150 Gal reverse flow build

Bgcoop8784 · Joined: 17 Jun 2013 Posts: 10

Ok, new here but here's my quick build.
Started this build Friday before last and was cooking on it 7 days later. It's ugly, it's different, and it doesn't look like it'd hold smoke/heat, but it ran from 4pm till a lil after 6am on less than 2 20lb bags of cowboy lump charcoal and a piece of oak every once in a while. Held a steady temp of 230F and wasn't having to play with the intake dampers at all after the temp was steady, did take about 30-45 mins to get up to temp though. Now on to the build....

Here's the tank right after cutting...yes it's a clamshell design

1/4" fire box right after welding..(yes the tire's almost flat on my V-drive project and my shop is in a horrible mess)

My wife did some of the final welding on the box and the grate

Me welding the matching angle iron seals inside the tank

Hinges welded on

Fire box in place

Yes I used pipe instead of a plate for my reverse flow, seemed like a good idea at the time, and it turned out working great.

another view of the pipe I used

Grate built and fitted

Another picture of the grate my wife welded up

close up of cooking grate

Exhaust stack with a little test smoke to check the seal

OK..a lot of test smoke with no leaks..

DirtyQng · Joined: 22 Jul 2012 Posts: 14 Location: Slaton, TX

I haven't seen to many clamshell designs but it looks great. I really like the pipe instead of plate for the rf. Great job on your build.
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20" Disco
Custom Grill from an air compressor
Baby Kingsford Grill "Lake Grill"
New Braunfels Universal Water Smoker
Black UDS "Cooks like a Dream"

k.a.m. · Posted: Jun 18 2013 Post subject:

Brandon, very nice work on your cooker. Very Happy

You might wanna get mamma some long pants, leather boots and sleeves the next time you put her to work. Wink

Your pics are to big for the ring. They need to be no larger than 640 x 480 or our moderator SoEzzy will break the link.
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Always remember slow and steady wins the race.

Hybrid Cooker

Bgcoop8784 · Joined: 17 Jun 2013 Posts: 10

Sorry about the size, I will re-size them when I get off work, I called myself reading the rules but I missed that. Oh, she didn't weld in that outfit. Jeans, GA Boots, and denim shirt. but she won't let me take pics of her when she's working, lol

SoEzzy · Posted: Jun 19 2013 Post subject:

Please read PMPNLT650pxOTLS!

Please take care of it when you can! Wink

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Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

Bgcoop8784 · Joined: 17 Jun 2013 Posts: 10

OK, pics re-sized, two of them are re-sized in photobucket, triple checked them, but for some reason still show a larger size on here even after re saving and re linking them, so for now they will stay hot links.

SoEzzy · Posted: Jun 19 2013 Post subject:

Don't resize inside photobucket... it lies, it lies like a dog with fleas! Wink

_________________
Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

Maniac · BBQ Super Pro Joined: 02 Oct 2010 Posts: 2433 Location: Pa

very nice work on the cooker. i like the clamshell look Very Happy

will study the counter weight a little more...may have some ?s

ps better privatize your pics...the pink tutu guy scared me Laughing

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RF Smoker
20" disc
uds

Bgcoop8784 · Joined: 17 Jun 2013 Posts: 10

Yeah, unicorn guy gets used a lot for photo shopping peoples faces on when they get on my nerves at work...but just for you I got rid of that one, the rest are fine for public view, lol.

Counter weight was too heavy when the lid was all the way open but the lid was too heavy when it was shut for my wife to easily open, plus I wanted the lid to stop half way open so I don't lose all my heat if I want to check temps or spray my butts down. So now it opens with just a few pounds of pressure, when it gets half way up the counter weight hits a support bar in the back and stops the lid. Push up on the lid a little more and the counter weight support pivots and lets the lid open almost straight up. All the weight of the counter weight is on the support bar in the back so you aren't having to pull the weight of the counter weight up every time you close the lid. By the time the counter weight is picked up off the support bar in the back, the lid weight balances it out. Took a few minutes to figure out, but with as heavy as my lid was it was my only option other than using a cable pulley system.

k.a.m. · Posted: Jun 19 2013 Post subject:

Bgcoop8784 · Joined: 17 Jun 2013 Posts: 10

I noticed the weights on your smoker build,completely awesome build by the way, I would have done something like that for weights, but to be completely honest...I was in a hurry and just grabbed stuff I had laying around. The only money I spent in the whole build was $15 for the tank that I bought last year and paint that I bought a while back for another project. I still have 2 more 150 gal tanks and a 250 gal, so when I get ready to build them I will surely be looking at your counterweights a little more.

k.a.m. · Posted: Jun 19 2013 Post subject:

Bgcoop8784, the weights are time consuming no doubt. I just prefer the lower profile I get with them as apposed to the big bat wing look.
_________________
Always remember slow and steady wins the race.

Hybrid Cooker

bigmike782 · Newbie Joined: 13 Aug 2011 Posts: 29

Gotta like anything built by a pretty lady with a Millermatic 200.
Nice build man!

Bgcoop8784 · Joined: 17 Jun 2013 Posts: 10

Yeah my wife's really started to help me a lot around the shop, picked up on mig welding pretty quick, haven't had a chance to let her arc weld or try TIG yet, but I'm going to get her learning on the milling machine and lathes next, and as far as the old millermatic 200 goes. It's been a great machine, it's what I learned to mig weld on when I was 13 and it's never slowed down. I've been wanting to upgrade to a millermatic 252 at the house, I just got 6 of them for shop and they weld extremely smooth, but as long as my old 200 keeps on going strong I can't justify the purchase.