RF question

[2bears]

I am planing my trailer smoker build and it will be a reverse flow design.

I am at the scrounging stage and am now looking for the material that is used for the reverse flow at the bottom of the cooker, what thickness is ideal for this?  And what can you get by with at a minimum?

Anyone know the girth of the 250 gal tanks? Right now I have a 120 gal tank that is nearly 8 feet around but am changing gears now and am going with a 250 and am wondering if the girth will be similar in size.

 

[ballagh]

I am planing my trailer smoker build and it will be a reverse flow design.

I am at the scrounging stage and am now looking for the material that is used for the reverse flow at the bottom of the cooker, what thickness is ideal for this?  And what can you get by with at a minimum?

Anyone know the girth of the 250 gal tanks? Right now I have a 120 gal tank that is nearly 8 feet around but am changing gears now and am going with a 250 and am wondering if the girth will be similar in size.

You dont need to be really heavy there.  12 or 14 gauge should be just fine.

I have a 300 gallon RF and it is 38" across the middle and 61" long.  Hope this helps.  Post some pics.

 

[pineywoods]

Here's an idea for dimensions

http://www.missiongas.com/lpgastankdimensions.htm

 

[matts]

Personally I like the RF plate to be as thick as I can get.  The thicker plate really helps spread the radiant heat and the major part is the recovery.  The thick plate essentially becomes your heat source and will help the cooking chamber recover from opening the doors quicker.

There can be several sizes of the same tank, even LP tanks.  Are the tanks you are asking about LP tanks or other kind of tanks.  LP tanks are measured by the amount of propane that is put in them.  That is normally 80% of the actual tank size or less.  I have a labeled 100 gallon LP tank and it actually measures 180 gallons. 

 

[2bears]

Yes LP tank, I have a ferral gas co that seems to always have 250's and 500 gal tanks available. 500 is pretty big, I have a friend that has 2 500 gal lp tank cookers on seperate trailers and holy cow they can handle a ton of meat. I think he told me that they have put 3 hogs on one cooker before without any issue.

I realize that since it will be on a trailer anyway why not go 500 but I really don't think that I need one that big and that is the reason I switched to the 250 idea from the 120 gal tank.

I think that 30 wide and 84 ish inches long will be plenty big enough for what I am going to cook. Looking for enough room to cook what is needed for a contest or two with out having to use another smoker to cook enough meat (2 butts, 2 briskets, chicken, ribs, chicken wings, and sausages) all at once.

I will add a warming box above the fire box as well as a water tank so I can have hot water for cleaning up and such.

So right now I am scrounging up materials needed so when hunting season is over I can start to build this cooker. As well as picking up add ideas to incrporate into the trailer/cooker.

BTW - this cooker will be have a theam, It is going to be my tailgater set up in Minnesota Viking colors, it will have viking battle axes for door handles, painted purple and gold with viking logos on the ends, flag pole, horns, chrome "Minnesota Vikings" in about 3 or 4 foot long words mounted on the back side of the smoker...and probably a few other things if I come up with them.

OH yeah  a friend said that he will make  me a dig thermometer that will have a electronic secondary switch that when I hit the preset internal temperature from the probe it will trigger off a relay that will sound off the horn "the viking horn" that sounds off when the vikings score a touchdown during their games. just need to find the best way to develope the horn. Wish me luck on this one.

Trying to find a purple and gold high temp paint...

 

[matts]

Sounds like a heck of a plan.  I assume the Viking let wood or charcoal cookers for tailgating?  I heard places are starting to outlaw that because of the fire danger.  For the colors, you can find high temp paints for automotive in various colors.