Weldless brew stand.

[Bender]

I took a picture of a spot there in the posted photo that looked like the metal has stretch cracks but it was too blurry to post. I may have to buy another 6 footer and reinforce those areas from underneath so not to stack too high on top and cause unbalance.

What I would suggest is moving that support at the left of the picture to the center of where the weight of the keggle sits. Front and back.

 

[GHawk]

That's the burner in the middle where the bend is.

 

[Bender]

I built a larger version of this to accommodate 33 gal kettles. See attached pics for where I've added supports and gussets. Note the bent metal where the kettles sit (rig is currently configured for 10 gal batches).

I should also note that since I'm running nat gas now I've switched out the hurricanes for 23 tip 160,000 BTU burners. I've brewed a lot of beer on this and haven't died in a boiling batch of sugar water yet. Yet...

 

[GHawk]

Holy Cow.
Was this bend from the heat or dropping something on it?

 

[Bender]

Heat, but the bending happened on the first brew and hasn't moved since. There are 4 rails and the kettle rides on the edge on each side. With the big kettles I start a boil at about 25 gal. So with the kettle it's about 250 lbs and a blazing hot burner. That's why I have the supports directly under the center line.

 

[gifty74]

I’d be a little leery of this material as it is not really rated as a structural member. Add some major heat to that and things could get a little dicey. Strut is much much stronger and structurally rated. Across a 36” length/beam it can support over 3,000 lbs. Also the same cost or less (depending on where you get your supplies). Here’s a thread I started a few years ago, just to reference another option that I know is much more sturdy having used both materials in the past.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/index.php?threads/my-weldless-build-using-strut.363128/

 

[tat2Pompadore]

 

[tat2Pompadore]

I tried this one out for a couple of 15 gallon brew sessions and came up with a few needed changes. I found the burners to open and I needed to direct the heat to the vessels better. I made some thick heat shields and added them to the stand. The bottom burner was too close to the ground, it was discoloring our patio. I raised it up using the 90 degree strut brackets. The top burner even though it had a new shield, was heating the top of my mash tun more than I likes. I added the diamond plate shield as well. That did the trick. The large base let’s me use it as a cart as well. I can get my rig from the garage to the patio in one trip.

Next up 15 gallons of stout. We’ll see if the upgrades do the trick.

 

[woodsrider11]

100% Weldless!