King Kooker Gravity Sculpture Project

[GreenDragon]

So I've been wanting a gravity sculpture for a while now and after the wife shot down me spending $500 for that one that was on sale over at morebeer last week I decided to take matters into my own hands and build my own. It's 90% done now, I'll add more pics after I finish it up tonight or tomorrow. I'll also post action shots after I use it this coming Saturday.

Materials needed:
2 x Eight foot 4x4
3 x Ten foot 2x4
2 x Eight foot 2x6
1 x Eight foot 2x8
1 x box of 3 & 5/8th construction screws
4 x cast iron casters (the 2" ones)
4 x metal handles
1 x King Kooker 94/90TKD
4 x Ubolts the 2x5 ones

Tools needed:
Circular Saw that can cut 4x4's and 2x8's
Cordless drill (HIGHLY suggested)
Wood file

Total cost (not including the tools I already had) = $91

Results:

 

[GreenDragon]

Still left to do:
Add a shelf to the bottom across those 2x4's sitting there.
Paint and seal it so it's water/wort resistant (and not as ugly)

 

[RichBrewer]

Looking forward to updates!

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

sub, I want to see this done I have one of those king kookers myself.

 

[GreenDragon]

I worked late late night so all I was able to do is purchase the paint and water sealant. Here's a pic of the entire thing though since the previous pics only show parts of it. Still have a lot to do, hoping to make some progress tonight. Anyone know how long that water sealant needs to completely dry?

 

[drgonzo2k2]

Hey, it's pretty cool to see the various ways people use these king kooker carts for their brew rigs. I had one that I used as part of a 3-tier gravity setup, and then last October I converted it over to a single-tier, single-pump stand. You can see the results in my final post on this build thread.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with the unit. The jet burner really gets your strike water up to temp quickly. The only problem I've ran into is that the smaller burner that came with the unit turned out to be a rust magnet, so I've replaced just the burner part with a Bayou Classic BG-10 burner, and it's right as rain again.

Good luck with your build!

 

[GreenDragon]

Okay so an update. I brewed an Abby ale on Saturday. Everything went pretty smooth. There is one fatal design flaw for those of us using Igloo coolers, the top level on the king kooker isn't high enough to gravity feed into the MLT. I had to place some 4x4's on the upper level to get the HLT high enough, this also cause my brew buddy and I to have to bench press the HLT up there full of 6+ gallons of 200F water because I didn't have a long enough hose to pump it up to the HLT once it was elevated.

After the HLT issue was resolved everything went fairly smoothly. I managed to hit a 76% efficiency which is a new high for me. This was only my 2nd attempt at fly sparging but I'm a believer now.

 

[GreenDragon]

New update with pictures. I've used this structure for about 5 brews now. You'll notice I added a platform to raise the HLT so it can gravity feed into the MLT. To get the hot water up there I created a U shaped pipe that has a 1/2" quick connect on it.

Structure currently:

My transfer device:

I attached my pump and a hook for my stirrer:

 

[Dr_Jeff]

since you are using an Igloo for your HLT, just bring the water in thru the valve at the bottom, no need to drop it in from the top

 

[drgonzo2k2]

One question - if you have a pump, why did you choose to go with a single tier setup?

I had a King Kooker that I originally setup as a 3-tier, but I bought a pump specifically to change it to a single-tier, which I am now very happy with. No more lifting heavy hot things!

 

[GreenDragon]

One question - if you have a pump, why did you choose to go with a single tier setup?

I had a King Kooker that I originally setup as a 3-tier, but I bought a pump specifically to change it to a single-tier, which I am now very happy with. No more lifting heavy hot things!

Mainly because the valves on the coolers are not 1/2". I know I could fix it but for now it works. Also, I've been testing full-volume BIAB and I'm pretty sure that's the direction I'll be going. I'm finishing up a few modifications on my BIAB system that I hope to have done by next brew day. Look for a new post from me in the BIAB forum once I'm done.