Trailer Mounted Centered Firebox Reverse Flow (thanks real57vetteguy!)

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grok

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2011
13
10
Albuquerque, NM
After years of pining for my own mobile pit, 2011 is the year it happens.  Thank you to all the builders that have provided such great ideas and incredible detail of their expertise.  I've been reading through this website for months, improving and honing my plans for my build.

My father-in-law donated a 5x8 tandem axle trailer to the cause, thank you Gene!  With such a big trailer this project just got upgraded from pit on wheels to full blown mobile BBQ kitchen.  The design know includes a charcoal grill, a flat top griddle and two open burners.

Secured a scrap 250 gallon propane tank for a $100, and they even delivered it.  Thank you Valencia Propane!

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Making the first cut.

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Gene has the best play toys!  The tank is cut and ready to mount on the back of the trailer. 

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First fire.  New Mexico tumbleweeds burn like mad.

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Started the firebox.  24x24, it will be center mounted after I cut out space in trailer rails.  Because of the axle I will be pulling forward, but the connection to the pit will be centered in the bottom of the pit.

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The curve for the tank attachment at the back of the box.

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Door cut out is done.  The 1" square tube is for spacing as I plan on insulating the firebox, after it is up on the tank.

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Feel like I made good progress for a long weekend.  Unfortunately it is know back to the real world.  My project has to wait for the next 2 weeks before I can get back to it.  Makes me itch just thinking about it.  More posts to come, but with my schedule this build will probably stretch into July, but hopefully not past August.
 
I know how that feels..  You get started and want to kick butt, then the things like having to make a living get in the way LOL
 
Awesome build.

It really sucks having to wait all that time to build again. Wishing you well, and hoping you make it thru this rough time.

The smoker gods are gonna be with ya for sure on this build.

Nice work.
 
Looking good so far! Gotta hate how life tends to get in the way of having a good time huh. Looking forward to watching this one transform itself. Thumbs Up
 
Hello Grok,goona attemp a build similar to yours and wondered if you would answer a few questions for me.1st- How high does your RF plate sit off of the bottom of the tank and does it sit on a rail or is it welded in place?How high is your cooking grate from the RF plate?What is the actual distance you left open on each side of the RF plate to the tank ends?Thanks  
 
Thanks guys for all the kind words and encouragement. Greatly appreciated! Derek, excellent questions. I went up 6 inches with RF plate off the bottom of the tank. I should say the risers are in place, but that is it so far. Had a great weekend got a ton of work done, but it got too dark for good pics. I'll get some on Tuesday hopefully and get them posted. But the firebox is almost complete. Ash tray is finished and in place, the door is double walled and insulated and hung.  My plan is weld the RF plate in place when I get that far.  I have not finalized my decision on distance to the end of the tank, but I'll let you know.
 
Thanks for the reply GROk.I am good at fabricating just not that good at designing sometimes.Just a couple more questions for ya if you dont mind.If you havent done some of the things yet i would appreciate it it if you let me know once you do. Did you put a damper inbetween the fire box and the tank,if so how big? what is the distance between the cookin grate and the RF plate? Thanks for the help
 
I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last posted pictures.  But the work has continued when time allows.

It was late, but got the firebox hung.

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Got the door insulated and hung.

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Fire grate is framed and the log rack is built.  Very cool story.  The rack is 5/8 round bar.  My father-in-law tore down the local jail years ago and had the old jail bars laying around, worked well for me.  The slots are also very recognizable  in the angle iron, yep old bed frame.  Gene loves the stuff.  Thin, strong steel and its cheap.  Keeps the weight down and a chance to recycle.  Have to admit I'm fan. 

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Rolled the smoker up on the trailer so I could access all the sides.  Filling in the insulation and installing the 14 gauge outer skin on the firebox.

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Raised the tank 3 inches, didn't like the firebox sitting below the axle.  You can see the exposed i-beam but that will get boxed in later.  Front plate is insulated, and I added the skin.  So the fire box is finally done with the exception of the handle.  I'll knock that out on Tuesday.  So now I can finally get started on the tank.

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Derek, as you can see from the pics only a portion of my fire box is up under the tank.  So there is an 11 inch deck that was open and I closed with 1/4 inch plate, insulated and skinned.  The other portion is open and welded to the tank, and yes it is the tank closing it up with on other covering.  I will be cutting the damper out next week.  I am waiting until my new plasma cutter arrives to cut it, because I need a clean cut.  My plan is to cut an 8 inch circle and reuse the cut out as the adjustable damper.  The way I have things designed there should be 9 inches between the RF plate and the first cooking shelf.  Hope this helps.
 
I LOVE how you framed the firebox!

I wish I'd thought of  creating a lip around the edge of the insulated sections so that when you do the final welds to seal it in, you can weld past the lip and not burn any of it.
 
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I didn't get a lot of time last weekend but made good use of what I had.  The fire box is completely done, and I added the deck over rails for the trailer.

I forgot to slide the ash tray back in, but it is done.

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No the diamond plate is not attached yet, I am just storing it on the deck until I install it.

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Awesome job!!!!

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This is an awesome feature that you have decided to go with. It really opens up your usable space. 
 
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