Trailer Mounted Reverse Flow with added Goodies

[fourthwind]

You might consider some sort of baffles so that the guru's do not blow directly on the fire.  Quite a few competitors around here stopped using guru's because it sent ash through the smoker due to the pulse action of the fans.   It affected the flavor and their scores.

 

[hogie]

You might consider some sort of baffles so that the guru's do not blow directly on the fire.  Quite a few competitors around here stopped using guru's because it sent ash through the smoker due to the pulse action of the fans.   It affected the flavor and their scores.

The mounts I have for them already have that built in...  I just figured it is easier to add the holes now, than in the future when it is double walled and had insulation in it.  Also got 6x of those 4"x4" air inlets set for "normal" cooking.

 

[fourthwind]

Can't wait to see the thin blue man..  Looks like you got things in hand now.  It sure is going to be big.  Your going to be really happy you insulated that thing so your fuel bill stays down! lol

 

[hogie]

The storms moved out of the DFW area around noon today, so I loaded up the truck, and went out to work on the firebox some.  Since it was just me, I wanted to get some of the framing done on the firebox before next weekend.  I have a plasma cutter ordered (Everlast PowerPlasma 50) which should be here mid week.  My 3x Tel-Tru BQ300 Thermometers for the doors showed up yesterday.  I didnt realize the BQ300s were THAT large.

Here's some pics from my little work today (along with my smokestack pipe photo).

I hope to have a full crew out on Saturday next week to get this done.

 

[hogie]

Didn't have very many helpers today.  Will have more tomorrow.  But I did get someone that's fabricated before in to help.  He showed me a couple things, which should let me get the firebox / warming box done tomorrow.  We got the top frame finished (ran out of 1" tubing exactly where I thought we would).  Then we put 1 side on, with the insulation in, and the air inlet holes cut out. Tomorrow we will put the other 2 sides on, and get the door finished.  If that happens, then I just need to get the handles figured out, and the chimney in.

Im the one in the flash tshirt btw (Can you tell I like BBQ?)

Cutting with the new plasma cutter that arrived on Tuesday.

Test fitting of the inside 1/4" plate of the double walled door.

Last pic of the day, with part of the door sitting in after getting it grinded down.

 

[fourthwind]

Got to love plasma cutters!  Nothing like melting steel with 6000° air.    

I heard a saying once..  Never trust a skinny cook.   You and I can both be trusted LOL

 

[hogie]

It has been a long weekend / week already.  Sunday, after church (had to setup / teardown, then put that trailer back in storage), I got out to my smoker about 1pm.  My brother and I got the firebox door hinged, and built.  I have an idea on how to build the latch I want for it.

That just leaves 1 side of the firebox to be insulated, back and side to have their sheet put on, and the chimney added.

Well, a deadline has been set (well, 2 actually), for cooking on it.  My family wants me to cook some BBQ on Easter.  That means I REALLY need to get stuff done this weekend to it.  The other deadline is a competition cook at the end of April my work is sponsoring. Once the firebox is on, it should be smooth sailing.  Chimney should be an hour project at most (cutting the hole, then fitting it in), and then another burnout.  Hopefully i'll be able to burn on Sunday, and bring it home that night so I can start seasoning it in the driveway at the house.  Soooooooo, close, I just wish it didn't take half an hour to load the tools into the truck, half an hour to drive up there, and half an hour to get setup before I can even work on it (why I dont work on it in the middle of the week).

I

 

[dragons breath]

Cool build. Great progress. You'll be smoking in no time.

 

[michael ark]

Good luck on meeting your resrection line. A little easter humor.

 

[hogie]

So, my plans this weekend are:

Saturday:

• Get firebox finished (1 side to insulate, door to inside frame a seal out of angle iron)
• Get Warming box skinned (no door yet)
• Get Chimney installed
• Get Firebox / Warming box mounted to main tank

Sunday:

• Take it out to a friend's property and get it burned out

That will let me take it home, and do work on the other stuff during the week (cooking surfaces, air inlet dampeners, handles, etc).

Im really looking forward to this weekend.  I'll only need 1 other person to show up Saturday to help me move the firebox around, but the sheet cutting should be quick with the plasma.  Prob dont even need the chop saw or acetylene-oxy setup out there.

 

[kcbluesnbbq]

Looking really good. Sounds like you are right on schedule.

