Brutus/More Beer 1100 Hybrid Stand Complete

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The original design was based off the Brutus 10 (Home of Brutus Ten!) so I used the same 2" x 2" X .120 wall stainless steel. Yes, it may be overkill, but I'd rather err on the side of caution when 100+ lbs of boiling water and grain are suspended in front of me. It I happen to need a stand to support my truck while I change the oil, I also have it. :D

OK, I now understand the reason why such a heavy brew frame, you being a chebbie owner. FE land over on this end, over a million miles each F250 and F350 truck. Still on only motor number four of original miles. That would be 500K plus pulling boats the length of the California central valley 39 years. Yup over 60K a year for a few years, business calls. I went thru chebbies and stooges years ago. I have a old tired 1996 D6N Catapillar, 150 HP 36,500# 125 bar Argricultural in use at the ranch for spring grading can I bring over test your brew stand? All Joking aside it looks great. I'm thinking just to be different why not use 4130 Chromoly aircraft tubing, light and strong plus my past aviation and drag racing background thinking again. Brew on bro....
 
Day-yum! That is awesome! I am *so* jealous. I'm getting close to doing one myself and never having used one, I'm a bit concerned about making big design mistakes. I've read the brutus, B3, and Sabco info and like things about all of them.. and hate some things about each.

This is the closest I've seen to perfection!

One question.. this has been a concern of mine with several of the designs... Why have the control panel mounted in front, especially fixed mount with sharp corners?

It seems like I'd constantly be walking around it.. or knowing me (I'm quite a clutz, having lost my right eye picking up a bucket of water. Top that!), walking into the corner, severing an artery and bleeding out in the driveway.

... or, isn't this an issue?
 
Thanks! I've been very pleased with it so far, especially after adding the "bleeder" valves to the pumps. Those make getting a prime on the March pumps SO much easier. I'd definitely recommend that set up to anyone using a March pump.

So far, the location of the control panel hasn't been an issue. We thought about going with something similar to the Brutus 10, with the control panel mount coming off a corner diagonally. Ultimately, I didn't like the extra space it added to the footprint. I also wanted easy access to the controls, especially the pump switches, when I was brewing. We decided to go with a control panel closer to the MoreBeer 1100 for ease of use and footprint size.

The control panel really doesn't stick out TOO far from the body of the stand, and the bottom of it is pretty low. Since I'm a pretty tall guy, I'd need to really crouch down to hit my head. Just to be safe though, the bottom corners are all rounded. It would still hurt, but it shouldn't draw blood, hopefully. It's also far enough from the pumps that the risk of me hitting something when I'm messing with them is pretty low.
 
After another year brewing on the stand, we went back and made a few enhancements and fixes.

We added another ball valve in the plumbing to the low-pressure burner after the Honeywell valve and plugged 10 jets on the 23-jet low-pressure burner to reduce the BTU output. The change and fixes were mostly due to heat stress and cracking on the frame. I updated my original Picasa link post here with pictures of the revision:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/brutus-more-beer-1100-hybrid-stand-complete-73169/#post763614
 
i love your build man, i'm thinking of cloneing it to make clone brews in :D

do you remember what you paid for the stainless materials alone?
 
i love your build man, i'm thinking of cloneing in to make clone brews in :D

do you remember what you paid for the stainless materials alone?

The stainless was bought when the market was much closer to the peak. I don't recall the exact amount, but it was a nice chunk of change, especially since the basket for the tippy dump was custom fabricated.

That said, I'd do it all over again. The stainless is much easier to maintain and clean. I don't have to worry about painting, and if I get some stains on the stand, some Bar Keeper's Friend takes it off nicely.

Stainless isn't cheap, but this thing should last for quite some time. If all else fails, as someone else pointed out, I can park a car on it. :)
 
The stainless was bought when the market was much closer to the peak. I don't recall the exact amount, but it was a nice chunk of change, especially since the basket for the tippy dump was custom fabricated.

That said, I'd do it all over again. The stainless is much easier to maintain and clean. I don't have to worry about painting, and if I get some stains on the stand, some Bar Keeper's Friend takes it off nicely.

Stainless isn't cheap, but this thing should last for quite some time. If all else fails, as someone else pointed out, I can park a car on it. :)

and there was no issues welding it with the hobart handler? I have the identical welding setup for doing my hot rodding:rockin: i am assuming that was stainless wire?
 
and there was no issues welding it with the hobart handler? I have the identical welding setup for doing my hot rodding:rockin: i am assuming that was stainless wire?

The MIG welding was a learning on the job type experience for both my step Dad and me. The Hobart worked well, but we did get some spattering occasionally that required some clean up (lots of grinding). That may have been user error or may have been the machine. A TIG might work better, but I couldn't afford one. :)

Everything on the stand, including the repairs last weekend, was done with the Hobart, stainless wire and an Argon gas mix. For a smaller welder, it held its own.
 
