DIY
Ideas to make my manual fruit crusher into an electric one?
Hi! I am tired of crushing food manually and would like to update my food crusher. I don't like buying new things if I can fix the old ones, specially when I would be buying essentially the same with the addition of a little engine.
So I'm trying to see if I can adapt something to this thing. Any ideas?
Thank you.
Discussion
A drill attached would probably work fine, but if you want it to run when you're not there any high torque dc motor could probably be retrofitted to it. You'll probably have the best luck if you reverse thread it using a tap and die
Can you show me a high torque DC motor? I am not sure what I am looking for but everything I see is really small or too expensive. I'd appreciate it, thanks
A fucking drive unit LMAO 🤣
1 human power to 300 horsepower. It's definitely a stand back with hands on hips smiling right before smacking it to say... 'that'll do it' attitude
I mean it'll work, and it gave me Home Improvement vibes. Ahrrggg ahhrr gggrr!
“We’ve got the only blender on the block that can purée a brick”
That was my first thought too but I gave second thought to the reference. Damn.
How much yeet will $350 get me?
Bout tree-fiddy
3k lol
Technically an AC motor 🤓
I once built a stainless drum turned by a small motor I pulled from a machine that turned flat paper into packing paper.
This is probably closer but something with a lower rpm at the end. https://www.vevor.com/brushless-dc-motor-c_11227/350w-electric-powerful-dc-motor-24v-3000rpm-motor-for-e-bike-dirt-bike-diy-p_010687835588
AC motors are fairly cheap (couple hundred bucks) and can be plugged into your home's existing electrical system. You'll need to do some math to figure out exactly how big of a motor you could get without tripping your breaker, but it's 100% possible to get an AC motor, some SO cable, and wire it to a foot switch.
Honestly my experience is more in Halloween props for this kind of thing so the torque you need may vary. Fright Props has some overpriced ones but you can find cheaper ones Amazon or maybe even use a wiper motor from the junk yard.
a drill is not made for long time operation. careful with the run time
This will not hold up to powered use. These parts are not made to deal with the heat generated if turned fast or if used without interruption. If you decide you must support the motor very well and turn it slowly. Good luck
No a drill won't. My only addition is that I tried to power a manual meat grinder by making an adapter to add to a cordless impact drill. It worked... for about 1 lb of meat then cracked the shaft.
Well maybe it might wirk if a reduction gear was added...
It’s because you used an impact drill. Use of a normal drill would work fine. If big torque is needed a holehawg type geared drill would work.
My dad has been a machinist his whole life. He used to hunt a lot too. When he got tired of using his manual grinder, he mounted it to his fucking Bridgeport vertical mill. Somehow it held up. That was intense.
It’s because you used an impact drill. Use a normal drill would work fine. If big torque is needed a holehawg type geared drill would work.
This could help with what you’re trying to do, and it’s less than $15
I feel like I could break my hand with that 😭
Yeah, you'll need a kill switch amd more preventative designs of you're going motorised.
It’s a gear reducer. It would make it less work for the drill, not more.
I assume you're handy enough if you're trying this project. Save your hand by making a little wooden box that fits around the drill and attach it to something sturdy. The wooden box will take all the tork from the drill, just needs some scrap 2x4s
Stand beside it, let the drill “spin” into your body to stabilize it instead of trying to use your hand
The scary part would be not having a deadman switch if you used a zip tie or something to free up both hands so you don’t accidentally get sucked into the machine.
Use the clutch on the drill.
Why are you a lady
TIL a thing called a “fruit crusher” exists.
Fruit aint gonna crush itself!
How else are you going to make wine or a whiskey?
I can hear the agggghhh uggghh agghhhh just seeing this
I’ve absolutely done this with a large makita drill at low speed crushing apples, it worked really well. Speed wasn’t a GREAT match for the machine so for the next year i just bought a new garbage disposal and run my fruit through that and discharge into a bucket.
Nice
Can I use the garbage disposal in my sink and make the drain hot swappable so I can throw a bucket down there to do my apples?
Probably, but the amount of cross contamination would be absolutely horrid.
Might make for some interesting native yeast inoculation if you’re making cider…
It adds to the flavour
Check out how old, belt driven tablesaws work. You can get a rheostat (variable speed controller) and ac motor for pretty cheap.
Something along these lines.
A belt might give you some slipping issues if you're really having to power through fruit binding in the mashers. Direct drive might be better.
Or a corded drill, bench vise and zip tie for the trigger could work.
I would mount a motorto the side and underneath with a relatively small pulley on it, then a much larger pulley on the crushers drive. Make sure you fit a shroud around the belt system etc. Belts are quite dangerous around clothing etc.
