Thoughts on cook chamber thickness

[Zoubrew]

I have found a 60 gallon propane offset on Facebook that has a cooking chamber thickness of 1/8”. Is that too thin to keep a steady temp? I’ve only cooked on thinner, cheaper offsets, so it’s a step up, but is it worth the money? The fire box is 16x20x21. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:3c1424a7-21d3-4204-bad2-a0946c4cfc2b

 

[Texan Displaced]

Looks promising, but I got a 3/8" thick steel pit with 24x48 cook chamber from Bell Fab for $950. I wouldn't pay $750 for that rig. Maybe there is something hidden that makes it worth that price?

1/8" is very thin and the lowest thickness you should go, but, again, not for $750.

 

[Zoubrew]

They fabricated it themselves, but that thickness had me wondering if it’s really that thin or a typo.. The fire box is 3/16. We have KAT/Murillo smokers which is 2 hrs away, but this is a cheaper option and worth exploring.

 

[Texan Displaced]

Yes, it does look thicker than 1/8. I like the stack, too. Offer $600 and see what you can negotiate. Nice looking pit, really.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Where is the grease drain ? It looks like they've had grease dripping into the firebox and welded a small piece of metal to prevent that. Most are tilted to the stack end and put the grease drain far away from the firebox.



Find a cheap caliper to take with you and check the steel thickness your self. Harbor Frieight was advertising a digital electronic caliper for $45. I'm sure a manual would be much less.


I would think a propane tank is gonna be thicker than 1/8", but that's a small tank, it could've been an air tank.

 

[Zoubrew]

Where is the grease drain ? It looks like they've had grease dripping into the firebox and welded a small piece of metal to prevent that. Most are tilted to the stack end and put the grease drain far away from the firebox.
Find a cheap caliper to take with you and check the steel thickness your self. Harbor Frieight was advertising a digital electronic caliper for $45. I'm sure a manual would be much less.
I would think a propane tank is gonna be thicker than 1/8", but that's a small tank, it could've been an air tank.

Thanks for the reminder to look for the grease drain! I haven’t received the Harbor Freight advertisements in a while, but I’ll definitely take a look. The smoker is 2 hours away, so just waiting to get clarification. Thanks!

 

[Zoubrew]

The seller confirmed that it’s only 1/8” and there is a drain plug with a threaded cap. Hopefully $600 won’t offend them.

 

[rm41400]

My first real stick burner was very similar to that smoker. I liked it enough to get hooked on stick burning. I wouldn’t worry about the cook chamber wall thickness too much on that size. Mine ran nice and a good friend has since purchased it and enjoyed it. It definitely appears to be an upgrade from any of the store bought stick burners. Mine definitely was.

I think I paid around 1200 for mine and let it go for around $400 (way too cheap). I think it would be a nice smoker at around $500 here in Tennessee. I could see it being several hundred more out there in Cali.

 

[WilliamKY]

I see it's in California. Admittedly I don't know about the weather out there but if it's not freezing cold I think 1/8" will be perfectly fine. Corrosion is the biggest enemy to thinner metal but it's not like 1/8" is sheet metal either. $600 cash sounds like a fair offer.

 

[Zoubrew]

I see it's in California. Admittedly I don't know about the weather out there but if it's not freezing cold I think 1/8" will be perfectly fine. Corrosion is the biggest enemy to thinner metal but it's not like 1/8" is sheet metal either. $600 cash sounds like a fair offer.

I’m from Missouri, so I expect everything to rust. Lol. We get large temperature swings during the summer from the marine layer low 50’s-high 80’s on avg. The “rainy season”(winter) we see high 30’s- high 50’s on average.

 

[Zoubrew]

I ended up paying $600. Holds temp well but has some door gaps which should be fine with a gasket. I will definitely be using this one for a while.

 

[rm41400]

Congrats! Let’s see it in action

 

[SmokeRingsMatter]

I am in the wrong business. I need to buy a MIG and a Plasma cutter.