Problems with Mori Press PZ85

This web site tells our experience with a fruit press Mori PZ85 supplied by TCW in March 2005.
As we are not satisfied with the quality and performance of the press and the service of the supplier we wish to share our experience to save potential buyers to experience the same problems as we had. In 2009 we had some oil leakage from the piston. The reason was worn out seals inside the piston. But why do the seals wear out so fast? The hydraulic engineer who replaced the seals explains and shows: Our press did not stand on level floor, as he showed us with the level. By the way, nothing in Mori's instruction booklet tells the operator to make sure the press must be leveled. If it is not levelled, the piston shaft will not be in a vertical position and the seals will wear prematurely. We have now fitted two extra legs next to the wheels of the press. The legs can beextended by srcews to lift or lower the press to make it level. By the way, the wheels and the axle are too weak and can not hold withstand the pressure of the hydraulic press
SERVICE: We ordered from The Compleat Winemaker [TCW] a Mori PZ85 fruit press with two stainless steel baskets. The supplier TCW sent us a press which was incomplete. The handles and trollies to move the press baskets were missing. Due to this the press could not be used. The supplier promised to send the missing items immediately. The motor of the press that runs the hydraulic pump was not to our specifications and overheated and burnt out. The supplier promised to send a motor to our specifications. The operating manual cosits of a few bad photocopies which are hard to read. The supplier told us this is all you get. We thought for a piece of equipment that cost more than $10,000.00 one could expect professional service. Te supplier is very responsive as long as there are no problems. As soon as problems came up, the response time extended but there was always an excuse:"This problem is completely new, we had to contact the manufacturer in Italy." A new motor and the missing parts arrived 6 month after we received the fruit press! During this time we could not use the press at all! This is not acceptable for a supplier who resides in the most developed country most people can think of, the USA. *There is no after sales service!*
MORI PRESS: after the new motor was installed we could use the press for the first time. Operating the press is simple once the foreign language instructions on the equipment are understood. After less than 10 hours of operation the press failed. It did not build any pressure. We checked as much as we could given the limitations of the very poor manual. The supplier could not assist us and assured us again he had never had such a problem before. Further to this the bottom cover of the press became loose and some oil leaked out. Reading between the lines, he meant to say, help yourself. We found an experienced hydraulic person who systematically targeted the problem and finally dismanteled the ram part of the press.
	And there the problem was: After opening the ram which was difficult (because a special tool should have come with the press to make this easy) we found the the top piston is not secured. There is nothing to hold the piston on the threat, so it became loose. This way the oil could freely move inside the ram and therefore no pressure was buildt. In addition to this one of the o-rings was worn out and had to be replaced. As a matter of fact the o-ring was dissolved in the oil and only a small fragment could be found. Was the wrong kind of rubber used for this machine? Who knows.
The Solution: Common sense suggested to cut a threat on the top of the end of the ram and secure the piston with a crown nut and a splint. This is what should have been done by the manufacturer of the press. We did not expect such poor workmanship from an Italian company! But who knows the construction of the press might have been 'outsourced', as so many other things these days.
	25 hours later: We noticed the bottom cover of the ram housing is loose again. Oil is leaking again. Pressure is not as it should be. Our engineer had to dismantle the ram and found an o-ring which was worn out. This o-ring came with the press and after 50 working hours it is causing such a problem. The photo shows only half of the o-ring. The supplier was informed but no help was offered. The tool to open and tighten the the ram cover never arrived.
The Cost of all this: The contents of the press basket becomes unusable and has to be discarded before the press can be dismanteled. This means the juice can not be extracted and has to be discarded. Loss of juice is at least $350.00 per incident. Cost of repairs is $1350.00 Cost of transport for the ram $250.00 Plus $100.00 for engineering work to cut the threat and fit a crown nut. Plus loss of working hours, extra cleaning, extra handling.
SUMMARY: A very unreliable piece of equipment with very slack service! WE DO NOT RECOMMEND TO PURCHASE THE MORI PRESS PZ85. Who knows what happens next?
And it did happen in 2009: In 2009 we had some oil leakage from the piston. The reason was worn out seals inside the piston. But why do the seals wear out so fast? The hydraulic engineer who replaced the seals explains and shows: Our press did not stand on level floor, as he showed us with the level. By the way, nothing in Mori's instruction booklet tells the operator to make sure the press must be leveled. If it is not levelled, the piston shaft will not be in a vertical position and the seals will wear prematurely. We have now fitted two extra legs next to the wheels of the press. The legs can beextended by srcews to lift or lower the press to make it level. By the way, the wheels and the axle are too weak and can not hold withstand the pressure of the hydraulic press.