 

[hogie]

Well, I got some help from my uncle for lifting stuff today...  got the warming box tacked up, and some beats started.  One of the top tacks popped this evening though, so I said f*** it and packed in.  Tomorrow I'll have a couple guys (my brother, my family by marriage that use to do fabrication, uncle again) to get the chimney in.  I also had some problems with my welder today.  Ended up having to cut about 70 feet of wire off the spool so I could get it to feed right.  The tension came undone during the moving between the trailer and my house (requires a truck ride each way).  Im going to have to check that everytime now that I know about it.

If we get the chimney and firebox installed tomorrow like I want, i'll be burning it out in the late afternoon / evening right about where my truck is in those photos.  We also figured out that I can trim all the edges around the fire/warming box with some angle iron, to hide the ugliness.  I can't wait to get this thing going!

Here's a couple pictures from today (I was there mostly by myself, until later when I got the extra pair of hands to move the sheet around, etc).

[The one good thing about being 400lbs, is you can move heavy stuff by yourself and not kill yourself.]

 

[hogie]

I received some help getting the chimney and firebox on Sunday...  

I ended up moving the trailer back to my house, since all the heavy lifting is done.  I hope to get my short list finished on it over the next 3 days so I can get some smoke through it before sending it off to a sand blaster and painter (got that already lined up for Monday if I can make it with everything else).  Hopefully that means seasoning next Friday (Good Friday) and Saturday when im off work, and the first batch of meat through it on Easter...

I can feel the big push coming on now...

 

[solaryellow]

Looking good!

 

[scarbelly]

That is looking real good 

 

[shoneyboy]

 keep the pictures comming !!!!

 

[hogie]

Uggg!  last night I was working on it and everything that could go wrong, went wrong...

First, at about 4:30, I pulled out the welder to start tacking a door frame together, and when I turned on the gas, I was out.  Had to hurry and drive through rush hour traffic to get to the nearest welding store before they closed.  Got there at 4:55...  barely got it filled.  Once I got back home, got the door framed, it fit perfectly, worked on getting it hinged, and one of the hinges ended up not straight.  So I had to cut that out and redo it.  Once I got that done, everything seemed fine.  It opened / closed without any issues, and didn't really have any give in it, so I put the outside sheet on.  Got it tacked on, then ran beads down the inside of the frame to help seal it up, and when I went to close it for the night, it is 1/8 to 1/4 an inch dropped on the non-hinged corner now, and I can't get it to close.  I had felt I made progress, but after that I am feeling really depressed about the whole thing.  I wanted to get fire in it this weekend so I could get it blasted / painted next week (my paint came in for it), but if this is how it is going to be, I dont see a way to finish.  I have 9 things to do in my list before it can goto paint, and I only have tonight / tomorrow to work on it.

 

[scrappynadds]

Looks great.........I'm in the middle of a build myself so I feel your pain........

 

[hogie]

Today started off bad too... went home at 1pm (took half the day as paid time off), and started doing some stuff.  fixed the warming box door (had to cut off the hinges and re-weld them), then went to add an inside firebox door trim, and my welder wouldn't feed wire anymore.  Opened it up, and it was at the end of my 11lb spool.  I had to run back to the welding shop to get more wire (yesterday it was gas).  After that (and grabbing lunch at the same time), I hunkered down for the long haul.  From about 2:30p -> 8:15p today, I was out there working and figuring stuff out.

So things I did today:

1. Sealed gap between RF plate and firebox  (I actually climbed into the smoker and was on top of the RF plate as I was welding so I could maker better welds)
2. Created an internal seal of angle iron in the firebox for its door to compress against
3. Installed the firebox air dampers (finished fabrication of them, and their slide holders)
4. Welded axes as my door handles for the smoke chamber [Was done near dark, so dont have good photos)
5. Fixed warming box door
6. Cut up some trim for the fire/warming box tower

Tomorrow I hope to:

1. create an internal seal for the warming box door (and finish sealing the door's skin to the frame)
2. Fire / warming box tower trim installation
3. Chimney dampener fabrication / installation
4. Cooking surface fab (atleast the rails)
5. Firebox / Warming box door latches
6. Mount for a wooden workstation infront of cooking area door

With the whole day ahead of me, I think i'll get a bunch of that list kicked out.

 

[fourthwind]

It's a lot of work building beasts like this..  I feel your pain on running out of supplies.  I have made my share of runs to get welding supplies like that.  Look forward to the progress!