BIAB hoisting with a ratchet pulley, rev 1

[wilserbrewer]

I did a thread years ago detailing procedures for hoisting a BIAB bag with a ratchet pulley. The thread is a little dated, and we have also added a double pulley option. I've used the double pulley a few times and find it a pleasure to use. With BIAB, I have found that a successful and enjoyable experience is all about "bag management". Having an easy and neat way to remove and drain the bag is paramount IMO to a good BIAB brew session.

1st pic is of the new double pulley, showing one option of installing the second pulley on the hoist cord on a loop with the attachment hook. Everyone's brewery is different so I will give a few different rigging options.



Next option is simplest, the additional pulley is installed on the same hook as the pulley hook.



Next option is for those with high ceiling / attachment point, rather than replacing the hoist rope with a longer rope, a short lenght of rope is attached at the ceiling, and the short down rope enables adequate travel of the ratchet pulley to clear the kettle rim.



Attaching the Bag to the Hoist


Simplest and easiest is to hook the ratchet pulley to the bag drawstring. This works well, but can result with the rathet pulley quite high. Removing the bag can be tricky if the pulley hook is above your reach.



Next "better" option IMO is to place a simple not in the bag drawstring and hoist from the now shortened drawstring.





The most height friendly method for those with large kettles / bags and lower pulley attachment points, is to use a short 6-8" tied loop of strong cord. Happy to include with your order if requested...



As the bag is gathered and readied for hoisting, the loop of cord is wrapped around the bag twice and fed back thru the loop, and pulled tight prior to attaching to the ratchet pulley.

 

[doomy86]

Thank you for sharing. I used a big steel winch until now. A little overkill i know, but with 15 gallon brews the bags are heavy hell.

Moving to a new location soon i have to find a new, more simple hoisting system. With a strong enough hook, rope and steel pully this should work. Do you have some kind of attatchment points at the wall?

 

[RM-MN]

Thank you for sharing. I used a big steel winch until now. A little overkill i know, but with 15 gallon brews the bags are heavy hell.

Moving to a new location soon i have to find a new, more simple hoisting system. With a strong enough hook, rope and steel pully this should work. Do you have some kind of attatchment points at the wall?

One of his pulleys is a ratcheting pulley so he doesn't need an attachment point. When he stops lifting the pulley hold fast.

 

[Tarpon87]

I don't the second to last picture. Just tie a stopped knot in the drawstring and pull from under the knot. Works great so far.

 

[doomy86]

One of his pulleys is a ratcheting pulley so he doesn't need an attachment point. When he stops lifting the pulley hold fast.

Thanks, now i understand. I wonder where i can get those pulleys here in europe.

 

[Homercidal]

Thanks, now i understand. I wonder where i can get those pulleys here in europe.

They are all over the place on Amazon. I was shopping for one when I started looking into building a small, single unit BIAB rig, and ended up looking at all different kinds of sizes of them. They aren't much cheaper there, though.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I recently added both the single and double acting pulleys on my site. The 1/4" double pulley works great at only $12.

 

[cyclonebeer]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1494455904.834250.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1494455904.834250.jpg

I use a deer hanger that has a 7:1 mechanical advantage. They don't cost a lot, but they don't ratchet. I lash it off on a dock cleat. Works for me.

 

[cyclonebeer]

Sorry about the double pics, and you'll have to turn your head sideways. Must be an Apple thing.

 

[LRS_Brewer]

With the ratchet, what is the easiest way to then lower the bag so as to drop it with ease into a bucket, as opposed to leaving it dangle over the BK? I will be looking to brew my first BIAB AG batch in the fall, and am putting all the pieces together at present. This type of brewing is new to me, so if my question seems rudimentary, that is the reason.

Thank you for your help in advance.

 

[wilserbrewer]

The ratchet pulley has a release lever, when you are ready to lower the bag, one releases the lever and lowers the bag.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Link below to my original post on BIAB hoisting detailing use of a single pulley, specifically attaching the pulley to the bag rather than the ceiling hook.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=416419

 

[jalc6927]

What is your site again

I need another bag and pulley

 

[JDXX1971]

Edited because Whoops!

 

[JDXX1971]

I wanted to share a method I came up with for tying off the bag for hoisting. My last brew was my first 10 gallon batch and I knew hoisting the bag was going to be a little different. My BIAB stand has an overhead frame for hoisting but the lift height is limited. I used to tie the top of the bag in a knot and put the hoist hook through that but that sucked and was not gonna work for 26 pounds of grain.

Wish I had a picture (I will add one later)

What I did was pull the drawstring tight and gather the bag up as far as I could then folded it back on itself. Next I wrapped the string upwards around the bag tightly until there is just enough to put back through the loop in the bag and hooked the hoist to the drawstring. There was very little slippage at all and it lifted those sopping wet 26 pounds of grain (#?) with no problem and I could not tell any difference in the bag (no damage) at all.

