An old smoker gets moved over to a big boy trailer.

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Thanks everyone for the good words.

It really makes ya feel good about the build hearing different folks saying how cool or nice it is. It makes all the hard work worth while.
 
I am really enjoying watching your work.

Thanks for keeping us up with the progress.

  Craig

  "I love work..could sit and watch it for hours."
 
Fantastic progress Tom,love the freezer/cabinet.that thing is a bbq party on wheels
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Thanks again guys,

Progress is slow but sure, its getting there. The first party will be april 16, first comp of the new year. 

And the freezer, OMG every time I go to the trailer I stop and open the freezer door. LOL like something is gonna be different. More so just cause I think its so freakin cool, most peps will never know that it isn't a freezer. They will just think I am well off or just lucky to have it. 

I really really wanted to use it for my clone build but it was just going to be to much work.
 
I did just a little yesterday. Got my other table cut down to a usable size. It was 30x60. Now its 26x60 with a 6" back splash.

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Hey Tom, looks like you are getting close.

Great work on those tables. Looks like they came that way.

That fridge idea is a good one. Doors all latched up to keep stuff from falling out on the drive.

What comp are you doing on April 16?

Can't wait to get a tour of your BBQ joint on wheels.

Looking really good.
 
Good to see ya KC, yes the doors will lock with a key so the contents aren't flying out all over the place. The contest the 16 of April is at a bar in shawnee. Jakes place, just up the road to the west from where the contest as last year.

Sent from Poorkidzbbq Via my EVO
 
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It looks great Tom,  you are gonna have one heck of a trailer...
 
You will probably have the best, most equipped, full featured cooker there.

We were going to do Pleasant Hill April 1st, but my buddy just had a new knee put in two weeks ago. In therapy now, says he will be ready for Great American in May, so that will be our first comp this year.

At least we got some nice weather so you can get er done now.
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Is it true, I think I heard the great american has moved locations.

I wish I could crank out two within a month but the odds of that are probably pretty slim. 

It seems that we are in search of a new house, the inlaws are having medical troubles so we need a house thats all on one level. Now if I happen to find one with a giant garage that would be even better. 

Thanks Paul,

Hey, I ate at the mex place behind the bank at central and 7th. WOW it was awesome, execpt for the part where the menu was not in english. I ate a torta that barley fit in there to go box's?
 
Is it true, I think I heard the great american has moved locations.

I wish I could crank out two within a month but the odds of that are probably pretty slim. 
It is now at the Overland park international trade place near the Sprint campus.

I wish I could do a couple every month. Work doesn't like to give off that many days, and the wife thinks I spend to much money on the ones that we do enter.
 
Well I wish I could do more as well. 

I got some of the tedious stuff wrapped up today and hope to pick up a double basin shop sink and at least two floresent lights this week. 

The tables are in but I have to wait to build the frame for the sinks until I have them present. 

The slide out steps are secured now, wouldnt want them flying out on the highway.

The side flaps now have proper supports to hold them open, even in high wind.

The hitch is fully welded and complete all but the new bolts to hold the pintle ring on.

Oh ya, and I managed to trick the kids into painting some of it for me today.  I'll probably pay for that one. LOL

Its getting closer, slowly but surely. Then when its finished I have to start my stumps clone build. I hope to have it ready for the sept contest but who knows. 

The view is really nice once all the sides and front are opened up.

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Well I decided to go with spiral florescent lighting at my work tables, with the switch by the entrance door. They take a minute to get to full brightness, and since I used the bright white bulbs they put off a really nice light to work by. 

Then I used some cheep rope lights to just offer enough light to see by when we aren't working with food. 

I still haven't decided how I want to make the electric hook up on the side of the trailer but from that point everything is in 1/2" conduit and metal boxes.

All the wire is ran and the lights are working, there was a few brain taxing moments trying to remember which romex went where and which neutral was getting used as a switch loop. In the 1/2" conduit there was no room for wasting wire so I had to be creative to make it all work.

Both switch's, one for spirals and one for the rope, are located at the door.

Four outlets are hot all the time at each table.

And the two up high are switched for the rope.

I am still thinking about a couple high intensity spot lights up near the roof to aim into the smoker. Not sure on that one yet tho.

Pics in the next post, I don't want to loose all this typing and have a lock up during a pic upload.
 
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I also got the frame built for my sinks but I will not have the water set up for a month or two. 

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This shot above was well after dark, the lighting isnt to bad. 

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It is really starting to come together. That is going to be fun once you get it done
 
The Main goal here was to have everything in one place. 

I hate nothing more then either cooking at a small gathering or even at a contest. And having to pack and load everything, haul it home and then have to unload it and put it away.

When we compete, I get ready the night before, load what I can that I don't think will get stolen, finish loading the next morning. Very early I may add, drive to my buddies, then to the event.

Same goes when we head home but in reverse. And when I get home I am wore out. 

So I hope to be able to cook and have fun, clean things up after the last turn in and put said stuff away. 

With the giant double door freezer as my storage, many things will fit in there. 

I have most everything out there right now, the vac packer and the slicer is still in the house. Along with the burnable items that don't fit in the freezer, like the tents and chairs.

When I leave home, all I will have to do is hook up the trailer and roll out. 

Also it will be fully functional totally closed up, so the weather is not a problem. 

I think I will be getting a hammock to hang from the inside of the two doors while they are closed. 
 
Well my plan worked as planned,,,,almost.

The loading and unloading was perfect, no work at all. Just a few dishes to clean up at home and 2 coolers to clean out.

BUT the trip to the comp sat morning was less then fun. Here's the deal.

The contest was good practice and it was a fun time.

There was a super terrible moment on the way there. In short many things contributed to this, the play in the surge brake, the tires being a little low on air, the tongue being just a tad low, and no sway bar on the pickup.

I was coming out of downtown, made a gradual left hand curve and headed down a pretty good hill. Right at the same time that I hit one of Missouri's super fancy bridge approaches I felt a gust of wind hit me.

Well when a 3rd grader has more smarts then the supervisor building bridges here there is no other choice but to almost fly like the Dukes of Hazard every time you cross a bridge.

The trailer started to push me into the next lane, all it took was a tiny correction and the trailer whip was in full swing. OMG guys, good thing that I made a visit to the sand box right before I left the house.

There is two ways to stop this effect quickly, neither was an option since my trailer brakes weren't working and two, I had two of the kids with me and wasn't taking any chances with them. The second option is to accelerate hard to bring the trailer back into control. This one is a gamble, most of the time it works but it can go really wrong.

I made a decision, BTW it was raining too.....after about 5 whips I decided that I had enough and I was going to have to set the trailer up against the shoulder wall to make it settle down. I guess I scared it when I crossed two lanes heading for the shoulder cause the whip quit.

Let me tell ya all something.........In 27 years of driving and 24 of them with a trailer about 75% of the time, I have seen alot.

And this was by far the worst most helpless feeling ever. It turned out to be about 3.5 seconds with about 5 gig of data transfer going thru my head.
 
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