Using older indusrial Filter Presses for Maple Syrup

[renaissanceman]

I've been learning to produce about 40-50 gal. of Maple Syrup here in NE Wisconsin for the last 8 years or so and just have to change to use a filter press. I've been blessed to have a friend let me run my soft maple syrup through his press. I would like to eventually get my own but can't until I finish paying for the 2x6 Smoky lake Hobby pan(best thing to happen to my sugar experience). I seem to have a lot of sugar sand so the press is a must. I have a chance to pick up an old cast 16" Eatel filter press for $500. I guess it's been used for syrup in the past. Need to outfit with pump etc. Is this worth following or save for a store bought new one? any advice?

[maple flats]

Is that cast Iron or cast aluminum. One big problem with cast iron is that it is hard to heat it up and to use it for maple syrup you need a hot press. If you only have a total production of 40-50 gal, and presumably would not want to blend it all together, just warming 1 set of cast iron plates (1 hollow plate plus both end plates) would be very hard to do on a 16" press. It seems to me that a filter press like that would need batches of 100+ gal to get it hot and work properly.

[renaissanceman]

Thanks, I'll call the guy again. From the pics it looks like 12- 1/2filter plates and 13 1/2' spacers between the end plates.

[mellondome]

You can always use spacers to reduce it to a single hollow plate with ends. The old cast iron presses usually have very small hollow plates . Volume wise, it is proably the same as a 1 or 2 hollow plate new 7in. For the money, you should be able to pick up a used haf bank 7in (3 hollow plates) for not much more money and it will have the pump with it. For filtering small batches to jug, (5 gal at a time), I only use one plate on my 7in press.

[renaissanceman]

I think the final piece of info. to say this is a no go is that for this commercial press the filter paper is either cut by hand (buy a roll) or ordered in a minimum of a 1000 sheets at say 50-75 filters a year that's too much to sit on. Guess I'll wait for a small 1/2 bank Wes Fab to come up. Thanks for your input.