r8f1k
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2018
- Messages
- 298
- Tractor
- Farmall 100, Allis Chalmers D14, International Super MTA, IH 560, Mahindra 4510, Gehl 4500, Clark CY45, JD 800, JD 60
Let me first say that the press we are talking about is about 110-120 years old. It is a single acting cylinder vertically mounted, around 10" in diameter. It resides in a hole in the concrete and raises up to press the apples into cider, then gravity down to return. There is a 3/4 NPT port in the side of the cylinder and that is it. Right now, I have it controlled by a single spool and an old Vickers (Series V20, I THINK) vane pump. It has a 10 gallon supply tank, 3 phase motor, magnetic start/stop control and a mess of hoses.
Second, I recently bought a bin tipper/dumper that has a hydraulic control that is pressure up, gravity down. The controls for it are MUCH better than the hydraulic spool. There are only 2 hoses, the cylinder is a double acting; one comes from the pump, the other to the tank. The best part is that the controls are two buttons, UP and DOWN. Thats it. They are momentary, let go and the bin stops where you want. To raise the bin, press UP, stops when you let go of the button. To drop the bin, there is a solenoid that opens a (what I assume is) relief valve by pushing on a tab on the side of the pump. Release the DOWN button and it stops.
I want to do the same thing on this cider press. My pump doesn't have the same configuration to 'relief' the pump, but is there a way to add something like that? Does my cylinder need to be double acting to make this work?
Below are photos of my bin tipper prior to its overhaul. The Romex is long gone, the house hold switches are gone and replaced with contactors and Allen Bradley switches, but I think you get the idea of what the system is. One picture is a close up of the pump and solenoid. Is there a way to do that to my current pump?
Second, I recently bought a bin tipper/dumper that has a hydraulic control that is pressure up, gravity down. The controls for it are MUCH better than the hydraulic spool. There are only 2 hoses, the cylinder is a double acting; one comes from the pump, the other to the tank. The best part is that the controls are two buttons, UP and DOWN. Thats it. They are momentary, let go and the bin stops where you want. To raise the bin, press UP, stops when you let go of the button. To drop the bin, there is a solenoid that opens a (what I assume is) relief valve by pushing on a tab on the side of the pump. Release the DOWN button and it stops.
I want to do the same thing on this cider press. My pump doesn't have the same configuration to 'relief' the pump, but is there a way to add something like that? Does my cylinder need to be double acting to make this work?
Below are photos of my bin tipper prior to its overhaul. The Romex is long gone, the house hold switches are gone and replaced with contactors and Allen Bradley switches, but I think you get the idea of what the system is. One picture is a close up of the pump and solenoid. Is there a way to do that to my current pump?
