Racking Systems
The Industry Standard for cask racking is currently manual lift or lifter/lift truck. These systems are typically supplied the same – a rack is supplied with stillages and the option of a purchasing a lifter is provided
Lifters are seriously limited in practical use. They require a lot of space to work, the floor to be even and clear of beer lines.
While they do not require the operator to physically lift the cask their use does demand a lot of physical effort and manipulation to load the cask. The result often, particularly where 9 gallon casks are used, is to ignore the lifter and manually load the rack.
Loading a standard rack without a lifter requires the cask to be manipulated under and over the rack
CELLAR HANDLING’S approach is simple.
If a rack is to be loaded manually, design it so it can be loaded with minimum effort.
If mechanical support is required, make it purposeful
E FRAME –
9 GALLON
The E Frame racking system was developed to minimise the working height of a 3 tier system.
Traditional systems support the stillage on horizontal beams which can be anything up to 100mm in height
The E frame uses a cantilever to support the stillage. The cantilever is built within the area occupied by the stillage so it effectively removes the height previously needed for the support beams
In comparison to a standard Overhead Hoist system the operating height of the 3rd tier is reduced by approximately 230mm enabling an average height person to operate the system with confidence
The E frame system has been fully load tested and certified for deflection by an accredited company
The E frame system is only available for 9 gallon casks
For cellars with restricted height the principal can also be applied to 2 tier racking enabling a cask rack to be installed with mechanical aid to be installed in most cellars
As the rack is custom built for each site its design can take account of existing features eg pipework, chilling units etc to enable installation – to effect this a site survey is not always required
OVERHEAD HOIST CASK RACKING
9 GALLON / 9-18 GALLON
Over Head Hoist Cask Racking removes the need for a lift truck
Casks are lifted using an electric hoist which runs on a track parallel to the racking.
The stillage incorporates heavy duty runners which allow it to be pulled out for loading.
As the track and hoist are an integral part of the rack, the system is free standing without the support structure typically associated with track systems
Loading the rack requires the minimum effort possible with the added advantage of not having to guide the cask while loading as required using a lift truck
The system eliminates the need to take account of the aisle width required to use a lift truck and the floor condition eg drains and holes
In particular this system can also be built over existing solid gantries
As the rack is custom built for each site its design can take account of existing features eg pipework, chilling units etc to enable installation – to effect this a site survey is not always required
The rack is fabricated from mild steel and galvanised prior to powder coating. Coupled with the nylon coated stillage systems are working today that are in excess of 10 years old
MANUAL LIFT CASK RACKING
The Manual Lift cask racking system is designed to minimise load effort
The stillages on the lower level are floor mounted with wheels fit to the rear of the unit. This enabled the stillage to be pulled out and loaded as a floor unit.
As the lower cask does not need to be positioned under the rack the rack height can be significantly lowered. The beam height on the upper level is only 720mm.
The upper level stillages are fixed to the rear. The cask is loaded vertically onto the loading forks the lowered back so the cask does not need to be lift across the rack
Although 2 people are required to load the upper level only 1 is for the lower