Shirley Patio or Shirley trailer?

My 24x60 with insulated firebox supposedly weighs about 1600lbs. Definitely not something I can load myself, even with a come-along (maybe a winch, but for that price, might as well put it towards the trailer build). I'm planning to have it converted into a trailer. Maybe a 24x42 without elevated cook chamber, warmer, or insulated firebox would be more doable.

My 24 x 42 us a patio model and sits by my house or in my garage. I might take it other places to cook but that will be a rare occasion. I have easy access to a 5x9 trailer with a ramp gate and electric winch mounted to it so moving it will not be a problem. If you don't have access to a trailer or see yourself taking it for cooks on a regular basis I'd get a trailer mounted cooker.

Personal opinion here, but I would absolutely put it on a trailer. Just like any other builder they do custom work so they will put it on a trailer if you request it. Looking at other builders you should be expecting between $800-1200 increased cost to have it put on a trailer. Something to consider is that if you do decide to get into competition cooking then you'll already be setup.

In my personal experience that extra convenience is easily worth it. Just remember it won't be very easy to move by hand on grass / dirt, though you should still be able to move it by yourself (assuming you're in reasonable shape) on concrete / asphalt.

Good luck with your smoker and I hope it's everything you want it to be. I highly admire the Shirley's and I love a lot of the little things they do... the way the exhaust caps "snap" into place, the ease of access with a rod to open the grease drain or the same setup to open the vent between the cooking chamber and the warming box, etc.

If you have the Funds put it on a trailer. :heh: You may wanna come to our TX Bash(s) someday......

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=250849
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FYI you can rent a uhaul motorcycle trailer for around $20 a day if you needed to move it.

I would go backyard model because it would fit my backyard better. But that's just me, I have never had to relocate a smoker, I only cook at my house. If I did I would rent a uhaul for the day.

A trailer is more flexible. If you have a garden tractor you can move it around your place pretty easy.

Now the other thing you need to take in consideration is where you plan to store it and use it at your home. My trailer won't fit where I'd like it to be, under the patio. That is where my future Assassin grill is going to go.

But I need a trailer model. I cook offsite WAY more than I thought I would. Sometimes the trailer is on a trailer.

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For that size, unless you really plan to move it out of the backyard frequently, I would suggest no trailer. That will save you time, trouble and effort maintaining the tires, wheels, etc., for a functionality you're not even using. Then in the rare instance you do need to take it somewhere, you can winch it onto a borrowed or hired trailer. Not to mention the $1000 extra in up-front cost.

Nothin worse than a rusty trailer sittin in the backyard, unmovable, with flat tires, even if it has a smoker on it . . . .

for me it came down to where the trailer was going to set in the yard. with a deck and patio full of cookers there was no way to fit another offset. that meant the shirley was going to sit in the driveway next to the house. that meant i needed a trailer even though it would only leave the driveway 2-3 times per year. my yard where the smoker would be moved around has a big hill and i feared a patio model might not be stable enough. i also did not want to buy a trailer and have to store that on top of the cooker. i had no interest in trying to rent trailers either even though over 3 years i would have only needed to rent a trailer 5 times. the other thing was that if i was going to get a patio model it would have had those cool golf cart wheels and those probably cost as much as a trailer.

I keep mine, the one in the link posted above by Smitty, on the pool / patio deck in the back yard. But I also take it with me to the Bash and when ever we go visit friends for a few days.
I had Tyler convert it from a patio model to a modified trailer. If you opt for a removable tongue, it has about the same foot print. Here is the way I move it between the back yard and driveway up front. That hand / ATV dolly is FANTASTIC!!! Makes like work of it. I also have a wheel to replace the foot on the trailer jack for moving on a flat surface such as the patio.
Hope this helps!! :mrgreen:

The trailer makes it incredibly easy to get it in an out of a garage as it rolls without much effort at all. If there is EVER a chance you will want to take it somewhere it is worth it - I like the flexibility it gives and also made it easier to pick up in Tuscaloosa as didn't need to rent a trailer. You can also buy the patio model and have it converted to a trailer model like Hotch did if you find a need in the future.

Congrats - you will be very happy no matter what option you go with as a great pit.

I stopped on the way home at a truck stop and had my 24x55 modified trailer Shirley weighed and it was 1980 lbs.

I went thru this debate myself a month ago. after much debate I decided to go 24x60 cabinet trailer. I initially wanted 50" but length is one of the cheapest 'upgrades' so I said what the hell, better to have and not need than to need and not have.

If you have the room to store it and the money to buy it, get the trailer.

These are all very nice rigs you have there. Really been thinking of pulling the trigger on a Shirley until I read Paul isn't taking anymore orders.

Congrats! Cant wait to see it and hear how your first cook goes.

I would get the trailer and use my mower like Hotch does or use a 4 wheeler to move around the house .

AUPatrick said:

Thanks for all of the replies. I have plenty of room to keep the smoker if it is a trailer or patio model. I also have a single axle trailer that I use to move the golf cart and the zero turn when I need to. So, if the smoker can be easily moved up on my trailer than I wouldn't need to get a trailer on the smoker.

Does anyone have a 24x42 that they can easily push up on their trailer. I guess I could add a winch to my current trailer to winch it up.

