Apple crusher from a washing machine

If the harvest season is bumper, in the fall, gardeners harvest dozens, even hundreds, of kilograms of apples from their "properties." Processing such volumes manually is extremely difficult, so some fruit simply rots while waiting for its turn. But how can you speed up the processing? Specialized fruit crushing equipment is available. It's quite expensive, but don't worry—you can make an apple crusher out of a washing machine. So, if you have an old washing machine gathering dust at your dacha, don't rush to throw it away.

How is a shredder made?

Any gardener will be happy to have an apple crusher. Using this device, you can crush tens of kilograms of fruit to make juice, wine, and jam. How do you make such a device yourself? What parts of an old activator machine will be useful in the process? To make an apple crusher, you'll need to remove the following from the old machine:

• engine;
• a stainless steel centrifuge (if you have a semi-automatic machine);
• starting capacitors (activating the motor).

In general, the only thing you can use as a basis for an apple slicer is a washing machine motor.

All other parts are easy to find or purchase separately. The main components of a homemade fruit grater are:

• a frame that ensures the stability of the device;
• starting capacitor and motor;
• a stainless steel bowl in the shape of a cylinder (this can be replaced with a semi-automatic centrifuge);
• steel circle with sharp slots;
• pulley and shaft;
• nuts and bolts for fixing the main elements of the apple crusher;
• power cord.

First, prepare all the components of the device. Remove the motor and starting capacitor from an old washing machine. This motor will power the entire machine. Next, prepare the bowl. The easiest way is to roll a sheet of stainless steel to form a cylinder. The bottom disk should be slightly larger than the diameter of the tank. Using metal shears, make several holes in the steel disk so that the sharp edges face into the bowl. This will turn the bottom into a sort of grater. The friction between these protrusions will pulverize the apples.

A shaft and pulley are required to connect the metal rod to the motor.

The shaft should be 15-20 cm longer than the cylinder to allow room for loading the apples into the bowl. The further procedure is as follows:

• connect the shaft to the washing machine motor;
• drill a hole in the bottom disk exactly in the center - the second end of the shaft will be inserted into it;
• assemble the structure by passing the shaft through the cylinder and the metal disk;
• secure the shaft from below with a washer and nut.

Next, you need to secure the structure vertically, for example, by constructing a metal or vertical frame. Leave enough space underneath to accommodate a bucket or bowl for collecting fruit. Power should be provided from a standard 220-volt outlet. The cord is carefully connected through the motor's starting capacitor. If everything is assembled correctly, the device will operate smoothly.

A chopper for the lazy

When time is short and you can't get a washing machine motor, you can easily make an apple crusher in a different way. You can crush fruit with a primitive device consisting of a drill, a metal pin, a piece of wood, a couple of nuts and 30-40 screws. Let's try to figure out how this is possible.

The apple crusher will look like this:

Let's figure out how to properly assemble a shredder. The algorithm is as follows:

• using a hacksaw, cut off a branch from any tree, 3-5 cm in diameter;
• process the piece of wood to form a cylindrical block, 10 cm long;
• remove the bark from the cut branch and sand it down to make the surface smooth;
• Drill a hole through the block with a drill. The hole should be straight through. You don't have to try to drill the hole exactly in the center; estimating the center by eye is sufficient;
• insert a 10mm threaded pin into the wooden cylinder;
• Tighten the block on both sides with an engraving washer and bolts. This is necessary to prevent the bushing from slipping off the rod when rotating at high speeds and experiencing resistance;
• clamp the other end of the hairpin into the drill chuck (the length of the metal rod can be reduced by cutting off unnecessary centimeters);
• Screw 30-40 screws into the sleeve in a random pattern. They should protrude 1-2 cm from the cylinder and be spaced across the entire surface of the wood.

The assembly is complete. To grind apples, place them in a deep container. Fill the bucket halfway and use the device to crush the fruit. In just 10-15 minutes, you can "grind" several kilograms of fruit.

Once you've assembled this "manual" crusher, you'll be able to see its effectiveness and perhaps reconsider building a full-fledged stationary crusher. Once you're done processing the apples, simply remove the pin from the drill chuck, rinse it thoroughly, and dry the unit. This device isn't intended for one-time use; it can be reused over and over again.

   

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