OK, how does this work?

http://www.southwestsmoker.com/images/sws3048-tc2.jpg

All other reverse flow horz/vert combo smokers I've seen have the firebox and stack at the vert end. This one has the firebox and smokestack at the end opposite the vert.
It doesn't look like a particularly good design to me, all their combo rigs are done this way.

http://www.southwestsmoker.com/index.html

Note-some of the links at the top half of the home page don't work, use the ones on the list at the bottom. The combo rigs are "caterers". Also check out the comprehensive price list.

have always wondered how it would be to add a vert above the firebox with the stacks above that.

Click to expand...

I've been toying with that idea for quite some time, finally saw one this winter on e-Bay, from Dead Serious Cookers http://www.deadseriouscookers.com/cookers.asp
I called about one recently, 24"d x 48" long with 24 x 24 x 48 vert, 3/8" firebox and pipe, 1/4" vert, $4k, plus shipping from Houston. Too much $$ for me, I'm gonna have to settle for close enough I can go pick it up.

I talked with the owner of SWS yesterday. Robert, a real nice fella, assured me that the design of the vert, although unconventional, works very well. The full circle of the area where the horz and vert meet is open, the cooker draws very well and cooks in all areas. Although some of the pics on the site show outboard fireboxes, he now builds all these type rigs with the firebox fully under the horz. There is a waterpan over the rev flow tunnel which, even when dry, acts as a second insulating layer to prevent grilling effect and allows all of the heat generated in the firebox to be transferred to the cooking chamber. I rather like that idea. The one feature I didn't like was the vert was made from 10ga material instead of the 1/4" the rest of the cooker is constructed from. Still as compared to Klose, Gator, and some others the bang for the buck seems pretty good and they're close enough that I can pick one up myself.