I saw this thread come up, and have been meaning to share sine I never seem to have a piece of cord handy for Wilser's method. Though he did just send me two with my last order, Thanks! No worries I will find a good use for them.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Sorry,
photo links in OP are dead. Photos linked below

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVMGNwUVE4WlJSc0Y0RHBKekpweGtqLXhuNzJV/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVMGNwUVE4WlJSc0Y0RHBKekpweGtqLXhuNzJV/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVSF9uM284MDk2b3N5VGZWSDNxUDc1bGxQOTV3/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVR25GNENYblkzbTFQRGNPXzhRU0thVWNCc25j/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVbmR5ZDJRZm9rREFLa1BUZkZZSEQtRzNFUVVz/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVaXhCMmtQR1d3aUo0SW5IblRRUVR1cFB4QWxj/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVbjBGWjBoZFdONDVSVGhTRFhYamJLXzNfNnNj/view?usp=sharing

 

[wilserbrewer]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7_Qr9FhgZnVMGNwUVE4WlJSc0Y0RHBKekpweGtqLXhuNzJV/view?usp=sharing

 

[Merkur]

I did a thread years ago detailing procedures for hoisting a BIAB bag with a ratchet pulley. The thread is a little dated, and we have also added a double pulley option. I've used the double pulley a few times and find it a pleasure to use. With BIAB, I have found that a successful and enjoyable experience is all about "bag management". Having an easy and neat way to remove and drain the bag is paramount IMO to a good BIAB brew session.

1st pic is of the new double pulley, showing one option of installing the second pulley on the hoist cord on a loop with the attachment hook. Everyone's brewery is different so I will give a few different rigging options.



Next option is simplest, the additional pulley is installed on the same hook as the pulley hook.



Next option is for those with high ceiling / attachment point, rather than replacing the hoist rope with a longer rope, a short lenght of rope is attached at the ceiling, and the short down rope enables adequate travel of the ratchet pulley to clear the kettle rim.



Attaching the Bag to the Hoist


Simplest and easiest is to hook the ratchet pulley to the bag drawstring. This works well, but can result with the rathet pulley quite high. Removing the bag can be tricky if the pulley hook is above your reach.



Next "better" option IMO is to place a simple not in the bag drawstring and hoist from the now shortened drawstring.





The most height friendly method for those with large kettles / bags and lower pulley attachment points, is to use a short 6-8" tied loop of strong cord. Happy to include with your order if requested...



As the bag is gathered and readied for hoisting, the loop of cord is wrapped around the bag twice and fed back thru the loop, and pulled tight prior to attaching to the ratchet pulley.

Thanks! The loop wrapped around the bag twice works well. I just tried it and it was easy.

Problem solved. Now I need a brew day to try it out th a hot sticky bag of grain!

 

[capt_yo55arian]

The grand slam wilser bag / pulley came in the mail today, woohoo.

Any tips on hooking it up to sloped / angled rafter..thats pretty much what I'm working with above the BK. I have some ideas but figured I'd run it by the pros.

 

[Jayjay1976]

The grand slam wilser bag / pulley came in the mail today, woohoo.

Any tips on hooking it up to sloped / angled rafter..thats pretty much what I'm working with above the BK. I have some ideas but figured I'd run it by the pros.

Post a photo of the overhead structure so we can diagnose and prescribe...

 

[capt_yo55arian]

Arrow pointing to where it would be optimal to hook it up @...

 

[doug293cz]

The grand slam wilser bag / pulley came in the mail today, woohoo.

Any tips on hooking it up to sloped / angled rafter..thats pretty much what I'm working with above the BK. I have some ideas but figured I'd run it by the pros.

Just screw an eye bolt into the rafter, and suspend the pulley from that.

Brew on

 

[capt_yo55arian]

thanks , clearly I was over thinking it. Thought the slope / angle would affect it.

 

[mscroggi]

I am thinking I will grab a cheapo game hoist. But I notice some of them have a brake built in. This appeals to me.

Does anyone have any experience with one of these? https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/hunters-specialties-mag-4:1-hoist-with-gambrel

 

[marc1]

I am thinking I will grab a cheapo game hoist. But I notice some of them have a brake built in. This appeals to me.

Does anyone have any experience with one of these? https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/hunters-specialties-mag-4:1-hoist-with-gambrel

The wilser hoists lock as you raise them.

 

[boilermaker]

I am thinking I will grab a cheapo game hoist. But I notice some of them have a brake built in. This appeals to me.

Does anyone have any experience with one of these? https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/hunters-specialties-mag-4:1-hoist-with-gambrel

Yep. I’ve used the same thing from Harbor Freight. Works fine and is a compound pulley system so very little effort to hoist. Having said that, it’s more than I need, at least for 5 gallon batches. The brake works fine but isn’t as elegant as pulleys with built in ratchets. I don’t use it anymore because my basement brewery has a low ceiling and the game pulley system requires a fair amount of clearance which was problematic for me. I use this now, which you can also get on Amazon.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools/...9-c-14203.htm?tid=-5507257080466247031&ipos=1