# BIAB Tripod Build.



## Black Devil Dog (9/7/13)

Once I had decided to get into BIAB brewing and had cleared it with swmbo, one of the remaining obstacles was where to suspend a pulley to raise the bag out of the hot wort.

There was no suitable fixing spot in the ceiling above where I wanted to brew, so I set about building a tripod. It was really easy to build and it works a treat.

I thought I'd post some pics of the build, so that if anyone else is in a similar position they might benefit from it.























































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## dicko (9/7/13)

Well done BDD, great work and good pics and description 

Cheers


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## Phoney (9/7/13)

Brilliant!

Doesnt the timber bow when you lift a heavy batch full of liquid? And given the thing's on wheels, what's to stop it from rolling around when you hoist the bag and pull the rope away to tie it off?




I built one out of metal tubing years ago for my old place that didnt have anywhere to hang a hook from. Essentially it's like a hangmans pole, like the one below but without a support bracket and the base comes apart from the top for easy storage.






Then I bought a house with a covered deck and it now lives stashed away underneath. If anyone wants it, offer a price


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## Dan Dan (9/7/13)

Your house? $10


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## Black Devil Dog (10/7/13)

phoneyhuh said:


> Brilliant!
> 
> Doesnt the timber bow when you lift a heavy batch full of liquid? And given the thing's on wheels, what's to stop it from rolling around when you hoist the bag and pull the rope away to tie it off?
> 
> ...



Cheers phoney, it's pretty rigid when I do mine, that's with a 5kg grain bill, so probably 10 kg wet.

You're right about it rolling around, hence using wheels with brakes. I engage the brakes when I'm lifting the bag and once it's drained just release them and roll the thing out of the way.


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## Mick74 (10/7/13)

Nice job BDD :super:


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## Spiesy (10/7/13)

looks perfect for single batches, I'd be concerned about those bolts/screws for a double batch.

nice work.


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## Phoney (10/7/13)

Ahh I didnt notice the brakes. Good thinking.


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## Edgebrew (10/7/13)

Neat work.


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## breakbeer (10/7/13)

That's awesome!

I've been meaning to replace my wooden 'hangmans pole' with a steel one coz the wood bows quite a bit, even on a single batch

Love the tripod idea though


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## spog (10/7/13)

simply brilliant :beerbang: ..cheers..spog...


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## Black Devil Dog (18/8/13)

After doing about 10 batches with the tripod, it felt as though the cheap Bunnings pulley wasn't suitable. While it did the job, it still required 1:1 lifting lifting force. 

I played around with a couple of different pulleys and the system that I found worked the best is the one in the photo. It only requires a 1:4 lifting force, which is overkill to the max, but it means you can lift the bag with one hand and still hold your beer in the other. B)


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## EvilTwin (18/8/13)

One handed bag raise... nice! How much did the pulley system set you back ?


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## lukiferj (18/8/13)

Looks good mate. Well done. Where did you get the pulley from?


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## Black Devil Dog (18/8/13)

Got the pulleys from Whitworth's Marine & Leisure, the bottom pulley was $40 and the top one was $48.


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## CosmicBertie (20/8/13)

I pretty much did the same pulley type thing, but used two of these:

http://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/hardware/rope_chain_wire/double_awning_pulleys_25mm_199617/

works a treat and cheap at half the price!


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## angus_grant (20/8/13)

arrrrggghhhh, my eyes. they are not shiny stainless..... 

Nice build BDD. Nice that it tucks away easily between brew days.


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## Black Devil Dog (20/8/13)

Cosmic Bertie said:


> I pretty much did the same pulley type thing, but used two of these:
> 
> http://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/hardware/rope_chain_wire/double_awning_pulleys_25mm_199617/
> 
> works a treat and cheap at half the price!


I did try a couple of side by side double pulleys, but the rope kept twisting. Could have been operator error, but the ones I've got now are smoooooth.


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## s_t_r_o_b_e (22/8/13)

Awesome idea. The tripod and the new pulley system. Very tempted to try my hand and putting something like that together...


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## pezdaffy (5/5/14)

Thanks for sharing the BIAB Tripod pulley design. Made mine this past week when I went to brewing 20 L (5.5 gal.) batches in my garage. Brewed a Juniper Rye had a grain bill of 6.35 kg (14.4 lbs.) dry. I was able to lift and drain the wet grains easily. This system will see a lot of use for upcoming brew days. Thanks again for the great idea. Cheers!


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