You may be able to adapt parts from a drill press, you may need a larger pulley on the drive to achieve low enough rpm but the motor would already have a pulley fitted and I would wager is powerful enough.
There would be several safety considerations with attaching a motor to this. As a hand powered machine it seems pretty safe. If your free hand does get too close the teeth, then you're likely to notice and instantly stop turning it. But if its motorized, then the motor is going to just keep spinning.
Car Seat 12VDC Gear Motor https://share.google/WbDqHUj8cFyfUQxvX
I feel this is the perfect application for this cheap car seat motor I bought on a whim
Remove handle, attach drill, or motor. You want something that torques hard, not necessarily speed. You want it to not bog down on the fruit and keep the same speed no matter what its squishing, not necessarily that is spin the gears super fast.
cut the lever, had a drill.
done deal
Add a motor.
Brilliant!
Use a drill and a bit to the rood (that the handle is contented too. Another method is an electric motor and a chain on rood with sprocket added.
Replace the handle with a bicycle sprocket. Get a small motor and a rheostat style control (like a volume knob). Mount another bike sprocket on the spindle of your motor. Connect the chain to the two sprockets.
You’ll need to do some math to figure out motor speed and the number of teeth on both sprockets, but start with a big sprocket on the crusher and a small sprocket on the motor, for the slowest possible turning speed.
Electric winch(can be 12v dc car one) as motor. It has low speed high torque. Motorcycle chain and sprockets have huge availability and versatility AND price is great for such DIY. Then think how to attach it one to another. Most important safety.
Drill?
Remove handle, attach a drill.
How jank do you want it?
You could remove the handle and just tighten an electric drill to the handle shaft.
Call out to those saying it might break though. Looks like those are plastic gears, so high torque might break them.
First thought that popped into my head was a rotisserie motor, from memory they are hi torque for bigger bits of meat but low speed which you probably want for that mechanism, don't think they're too expensive either.
They really aren't expensive. Thank you
Like others have suggested, a drill is the most obvious method of driving this. Just go at very low speeds with very high torque.
If you are looking for mroe of a production finish, remove the handle from that drive shaft and either notch or key it, OR use a high tension smooth rubber belt (like a fan belt/vacuum belt) to a gear reducer to a fixed speed motor. Just be sure and incorporate a safety and kill switch on it. You know something you can hip thrust against while your hands unable to push the button due to being juiced by accident. One benefit to a hand driven crank is that your hands obviously out of the way when its cranking.
Buy a reasonably sized DC motor and a compatible gear. Place it between the hand crank and the other gear.
Why do you recommend a DC motor?
It’s just what I’m familiar with. I think there are added benefits like easier control, resources online, etc.
I have this same apple crusher and use a drill. I turn the torque setting down so I don’t accidentally break my wrist lol. But it works
If you own a drill then that.
If not then do you have access to a welder? Caliper ? You could slap a gear on it and use a kids power wheel motor and two sprockets, a 12v battery and a charger
Where did you get that? Looks like it would work great for pecans and wal nuts
Don't do a simple drill attachment. Trust me, I speak from experience on the same model you're using
Do a medium speed 1/10th horse AC motor, put a small pulley (Sheave) on it. Put a large pulley (sheave) on the crank shaft and then plug it in and dump fruit in it. I did a double reduction system like that for grinding flour and it worked amazing. (Double reduction has two sets of pulleys small).
Back when I did it a variable speed motor would have been thousands, this one is not even hundreds.
maybe the motor of an old washing machine and a few gears to lower the speed?
Small electric motor and a belt. Look on eBay, people sell them all the time
For the price of a motor and what not I'd buy a motorized device. Garbage disposal is the first thing that comes to mind. It has threaded fittings for easy plumbing and has great torque designed for crushing. Ive seen people use them for crushing ice in margaritas machines.
Garage door opener motor, moves a chain, so replace crank handle with small gear?
Corded half inch plug in drill
Rotisserie motor for a grill, 2 rpm or so, could speed it up with the gear ratio? Low profile so you could mount it to the frame. Not sure how torque-y it’ll get.
Cut the crank handle off and weld on a 14mm bolt. Use a battery powered drill and a socket.
Yes... Have a child lol :3 Kidding.... However you could just use a really shitty motor and gear reductions.
https://www.amazon.com/QCDENG-Torque-Geared-Electric-Rotation/dp/B0CZQL9Y8H/ref=sr_1_23
Make/buy a coupling for this and a bracket to mount it right onto the end of the hand crank's shaft. Run it off a car battery. Choose your RPM
Yes.