The MIG welding was a learning on the job type experience for both my step Dad and me. The Hobart worked well, but we did get some spattering occasionally that required some clean up (lots of grinding). That may have been user error or may have been the machine. A TIG might work better, but I couldn't afford one. :)

Everything on the stand, including the repairs last weekend, was done with the Hobart, stainless wire and an Argon gas mix. For a smaller welder, it held its own.

yeah, on that machine, you only have a short duty cycle, i hate it. welds look good tho. bumping the gas pressure up a few psi and turning the wire speed down just a hair will help keep the spatter down. i have mine set to 15 psi While the trigger is being pulled. be sure to set it that way, not while its off (if you didn't already). same as a paint gun ;)

i've been hotrodding cars and trucks for half my life, now i want to make a nice hotrod themed brewstand and fridge for the garage :mug:
 
yeah, on that machine, you only have a short duty cycle, i hate it. welds look good tho. bumping the gas pressure up a few psi and turning the wire speed down just a hair will help keep the spatter down. i have mine set to 15 psi While the trigger is being pulled. be sure to set it that way, not while its off (if you didn't already). same as a paint gun ;)

i've been hotrodding cars and trucks for half my life, now i want to make a nice hotrod themed brewstand and fridge for the garage :mug:

Yup, the duty cycle is a killer, but we got used to working around "breaks" for the Hobart. I think we were using about 11 psi last weekend. Next time we weld, I'll bump it up a bit. Thanks for the tip.

The welder can definitely make you a nice stand. You just have to know how to work with it. It sounds like you have that part covered though. Build a nice one!
 
So how do you like them kettles?

The kettles are great. The sides and bottom (especially) are pretty thick. They've stood up nicely to almost 2 years of use now. They clean up well, and haven't had any issues with the heat I've applied to them.

If they were thinner, I think I would have dented them by now. It's too easy to drop a wet kettle. Having a kettle with some substance to it is a good thing. I'd definitely go with one of the heavy duty kettles over one of the thinner-walled options.
 
Question... Why not simplify by raising the HLT above the MT and heating the strike and sparge water for the MT? That'd be a good way to cut cost & simplify (no 2nd pump or 3rd burner). I am doing a build now & going down the RIMS route instead of the HERMS path. Just hoping for some precision on the mash temp & better wort-clarity. I am sure you considered this... what was your choice for going HERMS & not using a PID?

Nice build... sweet metalwork. I hope you keep your stepdad well supplied with brew!
 
Question... Why not simplify by raising the HLT above the MT and heating the strike and sparge water for the MT? That'd be a good way to cut cost & simplify (no 2nd pump or 3rd burner). I am doing a build now & going down the RIMS route instead of the HERMS path. Just hoping for some precision on the mash temp & better wort-clarity. I am sure you considered this... what was your choice for going HERMS & not using a PID?

Nice build... sweet metalwork. I hope you keep your stepdad well supplied with brew!


I'd always planned on having two pumps. After flameout, I use one pump to whirlpool the kettle while using an immersion chiller (Jamil chiller). Once the temp gets down below 90 F, I then use the second pump to push ice water through the chiller. It lets me get down to pitching temp pretty quickly.

You could definitely build something that uses gravity to eliminate one of the pumps. I like the ease of having everything at one level.

I've found the set up to be very accurate. I can easily keep the mash at a set temp. I can also ramp up the temperature for a step mash or mashout when needed. It's worked great for me over the past 2 years.

I used the Ranco units because I was familiar with them and knew what to buy. There are definitely other options, but I went for what I knew. I'm not an electrician, so having a more "pre-wired" unit was a plus.
 
i understand... nice build. It interesting to see how the same solution is tackled by different approaches. You put a thousand brewers in the same room & ask a question... you'll get a thousand and one different answers.
 
That's the beauty of building your own rig - you get something that is set up exactly as you want. Good luck with your build!
 
What are the measurements of your stand? How much steel did it take you? I'm planning on building a similar stand this spring.
 
What are the measurements of your stand? How much steel did it take you? I'm planning on building a similar stand this spring.

The stand is about 21 inches wide by 74 inches long. It's 28 inches tall without the casters.

I started with Lonnie's Brutus 10 plans, but expanded the stand to hold the the newer MoreBeer 15 gallon kettles instead of their previous Italian kettles. I also wanted it to be able to handle the next size kettle, if I wanted to move up down the road.

If I can find the cut chart, I'll post it. I'm not exactly sure where it is though. I also can't find the receipt for the stainless. If I come across it though, I'll post the total amount I used.
 
Unbelievable....very nice Chris.

