How do you guys move your carboys around?

[Calichusetts]

I spin it on my finger like a Harlem Globetrotter...seriously though, 1 gallon batches here in glass carboys so no need for anything

 

[derek81]

I make my 8 year old son pick them up daddy's getting old and beer is heavy

 

[stikks]

Here`s what I use,this is a 6 gal.It also fits a 7 gallon.

 

[Evillive]

The Brew Hauler here too. Love that thing!

 

[xdalisx]

brew hauler. though I need to order another so I can have one for each carboy and not have to switch back and forth...

 

[40watt]

If you can handle the weight of a full glass carboy, a milk crate is quite good for carrying it safely.

This. I'm built like an ox. So I use a crate for handles, and I'm in business. Lift with your legs. Keep your head up.

 

[amh145]

I use a milk crate sometimes. I also use a cooler so that when I siphon any spills e.d up in the cooler rather than the floor.

 

[TomSD]

Love my brew haulers!

I thought about doing it with rope or paracord but they are pretty cheap so I got a couple instead. I figured better something with glowing reviews and well tested by others than trusting my beer and my health to my rope skills.

 

[woodstone]

Broke one in my life with no ill effects. Currently move them VERY carefully! And have stickers all over them to ease the pain when they "go". SLOWLY swapping out for Better Bottles.

 

[madcow_number_6]

Two raggity oak pallets from work gleaned enough wood for my 6.5 and both 5 gal carboys. Even holds up when full of beer.

 

[Chrissthomas]

I have a brew hauler and it works great. I wouldn't trust a rope contraption just because rope is round and can slip easily. Brew haulers are cool cause they're flat and once you have them on tight they aren't going anywhere. They are not that expensive either.

 

[spearko520]

i grab mine around the neck and put my other hand under their bottom. just to show them who's boss.

 

[chaserchap]

I have a brew hauler and it works great. I wouldn't trust a rope contraption just because rope is round and can slip easily. Brew haulers are cool cause they're flat and once you have them on tight they aren't going anywhere. They are not that expensive either.

The way my rope hauler is tied there is no way for it to slip off. It's not just around the Carboy, but underneath it too.

 

[Brickout]

I also use a brew hauler, but I made my own.

 

[kh54s10]

Two raggity oak pallets from work gleaned enough wood for my 6.5 and both 5 gal carboys. Even holds up when full of beer.

View attachment 49007

Add the weight of the wood to the weight of a glass carboy and the OP will never recover from his thrown out back.

Better bottles or buckets and a Brew Hauler. Or find a way to have your carboy in place throughout the entire process.

 

[drkaeppel]

I really should figure out a safer method. I don't use carboys often, but when I do, I typically just bear-hug it and try to support it from the bottom.

I've seen some carboy-related injuries. They can be really bad.

 

[Shutupandbrew]

I really should figure out a safer method. I don't use carboys often, but when I do, I typically just bear-hug it and try to support it from the bottom.

I've seen some carboy-related injuries. They can be really bad.

I put mine in an empty milk crate. Sturdy and has built in handles. Ask your local grocer or restaurant for one or two.

 

[phenry]

I say a prayer, then grab the neck and bottom. Hasn't failed me yet.

 

[DeafSmith]

I say a prayer, then grab the neck and bottom. Hasn't failed me yet.

Past results are not an indication of future performance.

 

[Skelator]

i have carpeting from the closet i ferment in to the kitchen. I place it on the floor and slide it slowly being careful not to tip it over (push from the middle with a hand on the neck). Worksl like a charm.

 

[phenry]

Past results are not an indication of future performance.

Which is why I rarely use carboys. I mean I'm 6'3" and 215 lbs, a full 5 gallon carboy isn't exactly that heavy to me. I still don't like the thought of slicing one of my fingers off if I misstep though.

 

[spearko520]

i have carpeting from the closet i ferment in to the kitchen. I place it on the floor and slide it slowly being careful not to tip it over (push from the middle with a hand on the neck). Worksl like a charm.

my dog is scooting around on the carpet like that right now...
he must be fermenting!!!

 

[RiverCityLA]

Handles or brew hauler. Both work fine. Just make sure you use the right sized handle for the particular carboy. They have versions for 5 & 6.5 gallon carboys.

 

[Delaney]

I honestly almost died a couple of weeks ago transporting a carboy of mine. I was holding the carboy in my arms and slipped at the very top of the stairs, which are steep. Somehow I managed to tobaggon down the stairs on my back, without breaking the carboy!!!! My back hurt pretty badly for a week, other then that it was pretty badass!!!

I've broken carboys before, and they can cut you pretty badly when they do...the thing was literally resting on my belly, it makes me cringe to think of how that could have played out.

I worked at a winemaking store for a while, and they have a pretty easy solution for this....shelves that can hold carboys, four levels high. You start on the top shelf and finish on the bottom shelf...

 

[tbrink]

I too have an upstairs/downstairs situation, so I use one of those flexible heavy duty plastic garden baskets you can find at most home & garden stores (lowes, home depot, even walmart). It's lightweight, easy, and cheap.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=13604

A big advantage is that any potential blowover incidents are contained, which was the primary goal for me. All it takes is one (ahem) "incident" with fermenting wort finding its way in the carpeting to really appreciate that aspect.

 

[big_al_in_k-zoo]

I made a few of these using my mom's sewing machine (after I figured out how to use it)

Works well, and ended up being a Little cheaper than the Brew Hauler. Plus it gave me a project to do. Love making stuff.

 

[MikeWI]

After reading this thread, I'm getting myself a milk crate.

Also I try to move the carboy as little as possible. It never leaves the basement (I bring the wort and yeast to it on brew day) and at most goes 20 feet from the brewing spot under the stairs to on top of the dryer for racking.

Mike

 

[beerkrump]

+1 Milk Crate

It's easy to handle. However, the biggest plus is that if I bump something while carrying my carboy, I'm not concerned about multiple lacerations.

 

[Rugrad02]

I have found a new use for that skateboard I have gotten too old to ride. I just place a folded towel on the skateboard and the Carboy full of beer on top. It wheels easily around the house.

 

[KillerIguana]

Speaking of skateboards - you can take griptape used for skateboard decks and stick pieces strategically around the carboy. It makes the carboy super grippy. Just make sure you clean and dry the carboy and let the griptape sit for a few days to let the adhesive set up. Then put it in a milk crate. Check out skateboard shops, they usually have scrap pieces left over after doing up a deck.