# Yoder Pellet smoker



## texacajun

This weekend I stopped by all things BBQ. I saw there new Yoder pellet smokers. This thing is heavy duty for sure. They have two model so far.

Yoder Smokers YS480 Pellet Grill  

Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill


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## carpetride

They look very well built, I will be interested to see a few user reviews once a few get out there.


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## cabin fever

I watched the two Youtube videos on the YS640 and the thing is built like a tank at 350 pounds. Definitely looks a lot sturdier than all the other pellet poopers on the market anyway. Any idea what the price tags for both units will be?


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## scarbelly

My .02 is that I would not limit myself to a single dicipline on smoking.  I know there are lots of folks who love the pellets but to me it is just not my cup of tea. I want to be able to use more than one source of smoke


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## texacajun

Cabin Fever said:


> I watched the two Youtube videos on the YS640 and the thing is built like a tank at 350 pounds. Definitely looks a lot sturdier than all the other pellet poopers on the market anyway. Any idea what the price tags for both units will be?


I have the prices at work. I will get them and post them tonight.


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## squirrel

I have a Traeger and I call it my "glorified oven". LOL! It certainly can't touch the good old wood burning smoker. I have a cheap Brinkman and love, love, love it! Totally want the Lang 48 though. I also have the MES 40. The Traeger is really good at one thing that I like and that's doing the chicken breasts. I can fit 20 bigguns on there and keep in on the smoke cycle for 30 minutes then crank it up to 325F and 30-40 minutes later they are done. No messing up my indoor oven either. I only paid $500 for a $1,500 unit so I can live with it. That Yoder does look like a tank though!


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## smokeamotive

I tried to buy a yoder summer before last. called the guy direct cuz would save several hundred over buying it through Cabelas. He made the old Next week promise over and over. Finally after about 2 mounths of this I found a Horizon Ranger at BPS that was a twin to what yoder had. went to BPS with a trailer, bought it and took it home the same day. The guy from yoder called aboout a month later and said he would be up and deliver my smoker......I said....Keep it!    Not that it had any problems with quality, but his customer service left alot to be desired.


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## texacajun

Ok the prices are

1099.00 for the YS480 that's the 480 Square inch one grill dimensions are 20 x 24

1299.00 for the YA640 that's the 640 Square inch one grill dimensions are 20 x 32

cooking temp range is 180-600 degrees

18 pound hopper capacity.

steel gauge is 10 on the cooking chamber and 14 on the hopper and cart.


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## cabin fever

The price of the YS640 is definitely about right for a grill of that quality, but I think I’m gonna hold out and go with a Mak 2-Star General hopefully sometime in the near future. From everything I’ve read online, the Mak seems to be the only pellet pooper on the market that’s really pushed more as a smoker than a grill. It seems to me that other manufactures push their units more as grills that can smoke after the fact.

I’ve also read that Mak grills are built to produce more smoke than other manufacturer’s units so that’s another plus. I’d be using a pellet grill 100% of the time as a smoker anyway. Again, the YS640 looks amazing, but with most people complaining about the lack of smoke flavor from pellet poopers to begin with, I think I’ll have to go with a Mak.


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## wingman

I have been cooking on the Yoder YS640 for a couple weeks now. Its a stout built cooker and the temp across the grate is extremely consisitent. Pellet cookers are great due to ease of use but they don't lay down the smoke like a stick burner. I really like the Yoder YS640 much more so then the other two pellet cookers I owned. It puts out some great BBQ!  That said I am also shopping for iether a Yoder Cheyenne or Wichita. I also can't seem to get rid of my old cheap GSOM. The pic below is about 5 hours into a smoke I did one week 1 week ago. The pulled pork was awesome.


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## cabin fever

Wingman,

I've watched all of your videos of the YS640 from SmokingPit.com and have really enjoyed them. I'm trying to learn as much about pellet grills as I can and it seems that you just may be the person I've been looking for. When I ask pellet grill owners about how smoky their end results are I either get no answer at all or they just say that the pellets give the meat a unique wood fired taste.

