Landmann 3895GWLA “Wide Easy Access” 2-Drawer Vertical Gas Smoker Review

vtmecheng · Feb 6, 2013

Hawdave said:
This is very helpful. I am a newbie and just did 3 racks of baby backs and chicken legs And thighs. They were wonderful . This was my second use of the smoker. I too could not get the temp to stay constant. Did you install the new "20 jet" part. I have a remote thermometer which indicated at least a 30 degree error on the thermometer on the door (basically worthless). Whenever I made the slightest adjustment to the temp knob, the temp would move 20 or 30 degrees in the smoker. Pretty constant vigilance required. Certainly would be helpful to get closer to "set and forget" (for an hour or so). Any help in making a correction will be appreciated. I assume Everyone is having this issue. Otherwise, I love this smoker.

The seal I made with the Rutland 600 degF RTV made a huge difference for me in controlling the temp and I don't go through as much propane now. Also, don't forget to use your vents for fine tuning the temp. Once you get the temp close with the flame control knob use the bottom and top vents, closing them to increase temp and opening to decrease. After getting my temp dialed in I probably only check the smoker once an hour to add wood and keep tabs on the temp.

Addition: Because I had a whole calking tube of the RTV and didn't even use half to make the door seal it made sense to use it on other parts of the smoker. I sealed all the gaps around the back and sides of the smoker and though they were small this did seem to make a difference. Still have some more RTV left and was thinking of sealing the water drawer too but that may be overboard. One other thing the seal really seems to help with is keeping the moisture that's created by the water pan inside the smoker, which may have been the reason my last ribs were by far the best to date even though I didn't foil them.

hawdave · Feb 6, 2013

Thanks very helpful. I will do the RTV thing.

I never thought about adjusting the vents.

vtmecheng · Feb 7, 2013

No worries. Feel free to send me a PM with any questions just to make sure I see them faster. I will be happy to help where possible, though I feel like there's something new I learn each time it's fired up.

darell wolf · Jun 5, 2013

On the Landmann 3895GWLA Smoker, you stated that your replacing the 10psi with a 20 PSI regulator with a needle valve fine tuning the gas flow from the regulator to the smoker controls. Where on ebay did you find it and what is the brand name of this regulator?

"20 PSI regulator with a needle valve fine tuning the gas flow from the regulator to the smoker controls. All I do is leave the smoker control knob set on high all the time and then simply control the gas flow and temp much more accurately with the needle valve. I've already ordered the 20 PSI regulator and needle valve off an eBay source and will install that set-up in the Landmann this week."

Also did you every replace the thermometer? If so, with what? Did this fix the issue?

I am also going to get the Landmann 3895GWLA Smoker.

Thank You for your time.

Darell

hawdave · Jun 6, 2013

I too would like the order info.

Thanks for the help.

Still loving this smoker.

staatus quo · Jun 6, 2013

Darell Wolf said:
Also did you every replace the thermometer? If so, with what? Did this fix the issue?

The one that comes with it is adjustable, but I never trust factory. I bought a 2" River Country for my old smoker that I'll be transferring to my Landmann when I assemble it because it's always been within 5 degrees of my thermal gauge as well that I used in my HVAC days. Picked it up on Amazon I think.

yankswinagain · Jun 13, 2013

Very much appreciated the review. I purchased this from BJ's the other day $349 shipped free (and at 109 lbs from GA to NJ that is and expensive UPS shipment!).

Will be putting it together Friday night and seasoning it on Saturday.

Will post feedback and comments...

Thanks again OP for the great review!

yankswinagain · Jun 14, 2013

Put mine together tonight. Took about an hour and a half - took it at a slow pace. Missing one washer (not a huge deal). It comes with three door/drawer handles and two of them are supposed to have LANDMANN printed on them and one is supposed to be plain. I got two plain and one printed. Again, not a huge deal -- they are interchangeable on the unit, but I will call and see how their customer service performs.

Very easy to put together. At one point (when you flip the smoker over after putting the legs on), it helped to have my wife be there to steady it while I flipped it. I could have done it all myself, but it was easier to have someone help.

There does not appear to be gaps of any significance, but I will have to see for sure when it is used after seasoning.

yankswinagain · Jun 15, 2013

Seasoning in progress...

Seems like to bottom magnet is not fully holding the door shut. Might need to be adjusted from the way the door is hung. Same is true for the two drawers. Just slight uneven. Probably can be bent into shape (carefully).

As was mentioned previously, the temp gauge is way off. Under-reports temperature by about 30 degrees. Not sure if there's a way to solve this (after market thermometer that fits the smoker?), but I will see if this changes or how I may have to adjust things moving forward.

Some simple pics from front and sides (notice the handle issue I mentioned earlier - one labeled and two not -- opposite of what was supposed to be there).

CameraZOOM-20130615114929654.jpg

yankswinagain
Jun 15, 2013

CameraZOOM-20130615114959543.jpg

yankswinagain
Jun 15, 2013

CameraZOOM-20130615114950885.jpg

yankswinagain
Jun 15, 2013

staatus quo · Jun 15, 2013

Where did you see that it is supposed to have two Landmann marked handles? Every bit of literature I've seen on this, and all reviews I've seen show just one branded handle. My instructions even show just one branded handle for it.

