MB Gravity Series Mods review

[worldbfreebase]

The main thread is huge now and it would take one a long time to sort through it for answers. Now that we have all had these things for a year or so, I would like to do a reset thread to discuss the mods only.

Please list the mods you have done and the pros and cons of each now that you have a bunch of cooks under your belt with them.

I personally haven't really done much with mods, this is what I have done:

1)Battery Pack and cable. Pros: This is excellent. I have done 12 hour cooks and only used 20% of the battery life. No need to drag an extension cord across the yard. Cons: None that I have found.

2)Ash Bin Grate. I had a grate from something laying around that I bent one side for the angle side of the ash bin. Pros: Keeps wood chunks out of the ash for cleaner burn. Cons: This is probably more related to mine but it doesn't keep larger chunks that fall from falling into the ash. I believe the expandable metal would probably be way better.

3)Hopper Lid Gasket. Pros: In theory, reduce leaks for better consumption and heat control. Cons: The lavalock I bought was 1/2" x 1/8". Thicker and wider will probably work way better.

 

[Terry Bussenger]

Thanks for this, makes it much quicker to find! I have not done any mods to my 1050 yet, seems to work really good as is.

 

[whistlepig]

The only mod I have done is a battery pack. That was money well spent

 

[TMR]

I only changed 1 thing. I ordered the new charcoal grate. Everything else is original. Works like a charm.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I got a new upper grate from Joe's Grill Grates. I've also done the ash bin grate thing, as I posted in another thread.

LSS Mods says the 560 manifold cover does not eliminate all flare ups. Makes me wonder exactly what it does and how it does it ? I seared a porterhouse pork chop last night and had a dam grease fire , from the fat from the pork chops alone ( two of them ) . And I had thoroughly cleaned the 560 before the cook. I took out the manifold, got the shop vac to the inside, covered with foil. Then relined the grease tray with foil.

It also made me wonder about my ash bin mod. There was fire shooting into the manifold and out both vents on the firebox end. I'm wondering if the wood chunk in the ash bin on the grate, was on fire ?

I like the 560 as a smoker. For the money, its the best value on the smoker market. But I'm afraid of it as a grill. I don't like grease fires on my patio.

 

[worldbfreebase]

so where is everybody that bought the LSS mods? I am interested to hear how they performed and their pros and cons.

 

[Terry Bussenger]

I had my son weld a grate for the charcoal ash catch so I could put some wood chunks on it.

 

[912smoker]

I got a new upper grate from Joe's Grill Grates. I've also done the ash bin grate thing, as I posted in another thread.

LSS Mods says the 560 manifold cover does not eliminate all flare ups. Makes me wonder exactly what it does and how it does it ? I seared a porterhouse pork chop last night and had a dam grease fire , from the fat from the pork chops alone ( two of them ) . And I had thoroughly cleaned the 560 before the cook. I took out the manifold, got the shop vac to the inside, covered with foil. Then relined the grease tray with foil.

It also made me wonder about my ash bin mod. There was fire shooting into the manifold and out both vents on the firebox end. I'm wondering if the wood chunk in the ash bin on the grate, was on fire ?

I like the 560 as a smoker. For the money, its the best value on the smoker market. But I'm afraid of it as a grill. I don't like grease fires on my patio.

Hey Okie I put tin foil on top of the manifold and have only had 1 grease fire at 650*.
And that was after cooking chicken. But man what a sear on that steak !

 

[jrberg56]

so where is everybody that bought the LSS mods? I am interested to hear how they performed and their pros and cons.

I bought and have installed quite a few of them. The challenge is that I did it before really using the smoker so I don't have a before/after to compare to (and only have 2 smokes on it anyway). However, I can say it was really nice to have the ability to put drip pans under the main grates and know they were well supported and the hopper charcoal lid is a nice way of keeping the hopper cover clean.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Hey Okie I put tin foil on top of the manifold and have only had 1 grease fire at 650*.
And that was after cooking chicken. But man what a sear on that steak !

I put foil on the manifold also. I don't see how that will prevent those huge flare ups ? Has not done that for me.

But Tom Horsman has a dam good idea here, he found a stainless steel heat defector that will fit on top of the MB560 manifold. Its very similar to the CharGriller 980 plate. Very interested in this , although it won't keep me from having to take out the manifold and shop vac the ash out of the inside.

 

[worldbfreebase]

I am not sure why he was surprised the right side was slightly cooler. It is exactly what I expected when he double up the deflector instead of cutting it.

Just ordered the redesigned grate. Seriously considering this heat shield. I can throw this in the dishwasher & I like this concept better than the LSS mod.

Still interested to hear from people that have the LSS mods.

