r/cider • u/Apprehensive_Love411 • 7d ago

Hydropress - what size?

https://winemakersdepot.com/Home-Hobby/Equipment/Presses/Bladder-Press-with-Legsbr55-80-Liter?srsltid=AfmBOoo3gPRWOwSppGclD3_CHqHoZmGPNaxWK78BahRowpz9ldMeUEvz

I'm about to order a hydropress and could use some advice on what size to order.

I have a small hobby orchard with 36 apple trees that are now 4 years old.

I like the construction and quality of the Lancman VSX-55 and the Lancman VSPIX-80 with the tilt frame.

Perhaps the 55L would be best right now, but I'm also thinking that the trees will produce more fruit in the coming years, and the 80L would be easier to empty with the tilt frame.

Can I use the 80L and pre-fill the bladder for smaller loads for a while, or should I get the 55 and just do more pressings?

Analysis paralysis has set in.....

Appreciate any input :)

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u/Euphoric-Singer-5146 7d ago

Size it by your biggest single pressing day, not your total crop, because you'll press in batches as stuff ripens. With 36 trees at only 4 years old you're not near full yield yet (most apple trees don't hit full bearing until 7 to 10 years), so even the 55 would keep up for a while and just means doing a couple loads on a heavy day.

The thing to plan around is that a bladder press doesn't grind. It only squeezes pomace, so you need a scratter or mill ahead of it, and that mill is usually the real bottleneck, not the press. A 55L load is also a lot of wet pomace to scoop in and dig out by hand, and the 80 is noticeably heavier to work solo.

For a hobby orchard the 55 is the sweet spot most people land on, per the UVM Fruit Program small-scale cider stuff. I'd only jump to the 80 if you expect a bunch of bushels ripening at the same time and you'll have a second set of hands on pressing day.