My buddy and I are starting the design process for a stand and plan on using HERMS. We are also planning to have a burner under the mash tun, but just for more complicated brewing or if we want two boils for a Parti-Gyle style brew day. Are you using the burner under the mash tun to control temps during mash? If not, what are you using that burner for since your using the HERMS coil in the HLT.
 
Unbelievable....very nice Chris.

My buddy and I are starting the design process for a stand and plan on using HERMS. We are also planning to have a burner under the mash tun, but just for more complicated brewing or if we want two boils for a Parti-Gyle style brew day. Are you using the burner under the mash tun to control temps during mash? If not, what are you using that burner for since your using the HERMS coil in the HLT.

I really only use the burner under the mash tun to get the water up to strike temp. After I've doughed in, I use the HERMS coil to raise and/or maintain temperature.

I suppose that I could recirculate while using the mash burner on a low setting, but I haven't needed to do it. If I dial back the pump going through the HERMS (ball valve on the outlet of the March pump), and the water in the HLT is hot enough, I can raise the temperature pretty quickly.
 
Hey bud this is awsome how much do all raw materials coast to get started, and could you please, send me the project design plans.
 
I'm still trying to find the original cut chart. It's at my parents' house. I should be able to look for it this weekend. If I can find it, I'll post it.

If I can find it, it should help you with an idea of the raw materials cost. The price of stainless has changed since I built it, and I don't remember exactly what I paid anyway. Aside from some aluminum sheet for the control panel, the stainless was the majority of the materials cost.
 
I finally had a chance to look for the cut sheet and the other information we used when designing the stand. It was all based off of Lonnie's Brutus 10 plans, so I recommend anyone interested in building something like it pick up a copy of them from Lonnie or BYO. We just made it a bit longer and wider, to accept the MoreBeer kettles. We also moved the gas beam to the front of the stand and changed the top a little.

The final stand has a few pieces that aren't listed on this sheet (the "arms" for the control panel, the supports for the tippy dump, the tippy dump kettle basket, plates for the casters and pump mount and the aluminum for the control panel box), but I believe this is everything for the stand itself. A lot of those pieces were designed on the fly, so I don't have documentation for them.

This should give everyone a good idea of the dimensions at least. Hopefully it helps anyone who wants to try something similar. If I need to translate anything, let me know.

 
I finally found a welder in the area to make a few changes I'd been wanting, so I thought it was time to add a few more pictures.

The design traps a lot of heat under the top of the stand, especially above the HLT, so I've had a bit of cracking. I wanted to strengthen those areas and incorporate the kettle spacers (to allow better airflow). The welder also drilled some holes above the HLT burner to let the heat escape better. I've only used it a few times since the upgrades, but it seems to work well so far.

I put up a few pictures at the URL below. Enjoy!
https://picasaweb.google.com/cdburg...&authkey=Gv1sRgCIeQv4SXtr6dag&feat=directlink
 
I finally found a welder in the area to make a few changes I'd been wanting, so I thought it was time to add a few more pictures.

The design traps a lot of heat under the top of the stand, especially above the HLT, so I've had a bit of cracking. I wanted to strengthen those areas and incorporate the kettle spacers (to allow better airflow). The welder also drilled some holes above the HLT burner to let the heat escape better. I've only used it a few times since the upgrades, but it seems to work well so far.

I put up a few pictures at the URL below. Enjoy!
https://picasaweb.google.com/cdburg...&authkey=Gv1sRgCIeQv4SXtr6dag&feat=directlink

I wonder if you doubled the 1.5" box steel instead of the angle steel if the cracking could have been avoided...
I will be making some modifications to modify my stand to handle the Blichmann kettle size instead of keggles. My current openings are 13" squares and I need to get them down to under 12". I as thinking the angle steel, but after seeing this I may go with doubling the 1.5 boxes instead.
 
I wonder if you doubled the 1.5" box steel instead of the angle steel if the cracking could have been avoided...
I will be making some modifications to modify my stand to handle the Blichmann kettle size instead of keggles. My current openings are 13" squares.

The cracking was between the angle stock and the corner gussets cut out of flat stock. I don't know that doubling the tube steel would help.

DSCF2027.JPG


The main issue is the heating and cooling of the joint between the angle and the flat gusset pieces and how that weakens them over time. If I were to redesign, I might leave the corners open, as long as there were enough of the stand to support the kettles. I'm also using a fan to cool the stand a bit more quickly, which I hope will help to keep the welds intact.
 
The cracking was between the angle stock and the corner gussets cut out of flat stock. I don't know that doubling the tube steel would help.

DSCF2027.JPG


The main issue is the heating and cooling of the joint between the angle and the flat gusset pieces and how that weakens them over time. If I were to redesign, I might leave the corners open, as long as there were enough of the stand to support the kettles. I'm also using a fan to cool the stand a bit more quickly, which I hope will help to keep the welds intact.


