# Ready for Crush! (a little early)



## ibglowin (Jun 11, 2011)

Whoo Hooo!

Took advantage of Georges FVW anniversary sale a few weeks ago. Too good of a deal to pass up. Now to figure out the parts needed to convert to motorize!


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## Rocky (Jun 11, 2011)

Mike, your Bride must be a Saint.


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## grapeman (Jun 11, 2011)

http://forum.finevinewines.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1474&amp;PN=107

scroll down a bit Mike. I have an extramounting bracketroughed out if you need dimensions or.................


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## Waldo (Jun 12, 2011)

Awesome buddy !!!


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## ibglowin (Jun 12, 2011)

I was wondering where you got that nice bracket! I went over to WP and went trough that thread back in 2009. I would for sure be interested in a bracket if it needs to be fabricated. We have a couple machine shops in town but they would probably charged me an arm and a leg.







appleman said:


> http://forum.finevinewines.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1474&PN=107
> 
> scroll down a bit Mike. I have an extra mounting bracket roughed out if you need dimensions or.................


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## Wade E (Jun 12, 2011)

I thought I posted this last night but.....
Thats the exact same set up I have. How big of batches do you plan on doing at a time Mike? I have a bad back and operating this crusher manually doesnt bother me at all and is very easy. I made some slotted wood and have my crusher mounted right against my ceiling so it doesnt take up any room and without the motor its very light and easy to move around bu yourself. I diodnt get the stand either. A big Tote under it to catch the grapes and juice and another at the back works great for me with the unit sitting on some saw horses. I could make a stand for it but that would just be another thing to store and since I already have and need the sawhorses i just seems more practical. Maybe one day Ill build another shed for stuff like this and get the stand as it would make it a little easier! Its a great set up Mike!!!!


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## Brent2489 (Jun 12, 2011)

Hmmm....Looks like you need a stand too. Don't think that chair will survive more than a few turns of the handle.


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## Scott B (Jun 12, 2011)

VERY NICE! 
Congrats!


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## ibglowin (Jun 12, 2011)

Ha! Your right though, I have 2 months still to make one or see how well placing the crusher right on top of the 20G Brute trash can works.







brent2489 said:


> Hmmm....Looks like you need a stand too. Don't think that chair will survive more than a few turns of the handle.


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## grapeman (Jun 12, 2011)

I find even the 32 gallon brute loses too much fruit when placed on it. I built my own stand out of a couple sawhorses and a few boards. Most of the grapes will drop into the brute, but some goes past it without something to catch it below.


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## Runningwolf (Jun 12, 2011)

Mike,Rocky mentioned your wife must be a saint. I think it's more like for some reason she must think you are to allow you to buy it. I always said the most important wine you make will be the one your spouse likes most. Keep her happy and let her know how much better it would be if only you had this or that piece of equipment.


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## Rocky (Jun 12, 2011)

Dan is right about getting the "buy in" from your Bride. Makes the whole thing a lot more pleasant. In my previous hobby, I could neve achieve this and I was never really able to enjoy it fully without my wife's inclusion.


Fortunately, she really likes wine and particularly likes what I have made thus far.


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## ibglowin (Jun 13, 2011)

One of the secrets to a long and happy marriage is a good hobby for each partner as well as separate checking accounts.....





Plenty of disposable income helps as well..... We are blessed in many ways for sure.


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## Rocky (Jun 13, 2011)

Oh, I don't know Mike. We are going on 46 years and I have managed to avoid "plenty" of disposable income and her only hobby seems to be nagging. I find what works for me is that I can't say those three little words enough: "Yes, Your Majesty"


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## ibglowin (Jun 13, 2011)

Bwahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


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## ibglowin (Jun 13, 2011)

Rich, so what do you use to catch those rascally grapes that would fall outside the Brute? 



appleman said:


> I find even the 32 gallon brute loses too much fruit when placed on it. I built my own stand out of a couple sawhorses and a few boards. Most of the grapes will drop into the brute, but some goes past it without something to catch it below.


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## ibglowin (Jun 13, 2011)

I am going to do somewhere between 500-800lbs this Fall. I just purchased 6 more of the 20G White Brutes off Home Depot web site. Got the lids from US Plastics. They should be here later this week.

I am thinking about going the saw horse route this year (I don't have any and could certainly use a couple around the house instead of using the outdoor table as a saw horse) and perhaps taping up a curtain of heavy clear plastic around the bottom of the crusher so that it acts like a funnel to keep all the grapes going right straight into the Brute.



Wade said:


> I thought I posted this last night but.....Thats the exact same set up I have. How big of batches do you plan on doing at a time Mike? I have a bad back and operating this crusher manually doesnt bother me at all and is very easy. I made some slotted wood and have my crusher mounted right against my ceiling so it doesnt take up any room and without the motor its very light and easy to move around bu yourself. I diodnt get the stand either. A big Tote under it to catch the grapes and juice and another at the back works great for me with the unit sitting on some saw horses. I could make a stand for it but that would just be another thing to store and since I already have and need the sawhorses i just seems more practical. Maybe one day Ill build another shed for stuff like this and get the stand as it would make it a little easier! Its a great set up Mike!!!!