Does that mean there's absolutely no smoke flavor at all? I noticed in your apple pork butt video that the YS640 didn't seem to put out much smoke at 225 degrees, but how would you rate the overall smokiness of the finished butt on a scale of 1-10? Sorry for all of the questions, but I hope to be a future pellet grill owner and I just want to make the right choice. Take care.


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## wingman

Well my answer will be of course my opinion but I would say about 50% the smoke roughly. You will get smoke flavor. The pellets you use do make a difference. I burn BBQr's Delight and have done so in my Traeger Texas and Whole Hog pellet cookers. Branch Creek pellets are also good. I don't like the Treager pellets. Again this is my opinion.

Pellets will put out the smoke but here's the deal... The pellets burn hotter and cleaner. Pellets also burn hotter producing less smoke at higher temps. One trick is to smoke your products the first hour @ 170-190 degrees then take it to 225. This will lay more smoke on the meat. With the pellet poopers, you don't have a hunk of wood in there slowly burning up. Instead the pellets are dropped a few at a time so the bulk of the smoke is generated as they start to burn and tapers off as they burn hot. You will notice that the pit will smoke pretty good then it clears up then soon starts smoking good again.

There are pros and cons. The way these things work they control the burn by Auger on for a short duration then the auger is off for a set duration. This allows the temp to be controlled  fairly consistent. This consistency is very nice. Kind of a set it and forget it thing. Having a hopper that holds 18 lbs. of pellets allows you to literally not attend to the thing for quite some time. They are also very easy to start and come up to temp very quickly. You will never get bitter tasting food either do to creosote particulates. I don't care if it's your first smoker ever... The pellet cookers burn that efficiently.  Another nice feature of the pellet cookers is they force air over the burn pot and circulate it around in the cooking chamber like convection cooking.

With stick burners, you have to spend some time figuring out getting an efficient fire. You will spend time maintaining it. Not bad though. I sometimes enjoy standing out there fiddling with fire. Once you figure it out you will smoke amazing meats. I have smoked some of my best smokes on the pellet poopers but I still have a place in my heart and taste buds for meat cooked on a wood fire. So I'm going to look into another wood fired pit as I mentioned above.  From my perspective this is a relaxing hobby and I can own more then one. :-) I hope this helps you Cabin Fever.


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## cabin fever

Wingman,

I really appreciate your input on the subject. I've owned just about every type and brand of smoker you can think of and I've never been completely satisfied with the results. I mean no disrespect to owners of the following units, but with my Cookshack and MES, I either got no smoke flavor at all or an unbearably strong and off-putting creosote flavor that made what I smoked almost inedible. On the other hand I always had tasty results with my offset, but I didn't care for tending the fire every hour or so (though I can understand why a lot of folks enjoy it).

With that said, I'm glad you mentioned that pellet grills/smokers do offer pretty decent smoke flavor after all when used correctly. I still haven't completely ruled out the Yoder YS640 in favor of a Mak, but which unit would you prefer when it's all said and done? Also, is there any way you could do a quick video with the YS640 set only to smoking temps (150-200) so we can see how much smoke it can really put out? If that's too much trouble then don't worry about it. Just thought I'd ask. Thanks again for all of the info.


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## wingman

Sure, I will try and get to it within a couple days. Also, with the Yoders and the Louisianas they have a fairly good sized fire pot so you can cheat. Warm it up with the cooking racks and drip pan out so the fire pot is exposed. Put a big chunk of hardwood in each side of the burn pot just before you you throw your meat on. This will give you additional smoke for the first 30 - 40 minutes or so. I like to put on a couple chunks of Mesquite when I do chicken with hickory pellets.


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## coacher72

Wingman,

Enjoyed your posts with Cabin Fever. I noticed in your earlier post that you were looking at the Yoder Cheyenne or Wichita model. I bought the Wichita model last March and have really enjoyed it. Haven't missed to many weekends of smoking something. Been real pleased with the results. It took a little tinkering with making adjustments with fire control and how to properly add wood so you get that thin blue smoke everyone is looking for. With help here on the forum I've gotten better. They were pretty pricey for me but they will last a lifetime. Being close to Wichita, Ks I can go into their store room and look at the different models that they have on display. When I was in the market I started looking at electric smokers. Something kept drawing me back to the offset smokers. I guess the thing about tending the fire, even though it is more work, appealed to me. I decided on the Wichita model because of its size. You can pack a lot of meat into one. They have a second shelf that removable that is nice to have when needed. They are extremely well built and heavy. The last time I was in their store, if I remember right, they have added a second thermometer to this model. They have one located on the exhaust end and now added one near the firebox end.

