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Gonna Build Me A Trailer Cooker!

kyleness

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I have been wanting to get a pit on a trailer for quite some time now just haven't wanted to lay down the dough to do it yet. I designed up a unit on the computer and made prints and went to a local fabrication shop that has lasers and brake presses and got a quote on cutting all of the steel. I have a 150 gallon propane tank that I would use so I would just be cutting the sheet for the firebox. Anyway below are a few pics of what it looks like. The cost to build it will be somewhere in the $2000 range depending on how much I splurge on lights, wheels, storage bins, fancy handles, hinges, etc. The smoker itself will only be about $1200 if I set it on blocks. I designed it similar in nature to a backwoods/jambo. The heat enters the cook chamber at the top of the cooker and must travel the length of the cooker as well as down about an inch below the bottom cook grate in order to get out. I've been going back and forth over building it like this or just making it a reverse flow, I have both designed up and there really isn't an impact in cost either way.
 

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I went to my local propane dealer today and they were loading up a trailer with old tanks to take to the salvage yard. They didn't have any large tanks but I took 3 100 gallon tanks off of their hand for $25 each :)
 
Do the reverse flow smoker . I built my own reverse flow as you can see below in pictures . My tank is 250 gallon propane tank . I see in your drawing you have your smoke stack all the way down to the first rack level . I did the same thing when I built mine . I had issues with top rack being 70 degrees hotter than bottom rack. The issue was the heat was being trapped since heat rises . I had to cut my stack off inside the smoker and then that fixed the problem . Now I get 15 degrees difference between the racks . Make sure your intake, exhaust stack and opening from firebox to smoker is proper size .If to small you will have drafting isssues . I used the pit calculator you can find on line . Good luck on new build . Post pics as it progresses .

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Do the reverse flow smoker . I built my own reverse flow as you can see below in pictures . My tank is 250 gallon propane tank . I see in your drawing you have your smoke stack all the way down to the first rack level . I did the same thing when I built mine . I had issues with top rack being 70 degrees hotter than bottom rack. The issue was the heat was being trapped since heat rises . I had to cut my stack off inside the smoker and then that fixed the problem . Now I get 15 degrees difference between the racks . Make sure your intake, exhaust stack and opening from firebox to smoker is proper size .If to small you will have drafting isssues . I used the pit calculator you can find on line . Good luck on new build . Post pics as it progresses .

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Great cooker! What kind of paint did you use? Been looking for something just like that for mine...
 
Mine is 7.5 ft by 30 in. I ended up with right at $1000 in it but I already had the trailer and used lots of stuff that was just laying around. I didn't go reverse flow cause I wanted a hotter end to finish my chicken off at comps. Anyways if you have any questions feel free to ask
 

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Great cooker! What kind of paint did you use? Been looking for something just like that for mine...

I used rust-oleum high gloss high temp paint. I wanted high gloss so it would be easy to clean outside. I looked at header paint but in high temp it only came in flat paint. This paint is 1200 degree paint. I have no issues with it but I do rub the outside with vegetable oil as it is cooling don every time I use. I was told to do this so paint dose not dry out and will not peel. I make sense just like waxing a car.
 
Here are a couple of pictures of the 100 gallon tank. I also modified the 3d model that I had to match the new tank. I was originally planning on getting the 120 gallon horizontal tank but this was all I could come up with. I will likely build the smoker with reverse flow since the cook chamber is narrower. As soon as I get some more details completed I will get the sheetmetal for the firebox laser cut and bent. I am using 2300 degree ceramic insulation to insulate the firebox.
 

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