If youâve ever been present when truckloads of brewing equipment arrive at a brewery – youâll know there is a real buzz about the place. It’s a big day, kind of like Christmas morning, if Santa reversed his giant sleigh in your garage and made you unpack all your giant presents.
Then, of course, everything must be taken to its rightful place in your brewery – that is a completely different story.
We understand our customers are often anxious about this day. Itâs the culmination of months of hard work. And if itâs not done properly – at best, time is wasted. At worst, people are hurt. So itâs really important to take your time and get it right.
Unfortunately, we canât be present at all the installs, so we have put together a comprehensive checklist and process outline, to make sure our clients are prepared on their big day. However, we decided that this checklist was so useful that we should share it with the world so that everybody can experience the Bespoke Way!
Unloading and Installing Brewery Equipment Checklist
One of our favorite moments in the process of building a brewery is seeing the expression on our client’s faces when they see their equipment for the first time. They know what the pieces look like, theyâve been designing them for months – but theyâve never seen them in the flesh. The general expression says âOh wow. Sh*! just got real.â
Unloading day can be really exciting, but it can also be tricky. Thereâs a literal ton or more of logistics involved, especially if youâve taken on the challenge to do it all yourself.Â
You can hire a rigging team, who will come in and handle the unloading and rough positioning process for you. Their expertise ensures a smooth unloading operation, and they typically carry liability for any equipment damage that may occur.
The first step in this process begins with one of our favorite things – a checklist! We put together a list of everything you need to unpack, relocate, and position the equipment:
- 1 x fork truck with fork extensions
- 1 x telescopic fork truck with fork extensions or crane truck. This is a nice-to-have. If not another fork truck will be fine as well.
- 2 x foam pieces to put put between the tanks and forktruck to prevent scratching
- 2 x pallet jacks (for smaller tanks a narrow pallet jack is very useful)
- 2 x D-shackles
- 2 x lifting straps rated at least 3000kg or more
- 8 x ~4â tall wood blocks for blocking up the tanks if needed
- 1 or 2 x electric drills with HEX and screw set
- 1 x crowbar
- 1 x hammer
- 1 x Allen key set (metric sizes)
(Note: For standing the tanks you can use a crane truck or switch out one of the fork trucks with a telescopic fork truck.)
You will also need tools to remove your equipment from the shipping frames, which are held together by:
- M16 bolt with a 24mm head (frame and cradle bolts)
- M8 Allen Screws from pipe supports
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It Begins
Our first and most important piece of advice is – take your time. Remember to think each action through and ensure everyone is across what needs to happen. Teamwork and communication are absolutely critical. Failure to do so could lead to an injury or damaged equipment.Â
Make sure you have all the right tools ready to go and easily accessible. For equipment rental, people often charge you per hour so returning it in a timely manner can reduce costs. The same goes with the driver and truck as you have a predetermined amount of free time for unloading before they start charging extra, so having everything ready to go and ensuring your team is clear on whatâs happening will help you avoid extra costs.
Pro Tip
Unloading Your Brewery Equipment From the Truck
One of the biggest challenges of the day is getting the huge pieces of brewery equipment from the truck (which is ~1.7 meters/5.5 feet high) onto the ground.
Youâve got a couple of options here. The first is to use two forktrucks to slowly pull the equipment out and then lower it down. It’s important to have skilled drivers who have a game plan and understand their roles. While one person is pulling the equipment out, the will need to support the back half of it, so that it doesnât slip.Â
The second way is to use a side loader. This will lift the entire container off the truck and lower the whole thing onto the ground. This way you can pull equipment out and mitigate the risk of dropping it, as itâs already at ground level. We have only really seen this option in Australia though.
Below is a video of a side loader in action at Two Rupees Brewing Company in Melbourne, Australia.
Once the tanks are standing in their proper position, you can use a standard pallet jack to move them around via the horizontal leg supports which are designed to hold the weight of the tanks. For smaller tanks, a narrow pallet jack is recommended as it will be able to fit between the legs.
Installing According Your Brewery Layout
So now youâve got your checklist in one hand, and your brewery design and layout [LINK] document in the other.Â
Once your equipment is off the truck, you want to unload the equipment in a specific order, to avoid getting stuck.
First, make sure you assess the size of everything and work out the best way to move it around. Fork trucks are great – but you may need fork extensions for the wider tanks, like the MLT.
Then, youâll need to think about your brewhouse design and which pieces of equipment will be at the furthest end of the brewery. This way you can move it towards the back with a clear path – and backfill from there.Â
In a perfect world, your utilities have been installed beforehand – but this isnât always the case. Either way, itâs important to make sure everything matches the layout. There is a reason we have a high level of detail in our drawings.Â
The cellar is easier but the brewhouse is all connected with pipes. It’s important to place the vessels correctly to ensure the connections all align between them.
The equipment is shipped in steel frames and tied down with lifting straps. These steel frames are large and wonât be of much use to you once youâve installed everything. They will also take up unnecessary space! If you have a scrap metal contact, you can have someone collect these frames straight away, to avoid clutter.
Pro Tip
Find the Balance!
We cannot stress it enough – take your time with your unloading.Â
Youâve paid a lot of money for this equipment, you donât want to damage it – and you donât want anyone to get hurt. However, we understand there is also a need to get the task done efficiently, to avoid unnecessary costs.
So find that balance.Â
P.S. – thereâs no such thing as âover-communicatingâ. Double-check to ensure everyone is on the same page and check in with your team, in case anyone has questions.Â
If youâd like more advice about how to ensure a smooth unloading/installation of your brewery equipment, please get in touch.
We would be happy to help!