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## Rocky (Jun 13, 2011)

Mike, I am not sure of the dimensions of the equipment, but it looks like you could cut the bottom out of a large,2 milplastic trash bag and tape thetop around the base of the crusher/destemmer and hang the cut end into the brute, maybe about a foot or so. That should funnel the grapes into the brute without any problem.


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## ibglowin (Jun 13, 2011)

Yep, a little duct tape to hold it on while your crushing then pull it off and toss it into the trash can. Hose down the crusher good and call it a day!


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## grapeman (Jun 13, 2011)

Here is how I did it










The saw horses are hooked together by a system of 2x4's. I put blocks of wood to make feet and get it the right height. Then the two x fours have 2 1x8 pieces of cedar (visible in the picture). Within that is another piece of wood the width of the crusher- sloped on an angle. Then you just set the crusher into it all and crush away. The Brute gets pushed in the receiving side and slid out when full enough. The plastic and duct tape might work for a couple quick crushings.


I plan on buying a SS stand soon.


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## ibglowin (Jun 13, 2011)

Thanks for the info and pic Rich. Funny how these things are all painted up different! Seems no two are alike!


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## rrawhide (Jun 14, 2011)

wow Mike
you are in the big times now - lookin' good and it will work well tooooo - no more handcranking for you.


Congratulations


rrawhide


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## ibglowin (Jun 14, 2011)

Ha! Good to see you back on the boards Rick!

You remember how I "crushed and destemmed" 200lbs last year, right?






No way I was going through that nightmare again!


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## Wade E (Jun 15, 2011)

With that much I will say you will probably want a motor unless you want some serious Pythons like I have (LOL, just kidding!!!) I myself just bought a bog brute that takes up the whole underneath of the crusher at Walmart for about $15 and literally everything falls right in. The first time I used it I had a smaller one that we had here and it was a PITA and stuff was falling out of every corner. Mike. I guess they changed colors awhile but both pcs I have are identical to yours, well maybe with the exception of mine being gold plated!!!


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## robie (Jun 16, 2011)

Great purchase, Mike. You are definitely set up, now.


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## ibglowin (Jun 16, 2011)

I think I am "all in" as they say!







DancerMan said:


> Great purchase, Mike. You are definitely set up, now.


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## ibglowin (Jun 16, 2011)

OK I give up what the heck is a "Bog Brute" !



Wade said:


> I myself just bought a bog brute that takes up the whole underneath of the crusher at Walmart for about $15 and literally everything falls right in.


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## ibglowin (Jun 16, 2011)

Would this work underneath the Crusher if it was raised up enough to rest agains the bottom?

Brute Tote


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## rrawhide (Jun 16, 2011)

oh mike - i do remember all the whining, complaining, yelling and cussing not counting the extra strengh motrin and the chiropractor!!! No more of this fun for you and I sure am happy for you - This should all work well you. You might figure out how to mount/set the totes on a movable platform. Make one for each tote and when full just move out of the way. You will probably ferment in them too so off to the fermentation area. Then you will not have to lift anything for awhile.


Good luck and let me kn0w how you decided to do this.


take care


rick


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## grapeman (Jun 16, 2011)

Use that tote for pressing into. It is low enough to get under the press and will hold quite a bit. Then either dump every few gallons or pump it into your desired holding vessel depending on if it a red or white.


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## ibglowin (Jun 16, 2011)

Thats the plan since it is a nice rectangular shape, should catch all the grapes and juice. Now to see If I can find any locally.....


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## Runningwolf (Jun 16, 2011)

ibglowin said:


> Thats the plan since it is a nice rectangular shape, should catch all the grapes and juice. Now to see If I can find any locally.....





Good luck. After Christmas you can't go into any big box store that isn't filled to the gills with them. I bet Lowes or HD would have something.


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## Wade E (Jun 16, 2011)

That size should do well. I think I use a chair under the Tote to get it very close so as not to splash and make much of a mess.


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## FL Steve (Jun 16, 2011)

I have a pretty good sized crusher and got tired of trying to find someone to help me move it. I do all of my rough processing in my 100 year old Jennings barn that we used to keep hay and wagons in when we had cattle. I have plenty of space. Mine is motorized and it is really heavy. 

I built a stand out of 4x4's and 2x4 cross pieces and the crusher sits on top of the cross pieces and I leave it there. 

A friend that has a small winery has the same setup and gave me another idea. I got some of those large casters, I think they have to be 4 inch wheels or better (you can tell I am a precision builder) and put together a cart like the movers use, only on steroids. I then went down to my local farm supply and bought a couple of those 100 gallon Rubbermaid livestock tanks. The tank sits on the cart and I slide the whole thing under the crusher. I can push it all over the barn but veerrry carefully. The tank is actually a little longer than the crusher so I have a piece of plastic to divert the stems into a wheelbarrow that sits at the end. Works like a charm. I had two of them filled to the very top last fall and had to scramble so now I have another.


