[rbowers]

So after months of tooling around with the idea of a keezer I am going to finally take the plunge.  I have a 8.8cf freezer picked out and will be starting shortly.  The one part I am concerned about is regarding the weight put on the hinges.  I'd like to attach the lid to the collar based on most of what I've read making it easier to load in the kegs.  I had plans for an inner collar of 2x6 pine with an outer collar of oak 1x8 to overhang the freezer a bit and give it more of a finished look.  The outer collar would only be on the front and sides so it can open ok.  Is this going to be too much weight and put the hinges at risk?  Also what is the best way to attach the collar to the lid- liquid nails seems to be a common product discussed?

[tschmidlin]

What do you mean by "at risk"?  I don't think it will permanently damage the hinges, but they might not be strong enough to hold the lid open.

I can't help you with attaching the collar to the lid, I did it the other way.

[rbowers]

By at risk I mean malfunctiong to any degree.  Do you like the setup you have with the collar attached to the freezer?  It would certainly eliminate the weight concerns with the hinges.  Does it make it difficult to transfer the kegs in and out or is it a negligible problem?  What did you do to attach the collar to the keezer?

[JKL]

I was given a small freezer about 6 months ago and yes, I used liquid nails (the heavy duty stuff) the collar to the top.  I used 2x8 boards and put the lid on top and screwed the hinges to the wood.  Been working great, no problems whatsoever.  Well, except for the wife complaining that it takes up too much room in the garage.   
-J.K.L.

[Mark G]

I have my collar attached to the freezer. I used silicone caulk. I also considered attaching the lid to the collar, but decided that I didn't want that extra height of the collar swinging back into the wall behind the freezer. And I figured I'm already lifting the keg over the top anyways, what's an extra 6-8 inches? You can always use a stool. Either way works, just depends on your personal preference. How many kegs can you fit in that freezer? It's a decent size for sure.

[Pinski]

I have a 7 cf model so I used 2x8 for the collar and finished with 2x10 on front and sides. I just put some 1" weather strip on the bottom of the collar and placed it directly (no adhesive or caulk) onto the rim of the freezer.  As mentioned in a prior post, you can simply remove the screws on the bottom piece of the hinge and reattach the lid/hinges to the wooden collar. This has worked beautifully for me.  The larger collar let's me easily get 4 cornies + in the freezer. If for some reason I need to upgrade or whatever I can simply detatch the lid from the collar and put the freezer back to normal configuration.

[rbowers]

All great suggestions.  I hadn't thought about the extra swing height if the collar is attachednto the lid and that may push me to just leave attached to the freezer.  Off to go pick it up now.  Thanks again

[tschmidlin]

I didn't use anything to attach the collar to the freezer except for two plates in the back.  I screwed the bottom of the plates into the holes where the hinges had been, and screwed the top of the plates into the wood.  The hinges I mounted into the wood above that.  Other than that, the collar just rests on some weather stripping.  It is heavy enough that it doesn't move.  The whole thing is up on casters, so the height I need to clear is 45" - it's not a problem for me.

[Kit B]

Plumber's Putty, fashioned into a rope works just like caulk & is easily removable, if you ever want to re-do the collar.