And if you look at the probe of the gauge the end is slotted for a small flat head to make adjustments to the gauge.

michael ark · Jun 15, 2013

The factory tempature gauge sucks. I replaced mine with a 2 in adjustiable. You can get a slug buster made by greenlee and make a pretty burr free hole. As far as winter smokeing get it a welding blanket from harbor freight I gained 10f on my widebody. I have pictures in my profile of mods I made. Took the jet burrner off my . Found out my problem was spiders had made a nest in the line and low pressure caused by the cold weather and a low tank not empty mind you just low. I used the tank on a warmer day. Oyea. This was a good reveiw.

yankswinagain · Jun 15, 2013

Staatus Quo said:
Where did you see that it is supposed to have two Landmann marked handles? Every bit of literature I've seen on this, and all reviews I've seen show just one branded handle. My instructions even show just one branded handle for it.

And if you look at the probe of the gauge the end is slotted for a small flat head to make adjustments to the gauge.

Here's a picture from the Landmann site... my install instructions definitely state two handles with logos and one without. Like I said, not a huge deal (and now that I think of it, it would have been much less work moving forward if I had put at least one of the handles in the right spot!

)...

Smoker Site.JPG

yankswinagain
Jun 15, 2013

the burn · Jul 16, 2013

To VTMechEng or anyone lose who's gone the RTV or similar route: did you also have to do something with a door latch or did the magnets still hold well enough? I've had the GLA for about 6 weeks now - my first smoker - and while I've been able to put out some great meat, the smoke comes pouring out at onset and temp control has been a bit of a challenge. Thanks

cbpete · Mar 4, 2014

Evening ....... I just joined this forum ..... got a Landmann 3495 ...... so far so good ....... but I like the idea of a needle valve ....... got one on my turkey cooker and it works well ...... and the idea of using a 20 psi regulator sounds good too ....... just looked at e-bay for these and nothing showed up ....... anybody got a link to where I can get one ? .....

Thanks.....

Pete

cbpete · Mar 9, 2014

Well I just answered my own questions about regulators and needle valves ....... I "googled" "propane regulators" and found a bunch of info ....... found out about 10 psi regulators and 20 psi regulators ..... and about 2 stage regulators ........ I don't need more gas, I need less gas, and better regulation .... welding regulators are 2 stage regulators for a good reason ...... so getting a 2 stage regulator for my smoker made sense to me ...... I opted for a Camco 59333 horizontal 2 stage regulator .......I think that it was $22 plus shipping on Amazon.com ...... then I "googled" "propane needle valves" ....... found a bunch more info on that subject ...... got a needle valve from "HomeBrewing.org" ..... their part number 35-1423 .... if it's good enough for brewing beer, then it's good enough to cook something that goes with beer ...... it was $7.99 plus shipping ..... I think that I'm good now on that problem .......

Next project is to engineer some baffles for the side vents ...... I get wind blowing in there and, if I've got the flame down low, I don't want it to get blown out ...... I've got some ideas ...... stay tuned ......

CBPete

onneeye · Apr 4, 2014

I just order my landmann gas smoker from costco. Should get it next week. Been reading on the mods for this unit.

Would Rutland 600-Degree RTV Silicone Seal Cartridge be safe to use to make a gasket for the door? Amazon has it for $18.

cbpete · Apr 4, 2014

I wouldn't worry to much about sealing the doors until after you use it a couple of times ..... my Landmann 3495 doesn't leak too bad at all ...... I had to "tweak" it a little but it's only thin sheet metal so it "adjusted" well ........ oh, update to my previous comments (post #35) ..... got my 2 stage regulator installed with the needle valve screwed into the regulator outlet and the hose screwed into the needle valve outlet ....... and that all makes a big difference ...... fire it up as you normally would with the needle valve wide open ...... rotate the burner control knob to "Low" and then start closing the needle valve ....... getting it cold enough for smoking fish is no longer a problem ....... I've also added a baffle to the burner assembly and to the side vents to minimize the effect of wind ..... and I trimmed the tabs on the vents so that they close more ...... wind direction and gusts are now no longer issues ......

Back to the door seal ...... my thoughts, try it a couple of time first ......

onneeye · Apr 4, 2014

Thanks CBPete for your input. I'll try that first and see how it goes. Thanks for updating your post. That help answer my question about the dual regulator.

lamar · Apr 5, 2014

Here is a link to some mods I made to my GOSM. With the addition of a needle valve, I have no problems regulating temps under any weather condition. I have smoked this winter in outside temps of 12F.

I also added sheet aluminum to the base back and sides to block wind.

As for the supplied thermometer, Landman customer service told me it was +/- 8 degrees.

www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/151626/insulating-the-landman-38-wide

onneeye · Apr 10, 2014

Just got my smoker yesterday from ups. But theres damage to the smoker. There a slight ding at the middle edge of the smoker. nice big scratch which has to be painted so it does not rust. water drawer is crocked. one of the cooking rack weld broken and warped. I think the door is bent not sure. Top magent latch holds tighter than the bottom. Debating if i should return it to costco and reorder a new one. was looking foward to cooking next week. what u guys thing i should do.

Landmann 3895GWLA “Wide Easy Access” 2-Drawer Vertical Gas Smoker Review

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