325 Gallon Reverse Flow Build

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Afternoon everyone.

I think I have finally made up my mind on what I think I want to do. I am making some sacrifices from my original 325 gallon plan after some great opinions from the experienced builders on this site.

As of now, I plan to cut off a portion of the rear of the tank to decrease the overall size from 325 gallon to approx 270 gallons. I am going to go with a 24"x32"x32" FB. According to the BBQ calcuator this should give me approx 120% FB capacity. If time, budget, and weight allow, I am going to explore the option of addidng a small (30" tall x 32" wide by 24" deep) warming cabinet above the FB. The cabinet will be heated by radiant/conductive heat from the FB only for now, but i might explore adding a opening from the FB later (hence the 120% FB size).

As DaveOmak pointed out before, the CC chamber size it not ideal for the best rack layout, but I think I will be able to live with it. According to my calcuations, I should have a total cooking grate area of almost 25 sq ft. which should be plenty for what I plan to do with it.

As I may have mentioned before, I work out of town and am only home 2 weekends each month. I have some steel ordered and plan to mount the tank to the trailer in a few weeks. I will post some pictures tonight of the cleaned up trailer.

Thanks.

Andrew.
 
Sounds to me like the judges didn't want to hurt anyone's feeling .....  Did everyone get a 1st. 2nd. & 3rd.   Wait, don't answer that.....  Everyone had a great time, great food, great  companionship, and possibly some superb adult beverages......   I would hope so.....  

Chicken looks great.....  where's the rest of the chow....
 
Ha. Yes Dave everyone did get a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I can say the 3 judges did give it a fair shot with blind tasting. Seeing as how all 3 teams where sharing strategy, ideas, plans, etc, it was a pretty relaxed. A good time was had by all.

Only got a picture of the chicken, maybe more pics next time.
 
Hey Guys. Got some work done this weekend while I was home even if it was only for 2 days. I was able to pick up the metal I had a guy here in down cut for me the last time I was home. I was really happy with how the supports for the tank worked out. I was able to get everything welded up and even got a chance to set the tank on the trailer yesterday afternoon. I have not welded the tank to the trailer yet because I am taking the tank to a guy the next time I am home to cut the end of the tank off as well as cut out the doors. Here are some pictures:

Welding up the supports for the tank to the trailer. The middle pair of legs got really warped when I welded them (1/2" out of plumb) so I had to cut them off and try again. The legs actually warped as they cooled, not when I was actually welding them which I thought was strange. I guess I am learning more and more working with metal.
I was impressed with some of my welds for almost zero experience with a MIG welder.
A buddy with a backhoe helped me set the tank on the trailer. In the picture the tank will be further back on the trailer once I get the tank cut. I am very happy with the height. According to my calcs, I should have about 14" from the ground to the bottom of the FB. Hopefully what should be fine.
Here is a picture of how the tank meets up with the supports. I made a 30" templet out of poster board then transferred that to some 2x3 wood to mock up the leg assembly and test fit it to the tank before having the metal cut. It cost me a little more to have someone cut them on a bandsaw but worth it.
 
Looking good,  Can't wait for next pictures

Gary
 
I tacked a piece of 1.5"x1/8" flat stock around the tank as a guide for the guy to use when he cuts the back of the tank off.
I also laid out the CC doors. Each door is 35" wide. I set them 2" back from each end of the tank and left a 4" space between them. Hopefully this will be enough to keep everything rigid and still maximize space.

Well thats all I have for you guys for now. I have to wait for 2 more weeks till I will be home again to continue work. I will keep everyone posted. Thanks.

Andrew
 
Good Morning Everyone.

Like I said before, I have been working out of town since my last post and have not been home to get any work done on the smoker, but will be headed home friday for a few days. I have been thinking about my CC door layout which I plan to have cut this weekend. Right now, I have the top of the CC doors located right at the 12 o'clock position and running down to about 2" below the lowest cooking rack leaving about 4" between the RF plate and the cooking rack. I have read on the forum where some guys says to not locate top of the door right at the 12 o'clock position but a few inches below. Is this accurate? Is it just preference or is there a reason? I am having trouble making up my mind and want to be sure i make the best decision. Thoughts? Thanks,

Andrew
 
Update:

Got some work done this weekend.

Got the end of the tank cut off & cut in the doors.
Used the door flange method ribwizzard had suggested in other threads. Worked well. Was able to get one door done.

Thats all for now. As always, any advice would be great. Next time I am home I hope to finish the other door, weld on the hinges, and starting laying out the drain for the RF plate.

Thanks for looking.
 
Hey guys. Got a little work done this weekend. I was able to get the hinges fabbed up and got one of the doors mounted. I had both mounted, but when I welded one of the hinges on with a full weld, it siezed up and I couldnt get it to open up properly. I used anti-sieze on the second door and it worked fine. Also got the RF drain fabbed up. I ended up using some scrap 1" square tube to mock up the drain elevation which made things easier than trying to hold, measure, weld all at the same time. My goal next time I am home is to fix the last door and maybe get the RF plate in. Anyways, here are some pics. Enjoy!






 
Update: Got a little work done this weekend. Not as much as I hoped, but thats ok. I was able to get the 2nd door mounted and welded up, cleaned up some welds, & plumbed the RF drain. I plan to order the 1/4" plate for the FB & RF plate this week. I will be home on vacation the week of thanksgiving and hope to make some real progress then. I cant get any pics to upload at the moment but I will try again later.

I have been thinking about a few things this week:

1. Since my tank & trailer are a little beat up, I was thinking about maybe using some kind of body filler for a nice smooth finish. Does anyone have any experience using body filler? I would assume anything used on the CC would need to be heat resistant. I have seen a few products online but know very little about the stuff. Any ideas?

2. I am debating on welding the RF plate in solid into the CC. My plan was to be able to fill the RF plate with water during the cook for added steam/moisture. On the other hand, it would be much easier to just lay the RF plate in the CC for easy removal later if necessary. Which option makes sense to you guys?
Any feedback would be great. Thanks.
 
Hello Nightrod.

Is that a gate valve? IMHO I wouldn't use a globe valve as it's too convoluted. I see you used an elbow. Sometimes I have to run a rod down mine to clean it out.

If you seal welded the RF plate it can be used for water. I have put water in mine and it works.

If it's removable you can still weld lips all around for water.

Either way you will be able to try it out and see if you like it.

As far as the tank I would paint it with high heat resist paint and let it go. You'll probably have to repaint at intervals anyway.

Dave
 
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