Free smoker

[lawdog]

A guy I know has his old house on the market and has already move. He decided it was to musch hassle to take his smoker with him so when I asked him what his plans were for it he told me to take it if I wanted it. #1 problem is I need to get the smoke box welded to the cooker (easy fix), #2 problem is it is open on the bottom to the dirt, not so much a problem as over time the bottom edges settle into the ground, making the smoker shorter and shorter, and I would think this could lead to some potential damage to the cooker. My first thought was shen I got it to the house, is to lay out 12"x12" brickpavers and the cover with sand and let the smoker settle into that for a bottom seal. Any suggestions from fellow smokers would greatly be appreciated. Also, would the sand affect the inside temp of the cooker? I have had Q cooked on this smoker before and it is a great reverse flow setup, with 36" x48" cooking surface.
Thanks in advance

 

[ds7662]

Sand should help it with the temps of the smoker. Making for more even temps I would think. Some others might have more to add or know a little more.

 

[teacup13]

if i were closer to lubbock, my only question would be how am i going to get that home..lol

i would personally build it up instead of building down, add some more plate steel to the bottom, possibilites are endless

good find

 

[lawdog]

tea,
I will have water dept guys help move to edge of fence pictured behind and chain from carry handles to bucket on front end loader raise then lower on trailer.
As for getting unloaded at my house. My oldest rooms with several local collage football players, all it take is the promise of a couple of briskets from my next cook and its unloaded.

 

[kookie]

Free is always good. If it was me I would weld on some plate steel for a bottom and make some legs and raise the smoker off the ground. But that just me. Nice find anyways.

Kookie

 

[bustedluckbarbq]

I would prob. go with Kookies idea... some plate w/ support welded to the bottom... kinda make a rectangle outta some angle with a few supports runnin across... attach the legs to em' .... wire wheel... fresh stove paint on the outside.... Cut a cool name for her outa some left over plate... mount it on her... make your own.... ya smokin on her yet????... lol

 

[gramason]

I would also go with the welded plate idea, seems to be more of a permenant fix, A little tlc you'll have a nice smoker, keep us updated, good luck.

 

[blackhawk19]

I agree with the welded plate and legs, my back would kill me bending over all the time to tend it

 

[lawdog]

looks like the general consensus is to weld up the bottom and attatch legs. I will probably do that in the longrun but may be more than I can shell out right now. Putting on one or two levels of the pavers still raise it maybe 6", but I am wondering how much a sand floor will make on my temps? I guess the first thing is like teacup and busted said to get it home and get it cleaned up.
I am sure I will have several more questions before thisis all said and done, paint, log starter, ect. Anymore suggestions are always appreciated, who knows, may paint i green with scales and name it puff. I just couldn't pass this one up and it will make a nice addition to my growing collection

 

[lawdog]

just moving this up to see if anymore suggestions come in from the weekend.
Thanks

 

[peculiarmike]

Unique design. Looks like the top opens for access to the cooking area. That means a face full of smoke! It appears about 3-3 1/2 ft. tall. I think if you raise it you may have a difficult time getting to what you are cooking.
The pavers and sand should not have any big effect on your temperatures, being a reverse flow smoker. Just seal it well around the bottom with a berm of dirt or sand.
Post us some pics of this little jewel in action.
And the Puff thing could work

 

[lawdog]

Peculiarmike,
I don't know who originally built it but it sat behind the vol. fire dept. for years, we quit using it because we had a HUGE smoker built down in the area where we did all of our annual 4th of July cook for the community. When I say HUGE I mean it would hold 60 or 70 full packer briskets at a time (plate was donated by local resident who owns metal and recycling co). This small one went from the firehouse to my boss and now I guess on to me. The only place I have ever seen it have a problem is where the firebox meets the smoker, never has been welded together (I am going to fix that. It is about waist high to get to the cooking surface, so I wouldn't mind raising it a little, that's why I thought of the pavers. I appreciate your input.

Lawdog

 

[lawdog]

Finally got the smoker out of boss's backyard and loaded on trailer, took 4 guys and a tactor to get it over the fence and on the trailer. Hope to get it set up at my house this weekend.
Wish I had gotten pics while we were loading, but had to get in on the work part of it. Anyway here are pics of the John Deere we picked it up with and what is now officially mine sitting on the trailer.

 

[lawdog]

Well, I got the "new" smoker moved to the house yesterday, lo and behold could not find a bit of help that wanted to assist me in taking it off the trailer, so it sat out there on the street all lonely on the trailer, on the street over night.
This morning I still couldn't find any of that "promised" help so I offloaded the firebox by myself, put it on a furniture "flat" dolly and rolled it through the gate into the backyard. Next I backed the trailer up by the gate and using the handles, schooched it foot by foot to the end of the trailer. I got one end down on the ground, and had wifey drive trailer out from under smoker, landed pretty hard but no bends, breaks or bruises (the smoker or me). Stuck the furniture dolly under one end, and picked up other end (kinda), anyway got it through the gate with maybe 1/4" (tops) on each side of handles.
I guess it was a good thing thing there wasn't a bottom on either part so I could move it by myself.
My youngest got home and asked if I still needed help moving it and I said no I got it, he asked me who helped me and wifey told him I did it by myelf. His eyes got real wide and I know he was thinking...(note to self, don't piss stepdad off, he moved that chunk of metal without any help). Gotta keep the bluff in somehow, truth be told he could probably take me if I didn't keep that bluff. 18 in 2 weeks (going on 21), 40 foot tall and bullet proof.
Sorry no pics today, some for tomorrow and then more to come for all the cleanup and mods, ect that I want to do
I think once I get it all up and ready to run I want to take a couple of feral piglets with my bow (not my idea, saw it on another post) and do a whole pig smoke for the inaugural smoke, just a thought.

More to come
Lawdog