Rear-Facing Reverse-Flow Barbecue Trailer

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Nice job on the rings, and the rig is looking pretty fantastic.

It wont be long and the thin blue smoke will be filling the air.
 
There we go;

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NOW GET TO WORK, SLACKER!

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This build keeps getting greater & greater!

You might as well order your AMNS now, because I never saw a smoker insulated quite that well!

Fire can go out on Monday, and there will still be heat in the box on Friday!

Awesome job---keep the pics coming!

Bear
 
This build keeps getting greater & greater!

You might as well order your AMNS now, because I never saw a smoker insulated quite that well!

Fire can go out on Monday, and there will still be heat in the box on Friday!

Awesome job---keep the pics coming!

Bear
I think you got misled by the thick chunk of rock wool under the plate and the facing on the firebox.

The insulation's only 1/2" thick all around.
 
I think you got misled by the thick chunk of rock wool under the plate and the facing on the firebox.

The insulation's only 1/2" thick all around.
Hmmm,

That second last picture in post # 43 makes it look like 1/2" thick on the bottom side (in the pic), 2 1/2" thick on the left & right, and 2" thick on the side at the top, in the picture.
 

Now I see it's just packed in on the end there, making it look like that.

Xin Loi,

Bear
 
Got the door put together today:

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It DID bow a bit from me not doing the welds in small bits at a time.

I tried heating up the center of the plate to shrink it down a bit:

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When that didn't work, I brought out the ten-pound sledge and "massaged" it straight. (-ish)

Now I need to figure out what to do about the thermal plate:

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I was originally going to have four or five plates with tiny gaps(see the original plans at the beginning of the thread), but I wonder if the grease would be problematic?

I'm thinking of maybe just going with a solid piece of 1/4" and have it taper down just slightly.

Then I could weld a little bit of a lip to the edge and run a pipe through the side at one end to drain the grease instead of having to remove the grills, lift the plates and scrape everything off each and every time to avoid a grease fire.

Thoughts anyone?
 
I don't think the grease will be a big problem. If you went with the plates the grease may actually help keep them in place during travel, that is unless you have a way to lock them down, which is the best route.

Once they are set in perfect place you won't really be moving them.

A tapered plate would work also, it just depends on which idea you like better.

With the plates you could always place a 2" ball valve in one of the front corners on the bottom of the cook chamber box. You could easily, after a cook place a bucket at the valve and lower the jack to let it drain. While the smoker is still hot of course.

Personally, I think for this smoker, that I would use the tuning plates and a drain in the corner.

Your build is looking fantastic.
 
After agonizing a few hours over how to do with the thermal plate I decided to do this:

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(There's a 1" lip there that you're looking at edgewise. I'll install a pipe and grease bucket later.)

This wasn't my first choice, but I don't like the idea of all that disassembly and cleaning.

I just don't wanna have to cook everything in a tray.

This is how the front looks now:

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I'm really kind of iffy on the grill height.

There's 6" between the highest point of the thermal plate and where the grate will rest, but that leaves me with barely 6" of space for both racks.

The top one will be removable of course, but now I'm giving serious thought to chopping the roof off and shimming in at least another two inches so that I don't always have to.

I installed a rough handle made of spring steel from an old suspension leaf I was making swords out of years ago.

Amazingly hard stuff to drill a hole into if you forget to anneal it after you torch cut and quench, BTW.

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Funny story;

I hooked the trailer up this morning after putting the door handle on and took it out for a ride.

There's about 80-100lbs of tongue weight and it doesn't bounce much at all. Even on these really bad Bakersfield roads.

I stopped a couple of times to check the linkages, feel the wheel bearings for heat, look for cracks, etc, etc...

Got back on the road and swerved a little, then a lot (the trailer tracks great) then took it home.

A little while later this guy pulls up in front of the garage and introduces himself as Richard.

He saw me go by and somehow knew exactly what I was doing.

He actually searched the neighborhood for me.

The guy's big into smoking and was really  interested in the unit I was pulling.

He asked me if I built barbecues for sale.

I told him no, but I got his number (in case things don't work out) and gave him the name of this website.

You guys might have another rabid smoker on your hands.
 
I don't think the grease will be a big problem. If you went with the plates the grease may actually help keep them in place during travel, that is unless you have a way to lock them down, which is the best route.

Once they are set in perfect place you won't really be moving them.

A tapered plate would work also, it just depends on which idea you like better.

With the plates you could always place a 2" ball valve in one of the front corners on the bottom of the cook chamber box. You could easily, after a cook place a bucket at the valve and lower the jack to let it drain. While the smoker is still hot of course.

Personally, I think for this smoker, that I would use the tuning plates and a drain in the corner.

Your build is looking fantastic.
Ah, NUTS.

I really need to get online and see if I can't order some PATIENCE.

Well, chalk it up to needing to get this done before my vacation's over.

Thanks again Tom for the moral support and attempted advice.

I'll try it as is, but if it looks like it really needed the venting I'll torch cut some orifices where needed and weld in 1/2" lengths of whatever sized pipe so that the grease flows around them.
 
LOL,

Hey the idea of cutting holes and using a short piece of pipe is a pretty slick idea. And it may turn out that if you do have a hot or cold spot that it could work in your favor, something cooking to fast or to slow just move it around and your good to go.
 
Ah, welcome my old nemesis.

I have been expecting you.

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Oh, to harken back to those innocent days when we would meet:

The gripping and pulling, the fruitless chewing upon your corners, the dangerous sawing with various dull kitchen knives.

Entertaining times for you, I'm sure.

But the man you see before you now has gotten older and has been seasoned by years of dealing with evil of your ilk.

No longer will I struggle with cheap scissors or hazard my fingers with a box cutter to access the treasures you hold captive.

This is war.

From here on your kind will immediately face the onslaught of my most dreadful tools.

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Let your defeat be warning to all.

Forever more, I will show no mercy.

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LOL---That's great!

I never thought about running those PITA "armor plated" plastic wrappings through my bandsaw!

And I have cut myself trying to open them, while cussing up a storm!

Your build is really looking great!

Bear
 
Thanks Bear.

The screams of tortured plastic made my inner child smile and clap.

My internet was down for awhile due to some neighbors retarded attempt to steal it.

Just got it back this morning.

I got the linkages done in time to burn it out, season it and do my first smoke for Easter:

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So here it is at the moment.

I'm getting ready to strip and paint:

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The linkages work like a charm.

Just turn the crank in back and the dampers open and close, just like magic. :)

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Thats looking really nice. Nice and compact to get set-up and work around yet a really nice size to cook on. 
 
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