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Zamial · 06-13-2011, 09:35 PM

Well, I am back with a whole new twist on the same old concept. Actually, I did not do this 1st, I saw 1 other person did this but I only saw the pic 1 time and have been unable to locate it since. That one, the shelving was orange and I have no idea if there was a fermentation rack attached with the build.

I had some of the parts left over from a variety of other DIY projects so it will be VERY hard for me to estimate total costs but if I had to guess, I would say I have about $250 in the brew cart (not including keggles or burners) and $120 on the fermentation rack, so this is VERY budget oriented. If someone wants specific info I will be more than happy to supply, from memory, what info I can.

I was wed a few weeks ago and the wife got me this as my wedding gift. (FYI, I asked for it) It came from Home Depot for $169.00. BTW it is MADE IN THE USA!!!

I cut the top 2 feet off of the shelves and used that for the brew cart. The rest is my fermentation rack. One day when my pockets are deeper, I plan on enclosing it and using some mini fridges to chill the inside but for now, I have all my fermenters in 1 place and I can start to take my home back. (We rent in a tiny house with no basement. There is 2 tiny closets in the whole place so space is at a premium.) I will rez this tread for the enclosure build but am happy with how it is for now! It will hold 4 - 1/2 bbl sized vessels per shelf with no problem.

On to the brew cart! I used 1 sheet of thin plywood to sturdy it up on the sides. The wheels came from Harbor Freight on sale for $3.99 and will hold 300lbs ea. It holds all the weight just fine. I tested it with all the keggles filled and pushed down on it, with all my weight and I am not a small fella. I may add a few metal braces in the future but it will hold for now. I will burn right through the steel shelving grate.

It took me about 4 solid days to build and the wife did help me with some of it. She is also going to do some custom graphics on it for me I will post those pics here when she is done but my pipeline is dry as tumble weed, short of 1 batch of skeeter pee, when I float my IIPA I am gonna be hating life... I need to get to brewing.

JefeTheVol · 06-14-2011, 12:39 AM

Awesome rig man...i like the portability. did you think about using locking wheels or are you going to use some sort of chock block?
-Jeff-

Zamial · 06-14-2011, 12:50 AM

Thanks!

I will use a chock but I do not brew on an sort of incline. The wheels are nice that I can push it to where I want, even the lawn if need be.

The real accomplishment is the lack of welding and tools. I also think I did very well for the money invested. I built the entire thing with hand tools and for power tools a jig saw, drill and 4 1/2" angle grinder...

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow but if it is not raining I will clean it all up the rest of the way and be brewing ASAP!

ultravista · 06-17-2011, 04:23 AM

Nice job.

Zamial · 07-02-2011, 04:45 AM

I was paroosing the Harbor Freight mailer and saw a coupon for the umbrella. It was 6.99 normally 10.99. Either way I now look like a street vendor, I get extra protection from the sun and would be wort bombing particles.

dankasfuk · 06-05-2012, 01:08 AM

Hey Zambial,

Realize it's been a year since you posted this, but I am really intrigued by this setup and am thinking it might be the way to go. I was just wondering if you could let me know how it's held up with firing through the steel mesh after multiple brewing sessions? Thanks, and cool rig.

Mike

**TrainSafe** · 06-05-2012, 01:21 AM

I just brewed with him a month ago and it still looked like the day it was born.

Zamial · 06-28-2012, 04:22 AM

The reality is the top wire mesh does have a bit of sag in it under the keggles. I am thinking about seeing if EDSEL will sell me a few cross member parts. If not I can always use a new screen from the ferm rack and replace the ferm rack with a hunk of plywood, when this one fails and I really do not think it will anytime soon... So at this rate I will run out of grates in 8-10 years...

Please also remember I am not some master wizard carpentry engineer expert. I believe anything I can build an average joe can replicate.

I love my rig and will be brewing on it tomorrow for most of the day...I hope.