Portable igloo cooler kegerator

I'm getting a 75qt two keg cooler together. Here is my progress so far.

rossi46 said:

I'm getting a 75qt two keg cooler together. Here is my progress so far.

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Nice! Can we see a pic of the inside? Did you have to do any modifications to fit the 2 kegs in there?

i'll get some pics of inside. no mods inside or kegs. and plenty of room for ice.

Nice, Thanks! I looked at the dimensions between this one and the Igloo 70qt. I am going to see if 3 gallon kegs will fit in there without cutting the lid.

i did use 3 1/8" shank, they fit perfectly, with not much sticking out on the inside.

Thanks for the shank size, am looking forward to seeing the inside pics. Are the kegs side by side? Is this the correct cooler? Looks like they have a light blue and dark blue.

Yes, kegs are side by side.
The dark blue is the xtreme. That is the one I got.

Awesome, could you do me a huge favor and measure the inside height please.

The top of the cooler is 20x15. Interior is 17" high. Bottom is smaller and odd shaped. The very bottom is 15x11. But as you can see it handles 2 kegs just fine.

Awesome, thanks so much for the pics and dimensions. I don't think that 3 gallon cornys will fit, as mine are 18" tall with the disconnects. Bummer...

On these two pictures, it seems that QDs for the gas lines are used. Any idea what size/type those are? I have meant to do that a few times but get always distracted.

Both pics are from here:

-Dan- said:

On these two pictures, it seems that QDs for the gas lines are used. Any idea what size/type those are? I have meant to do that a few times but get always distracted.

Both pics are from here:

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Hey, that bottom pic is of the Tailgater which is mine. Thanks for making it a Star Dan by re-posting (I kid of course). In the top pic, the upper keg is using ball lock QD's as I did. The other keg is using pin lock. Those will sit higher - how much I do not know as I have no experience with them.

As for the size of the QD's, not sure what you mean as the ball lockQD's are all a standard size as far as I know.

Whutever said:

Hey, that bottom pic is of the Tailgater which is mine. Thanks for making it a Star Dan by re-posting (I kid of course). In the top pic, the upper keg is using ball lock QD's as I did. The other keg is using pin lock. Those will sit higher - how much I do not know as I have no experience with them.

As for the size of the QD's, not sure what you mean as the ball lockQD's are all a standard size as far as I know.

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I tried to quote the pics but for some reason they didn't come through.. so I c&p'ed as mentioned Sorry about that.
Well the QDs I actually meant wasn't the ones from the kegs themselves rather what's used for the gas lines coming into the cooler. I can't really from the pictures of these two examples what type of hardware is used.

I'm providing home brew for an annual family gathering/party in October (we have another in January/February) so I'll be making one of these rather soon.

I've seen some people posting about putting towers on the tops, instead of running the taps/faucets through the face... Other than the height of the faucet, is there any real advantage of doing this (other than the cool factor of course)? For those that have put the faucets through the front, now that you've used it, would you go that route again, or would you do a tower if you had the option??

I already have the pin-valve regulator, and two paintball tanks, so that's no issue. I might make/get a bulkhead for the gas to go from the outside to the inside.

I also use primarily 3 gallon ball-lock kegs for my brew. I have some used and some I picked up brand new. I should have brew in both for the party/event.

Just looking for confirmation on the cooler everyone seems to be using, with success... It's the Igloo Ice Cube MaxCold 70 Roller, right?

Looking forward to building this up. Since I'll need some more beer line, and gas line, to do this, I'll probably just order what else I need (sans cooler) from Keg Connection. I did ask them (this past week) about the pin-valve/paintball tank regulators... Their story (and I'm sure it's true) is that the manufacturer has increased the price for them to the point where they cannot offer them for sale. The cost (to us) would be too high and no one would buy them, or they'd be in the red on the item. I completely understand their point on this. I just wish they could still get them. Fortunately, I ordered mine while they still had them, so it's not an issue for me. Still, I'm thinking that another would be nice...:rockin:

Golddiggie said:

For those that have put the faucets through the front, now that you've used it, would you go that route again, or would you do a tower if you had the option??....

I might make/get a bulkhead for the gas to go from the outside to the inside.

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I used 3" shanks with no problem. I like the lower profile with the faucets on the front. I've used it one time but am happy thus far. I have the CO2 connected simply with a q/d running outside the cooler. I am able to then use that paintball tank for other things such has carbonating other kegs and moving beer because I have other q/d attachments.

Golddiggie said:

I also use primarily 3 gallon ball-lock kegs for my brew. I have some used and some I picked up brand new.

