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[dk117]

My Gator Pit arrived today.  I'll be documenting my experiences here.

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DK

PS This is not a review. I've been a PH now a Pelletfan for over 8 years.  I've no financial relationship with Gator Pit, just super excited to share with my fellow fans. 

[dk117]

Arrived fully assembled. 
I'll work on the orientation of my future pictures. 
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DK

[dk117]

My old Traeger isn’t going anywhere. 
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DK

[dk117]

Here we have a Gator Pit of Texas, 24x36 Texas Premier II.  You guys can find the site if you want.  Which has the specs. 

I have two video's to share as I don't intend to take videos myself, then I'll get to my thought processes on how I arrived here.

The PIT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfCX5T5GDUg

My actual pit (as identified by the K Brand) at the manufacturer at the :55 second mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmiQrXWZ5Tw

DK

[dk117]

I've got lots of ideas to share in this thread and I'll post them as they come to mind.  I've been planning this for months, but now that it's here, my thoughts are fragmented.

My Traeger Texas is putting out great Q.  I'm sure it will for years, but it's looking rough, leaks smoke, rusting, blistering, replacing parts for stainless became my plan.  While not as expensive as my final solution, it was a factor.   Stainless steel heat shield over $100.   These are standard on a Gator.

I might as well say it now, this wasn't exactly a logical decision but an emotional one.  BBQ is one of my top hobbies.  I like low and slow.  I'm keeping my gasser.    I like the look of a Traeger clone, or I could say I like the look of a traditional round stick burner pit. 

I suspect some Memphis fans are going to think I'm crazy to spend Memphis money on what amounts to a well made Traeger clone ... I suppose we'll get to that over the coming weeks.

Thanks for looking.

DK

[verapx]

I'm sure you'll enjoy yours, I sure like mine. I would suggest playing with the bird stacks. I run the one on the hopper side way more open than the other. It keeps the lower grate temp in line with the temp on the hopper.
Have fun!!!

[GatorDave]

Let me know what the pellet consumption is like when you get her going.  I love the construction of those pits, I'm just not sure I could handle the lead time after I ordered it..lol.

[Bobitis]

Let me know what the pellet consumption is like when you get her going.  I love the construction of those pits, I'm just not sure I could handle the lead time after I ordered it..lol.

^says the guy that's been looking for how long?^ 

[GatorDave]

Let me know what the pellet consumption is like when you get her going.  I love the construction of those pits, I'm just not sure I could handle the lead time after I ordered it..lol.

^says the guy that's been looking for how long?^ 

lol...too true.  It's just with Gator pits I believe that you have to pay up front and then wait for over a year to get it.  I'm not out my money yet.

[Kristin Meredith]

Congrats on your new pit and many happy cooks!!!

[Bentley]

I have put enough pits together for a lifetime.  It is nice to have it ready to cook.

Arrived fully assembled. 

[pmillen]

    
Very nice.  Get that steel seasoned and show us what you can do with it.

BTW, what's your seasoning plan?

[dk117]

Thanks everyone!

Lead time.   Guys this is a killer.  Patience is most certainly a virtue.  A week shy of 4 months for me.  (half cost up front, half at assembly, totally fair)  I did make one change order (from 20x36 to 24x36).   You really need to know exactly what you want and very explicitly document that for Gator Pit.   Any changes will cause delays.   Gator Pit is a busy shop yes, but I did not feel my lead time was out of bounds as it was just slightly more than I anticipated going into it.  Gator Pit is also evolving rapidly.  When I made my order there was one pellet pit model, now there are at 3, and of those three 2 come in different sizes so 5 in all.  Confirm exactly what you want when you order.   These pits are made to order.   That was a real eye opener for me.   We'll talk about shipping costs later.

I started up the pit today at 12:40 after spraying with canola oil.  I sprayed at least a cup and a half over the entire interior and then for good measure wiped down the exterior.  I ran at 270 then 300 for about an hour.  Then on high until 5:00 or so.   Settled in around 420, never got to 430.   Since I cannot remember the last time I had my Traeger past 275 I'm totally satisfied with the high temp.   What is going to be interesting is to see if I can get those low smoke temps in the way sub 150 range.

Birdhouse stacks.   Wow those are not just decorative ornaments.  I am not even close to knowing my pit, but they impact temp and smoke output as far as I can tell.    Might be the PID controller, but this puts out a lot more smoke than my Traeger/Ortech.    And it sounds completely different, more on that later too. 

verapx and two other Gator owners convinced me to go with the larger pit.  It makes the Traeger Texas look like a Traeger JR. 

Next step is a few pounds of bacon for final seasoning tonight.

DK
 

[GatorDave]

That's not that bad a wait time.  There are people on their site who have waited more than a year and still didn't have it.

[Bentley]

After doing some research, I could not live with the temperatures and the controller for the price of the unit.  But if you are happy, they earned their money!