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[Brushpopper]

I started my pellet grill journey wanting a PG500 and couldn't afford one.  I missed a good deal on a used one on Craigslist about a month ago, but I think it was a scam (at least that's what I'm telling myself) and now I'm glad I missed it.  I did some research when I saw this P&S Maverick 850 and PM'd captaink about his.  He was impressed with his so I contacted the guy selling it. 

He was asking $800 for a $1750 grill and I was a little skeptical.  He had bought a Yoder YS1500 on a comp cart and wanted the room.  Plus he hadn't told his wife about the Yoder.  He disclosed there was some surface rust inside but it worked perfectly and he talked himself down to selling to me for $650.  It was in the town I grew up in 200 miles away and about two miles from my sister's house, so I figured I could have her husband give it the once over.  My BIL went by and said it fired up and started smoking and the rust was an easy fix, so I figured why not.  He only had $200 in cash on him, but the seller was willing to take a check for the rest and he would meet me halfway the following week to deliver it because he had to go there for work anyway.  I think he wanted time for the check to clear too, and I don't blame him.

I got it to the house and fired it up to test it and burn the pellets out he had left in it.  It took a while to get up to 200 degrees, but I attributed that to the fact it is 3/16 steel.  It seems to run five to 10 degrees below the set point according to my Maverick, but I have no issue with that.  I got the left to right temps within three degrees of each other by playing with the heat shield positioning.

I think he washed the inside with a power washer because most of the paint is gone.  Looks like he didn't dry it well either.  My plan is to use my welding grinder with a wire brush to buff all of the rust and paint off the inside.  I don't know if I should repaint it, use stove black or just wipe it down with lard.  Any suggestions are welcome.  Here's some pics.

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[Brushpopper]

More pics.

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The heat shield is 1/4 plate and could be a boat anchor.

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So far the pros are:
Heavy steel, made in Texas, pellet dump, the Roanoke controller, stainless steel bottom grate, an expanded steel top grate, the wheels and left to right temps being close.

Cons:
Having to redo the inside and it weighs a ton to move inside and out of my barn onto the crushed granite even though I'm a svelte young man much like Bentley.  I think I'll have to put a porch on the back side of my barn and either use paving stones or pour a little slab too.

[BigDave83]

Looks like a great deal. I would think if you have a compressor, maybe get a blaster and some soda and soda blast it, or glass beads. probably be easier than the wire wheel and you could get all of the little corners. wouldn't worry much about paint on the inside once done just hose it with oil or lard and use it.

[Brushpopper]

Looks like a great deal. I would think if you have a compressor, maybe get a blaster and some soda and soda blast it, or glass beads. probably be easier than the wire wheel and you could get all of the little corners. wouldn't worry much about paint on the inside once done just hose it with oil or lard and use it.

That is a plan also.  I think my wife's brother has a ll of the stuff to blast it and I have a compressor.  Didn't think of that.  The paint is still flaking off and every time I've ran it there's big chunks of paint on top of the grill.  I will pull the lid off too, I think , and maybe the hopper.  Not sure yet on that.

[Bentley]

Hope it meets your needs!

[Brushpopper]

Hope it meets your needs!

I believe it will.  It was in the low 80's here this afternoon so I worked on it and had a good time doing it.  I haven't used a grinder nor wire wheel on anything in a T shirt for a long time and quickly realized why.  I'm starting to lean toward lard or cheap olive oil sprayed all over the barrel and re-seasoning it.  I will try to post pics of the progress.  Depends on how the weather cooperates. 

[Canadian John]

Hope it meets your needs!

I believe it will.  It was in the low 80's here this afternoon so I worked on it and had a good time doing it.  I haven't used a grinder nor wire wheel on anything in a T shirt for a long time and quickly realized why.  I'm starting to lean toward lard or cheap olive oil sprayed all over the barrel and re-seasoning it.  I will try to post pics of the progress.  Depends on how the weather cooperates.

I believe that is the best way to go..Scrape off the loose stuff, lightly oil and cook..As the oil burns off, a quick and easy touch-up will maintain the finish. Much like the automobiles driven on the salt soaked winter roads up North. They must be maintained. 

[Brushpopper]

I gave everything a nice dousing of cheap olive with a cheap spritzer bottle this afternoon and then ran it at 300 for a couple of hours.  I'll see what things loo like tomorrow if the weather cooperates.  It's going from the 80's today to freezing on Tuesday morning. 

I used my air die grinder with a scuff pad and cleaned some rust spots off the outside and gave them a coat of high temp paint just because it was warm out.  And I don't think the front shelf was on in the right spot either.  It's height is adjustable and I took it off to paint the front by the shelf.  The lid couldn't close all the way due to the way the shelf was mounted so high.

[Canadian John]

 An other thought on painting. You just don't know what is in the paint (chemical makeup ) and @ what temperatures it will start reacting/off gassing. As well it requires a good surface to adhere to, and if water

or oil gets under the paint it will travel lifting the paint..To the contrary, the oil coating is for the most part self healing and will penetrate into places that can't be cleaned up or paint applied to.

 You have a true find my friend..The thick metal is a very good thing. Helps hold the heat and takes a long time to rust thru..Just can't believe the price you ended up paying..

[Brushpopper]

Just can't believe the price you ended up paying..

My parents taught us patience.  Especially when it comes to spending money.  I would have probably paid the $800 for it, but since he kept talking himself down in price I let him do it.  He wouldn't go past $650 though.

I'm taking the nice casters off the pros list.  They work great on concrete, but just sink in the crushed granite behind the barn.  I never had an issue with the GMG or Traeger, but they are nowhere near the weight of the P&S.  I may have to start cooking on the front side since we have concrete there, but I don't like the world to see what I'm doing.  When I was a kid, all of the fun stuff took place on the backside of any barn and that holds true for me still.  And there's no shade in the summer when it's 110 degrees.  I'm not going the pay $300 to P&S to upgrade to the wider semi-pneumatic wheels, either.  I'll check on eBay.