I see you've used a little redneck engineering to support the rear end of your trailer. Will adding the firebox make it too rear end heavy, or do you still have enough forward moving distance to overcome it? Will you have to add weight to the front end to bring it into balance?
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Cool build. I don't think my family is big enough to justify a smoker that size.
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So, here's a little update. I managed to find time for some welding this weekend, so I finished the trailer. On Saturday I spent most time getting the firebox in place. It is HEAVY, so it took a while. But I used scrap wood (solid heavy duty planks) to lift it up a little at a time, by using a crow bar and some freight pallets. Lifting it up in one end, sliding a board underneath, then repeat at the other end. I kept doing so until it was propped up at the correct height. That probably took a little over an hour.
Once that was done I pushed/moved the trailer around, and 'backed it into' the firebox, so the firebox ended up in its final location in the 'fork' part of the frame. A little more adjusting and tweaking, and 30 minutes later I had them both where I wanted them. So it was time to weld that sucker tight to the frame. I did, it took a while, but turned out real good. I sprayed some rust primer on the welds. These won't be visible anyway, once I get the wooden floor in place.
Today I put the final piece back together, that is the registration plate/red light 'bumper'. I had done plenty of work cutting and fitting it before, so mounting it (welding) today was easy. Overall I'm happy with how the build is progressing. Everything is according to plan. I just wish I had more time so I could finish it sooner.
Next up is to build a wooden floor, as well as put the bells and whistles in place. Will keep you updated.
Compared to how it was mounted before I have (as mentioned earlier) lowered it by 6 inches, but also moved it forward (on the trailer) by as much. It distributes the weight better. But then my grease drain ended up being located so close to the first 'beam' in the frame that I welded a small piece of sheet metal to my grease drain to guide the grease forward 1/2 inch, so the grease ends up on the ground and not on the frame :-)
The trailer is actually restored to its exact size, with all lights n stuff exactly where it was before, but the frame is much better/stronger, and I no longer have the side walls. This is gonna look like a real offset smoker trailer soon!
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This. Available in aluminum, steel or Stainless steel
Better option in my humble opinionAttached FilesComment
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Yep, thanks for the suggestion! I have seriously considered it, it is def more practical. But, in this case I’m more interested in looks/styling, so I’m going with wood. I’m gonna apply layers of clear coat though, so it should be ok.Comment
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Lookin real good Henrik.
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I did a little more work today. I said I'm going old school with this one, and I meant it
Mounted rope and pulleys to act as a counterweight for the doors. At the other end is sand filled burlap bags. I think it looks cool, and it will match the wooden floor I'm gonna build. Will visit the wood shop tomorrow to see what size wood boards are available.
What do y'all think?
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have a way to remove and store the sand bags and rope when traveling, so the don't turn into wrecking balls. BTW, depending on the weight of your doors, lead shot may be a better option than sand. -
Good point texastweeter, I thought the same. They're gonna be easily removable when on the road.
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Looks pretty cool. My only concern is will the ropes be in contact with the cooker possibly causing them to burn. ??Comment
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Very unique and awesome build! Enjoying following along on this one!Comment
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I finally got around to fabricating fenders for the wheels. I wanted something that matches the rest of the trailer/smoker combo. I did these completely by hand. I don't even have a pipe bender or anything. I just have a welder and a steel grinder, but you can get pretty far with that too.
I ordered a pair of baby moon hub caps from the US of A, which will get me that old school look I'm after.
The build is progressing nicely, I did some prep work for the final two stages of the build:
1. Some details for the fire box door assembly. Will do an interesting take on the opening/closing of the door
2. Some flat iron so that I can fasten the oak wood planks that will form a floor on the trailer.
I'll keep ya posted. Will do a full YouTube video also when it is complete.Comment
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Very cool project. It's all looking great. Do you have a background in welding?Comment
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So, I have finally finished the project. Here are a few photos, doing a YouTube video that I will publish on Friday (hopefully). Overall I'm really happy with the improvement. It looks a lot better, the working height is perfect now, and I like the improved looks. Added a solid oak floor and covered it in a thick layer of clear coat. The handles for the doors were thickened to feel better (I have big hands), I took two oak log splits and drilled a hole all the way through. I also had to learn how to splice rope for the counterweights for the doors. I fabricated a new firebox door, this time with a left and right half, instead of one large door. Also mounted baby moon hub caps to improve the look of the rims. Time to fire that smoker up!
Nice and shiny new 'floor'
Shot from the behind, counter weights still missing
Here's Rude Boy
The firebox doors
As you can see I cut off some old stuff, like handles no longer needed et.c. Looking forward to when the fenders become as rusty as the rest, so the looks match better :-)
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