Remove the shaft, 3D print some sort of mount where the gears are mounted and increase the bolt length. Add a dc geared stepper motor from Amazon and make sure you have enough torque with a low enough rpm
Get some gears and a micro motor with a pulley. You can ask chatgpt to calculate for you the gear ratio for the speed
I would simply hook up a (cordless) drill to it. They are pretty powerful in terms of torque.
If you don‘t want to stand in a cramped position, consider getting of those flexible „extensions“
You could remove the handle and attach a pulley wheel to the shaft. Run a belt from that to a pulley on a variable speed motor mounted to a stand on the floor. Use a rheostat to control motor speed and work on adjusting belt tension by moving the motor stand closer or further away.
Get a hammer drill
I'd put a gear on where the main shaft the handle connects and a drill motor powered worm drive probably. It looks like it might need a good bit of torque, and honestly I'd want to take it slowly if it's motorized to help minimize wear.
So my wife engaged in some redneck engineering to do exactly this. We have an electric auger that we were able to fashion a makeshift drive out of a piece of pipe, remove the handle and attach the auger motor. Surprisingly effective and made crushing apples for cider pressing a breeze.
A Kitchenaid mixer. It has high torque, speed control, and a direct drive for attachments.
Pay a kid to turn it
Low speed drill designed for mixing things like mortar. https://www.harborfreight.com/75-amp-12-in-low-speed-spade-handle-drillmixer-56179.html
Take the green crank off and put a battery drill on it.
If you want it to be more "Attached" you can get a windwhield wiper motor from a car.
Like 2005 ish. They run on 12V. you can put a socket on it to mate up to the bad on the machine you turn.
Powered by a higher amp 12v power supply. Maybe a Computer power supply.
A computer PSU has a wire in the plug that turns it on and off, you can put a switch between those two pins for on and off.
Remove handle, add motor. Done!
I feel cheeky Take a break, watch some porn an idea or two might pop up in your head.
This is a Google search.
What about a car wiper motor? They are often used in robotics, they are powerful and available for cheap, especially if used.
But don't forget about safety.
I would use a sewing machine motor. You can buy the motor that comes with the foot controller. Get some gears and a belt and you're good to go.
I did a similar set up for winding guitar pickup coils
Technologia
Whatever you do, I would try to keep the rotating mechanism have the same speed as what a person can do. I don't think the mechanism you have is designed for a higher speed.
I agree. I was thinking the same
Look into a motor to attach to the frame on the side, and then a belt and pulley where the crank is. What country are you in, so we know what to recommend?
Attaching the shaft of a motor directly to where the crankshaft on the crusher is would be much safer. Especially when combined with a pressure switch and speed controller.
Wouldn't that greatly restrict the motor options since the speed would need to be specific to the target speed of the unit and couldn't be geared up or down as easily? Would a shroud protecting the pulley make it safe enough? I know nothing, just curious.
AC motors can run at varying speeds using a variable frequency drive. You would just need a motor that can operate properly at different speeds and a compatible VFD.
My only experience with adding a VFD to a system is on aggitators in distilleries and I recall those being expensive. Would a VFD be expensive for something like this? How about burdensome to keep cool?
VFDs can be cheap (100 bucks) to small fortunes (hundreds of thousands of dollars.)
All the VFDs I've personally installed sit in the $50k-$100k range. They didnt require any special treatment to keep cool. Im sure if OP looks around for a little 1hp motor and a VFD for it they could be in it for less than $300 bucks. Although at that point it may be cheaper to just buy a motorized fruit crusher. (But idk, I'm not exactly well versed in fruit crusher prices.)
To some extent you can make motors run slower/faster with a vfd, but this will be a factor 10 reduction and that is probably not feasible. Motors run 1500 rpms usually and they need 15?
A pulley and belt would be a better option and cheaper.
or chains. and both need to be covered for safety reasons.
Agree
From my experience with homebrewing grain mills, this isn't as simple a solution as it sounds. The bushings on OP's fruit crusher aren't designed for the large normal force that a belt or chain would impart on the drive shaft (the latter could admittedly be less forceful than the former).
From that background, I would recommend two solutions: 1. Install the belt/ chain system but replace the bushings with something more robust or, 2. Buy and adapt a gear motor that directly drives the input shaft at the RPM desired to avoid side loading.
not true. for 2 reasons.
the motor has no space where you want it to be. it should be underneath the green frame, right from the hopper in pic3. safely underneath the frame to have a direct connection with a chain to the crank axis.
with different size sprockets you can ensure to have a certain speed of the crank axis (vs the speed of the motor)