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I have old 3-gallon kegs. I can fit a "spike bottom" with a regular bottom in my cooler or two two "spike bottom" ones. I do not have any new 3-gallon kegs.

Golddiggie said:

Just looking for confirmation on the cooler everyone seems to be using, with success... It's the Igloo Ice Cube MaxCold 70 Roller, right?

Click to expand...

That's the cooler I ordered. I ordered from Target just in case I needed to return it. I had no issues with installation. The cooler worked great.

Here's my parts list (from what I can remember and count)

-Dan- said:

I tried to quote the pics but for some reason they didn't come through.. so I c&p'ed as mentioned Sorry about that.
Well the QDs I actually meant wasn't the ones from the kegs themselves rather what's used for the gas lines coming into the cooler. I can't really from the pictures of these two examples what type of hardware is used.

Click to expand...

Gotcha, totally mis-read the quetion you asked. Here's the pic of the outside of mine. I'm not using any QD's but this CO2 Injector that I picked up from MoreBeer. Additionally here are the parts I purchased to assemble it:

Adapter: 1/4" x 3/8"

Long Nipple: 3/8" x 1 1/2" (or shorter)

Female Hose Barb: 3/8" x 5/16"

Then just drill the appropriate size hole to fit through. I believe it was 11/16".

I no longer do this though as I had a leak a few years back and now I just attach it to the keg. It just takes a squirt every now and then.

Golddiggie said:

For those that have put the faucets through the front, now that you've used it, would you go that route again, or would you do a tower if you had the option??

Click to expand...

I wouldn't change a thing. Everytime I've used it I've either set it on the Tailgate (hence it's name) or it's been placed on a counter. Regardless of the taps coming out the front or a tower, little hands like to grab things if you catch my drift.

TimmyR said:

I used 3" shanks with no problem. I like the lower profile with the faucets on the front. I've used it one time but am happy thus far. I have the CO2 connected simply with a q/d running outside the cooler. I do not have any new 3-gallon kegs.

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I've been considering building the Tailgater II based on TimmyR's build. I really like the way he mounted the CO2 to the backside (as others have done).

Thanks....the ONLY downside to the cage on the back it you cannot let it sit against a back seat on that side. For travel I put two kegs and both paintball tanks in the cooler. The 3" shanks worked good provided you use 3/16" nipples. I tried 1/4" MFL fittings but they are too long.

Nice build Whutever...I almost put a bulkhead on with a small CO2 cartridge or the small Williams Regulator.

Blueskew

What length shanks did you buy? Also, did you have any trouble with the shank getting in the way of the keg on the backside? Finally did you have to drill into the top white part of the cooler above the blue?

Blueskew said:

Gryphon,

I've had good luck transporting my beer and having it be extremely clean and drinkable immediately. However, I always use a secondary fermenter and have very little sediment in my kegs as a result of this in combination with force carbing instead of sugar. The only time I've had an issue has been in dealing with the IMMEDIATE force carb method when I overcarbed an IPA. The beer looked more like a snowcone than beer, but once it settled in the glass people loved it and ended up draining that keg regardless of the foam (so I chalk that one up to my screw up). The other tap was normal 1-2 week force carbed and that poured clear after being wheeled out of house, driven for 30 minutes, and wheeled down a street and up 2 flights of stairs.

The rollers appear to handle normal flat surfaces well, but you'll need to use the handles for everything else as you will have up to 6 gallons of beer and ice/water if you've already loaded it. I'm just happy that the telescoping handle can take the weight honestly. I'm looking into possibly upgrading to "offroad" wheels somehow to make beach or field travel more reasonable.

Blue

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I'm planning on using the 75 qt Coleman pictured above and have a question about the dimensions: if the bottom dims are 11x15", how do you fit two 8.5" dia kegs side-by-side? I measured one of these coolers in Walmart the other day and thought it had at least 18" in the bottom.

I actually plan on using modified pinlocks in these. A guy in my shop thinks he can cut 7.5" out of the cylinder, reducing the volume to about 3 gallons and reducing the height to 14.5" + connector. I measured about 16" clearance (17" minus about 1" of the lid tuck-in) He welds SS all day long, so I hope he's up to the challenge. If not, I'm out a $12 keg.

hoelzlme said:

I'm planning on using the 75 qt Coleman pictured above and have a question about the dimensions: if the bottom dims are 11x15", how do you fit two 8.5" dia kegs side-by-side? I measured one of these coolers in Walmart the other day and thought it had at least 18" in the bottom.

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I used older 3-gallon kegs as described early in this thread. The key is using at least one of the kegs with a base like the one on the left (first picture below). Otherwise, the small wheelwell inside the cooler gets in the way and you need to cut some of the rubber out.