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## Rocky (Jun 16, 2011)

Wow, Steve. How much wine do you make? Sounds like last Fall you made between 100 and 200 gallons. What fruit are you using? Grapes or other fruits?


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## FL Steve (Jun 16, 2011)

actually it was 185 gallons, i gave away about half a ton of dechaunac and about 400 lbs of baco

all grapes, used to buy them but now....I got to get control of myself!


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## ibglowin (Jul 5, 2011)

Will this set up work? Covers ~85% of the length of the bottom and the entire width. How do the crushed grapes come out the bottom on this thing when in use? All spread out from one end to the other or one place mostly? I can find bigger containers but this was the biggest Brute that I could find that was food grade. All the others were much cheaper of course. I had these shipped from US Plastics and they were not cheap!


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## grapeman (Jul 5, 2011)

Mike that should catch most of the grapes but there will be mixed jacks and grapes coming out a little- past that and before the end where the stems come out. That's why the chutes, either boughten or homemade slope down from the end towards your catch bucket/fermenter.


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## ibglowin (Jul 5, 2011)

Sounds like a job for a little Duct tape and some heavy duty clear plastic sheeting then. 

Thanks Rich!


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## FL Steve (Jul 6, 2011)

When I first started using mine I had a plastic "curtain" that I dropped inside the top of my container like a shower curtain so that the grapes did not splash out. it worked but what a mess. I also have a short little curtain at the end where the stems come out, to assure that they don't bounce back into the must but go down into the wheelbarrow. You probably won't make such a mess unless you can really crank that thing. That is the good thing about manual power. Mine probably runs a little fast but I never really tried to change it.


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## Rocky (Jul 6, 2011)

Hi Mike, 
Duct tape and plastic sheeting! Are you kiddng me?! "In for a penny, in for a pound!" Here is what you need: 
<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=0 borderColor=#000000 cellPadding=5 width="100%" ="maintable"><T>
<T>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">8058</TD>
<TD vAlign=center width="40%">Painted Stand for Crusher/De-Stemmer</TD></TR></T></T></TABLE>
It solves your set up and clean up problem in one _swell foop._


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## ibglowin (Jul 6, 2011)

Might just have to pull the trigger on that if my Rube Goldberg apparatus fails to contain it!


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## ibglowin (Jul 6, 2011)

OK, What is a mixed jack and grape?

Some kind of a new drink?








appleman said:


> there will be mixed jacks and grapes coming out a little- past that


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## Scott B (Jul 6, 2011)

Nice Setup Mike. 
You may want to put a trash can under the end where the stems come out.


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## ibglowin (Jul 6, 2011)

What's crazy is it's not that far away. I picked up the grapes last year on Aug 31st..........


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## Wade E (Jul 6, 2011)

With a big enough Tote you wont need the stand. The only thing about the stand IMO would be convenience and better stability possibly.


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## Rocky (Jul 6, 2011)

Mike, If I had your money the first thing I would do would be to burn mine and then I would buy the stand. Maybe your daughter (pictured with you on the site) would get it for you on your birthday. It would be perfect timing with the harvest.


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## ibglowin (Jul 6, 2011)

The reason Los Alamos has the most (per capita) people retiring as millionaires is because we are all "cheap at heart"! I will make this do this year and then reevaluate as they say in the "bidness"....


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## grapeman (Jul 6, 2011)

ibglowin said:


> OK, What is a mixed jack and grape?
> 
> Some kind of a new drink?
> 
> ...






Mike grape jacks are just like the jacks used to play the game, except they are pieces of grape stems. And I think you know what a crushed grape looks like.


The plastic curtain has been used many times before. I built my own stand that has the chute the metal ones come with. Mine has been wood, but I will likely get a metal one soon.


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## Runningwolf (Jul 6, 2011)

JACKS....wow thats an oldie but goodie. When was the last time you saw anyone play that game. Probably went out with tiddlywinks. Sorry didn't mean to Hijack the thread.


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## Rocky (Jul 6, 2011)

JACKS, yes that does take us back to a simpler time before computer games and such. We used to spend hours going through "onesies" "twosies" etc. It neveropccurred to me that the stripped grape cluster resembled jacks.


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## grapeman (Jul 7, 2011)

Rocky it isn't the whole stipped cluster. They are small boken off subclusters that are the jacks. Study a cluster of grapes in particular the stem system and it should become apparent what I am referring to.


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## Rocky (Jul 7, 2011)

I understand, Rich. It is like the jack, which had six projections all at 90 degrees from each neighbor. Four of them had a little rounded end that kind of look like that part of the cluster after the grape has been removed. Incidentally, when I was a kid I used to always see a "torch" (as on the Statue of Liberty) when I pulled the short stem off a grape and held it upside down.


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