Oh that's a better picture. Why didn't you just take the flat stock out? Was the angle steel large enough to support the pots? Ok, that's what you said above...
 
Oh that's a better picture. Why didn't you just take the flat stock out? Was the angle steel large enough to support the pots? Ok, that's what you said above...

The idea behind the flat stock in the corners was to keep the flames from running up the sides of the kettles too much, especially with the jet burner. If this fix doesn't work, I'll likely cut them out but leave the newly added bars.
 
Great build sir.....

I had two questions: did you use the temperature probes that came with the ranco units or did you use "aftermarket ones"? Also, how did you mount the pilot buner to the burner itself? I couldn't really tell from the pictures. I am planning a stand and will be borrowing a lot from yours. Cheers...wnc
 
Great build sir.....

I had two questions: did you use the temperature probes that came with the ranco units or did you use "aftermarket ones"? Also, how did you mount the pilot buner to the burner itself? I couldn't really tell from the pictures. I am planning a stand and will be borrowing a lot from yours. Cheers...wnc

I did use the temperature probes that came on the Ranco units. Since I'm just putting them into the thermowells, I didn't see any reason to change them out. So far, they've worked fine.

To mount the pilot burner, we fabricated a bracket. The bracket is welded to the cross member supporting the burner. We then riveted the bracket the the pilot burner assembly. These aren't great pictures, but they may help.

Feel free to borrow whatever works for you. Make sure to look at the last few posts I made with the later changes to the build. Seeing the areas I've decided to change may help in your decisions.

ignition004.jpg

ignition010.jpg

ignition001.jpg
 
Thanks, so much. I hope to get started this coming week, and do a build thread when I'm all finished. Cheers
 
Also, I may pm you when it comes time to wire the honeywell valve and pilot, that is really the only thing that has me intimidated at this point
 
Also, I may pm you when it comes time to wire the honeywell valve and pilot, that is really the only thing that has me intimidated at this point

If you haven't already seen it, it might help you to look at the other thread I posted when I was wiring and had questions. I have a few pictures of my wiring in there and some responses from guys who actually knew what they were talking about. They were invaluable to me when we were setting it up.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/help-wiring-honeywell-y8610u-gas-control-valve-pilot-burner-72295/

Honestly, if you have any questions, I'd post them as a separate post on the board. Someone on this board will be able to help, and I'm guessing it will be pretty quick. I'd love to help personally, but it's been a while since we set it up, and I don't really remember too much about it. Wiring is not something I am great at. I can get by, but I'm by no means an expert.
 
Ok thanks for the link, I hadn't seen it yet. I'm in the same boat, my only electrical experience has been in very simple circuits. My goal is to be finished by thanksgiving, but it will probably end up being christmas. Thanks again for the inspiration, help, and all the great ideas...wnc
 
Do you have a total expense report for this project, by the way it is awesome

Unfortunately, I don't have an exact amount. I never added everything up at the time, and I've lost some of the receipts and such.

I'd guess the original build cost around $4,500, including the purchase of the welder. I've probably spent another $750 on modifications and tweaks since I first built it. The total cost probably isn't much less than a new MoreBeer stand, but I got to build it how I wanted it. It also gave my step-dad a good project. It wasn't cheap, but I wouldn't change anything.
 
The MIG welding was a learning on the job type experience for both my step Dad and me. The Hobart worked well, but we did get some spattering occasionally that required some clean up (lots of grinding). That may have been user error or may have been the machine. A TIG might work better, but I couldn't afford one. :)

Everything on the stand, including the repairs last weekend, was done with the Hobart, stainless wire and an Argon gas mix. For a smaller welder, it held its own.


First off your stand looks awesome! I was thinking of doing a Stainless build, but have been hesitant because the price of the TIG welder. I always thought it was necessary to use a TIG for SS, and a MIG wouldn't give you a strong weld. Apparently not? Any concerns about the strength of the weld? Or any insight on the use of the MIG for a inexperienced welder?
 
First off your stand looks awesome! I was thinking of doing a Stainless build, but have been hesitant because the price of the TIG welder. I always thought it was necessary to use a TIG for SS, and a MIG wouldn't give you a strong weld. Apparently not? Any concerns about the strength of the weld? Or any insight on the use of the MIG for a inexperienced welder?

I have absolutely no concerns about the strength of the welds. You could park a truck on this thing. :) The MIG welds aren't nearly as pretty, and they likely don't penetrate as well as a TIG, but they are certainly very strong.

All I would advise is practice. Get some scrap and work on it. You'll find the settings on the machine that work for you and will also get used to the speed you need to move.
 

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