5" filter Press

[Dennis H.]

Ok I have to find out how good a 5" hand pump filter press would be for a small producer.

I mean is it even worth while for someone who makes maybe up to 50 gals a year?

I know that you can get the papers thru CDL.

Right now I don't have alot of extra $$ after getting the new evap and I am hoping to be looking at making upwards of 20 gals this coming year, well I am hoping anyway. I am also planning on expanding some next year so the 50 gal range is doable in the near future.

Or is it just common sense to get a 7" short bank finter press with a gear pump right from the get go?

[mapleack]

Dennis, we had one for close to 15 years and it worked great! If you're always going to only make 50 to 75 gal per year go for it. We out grew it once we started making 80 to 100 a year, it got to be too much work (time consuming and tiring) to use. Even if you have to upgrade in 5 years to a 7" electric, you're not going to lose much money as they seem to hold their value well. Goodluck, you won't regret buying one if you're production is going to stay steady.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Its the differance between a car with heat and air and one without:) When it comes to recirculating the syrup and filling pails for storage it will take two people. you also get a transfer pump in the deal.

[802maple]

I have seen sugarmakers put gear or pneumatic diaphragm pumps on them as well, not to confuse the subject anymore.

[mapleack]

Jerry, that's true about upgrading the handpress with a gear pump. I considered doing that with the one I had, but decided I needed more capacity. It would be easy enough for Dennis to do if his arm got tired!

[White Barn Farm]

I bought Andy's press and couldn't be happier. For our size of operation it works great.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I believe the filter bank is not designed for higher pressures

[Russell Lampron]

I have a 7" hand filter press and just upgraded the pump to a pneumatic double diaphragm pump. The hand pump worked good for about 5 gallons at a time. Make sure the syrup is really hot and it will pump through easier.

[Dennis H.]

It sounds like a 5" filter press with 5 plates will work for me then.

I figure that I will be filtering maybe 1 to 2 gals at a time as I make syrup.

Now I just have to find the extra $$ to get one, I guess a few overtime days at work are now in order!!

[Father & Son]

Dennis,
I bought one of the 5" hand presses from "Daryl" last year and I'm very happy with it. Prior to it all I ever did was gravity filter. A producer 4 miles from me has been using a 5" hand press for about ten years and that is what sold me. Even only making 20 gallons of syrup last year it was worth it because there was less clean up than there would have been using cone filters and pre filters.

Jim

[jrthe3]

i love my filter press i had talked to Daryl about the ones he builds and he thinks that in would handle a gear pump if you wanted to add it down the road i would of bought one of his but i could not pass on the deal i got on mine