Yoder Frontierman info?

[Team1769Q]

First hi everyone been on here and I find that this site does have a wealth of information regarding rubs, sauces and cookers. It all about the good, the bad and the ugly. Today cookers do cost some serious $$$.

With that said am looking for how the Yoder Frontierman perform and if the had to do over would they choose something different and why.

I will be using the Yoder for competition as well as festival events and cantering.

 

[Hog1990]

I would reach out to Randy Hill on Facebook. He has been using one as long as anyone I know. Another good person to contact is Jesse Henry. Both have used their extensively in competitions and catering. Good luck!

 

[SmittyJonz]

Yoder makes Nice Pits but I'd get a Shirley Trailer Pit -Custom tailored to your needs and less expensive.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=209002

:heh:

 

[Durangutan]

I have a couple of Yoders with one being a Frontiersman on the comp cart with an insulated firebox. My assessment is probably not the kind you're looking for as the cooker is new to me and I'm relatively new to smoking. I have had the Frontiersman for about a month now and have done several cooks on it. What was immediately apparent is that it is very easy to maintain a stable temperature. This applies to both maintaining a constant temperature across the entire pit or creating hotter zones with the heat management system. I usually cook in the 225-275 range though I did run it for a few hours at 350 when burning it off and then again seasoning it. It has always been easy to manage to within 5-10 degrees of the target temperature and it just perks along until it's time to add more wood. I suspect that this is probably as close as you can get to set & forget with a stick-burner. That being said, I have not attempted any cooks large enough to fill it to capacity but wouldn't anticipate any issues based on what I've experienced so far.

Now the downside. First of all and this is not a defect; I somehow had the distinct impression that this smoker as with some other Yoder models was crafted from 1/4" steel pipe but in fact is 3/16" rolled plate. Whether this was a mistaken assumption on my part or a detail which had changed since I'd pretty much decided on the model months before I ordered it I do not know. Also unknown is whether it would make any difference in performance but it certainly feels tinny compared to my other Yoder (a Durango 24) which feels rock solid when opening and closing doors. The weight savings is almost certainly beneficial for mobility though. It is surprisingly easy to maneuver on a smooth, hard and level surface but it requires bodies or a winch for anything else. The egregious, however, is what I do consider a defect. The left hand side of the left door on my cooker was somewhat sprung. The door would not fully seat on the left side and leaked badly. You could see daylight in two locations from inside along the door's edges. Likewise, when opening the door, it would begin to bind and chatter at around 2/3 open and it took effort to push the door fully open. A contrast to the right door which seats solidly (not as solid as the 1/4" doors on the Durango) and effortlessly opens as the counterweight takes over. After some tugging to try to improve the condition the door now operates much more smoothly but it took a thick bead of RTV to solve the leak and seating problem. I realize that we're not talking about a rocket engine here but as you noted, these things are not cheap and they should exhibit the quality one has the right to expect from a high end product.

The Frontiersman appears to have the excellent performance that I find lacking in the Durango but fails to display the superb workmanship of the Durango. Consequently, I'd have a difficult time recommending this expensive rig without the caveat that you make absolutely certain that the points important to you in your pit are clearly defined and met.

 

[SmittyJonz]

No Wait just a drive.........

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=230314