200+ gallon smoker on movable cart?

HuskerMan said:

Who has large smokers on a movable cart instead of trailer? How big of a pain is it to move? Any pictures?

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First, unless you are on level concrete, you really aren't going to be able to move it by hand IMHO.

My 24"x42" Shirley has a pretty good set of shoes and in my yard is technically movable by just myself but, after ~12 feet I have to stop and rest. I should note I live a farm so, I'm some overweight out of shape flabby desk bound dreamer.

By the time you put 4 large tires on the smoker, you are probably at ~80% the cost of a basic trailer. I think this is why you rarely seen anything other than skids or trailers on most smokers this general size and weight.

So while on level concrete is may be reasonable to move by hand, anywhere else it really isn't.

I've got a smoker in that size range on wheels. I can wheel it around my concrete patio, having a second set of hands makes it easier.

I agree it would be very difficult without the concrete.

My main reason for the wheels was for delivery. Without wheels on it, it would have taken a crane to get it in my yard.

If you are thinking about a 250 gallon like a moberg, ASW or primitive pits style. Most of the casters are metal wheels and wont roll on soft surfaces. I am the considering adding one of those pits and I think 80% of the way of the trailer is a bit of an understatement. $400 to add casters, $1500 to put it on a trailer are some of the numbers I have been getting. I do have a Shirley Fab Patio on Wheels and I can push her around pretty easy and would take her to comps. Just winched her into the toy hauler. But it is a smaller foot print over a 250 gallon smoker.

I am actually getting Backline to build me another pit, a 250 gallon on golf cart wheels. My current smoker is extremely easy to move, zero turn radius. I can only imagine Ryan will make this one just as easy for its weight to move. I am going golf cart wheels mostly for winching onto a trailer when I want to be mobile. I've had a Shirley trailer in the past, but I wanted something that can I can store in the garage and move easily when I want to use. And like the previous poster, getting wheels to help it move easier is definitely not 80% the cost of a trailer.

Here is a picture of my current (sold) smoker and how he did the front axle setup.

For me, the trailer would be $1100. The 'golf' wheels and tires I looked at sitting in the back of my pickup were a good chunk of change but, that doesn't include axles or construction costs.

Putting Golf Cart wheels on a non-patio model smoker is not as easy or cheap as it will be on most patio smokers. Whether it costs you more or less depends on where you live, who does the work and, where you source the parts and pieces. Plus a trailer will be rated for 'road use' where a Golf Cart wheel option will still require a trailer to hit the road.

I have personally seen smoker trailer options for a 250-gallon smoker as much as the smoker itself from some vendors and others that are a lot more attractive. There are a huge number of variables and unknowns in trailers so, comparing one price to another is not an easy or obvious task.

YMMV :wink:

I have a 24x60 LSG and it’s a bitch to move around. Anything bigger would be really challenging.