Pellet Fan
Pit Talk -- Comments and Questions Regarding These Pellet Pits => Yoder => Topic started by: TechMOGogy on May 07, 2018, 02:06:32 PM
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Normally people do this in car forums but I thought this may be fun.
A few weeks ago I found a great deal on a used Yoder YS640 Comp Cart.
I only saw 1 semi-clear cell phone shot of it and knew for the price it would sell fast.
Here in Canada these smokers are not cheap!
This is a shot of the retail price tag from my local bbq shop I took yesterday - YIKES!!
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I purchased it and seller even offered to even deliver it to my house - great deal all around!!
When it arrived it was raining so I did not have a ton of time to check it out other than the basic once over.
Few days later the fun began when I started taking the grates and heat diffuser out!
Here are some shots of how it looked - note that when it arrived it had a Yoder insulated jacket on it so most of the exterior was covered
by the silver 'jacket' (a $400 option so nice bonus for me)
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Back is not too rough!
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That was the good news!
The inside was a disgusting mess that I guarantee had never been cleaned (at all) since new!
I failed to get a shot of the grease crusted grates and the heat deflector that had a 1/2" of grease and crude stuck to it.
I knew from this that it was going to take a bit more than some paper towels and soap to clean this up :)
This shot is part of the inside - I had started to clean the sides and the adjustable heat baffle would barely move.
The lumps and chunks are from me slowly chipping away at, no word of a lie, 1.5-2" of grease and god knows what!! Hard crusted stuff that I had to use
a cold chisel to help remove!! It was really quite something.
To the far right is the grease drain, yeah you know the 1.5" hole where you place the bucket to drain all the grease! What you can't see it???
Neither could I as there was another 2" of grease there as well and the hole was fully plugged up (I actually had to look under the smoker to see where the grease drain was
located in a Yoder as it was a mystery from above and Yoders are new to me).
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Again, dirty hands so I failed to get a before shot of the lid - good 1/4" of material on it
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6 hours in and I was able to chip off all the junk on the bottom - if this was any other metal smoker it would be rusted through and be a pile of junk.
Yoder uses heavy gauge steel and that saved this one!
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Will post some additional pictures of the inside but it is now at the point where you can wipe you finger on it and it comes off the steel clean!
I know I removed the pits "seasoning" but it easy for me to re-season with a couple of pork butts and it was really so gross that it had to be done.
I used my garbage bag trick in the sun filled with 5 cups of ammonia and 5 cups of vinegar with baking soda for the grates... and then took them (and then heat
deflector to the local car wash - I am sure they will love me for that!). After a good blast and then wire brushing the heck out of them they turned out like new!
The bottom grates are literally like new, the upper has just a bit of baked on grease left on the front edges.
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on this photo you can see how clean the sides are - the whole inside of the pit is this way now
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At his point I am 8+ hours in - just to clean the inside of this thing!
Next is the fun part (for me)...the restoration of the outside!
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Nice work so far. Looking forward to seeing the journey!!!
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That is definitely a project. Looks great so far.
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Took pretty much everything apart (or will - including removing the hopper).
All bolts, handles, signage, electrical connections and controller removed.
The bolts and handles were all degreased and then manually cleaned on a wire wheel since they are stainless steel.
Controller cleaned with degreaser
Yoder front and rear signage was wire brushed with my angle grinder, treated with a zinc phosphate coating, primed and painted black (as per factory Yoder specs)
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Drilled out the rivets on the Yoder front door plaque - will clean it and re-rivet once everything is painted
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Hopper work
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The body work - sand, sand, grind, grind, sand, sand :)
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And now for the body off restoration part :)
A couple of 3000lbs ratchet straps made short work of the 400lbs body
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Cart ready for prep work
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Tomorrow I will be cleaning the competition cart up and actually 'dipping it' Yoder orange.
I am doing the orange as a "temporary" coating (which should easily last 5+ years) as I want the option of keeping the
cart its original factory silver!
Final coat of 1200 degree black paint will go on and then everything goes back together!
Will post a few shots of the finished product.
If you have made it this far, thanks for reading though all of this!
Cheers,
Dan
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How does the igniter plug look?
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How does the igniter plug look?
Like new - previous owner said he replace it and the thermocouple not long ago
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That is a good find Dan. The saving grace is your restoration. Lots of hard work and done right..You've got a winner there! Great pics too.