Click to expand...

If you look at the pics in the post SmittyJonz posted, it took just three of us to roll the patio model in. Three to bring it from the back yard, around the house, across the tree roots and over to the trailer. And Sharon Shirley helped me unload it and push it up the driveway at the shop. They do roll great on the patio chassis? :mrgreen:

The question becomes one of utility and 'wants' versus cost.

A trailer is more expensive and upkeep on the trailer, tires, tags, etc. costs extra every year whether you use the feature or not. For most people, I think Golf Cart wheels will be more practical as it will be easier to move around and the larger diameter will load easier onto a trailer "IF" you find you ever want to cook somewhere else.

On the flip side, the trailer money would go a long ways to a larger warmer box, hip roofs, etc. which would be nice for every single cook you have versus a trailer which is useful once or twice a year.

If 2 or 3 years later, you find you want to travel a lot to competitions, you can always trailer mount it then or trade your patio model for a larger trailer model from someone looking to downsize, like a poster in this thread who has a trailer model they can't store inside due to length restriction.

While the CHF officer that got the 24x42 model sure has a sharp smoker that fits in his tight space requirements, in reality I don't think it is practical for most people. With customization options, you can drive yourself nuts questioning all the choices and wind up with some very odd compromises.

Not unlike the motorcycle buyer who doesn't own a motorcycle. They want to ride offroad and want to travel on the interstate and think they need the luggage capacity of a Honda Accord. Do they get a BMW GSA-1200 or Kawasaki KLR-650 or a KTM / Ducati / ...

The big GSA will run well on the super slab and haul a lot of stuff. I know I don't have the skill to take it where I ride my KLX-250S or KTM 450XCW. The Kawasaki is good enough on the super slab but, the suspension is pretty soft once you get off the Forrestry Service Fire Roads and it is still pretty darn top heavy with less luggage than the GSA. My little KLX-250S is nice ride on asphalt at 45MPH and is a real fuel miser with pretty darn good offroad performance but, it has almost no luggage capability and won't run 75MPH all day on the super slab assuming you aren't completely blown off the road buy a truck or Greyhound passing you. The KTM is tops in off=road performance and will easily run 75+ MPH whether on asphalt or off-road but, if you can't put it in a backpack it ain't going, whether it has the motor for 1K miles of interstate each way is a totally different issue.

Moral of the story, my KLX-250S gets up to 1,000 miles a month with a nominal speed of 45MPH within generally about 30 miles of where I live. I have taken it ~150 miles each way on the interstate before but, that is a rare event. If I need bigger power and suspension off-road, the KTM gets 'trailered' in the back my pickup. If I ever want a motorcycle on vacation, my KLX-250S will go in the back of a pickup. Sure, I could compromise with a KLR-650 or some other big dual-sport but, would I really be happy and go where I wanted to when I finally got there?

Get yourself a patio model with reasonable options at a reasonable cost and learn how to cook with it. Then when you are really ready for a trailer model, assuming that ever happens, you will have personal experience to tell you what you need in your trailer and won't end up with a bunch of options you will never use. It's amazing how many dual-sport and adventure bikes never leave the asphalt so, was that really the optimal choice for that rider? They can all get you there but, some are a lot more fun and a whole lot easier than others!

In my case, I really want a trailer model but where would I take it? One or two 'bashes' a year doesn't justify it. How much do I cook? I'm doing pretty well with a 14" WSM so, a 24x~65 trailer model with extended cabinet and warmer seems like massive overkill and wasted expense. Practicality for me says a patio model in a "120 Gallon" propane tank is probably about right with a 24x48 cook chamber at a cost of ~$900 from most small time builders.

In the end, don't overthink this and overbuild your smoker. If you are feeding large church groups, homeless vets, etc. then you definitely need something different but, for a backyard average cooks, the Shirley patio model is more than enough IMHO.

Now, if you are really looking for a Harley with ~$40K in farkles and chrome, all the above is irrelevant!

:twisted:

AUPatrick said:

Thanks for all of the replies. I have plenty of room to keep the smoker if it is a trailer or patio model. I also have a single axle trailer that I use to move the golf cart and the zero turn when I need to. So, if the smoker can be easily moved up on my trailer than I wouldn't need to get a trailer on the smoker.

Does anyone have a 24x42 that they can easily push up on their trailer. I guess I could add a winch to my current trailer to winch it up.

Click to expand...

A Warren winch or the like mounted to your current trailer with GOOD tie-down rings might be a good possibility.


https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200365241_200365241?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Winches%20%3E%20DC%20Powered%20Winches%20%3E%201,000%20-%202,900%20Lb.%20Capacity%20Winches&utm_campaign=Superwinch&utm_content=14190&gclid=CjwKCAiA15vTBRAHEiwA7Snfc1be7fuP7LEdoGjEvtuKtmzaI0wRxct2E5tbm1ZNtMm7SCIkcCJk0BoCEh0QAvD_BwE

If your yard is good and flat or you are keeping on concrete then there is nothing easy about moving a 1,200+ pound patio model especially if your ground is soft. A trailer with a a good gate and winch would be must if you don't mount it on a trailer.