2 things I would recommend, which you probably already know, is I would get the convection plate to help even the temps out and secondly I would add a charcoal basket. The charcoal basket that I have I ordered from Horizon. The Horizon smokers are almost carbon copies of each other since both owners (Horizon and Yoder) worked at the old Oklahoma Joe's. I didn't see where Yoder smokers made charcoal baskets, maybe they have them now. The addition of the charcoal basket really helped my fire/smoke control. I'm still learning as I' m relatively new at this type of smoking meat. But hey, I've had fun on this journey. This forum has helped me a lot. I see you are from Tacoma. I don't know what kind of shipping costs would be tacked on ordering from Wichita. Are there dealers close by to you that sells them? Anyway if you have any questions regarding the Yoder Wichita model I'd be more then happy to give you my 2 cents.


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## wingman

Coacher72 I really appreciate your info on the Wichita. I have been leaning that way. I plan on the heat management plate, counter weight and the second shelf. I didn't know about the charcoal basket. If they don't offer it, I bet Don Cary could build them as an accessory. Getting it here will be no problem. I also plan on coming to Wichita in the spring and it would be cool to meet some of you guys who live in the area. The plan is to go down and do some cooking with the Don and his crew at All Things BBQ. Grant Campbell the author of Dark Side BBQ blog out of Derby KS is cooking on a YS640 as well. I will be meeting him when I'm in the area.

Gotta love this forum. Allot of great folks! Allot of great information!


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## cabin fever

Wingman said:


> Sure, I will try and get to it within a couple days. Also, with the Yoders and the Louisianas they have a fairly good sized fire pot so you can cheat. Warm it up with the cooking racks and drip pan out so the fire pot is exposed. Put a big chunk of hardwood in each side of the burn pot just before you you throw your meat on. This will give you additional smoke for the first 30 - 40 minutes or so. I like to put on a couple chunks of Mesquite when I do chicken with hickory pellets.


Thanks for the tip!


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## coacher72

Wingman,

Glad to help out. The one thing I did not get on mine was the counter weight. I tried to save a little money by not getting it. It hasn't been a problem not having it. Let us know when you're heading this way next spring. I might have make my way to All Things BBQ and try some yours and Don's BBQ


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## wingman

*Cabin Fever*, I uploaded a video that demonstrates the smoke output at different temps. My deck is up high and over looks the city and waterway so the gray sky in the background washes the smoke out a bit. So I Opened the door a couple times. then the smoke got me hungry as heck so I stopped shooting and ran up to the store and got some chicken to throw on. Man it turned out good!


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## cabin fever

Wingman,

Thanks for taking the time to shoot that video. As always, it's greatly appreciated. As I mentioned before, I'm just trying to learn as much about pellet grills/smokers as I can before I take the big "plunge". So far the only two I would consider are the Yoder YS640 and the Mak 2 Star General.

I know Mak recently released the 1 Star General for almost half the price, but I really think I'd miss the cold smoking box of the 2 Star if I went that route. On the other side of the coin is the Yoder YS640 which seems amazing by all accounts and the reasonable price tag doesn't hurt either. Decisions, decisions...


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## wingman

I did a baby Back rib video that will demonstrate just how well the YS640 slow cooks ribs. This cook was the best ribs I have done so far. I have 17 cooks on it and I'm really becoming attached to this pit. I still have allot of testing to do but so far 2 thumbs up.


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## cabin fever

Wingman,

Those baby backs looked better than anything I've ever gotten at any BBQ joint. The YS640 was really chugging out the smoke during that cook which is always great to see. I've got another question for you though if you don't mind (If I'm starting to annoy you, just let me know).

A few months ago I ordered some spare ribs and brisket online from Kreuz Market in Lockhart Texas where they cook everything "fast" using only oak wood. I bring this up because I could taste the oak wood all the way through the meat, but it wasn't overpowering. The smoke flavor wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either. It was just right. Would you say that's about how your baby backs turned out?


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## wingman

*Cabin Fever*,  That is about what they were like. The pellets are like 60% oak with the remainde being flavored hardwood. Trager pellets use oak and I believe an oil addative. This is why I switched to BBQrs delight pellets. It does chugg out the smoke but in a cyclicle fashion. You will see it smoke for a bit then it backs off the its chugging it out again where a stickburner is more constent. Most folks that cook on them really love them. I do as well but I also like sometimes... A stronger smoke flavor on beef. The Louisiana and the Yoder you can drop chunkc of hardwood in the burn pot if you want some extra smoke. I will be doing this very thing today when I smoke 4 roasts for BBQ beef. I'll drop in some big chunks of Mesquite while I'm burning Hickory pellets. I plan on buying a Yoder Wichita soon. That said, I can tell you now I will do most of my cooking on one of the two Pellet cookers I have.


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## grumpyg

I took delivery on my new YS-640 yesterday and just got it up on my deck.  Can't wait to fire it up.  This grill is built like a tank.  Quality is outstanding.

My first pellet smoker was a GMG, and while it did a credible job, it doesn't begin to compare with this Yoder.


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## teesquare

Just got my 640 yesterday Grumpy! Just starting to play with it. What do you find to be the difference between your controller temperature set temerature, and actual pit temp?

Thanks,

T


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## pdx210

late to the party! 

How are these yoder pellet smokers holding up what do you think of them after nearly a year?


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## grumpy

It varies from 10 degrees to 20 degrees sometimes.  It's aggravating, but as long as you know the difference, it's easy to get used to.  It's all about learning the pit.


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## grumpy

I like mine.  There were some blips at the beginning while the company was fine-tuning the controller and general air flow of the pit, but they kept at it until they got it right.  I'd buy again given the same circumstances.

That said...

I've been through the entire gamut of smokers and pits...  sometimes I long for the early days with my WSM.  For what it is, it's absolutely the best pit for the money anywhere, anyhow.  WSM is rock solid.  Add one of those electronic controls (guru or stoker) and it doesn't get much better.


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## mossymo

Wife and I got our Yoder YS640 on Tuesday, tomorrow the temperatures are suppose to get over 0º here so we are planning on doing a pre-burn/season and then who knows... chicken, roasts, etc. for the weekend! Here is a link to our introduction of the Yoder with many pics - http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/116571/yoder-ys-640-arrived-yesterday


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## teesquare

Congrats MossyMo!

The Yoder is the best built pellet grill at any price. When you consider the quality of construction, and guage of the steel, and the fact that it weighs approx. 320 lbs. ( vs ~ 150 for comparble other brands) the evidence that you chose wisely is clear. I have had mine for

Now - if you LOVE smokey cooking - install a Smoke Daddy, or use an Amazin Smoker to add more smoke. Pellet grills will not give you the smoke intense flavor that some other types of cookers can do. But - it will do everything else extremely well.

Great choice!

T


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## daverino

I bought a Yoder YS480 a few months ago and I love it to death.  However I do have some regrets that I didn't go ahead and buy the YS640.  It does have some nice features the 480 does not have.  I just didn't think at the time I really needed that much more space.  Especially since I purchased the optional upper sliding and removeable rack.  I think that was a mistake on my part, you can always find something else to throw on if there is spare room!  So far, I have not had any problem getting plenty of smoke flavor and smoke ring on my meats, especially beef.  I had rear several people knock pellet smokers in forums for lack of smoke and smoke flavor.  Maybe there is something Yoder has done to overcome this.  With proper care and love this thing should last for many years to come.


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## pdx210

Nice to hear i'm thinking of adding a YS480 to the mix i love my yoder witchita but I would also like the option/ ease of a pellet grill plus you can never have too many BBQ's 

Another question! I know it varies but how long on average does it take to run a full hopper of pellets at 225?