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I couldn't do what you are doing, but I am very impressed by it. Congrats on a job well done so far. Looking forward to seeing the final product and your cooks on it.
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Wow, great job so far Dan. I am sure when you are finished it will look like a brand new machine. You do great work! Enjoy the heck out of it when done.
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Great work so far.
You should send this to Yoder. I bet they'd get a kick out of it.
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Great work so far.
You should send this to Yoder. I bet they'd get a kick out of it.
I thought about contacting them to get a new serial number plate as I thought the paint was chipping off the top right corner.
Then I saw the new Yoder yesterday and realized the black is the shape of Kansas :)
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Wow. I can’t believe how bad that was and how good you have made it. Nice job.
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great job so far!
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Fantastic job so far. Keep sending pics until finished. :clap: :clap: :clap:
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It amazes me how someone can trash such a sweet and expensive smoker. I am very impressed with the work you've put into it so far.
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It amazes me how someone can trash such a sweet and expensive smoker. I am very impressed with the work you've put into it so far.
Exactly my thoughts. An enjoyable read.
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It amazes me how someone can trash such a sweet and expensive smoker. I am very impressed with the work you've put into it so far.
I don't do near as good a job of cleaning my pit like some on here do, but I would never let it get remotely close to as bad as the original owner of this pit. What were they thinking? Probably sold it because it was getting grease fires.
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Awesome thread. Will be following until the end product.
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Great job and very interesting read! I look forward to seeing the rest of the journey.
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Man, I could not do that. Excellent work. Can’t wait to see the final product.
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16 hours in and it should be ready to be assembled tonight
Competition cart before:
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After cleaning and ready for paint prep:
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Paint prep (rust was removed, chemically treated as well and then some basic primer before the removable primer went on)
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Remember I wanted to keep the original Yoder Silver so I am using a removable primer top coated in the Orange.
Technically it can just be peeled off at a future date!
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And now for the removable primer - it has a bit of a texture that I did not expect and was at 1st unhappy about but I actually don't mind it now that it is top coated.
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Finished and ready for final Orange topcoat
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While I was waiting for the primer coat to dry I tackled the wheels and side shelves.
Don't have any pics of the SS side shelves yet but they turned out well
Wheels removed, degreased, rust removed and then the wheel brackets were painted with a silver galvanized paint
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Cleaned up and rust free - didn't get a shot of the finished assembled wheels :)
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Bolts, again chemically cleaned then a quick manual clean on the wire wheel
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And finally, the orange Yoder top coat!
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Next shots will be the reassembled unit and a slow burn in to cure the paint.
Dan
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I smile when I read this interesting post.
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I am really looking forward to seeing the finished product.
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OSU fans are happy with the color choice! Nice job.
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Loving this thread and following along.
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I wish I had your motivation. Awesome work so far!
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OSU fans are happy with the color choice! Nice job.
While its not burnt orange... I would say its closer to a UT color... actually its really bright orange!
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Wonder what’s under that cover :)
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Why did you go thru all that work in priming and painting, when yer just gonna remove it all?
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Wonder what’s under that cover :)
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C’mon share it! 8)
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Don't hold back. We are all waiting with bated breath...
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Why did you go thru all that work in priming and painting, when yer just gonna remove it all?
Kinda silly right - technically I wanted to keep it all original (kinda like a car with original paint, engine, etc)
Best way to do that was to put on a removable coating.
I don't plan on removing it, it will last at least 5 years (have used it in the past) but the option is there if I or someone else wanted to
go back to the original Yoder Silver cart - kinda the best of both as I love the Orange!
Don't hold back. We are all waiting with bated breath...
That was just a teaser - it was about to rain so I had to stop and cover it - still a few things to do before it's photo shoot :)
May be Sat before its completely done :(
Just a comment on the cover for anyone looking for one!
I looked at the Yoder custom YS640 cover for $175 cdn - the reviews say it is junk and leaks water!!
I checked a bunch of generic covers but not many I could find that were wide enough.
Then I checked Costco and purchased the one you see: $55 cdn with 4 yr warranty and 4.8/5 stars with 154 reviews!
It fits like it is custom made for the Yoder - both shelves installed.
Really happy with it - black would have been best but for the price and fit - I can live with it.
