I'd love if my shelf folded down, but I also really like, and always use the shelf on the side, so I'd not want to give that up just to have the front shelf fold. The probe hole is a nice feature, but I've not had an issue with my maverick probe wires, so that's not a big deal. I do see your log grate is a bit different than mine as well, I like yours better. Mine has really thick heavy gauge expanded metal, but it's expanded too far for my tastes, so I made my own charcoal basket. One thing I might recommend is to get some fire bricks from your local Northern Tool and line the bottom and sides of your firebox with them. This will raise the grate up a tad and insulate the bottom of the firebox to help re-direct the heat upwards where it needs to be going. I bought two boxes of them and they fit the bottom of the 48's firebox perfectly.
