Reverse Flow trailer build

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

The axle on this trailer is rated at 870#, should i upgrade the axle and spring for this build?

  • Yes crazy man

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Just the springs

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

sfclene

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jul 30, 2014
41
13
Akron Ohio
Hello all I am going to tackle building a reverse flow smoker on a trailer. Now I am scavenging pieces and parts to build this on a budget. I don't necessarily have deep pockets, well getting my yard fenced and pool up this summer is the pockets priority to keep the family happy. Moving on, I am not the greatest welder in the world nor do I have fantastic equipment or a nice fancy shop to do this project in, but I will succeed in getting this built. I do have a buddy with great skills and equipment to help me in that department. I am following feldons calculator closely on my measurements to ensure I end up with a smoker that performs consistent and well, unlike my Ok Joe smoker which is quite temperamental. I have not obtained the material yet to build my firebox but I am working that issue. For the time being I have acquired an old tank and have began the work I can.


Here is the tank, it is 29" x 52". has a lot of extra steel attached to it so that's where I started.


Just when things were rolling I dropped a piece of angle iron onto my grinder cord and boom straight through like butter. Easy fix on the cord and new grinder bought just because it was my birthday and a gift to myself is always a good idea.



Worked to get the extra stuff cut off the tank and the tank down to a more manageable size for me to move around. It is still very heavy and after taking some of the plugs out it seams to be very thick steel which is a good sign for a smoker in my eyes.


Here I did a little measurement and layout of where I would like some items for the smoker. I also laid out the door opening. The FB opening is the size I got from the calculator. Time to put the new grinder to the test and cut out some stuff.

Well I got the FB opening cut out and the tank is thick. It is 1/4" steel, explains why moving this thing is a chore. Now yes the inside of the tank is rusty for sure. I am not at all worried about this once I get it opened up I will go to town on brushing it all gone of fork over a little cash to get it sandblasted back down to clean steel.


In the mean time I scored a free old boat trailer!!!! Feel free to comment on anything I post and please correct me if I am wrong in anything I say. This thread will continue until the build is complete and then I promise to throw in some Qview at the end for anyone that sticks along with me through this build.
 
The thread explains it all, but here's a bit of it that pretty much explains it in a nut shell.

Smoker Calculator reasoning
The concept for the changes is below.... Alien and his associates, did an amazing job putting the original calculator together... 100% of my numbers are based on his original numbers... small changes were made for the improvements due to design changes in smokers.....
The original measurements were taken from SFB smokers with tuning plates I do believe.... The advent of the RF smoker did not make any changes to the calculator... Now the exhaust has to travel twice as far as before, and the original FB/CC opening restricted the air flow from the FB, causing the FB to over heat... Some would get up to 450 deg and higher while the CC wouldn't get over 250.... And then there is the increased friction from the steel.... When using natural draft, any restriction/friction is very detrimental to the flow....
So, on a whim, the FB/CC opening was enlarged, the area under the RF plate was increased and the area at the end of the RF plate was increased... all by 50%.... That solved ALL the problems.... fuel consumption was reduced.... folks were happy....
I personally experienced members improvements and fuel usage by the letters/PMs they wrote me on their improvements...... One additional modification was suggested.... members here, tested a second air inlet to the FB.... directly across from the FB/CC opening... That was a significant improvement of some/most smokers.... If the FB was too hot, it could be cooled by opening the upper air inlet.... Also, the fire had a separate air inlet to adjust it's heat output.... It should be installed at or below the wood fire grate....
All of this has been tested and proven by members building smoker on this forum.... The only place you will find using these numbers... or it used to be... I'm sure many builders are now using these ideas for their builds.... this process has been going for at least 2 years....
 
The post is rather long and should be a "Sticky" for easy access. I recommend anyone looking at building a reverse flow read it through.
 
Thank you I will have to look at that and determine if my numbers and dimensions are going to work. Good catch thanks for the heads-up.
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky