Idea's For Lifting Kegs Into Freezers

[SJW]

Just wondering if anyone has idea's on a lifting device to lift corneys into the freezer. With the collar on the freezer and a bad back its not easy, so has anyone got an easy way to get these things in? Other than a block and tackle mounted to the ceiling!

Steve

 

[paul]

Can you put the keg empty into the freezer and then rack the beer into it?

 

[SJW]

Nice one Paul, but I like to force carb. and roll the keg round on the floor but its not a bad idea.

Steve

 

[brettprevans]

Can you put the keg empty into the freezer and then rack the beer into it?

+1 for that. Thats what im planning on doing for my 50L keg.

other ideas are superch*ap auto have portable engine lifting/holding blocks on special last week (may still be on sale). I figure these could be modified fairly easily to use as keg transporters or for those doing BIAB. I recon its a goer. they were fairly cheap esp if you wanted one with less wight capacity. but the weight capacitiesies wereplenty for a full 50L keg or BIAB. so you'd be laughing.

 

[paul]

You can still do that if you've got enough kegs. Force carb it and then hook up a transfer line into the keg in the fridge.

 

[Hogan]

Just wondering if anyone has idea's on a lifting device to lift corneys into the freezer. With the collar on the freezer and a bad back its not easy, so has anyone got an easy way to get these things in? Other than a block and tackle mounted to the ceiling!

Steve

As one of the 'bad back' brigade Steve I am also looking to the future when I am unable to hoist both my fermenter and 50lt kettle from floor to bench and from bench to freezer. Whilst it is currently manageable there will come a time when it is impossible. I am considering a wireless electric winch bolted to a support through the ceiling. I have seen them advertised on evilbay but I am suspect of their quality, although its not as if they have to lift anything over 50kg.

Cheers, Hoges.

 

[Adamt]

This is what teenagers are for. 1 schooner per lift!

I lift my cornies into my freezer by putting my feet either side, bending at the knees, top of corny under chin, holding the handles with my wrists together and lifting with my legs. I imagine with a collar you might need a step or something to lift it over. Then use the inner wall of the chest freezer to ease it down.

 

[SJW]

I lift my cornies into my freezer by putting my feet either side, bending at the knees, top of corny under chin, holding the handles with my wrists together and lifting with my legs. I imagine with a collar you might need a step or something to lift it over. Then use the inner wall of the chest freezer to ease it down.

Thank what I do but I find it hard while holding 20kg's of keg and threading through beer and gas lines in the fridge. This is a pain in the ass/back.

 

[Adamt]

Someone needs some cable ties then!

Cable ties... is there anything they can't do?

 

[newguy]

A couple of ideas. Maybe one of these would help? Second idea is a sling-type arrangement. Hook a net to the side of the freezer (I'm thinking hooks slipped over the lip). The other end of the net is attached to a rope which runs up to a pulley hanging from the ceiling. Roll the keg onto the net, pull on the rope, and the keg will be lifted up & over the edge of the freezer. Of course, you'll need an arrangement of more than one rope on the free end of the net to properly cradle the keg, but I just wanted to relate the general idea.

Just thought of one more. A see-saw type of thing. Lay the keg on one end, then go push down on the other. You'd need someone to help guide the keg down into the freezer (or to stand on the see-saw), but this would be cheap & easy.

 

[warrenlw63]

This is what teenagers are for. 1 schooner per lift!

I lift my cornies into my freezer by putting my feet either side, bending at the knees, top of corny under chin, holding the handles with my wrists together and lifting with my legs. I imagine with a collar you might need a step or something to lift it over. Then use the inner wall of the chest freezer to ease it down.

+1 I'm with Adam. Lift with your legs. A full corny is hardly a Mack Truck.

Another way to save a bit of back strain is to stand on a small stool or milk crate when you put them in or pull them out. You don't have to compact your spine so much when lifting up depending on your height.

Warren -

 

[SJW]

I am leaning toward the filling the keg in the freezer idea. Has anyone done a test to see if u can force carb through the beer out post at say 300kpa and then how long would u need to leave without shaking and rolling around till it was carbed up?

 

[Pumpy]

This is what you need

Engine crane

Frm Supacheap Auto

Pumpy

 

[warrenlw63]

I am leaning toward the filling the keg in the freezer idea. Has anyone done a test to see if u can force carb through the beer out post at say 300kpa and then how long would u need to leave without shaking and rolling around till it was carbed up?

Steve it can be done. Just chill your beer to around 3 degrees. Attach the black beer disconnect to the out post and leave it for a few hours. I routinely force carb my kegs at 100kPa this way. Working from home I'm able to just leave it to its devices. Seem to get a good carb in around a day.

At 300kPa it will be much quicker (probably less than an hour) you'll just need to keep a closer eye on it.

Warren -

 

[SJW]

So then all I would need to do is lift the fermenter up to drain into keg. But that would be easier than the other alternative.

 

[HKS]

I've been thinking about the same thing recently. Though 50L batches. Either I bolt a pulley/block n tackle to the ceiling, but that has the disadvantge of not being able to move it too far horizontally unless I put the pulley on a track.

Or I was even thinking of raising the fermentation fridge off the ground, higher than the receiving keg. So then I could fill fermenter with it being in the fridge and transfer by gravity via a filter to the receiving keg.

Or an engine crane would be more handy to lift and transport them as well.

But for a little more than the price of an engine crane maybe I should just go with a presitaltic pump.

 

[warrenlw63]

One of Rosco's most awesome Peristalic Pumps would be the most awesome solution (I wish). You could rack from any height (or even uphill I think). Would be mandatory equipment for the ageing brewer. We could filter our livers as well. :lol:

Warren -

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

... We could filter our livers as well. :lol: ...

Isn't that just a case of a simple back-flush? Not quite sure how it might work, though.

 

[sinkas]

Why not do something about getting your back better, so that you have no need for some extra step. + the rest of the life benefits.

 

[slacka]

You could recess the freezer into the floor. Then you only have to drop the full kegs in and lift the empties out.