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## mschmitz

My Yoder YS480 is currently on fire!  I mean the hopper is on fire now for the 2nd time.  The first time it burned for 3 days and the company rebuilt it.  Now it is on fire again.  I'm waiting for 18 lbs of pellets to burn out to see how much damage is done this time.  I have had this grill for approximately 2-3 years.

  It is built like a rock but has problems starting if the glow-rod isn't cleaned before using.  This requires removing the grates and the drip pan.

  I had a "Traeger" for 12 years and it finally wore out but always fired up the first time and worked great.  Since Traegers are now being manufactured in China, I decided to buy USA and buy a Yoder that is built in Kansas.  This turned out to be a bad choice.

  Yoder grills are absolutely built like a tank.  If you don't mind cleaning the ashes off the glow rod before each use, and babysitting it after it is shut down to verify that the hopper doesn't catch fire.  But I do mind!   I am not very happy with a hopper on fire for the 2nd time.


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## pellet burner

Have you been given any reason for the fires by yoder?


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## show me smoke

hmm  I have not had any problems...maybe brand of pellet,  I do not clean mine after every use.


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## mschmitz

The reason for the first burn-up:  Yoder said I did an upgrade incorrectly...  after I emailed them the upgrade instructions they said that the instructions were incorrect and had not been properly updated.  They rebuilt the grill.

The reason for the 2nd burn-up:  Unknown...  it had been working fine for 16 months since the last repair.  About 45 minutes after shut-down my girl-friend asked if the grill should be smoking.  I went to look and the hopper was on fire.  I restarted and burned the entire hopper out and prevented substantial damage.  The Yoder dealer (Robidoux in Lincoln, NE) was very rude and it was obvious I wasn't going to get help from him.  The Yoder factory won't return my calls.  I tried 3 times today.

  I purchased a brand new Traeger today.  Fk Yoder.  This grill goes to the junkyard.


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## pellet burner

Sorry to hear about that.


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## mechanic

After reading your statement in your recent review of the Yoder YS480, I can understand completely why the cooker burned...maintenance is a must for any pellet cooker...I would say this was a self-inflicted issue.


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## mschmitz

As, for your comment that this is a maintence issue.  You were not there.  Your opinion is just that...  an opinion...  or a guess.  Not based on knowledge.

  There was zero wind that evening and the firepot is next to the hopper.  This by itself, I feel, is a _risky_ design.  

  Someday Yoder will have a nice grill.  Its definitely built solid but has some design and engineering issues to work through.

  The YS480 is now gone and I purchased a brand new Traeger Texas grill.  I had one for 12 years with no issues.  

  Problem solved now.


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## mschmitz

1)  My Yoder YS480's pellet hopper caught fire and was rebuilt after 9 months.

2)  The thermocouple failed after 23 months and the dealer (Robidoux in Lincoln NE) wouldn't honor the 3 year warranty.  Cost me $35

3)  The pellet hopper caught fire again after 25 months and Robidoux said your grill was rebuilt once and you get no more warranty repairs.

The Yoder is now gone and I purchased a new Traeger Texas grill.  My previous pellet grill was a Traeger and I had no issues in 12 years.

Problem solved.


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## mechanic

I am a multiple Yoder smoker owner.  I have to congratulate you as the one, and the only, person that I have every heard of, burning the pellet hopper, not once, but twice, in their Yoder cooker.  In all the forums, at all the competitions I have been to, and out of the thousands of Yoder pellet cookers that are out there, you are the only one that can claim this feat, not just once, but twice.  Glad your problem is now solved, believe me, so is Yoder's, your Yoder dealer's, and all of us Yoder owners.  Happy smoking!


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## mschmitz

Just because you haven't been struck by lightning doesn't mean it can't happen.

Again, You Weren't There,  your opinion isn't based on fact.


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## bama bbq

Grumpy said:


> ... sometimes I long for the early days with my WSM.  For what it is, it's absolutely the best pit for the money anywhere, anyhow.  WSM is rock solid.  Add one of those electronic controls (guru or stoker) and it doesn't get much better.










  for Grumpy (a year and a half ago).  I'm a Weber guy ...the WSM may not be perfect but at least it doesn't burst into uncontrollable fire.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   I'd be VERY upset 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  if I spent that much $$$$ on a cooker and it burst into flames!


