Second shelf is about it...

My entry level pit evolved into an ongoing quest for improvement..It is a good thing I am good mechanically and electrically..Eventually I could no more then and a major component wore out. The manufacturer didn't want to sell the part for some reason and I ending up replacing it with an almost new part..That did it fore me with that brand..Now I have a Memphis Pro and just can't find anything to modify ...

PZ,

FMT did that to his PG500. ..... It's not mine. ..... He drilled a hole in the top of his PG500 and attached the motor to the rod there outside of the cooker. The bottom of the rod sat in an existing hole in the bottom of the cooker. When not in use he put a large round magnet over the top hole. The setup worked great, but as I remember it was not easy to get the rod with the meat set up to start, since the unit was hot.

Cueball, I'm very envious of your rotisserie.  I've wanted one for my MAK since I got it. Some foods are just better cooked on a rotisserie like rib roasts and chickens.  Unfortunately most pellet grills don't lend themselves to an easy adaptation as you know, but you got it done.  Now you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.   

Not sure on the room and lid clearance,  but I think you could do one very easily similar to what I did on my whole hog.



Harbor freight magnet on the left side of your mak. One hole drilled in the metal where the lid does not overlap on the right side. Hold the motor mount on with magnets. The motor can be hung upside down if there is not enough clearance for the motor bottom off of the right side shelf.

That looks awful tight to the back. I believe PZ wants a vertical unit to do gyros like you did with the PG and use a gas burner. Read his previous post.

FMT, I've got it worked out in my head but haven't drawn it up yet.  Basically, I'm going to use the lid pivot holes as the spit center line.  When I'm ready I'll draw it in CAD and have at least 2 parts machined.  Unfortunately, other projects have higher priorities until at least next spring.   

Thanks gents - you've given me plenty to think about during the winter for next years projects 

Had I to do it over, I'd not have gone with a Traeger, but that was all I knew at the time. In my opinion it is overpriced, and underwhelming when it comes to fire control.  I'm definitely not money ahead (behind actually), but because the unit works just fine right now, I'm going to use it until it goes down for the last time, then go with a higher end unit like yours, Rec Tec, Yoder, etc.

pz have you looked at the Timberline?  I don't need an upgrade, but my Texas has been good to me and the Timberline will be the first pit I look at when upgrade time comes.   

DK

Fireplace gasket that only lasted two years
Firebricks, still use them
Ortech controller
stainless steel fire pot (this was a great purchase)
second shelf with eye bolts
not much in the way of customization. 

Not so far mainly because my first experience with Traeger has been a cooker too pricey for what I got. For instance, I purchased a GMG for my son for $399 on sale that works perfectly, and sports a true PID.  My Traeger cost $599, and the controller was basic, and allowed wide temperature fluctuations. It cost me an additional $200 to equip it with a PID so that it now works like the GMG.   At this point I'm still open to anything, but when it comes time to upgrade to a new cooker, I'll be looking at just about everything, and will rely on the helpful folks that have experience with the various cookers, and there are plenty of them. 

Not my original idea, but best mod ever. Latch on hopper. I was just looking at it this last weekend as was thinking how great it has been. Four years of a bungee cord was a waste of time.

See my mods here:

https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=761.0

I've just added gasket to the lid of my CC DLX and resealed the seam from the inside where the top and bottom of the cooking chamber go together at the rear. So far everything has worked very well so not much changing needed.

I swapped out the carbon steel pro shelves on my Blaz’n with stainless steel. Less maintenance!!

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

                                        ............................................... ZEP