if you know you will be doing this for the rest of your life. The newer presses have painted steel drip pans. These are usually easier to maintain and keep clean. The old (antiqueish) presses had wooden drip boxes. Those are harder to maintain or keep clean. You could always replace/rebuild parts of it depending on how handy your are with wood working. You can also rent one usually at a LHBS. I rented an old one (really old) from my LHBS. I ended up buying a new one as I didn't want to rent the old one again or drive 200 miles RT to rent a newer one from a bigger LHBS. I ended up getting a #30 Press and I love it. The #25 is a little on the small size if you are doing 100lb at a time. The #30 will do 100lb all in one press. Of course the longer you do this the more local wine friends you make that all have presses and are usually more than happy to let you use theirs!

 

[roadpupp]

I'm totally ignorant. How much juice will you get from 100 lbs of grapes?

 

[Rocky]

Depending on the vintage and the variety, you can expect about 7 or 8 gallons from 100 pounds. It used to work out to be 12 to 15 pounds per gallon.

 

[ibglowin]

I get 6-7 gallons of finished wine out of 100lbs which is perfect for carboys and small barrels. Like Rocky said you'll get more than that at press but you will lose quite a bit 48hrs later when you rack off the gross lees.

 

[grapeman]

What they say is right. You can expect 6 gallons plus a bit of top off wine. It depends on the variety of grape, how juicy they are and other factors. Reds can yield a little more when fermented on the skins as it breaks down better than fresh white grapes.

 

[roadpupp]

Thanks all. So look for a metal drip pan over wood. I guess a ratchet handle would be rare in a used press?

Are there rough dimensions for a "#30" press? How will I know the capacity?

Anything else to look for or stay away from?

Thanks

 

[ibglowin]

Newer ones have a double ratchet mechanism where it squeezes in both directions older presses only go in one direction at a time, If it has a wooden box its probably old school tech, if it has a metal drip pan with the metal "pawls" then its newer tech. Newer ones are stamped on the basket with the size such as was pictured in my link above.