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## fwismoker

Worst case for a UDS bursting into flames is that it's a great burn barrel already!  MS you were more patient then most of us would have been.


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## grumpy

After some initial success with my Yoder, and patching software (firmware), swapping out parts, dealing with temps all over the place, I decided I didn't want to be a Yoder repairman any longer and gave mine away.

Yes GAVE it away.  That's how much I hated it.


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## mschmitz

Thank you for your support.  The Yoder grills are built like a tank.  Just a little more work on their design and engineering and they could likely have the best grill on the market.

  The Yoder factory was very helpful on my first burn-up.

  The Yoder "dealer" is my biggest issue.  He said that since my grill had been rebuilt once that I would no longer get any warranty work done.  It had been determined, through many emails and photos, with the Yoder company that first burn-up was due to un-updated written installation procedure on and upgrade kit.  They were kind enough to totally rebuild it.  I don't this this should have voided my warranty as my dealer said.  

  I only wanted a free bag of pellets (since I had to burn my full hopper dry to prevent more damage), and to be reimbursed for the thermocouple that I purchased ($35) when the grill was 23 months old.  The factory said I had a 3 year warranty on this part and it should have been replaced free.

  I really hated to "give away" an $1099 grill.

  If I owned the company though...  I do think this dealer could use some additional training.

  I mean the Yoder company no harm, but I do think people should be aware of my issues so they can make intelligent decisions for themselves.


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## stuuke

That doesn't sound good. Everything else I've read has been positive. I know they had some issues early on and apparently worked through them but two people giving away a $1k+ grill is pretty bad.


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## pellet burner

It appears grumpy's was a year and a half ago....this guy burnt up 2 hoppers......There are 2 sides to every story, then there is the truth. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Hopefully his traeger wont burn up the hopper. Been there, done that


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## show me smoke

*Yoder YS 640*

*Warranty Information*

Your Yoder YS640 is fully backed by our exceptional customer support and warranties.

The igniter is warrantied for one year; the 10-gauge cooking body for 10 years and the

control system for three years.

Firmware updates are offered to users through our dealer network and by inquiry to our

website. We will send a handheld programmer on loan and instructions for completing

a firmware upgrade.

For product support contact: [email protected]

Says here the Igniter is only under warranty for one year..Frustrating spending that kind of money and having problems...Sounds like a bad dealer also


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## mschmitz

It wasn't the igniter that was bad.  It was the "thermocouple" that I was charged for when the grill was 23 months old.  This measures the temperature and sends the information to the controller and therefore I feel is part of the "control" system.

  You are correct above and the igniter has a 1-year warranty.  The "controller" has a 3-year warranty.

  I believe I should "not" have been charged for a replacement "thermocouple."

  I also requested a free bag of pellets since my hopper was full and I ran the entire hopper through to the fire-pot to prevent a total melt-down.  

  My dealer came unglued.  

  I'm done...  No more grill...  New Traeger instead!  Yea!

  And...  I'm by no means wealthy...  or even close.


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## tjohnson

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with your Yoder YS640

Yoder is a great company and Don & Joe are great to deal with

If only your dealer was a little more accommodating, you most likely would still be using your Yoder YS640

TJ


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## mschmitz

I totally agree TJ.


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## bigboy

I understand this is an older topic to bump but I have been considering the 640 for some time now and was wondering what your opinions are today? Has anything changed for better or for worse? Any new owners?


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## show me smoke

I have had my 640 for 2 years now and have had zero problems with it. I did the fan upgrade last year and it helped the pellet consumption, but mine was built before this feature was standard.  I think you would be happy with it for a long time.


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## bbq pit vulture

Yes, improvements have been made.

A temp probe port has been added 

Improved door hinges. 

the firebox is reenforced.

Check Rob Greens site

He did a review of the changes.



Be shure to check out the wheel mods on this forum.

search key words Yoder 640 wheel mods.


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