 

[Chasdev]

My wife would kill if I tried to use the new dishwasher to clean bbq gunked up parts.
I get a sideways look when I fill the sink with hot water and soak the grill grates in Dawn for a few hours.

 

[onemanlan]

I like Tom Horsman, but but that mod seems useless. The smoke doesn't come out of that part of the smoker. I suppose at best it serves as a double walled insulation against fat drippings. It's a real shame the grill handles so poorly with grease. I have issues with grease dripping out of the front left leg of my MB 560. Overall I love the grill, but the grease handling leaves a lot to be desired.

I did pick up the revised grill grate from MB that another user noted. Its very nice, but if you don't have a lift grate for your wood chunks you're gonna be waiting a long time to use them in the ash pan. Very few coals drop down as quickly as they used to. Might as well stack them in with the charcoal if you want quick, steady smoke.

Thanks for the reviews and input!

 

[mcokevin]

Bumping this thread in hopes of getting some feedback from 560/800/1050 folks on the LSS mods. Just won my fantasy football league last night so I've got some play money to spend on whatever I want.

The manifold on my 1050 is rusting already and is less than a year old. So I am looking at getting the manifold cover to protect that, and also drip pan brackets and the water pan as nice quality of life improvements -- would love to have drip and water pans that don't take up cooking real estate.

By the time I add those three up the "Elite" package is not too much more and adds the fire box mod, ash bucket grate, and fan protector insert. Has anyone had issues with the fire box or fan? I thought they fixed those issues, but may mod it anyway just to be safe.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I got the manifold cover/drip pan brackets. I really just wanted the brackets, as I no longer use the 560 as a grill. But being able to put a drip pan under that lower grate is a nice feature. And I don't think the drip pan influences air flow in the cooker, when it sits right on top of the manifold.

I double smoked a spiral cut ham Saturday. I was able to use the lower grate and good thing, cuz I don't think the ham would've fit on the middle grate. It was too tall.

 

[mcokevin]

I got the manifold cover/drip pan brackets. I really just wanted the brackets, as I no longer use the 560 as a grill. But being able to put a drip pan under that lower grate is a nice feature. And I don't think the drip pan influences air flow in the cooker, when it sits right on top of the manifold.

I double smoked a spiral cut ham Saturday. I was able to use the lower grate and good thing, cuz I don't think the ham would've fit on the middle grate. It was too tall.

Have you noticed any issues with your fire box degrading? I haven't noticed anything yet on my 1050, but I also haven't really looked all that closely. That said, if it's anything like the manifold I may mod it just to be safe.

 

[dow]

Not LSS products, but I got the following from Klotesmods.com and can recommend all three:

Hybrid manifold cover/drip pan (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/1050-hybrid-manifold-cover-waterpan)
Fan Protector slide (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/fan-protector-slide)
Rear Vent Slide (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/1050-rear-vent-slide)

The build quality on all three is great, and I particularly like the design on the rear vent slide. On the manifold cover, to help with cleanup, I line the manifold cover with foil before use.

Also, I moved the front shelf down to the lower screws so it wouldn't be so close to the lid handle. I've been thinking about getting an shelf extension, but haven't made my mind up yet. (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/1050-polished-stainless-shelf-extension)

 

[912smoker]

Not LSS products, but I got the following from Klotesmods.com and can recommend all three:

Hybrid manifold cover/drip pan (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/1050-hybrid-manifold-cover-waterpan)
Fan Protector slide (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/fan-protector-slide)
Rear Vent Slide (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/1050-rear-vent-slide)

The build quality on all three is great, and I particularly like the design on the rear vent slide. On the manifold cover, to help with cleanup, I line the manifold cover with foil before use.

Also, I moved the front shelf down to the lower screws so it wouldn't be so close to the lid handle. I've been thinking about getting an shelf extension, but haven't made my mind up yet. (https://klotesmods.com/collections/1050-mods/products/1050-polished-stainless-shelf-extension)

Yeah I saw this the other day and really like the Hybrid Manifold Cover ! Multi function at a decent price. I'll be adding this in the near future. I'm probably going to try one of the magnetic strips from Harbor Freight as a rear vent slide just for fun and to experiment.
Any noticable differenve in fuel consumption with the slide ?

Keith

 

[dow]

Any noticeable difference in fuel consumption with the slide ?

On slow stuff, I THINK that I get better burn rates with it closed mostly off. However, I installed it within a month after I got the 1050, so it's essentially just "always been there." I'm guessing that means that I'm probably not a good test subject for it, lol. I will tell you that it was easy to install and is very easy to adjust.

 

[Smokin Okie]

Have you noticed any issues with your fire box degrading? I haven't noticed anything yet on my 1050, but I also haven't really looked all that closely. That said, if it's anything like the manifold I may mod it just to be safe.

No, but I don't use the 560 that often.