Different bases



One Keg so you can see wheelwell



Two kegs with gas lines hanging out to right

Oops...thought I was replying at the end of pg 13. I was actually refering to the Coleman XTreme 75 qt cooler where they are pictured side-by-side, not the Igloo where they are diagonal from eachother.

Has anyone tried and used the 2" shanks yet?

I used 3" shanks in the above pix. 2" might have worked.

I built one a few years ago. I'm just wondering what is the purpose of everyone using the manifolds. Since these are portable systems with easy accessibility, I'd assume if you wanted to stop co2 from going to a keg, you would just take the quick disconnect off. These builds are great, but I just thought I'd mention to a person thinking of building one and trying to do so on the cheap end, the manifold is not totally necessary, just use a tee.

theshoe82 said:

Has anyone tried and used the 2" shanks yet?

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I'm pretty sure 2" shanks don't work. I think I tried that and ended up having to buy longer shanks.

JesseRC said:

I built one a few years ago. I'm just wondering what is the purpose of everyone using the manifolds. Since these are portable systems with easy accessibility, I'd assume if you wanted to stop co2 from going to a keg, you would just take the quick disconnect off. These builds are great, but I just thought I'd mention to a person thinking of building one and trying to do so on the cheap end, the manifold is not totally necessary, just use a tee.

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Good tip. In my case it was a drop in the bucket once all was said and done. The big dollar items are kegs, regulator and faucets/shanks & the cooler. If you can save some money on those pieces you could really bring the price down.

edasaurus said:

I'm pretty sure 2" shanks don't work. I think I tried that and ended up having to buy longer shanks.

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Ah I see. Thanks for the info. I am halfway to making this project a reality.

I am hoping to have it done for the summertime. Going to order the 3 inch shanks today.

theshoe82 said:

Ah I see. Thanks for the info. I am halfway to making this project a reality.

I am hoping to have it done for the summertime. Going to order the 3 inch shanks today.

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I just checked and I ended up getting 3" shanks with The barbed ends welded on and those worked out perfect

I thought I posted this. There are cheaper ways to build this, but here's how mine went out the door.

has anyone tried shaving off the parts of the cooler that stick out on the inside? I have 2 2.5 gallon cornys with rubber on top and bottom and I cannot get them to slide all the way in. I noticed black marks on the extrusions for the ones closest to the corners which makes me think that shaving them down would give me the extra fraction of an inch.

That will expose the foam that is under the plastic to water when the ice melts. Then you will have a heavy water logged cooler with funk growing in the foam part of the cooler.

My plan was to cover the foam with epoxy to make it water tight

I have heard the 60 and 70 at is the same size but online the measurements are actually bigger for length and width. Can anyone confirm?

That's not the case. The inside is definately a different size too

great looks like I will be selling my 60 and getting a 70

60qt works for one keg, 70 is needed for two. I have a 60qt cooler and it works well for my needs

DIY Koolerator:

The are several possible setups for this kooler:

• 1 - 3 Gallon Keg, CO2, Regulator, and Faucet

• 2 - 3 Gallon Kegs, CO2, Regulator, and 2 Faucets

• 1 - 5 Liter Mini Keg, CO2, Regulator, and Faucet

• 2 - 5 Liter Mini Kegs, CO2, Regulator, and 2 Faucets

• 1 - 3 Gallon Keg, 1 - 5 Liter Mini Keg, CO2, Regulator, and 2 Faucets

• 1 - 3 Gallon Keg, 2 - 5 Liter Mini Kegs, CO2, Regulator, and 2 Faucets

• ^^^^^^ This is my prefered setup and allows you to tap one mini keg until it kicks and then tap the next mini keg.

• 1 - 3 Gallon Keg, 2 - 5 Liter Mini Kegs, CO2, Regulator, and 3 Faucets

• 3 - 5 Liter Mini Kegs, CO2, Regulator, and 3 Faucets

Regulator,

As for parts:
1 - 60qt Igloo Cube Cooler
1, 2, or 3 - 4" Shanks
1, 2, or 3 - Beer Faucets
1 or 2 - 3 Gallon Ball Lock Kegs
1, 2, or 3 - 5 Liter Mini Kegs
1, 2, or 3 - Mini Keg Taps "The type that Souixer Brewer built"
1 - 5Lb CO2 tank with regulator
Ball lock fittings to match your desired setup
Gas lines - approximately 18" per tap
Beer lines - approximately 5' or 6' per a tap

Target currently has the 70 quart at a great price!

http://www.target.com/p/IGLOO-Ice-C...r-Cooler/-/A-10281497#?lnk=sc_qi_detailbutton

I was gonna wait to buy this but at this price I can't say no!