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Don't hold back. We are all waiting with bated breath...
+1 ..... it's time for the big reveal!
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Still not fully completed but these should give you an idea of how it’s looking.
Weather has not been friendly
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I forgot to install/rewire the AC plug yesterday before I dropped the body back on the cart...now it’s going to be some long arm finagling and perhps will need to jack it up.
Need to finish painting top of pellet hopper and then it’s done and ready for slow burn in.
Cheers
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Looking good! We could start a list of those who need refurb of their pits. You could have that market cornered!.
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not impressed at all ::)
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ok just kidding! GREAT Job! :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Beautiful job, thanks for sharing.
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Is this the same grungy pit, or did you post pics of a new one? I know the answer.. Man that is a first class piece of art..
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At the end of this thread you should post a side by side of before and after and then have the thread locked
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She’s done
Burn in and test cook tomorrow!
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Absolutely amazing work!
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Wonderful transformation.. Love the detail and quality work.. Big thumbs up.. :clap:
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Incredible work!
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Truly professional (better). Wishing you many great cooks. :clap: :cool: :bbq:
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Awesome job! Very well done!
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Wow, came out amazing. TY for sharing. I can barely paint with stencils so your work is impressive.
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Absolutely amazing rebuild. Also much faster than I thought possible.
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Thanks for all the positive comments!
It was fun but am glad it is over.
This is the next project :)
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A job to be proud of...An extremely gratifying experience on your end for sure!
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Just had to ask (re: next project ), is it the pit or the dog bowl? Reply not required.. Please don't take the question the wrong way Dan. I just
don't have anything better to do. ;)
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Congrats on a job well done, that turned out great
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I don't get down to the sub forums very often. This is awesome! Not surprised based on what you've told me about your trucks, but still amazing.
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Awesome job! Such a short amount of time too. :clap:
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:clap: :clap: great job.
Maybe the old owner will buy it back .... I would keep it also
Mudflap
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I just stumbled onto this thread and Wow what a great thread. :cool: What a great job as it looks brand new or even better. After reading I' wondering who lets a high end grill get that beat up but what a great job you did in bringing it back to life. Very enjoyable read. :clap:
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:clap: :clap: :clap:
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I just stumbled onto this thread and Wow what a great thread. :cool: What a great job as it looks brand new or even better. After reading I' wondering who lets a high end grill get that beat up but what a great job you did in bringing it back to life. Very enjoyable read. :clap:
How do you like your LG 900?
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Just getting back to this thread! Trying to think of more creative words others have not used yet, but failing miserably. Wow, great work Dan. I could only wish to have the patience and talent to bring a machine like that back to life. Thanks for sharing the whole process with us..... including the tease near the end.
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Yoder did a write up on the restoration
https://www.yodersmokers.com/blog/testimonials/classic-restoration.html
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nice story
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Yoder did a write up on the restoration
https://www.yodersmokers.com/blog/testimonials/classic-restoration.html
Nice to see all your work recognized!
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Yoder did a write up on the restoration
https://www.yodersmokers.com/blog/testimonials/classic-restoration.html
Nice to see all your work recognized!
The quality of the restoration deserves to be recognized. I think Yoder owes TechMOGogy something for all of the smokers he is going to sell for them. That's a great story and restoration job!
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True "craftsmanship". There are few and far between!
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Edit: I did not interpret the 1st paragraph correctly, it did not say a Pelletheads cooked Pork on a Yoder. Sure sounds that way to me though...
"He first saw one in use at the 2015 American Royal when he was competing with Team Pelletheads. Dan was cooking chicken on a FEC100 and a pulled pork was being done on a YS640 on a comp cart."
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I think I actually screwed that up!
I think the year there was a YS640 doing pork was the 1st year I came and I just hung out and watched/helped vs cook ;)
Oh well, I was going to try to get a pelletfan.com plug in but no real way to work it in based on the questions they asked :(
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OK, I think you have jogged my memory, 2013 or 14 and it was 2 guys that were never heard of since!
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It was wine n swine, and I forget the other guy. Wine n swine posted here and there back then, but I think the other guy just joined to do the royal and never really posted.
Wine n swine did his pork on his Yoder, and pretty sure the other guy used a louisiana lg that pelletking brought to do ribs.
Pretty sure the ribs were the highest placing finished meat for that year. 99th or something like that.