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Affordable manual keg lifter/stacker?

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  • Affordable manual keg lifter/stacker?

    Is there such a thing?

    We want to stack our 1/2bbl kegs in the cooler to make more space, but don't want to injure any employees in the process. The very few manual keg lifters I've found on the 'net are in the $1,500 range. Are there any out there that aren't gold-plated?
    Timm Turrentine

    Brewerywright,
    Terminal Gravity Brewing,
    Enterprise. Oregon.

  • #2
    Hi timm,
    We have a similar situation in our cold room. We decided to mount an I beam to the ceiling running the length of the coldroom. From that we mounted a hoist trolley with a chain hoist attached. Both were from harbor freight. It works well for us but our coldroom is kinda long and narrow. All said and done with the I beam and all of the hardware it ran us about $400.

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    • #3
      Also, a quick Google turned up this.

      Might be a little better suited to your needs. Definitely more versatile.

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      • #4
        Thanks.

        I'm mulling over the rail lift idea. I already have the chain hoist, so that's half the cost, and I can fabricate any steel parts I need. Problem is, I'd have to have two rails mounted at the ends of the cooler with a third rail going the length, mounted on wheels on the other two so I can move kegs from one side of the room to the other.

        I'm also looking at a similar platform lift. I'd cut the platform off and replace it with a hook and saddle so we could lift the keg directly from the floor.
        Timm Turrentine

        Brewerywright,
        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
        Enterprise. Oregon.

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        • #5
          Hi Timm-

          We have two of these: http://www.vermettlifts.com/KegJocke...KegJockey.html

          I love, love, love them. We have one of the shorter ones for around the brewery and one of the taller ones that usually lives in the cold room. The taller one and some plastic keg stackers ( https://accardis.com/products/keg-stackers-dollys/ ) allow us to safely stack kegs four high in our cold room.

          We have a two-tiered setup in our taproom cooler. The Keg Jockeys allow our taproom staff to safely lift full kegs onto the second shelf and remove empties, as well. They also come in very hand to load up our van for offsite events, small-scale distro, etc.

          They are absolute workhorses mechanically and the only time I needed spares (I replaced the front casters on one of them) Vermette was super easy to work with.

          Highly recommended.

          Cheers - Mike

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          • #6
            P.S. - The beauty of the Keg Jockey is in the way in which it grabs the keg, allowing the operator to easily disengage it wherever you want the keg to end up. Any kind of pulley/hoist arrangement or the Northern Tool lift leaves you trying to manhandle the full keg off way up in the air. With the Jockey, you just lower the winch and it disengages automatically. Zero fuss, and worth every penny (in my opinion.) Way less than than the cost of a single employee's back...

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            • #7
              Seeing as how this is not a custom-produced item, but an off-the-shelf item, why can they not simply list a price? I find this frustrating when trying to shop for common equipment.

              For a piece of kit requiring configuration to meet a clients needs, sure, you need to ask for a quote. But for something that is the same from one unit to the next, this is a waste of everyone's time--unless they don't have a set price but price based on what they perceive of as my resources.

              That hook-and-saddle lifter looks like something I can fabricate and retrofit to a cheap lift pretty easily.
              Last edited by TGTimm; 09-26-2019, 09:34 AM.
              Timm Turrentine

              Brewerywright,
              Terminal Gravity Brewing,
              Enterprise. Oregon.

              Comment


              • #8
                I'm currently looking for a less expensive option. $1,400 seems like a lot for what this does.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
                  Is there such a thing?

                  We want to stack our 1/2bbl kegs in the cooler to make more space, but don't want to injure any employees in the process. The very few manual keg lifters I've found on the 'net are in the $1,500 range. Are there any out there that aren't gold-plated?
                  you ever find a decent solution that wasnt priced like a used hyundai?

                  i was doing the same search and saw this- https://www.toolfetch.com/Vestil-CYL...ylinder-Lifter

                  300# capacity. says it only has 14" of lift but i assume that's because the typical cylinder is like 50" tall to begin with and you'd hit the upper arm. get rid of the tie strap and rig a chain/ hook into the keg handle, then lift away. hopefully with enough slack in chain that you can "swing" the keg over and onto the bottom keg.

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                  • #10
                    For reasons of employee safety, we just decided against stacking our dispensing kegs.

                    That cylinder lifter looks like it could come in real handy for... gas cylinders. My welding cylinders are cart-mounted, but it can be a bear getting them loaded to the cart.
                    Timm Turrentine

                    Brewerywright,
                    Terminal Gravity Brewing,
                    Enterprise. Oregon.

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