Traeger quality gone down hill?

[Dweverett]

It sounds like something is wrong with his grill. Might be a problem with the fan if I was to make a guess.

I don’t know if their quality has deteriorated or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if it has as they’ve expanded their distribution channel and number of models in their lineup.

My problem with Traeger has always been the “bang for the buck”. You can get something better like a Rectec for the same money or get similar quality with something like a Pit Boss for substantially less.

 

[smoke ninja]

I had a traeger tailgater. it was discounted because someone returned it. I bought it and used it a few weeks. temp swings and flameouts were common. sold it to a guy for what I paid for it.....its his problem now

 

[powerpig]

I have a made in the USA Traeger Texas Elite, Traeger Pig and Traeger XL. I've done a ton of cooking on the Traeger Tex and it took a while to figure out the hot and cold spots. I use it mostly during the holidays to cook Turkeys for family and friends. The temp swings aren't to bad, but it has caught fire several times due to the controller continually dumping pellets for no reason.


They used to have great support, but the last couple of times I've called them with an issue, their answer was "I don't know why that's happening, hope you figure it out".


I was lucky enough to pick up the Pit Boss Coppertop and Austin XL during the recent clearance at Walmart. I've done the burn in and one cook on the Copperhead and the temp didn't vary by more than 5 degrees running at 350. I'm going to smoke ribs today at 250 and will see how the temps hold at a lower temp.


I've been meaning to post this link and I guess this would be a good place. Joe Traeger, who pretty much invented pellet grills, has joined Danson, who makes Louisiana and Pit Boss pellet grills. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...er-joins-leading-grill-company-300717050.html

 

[BKING!]

I had a traeger tailgater. it was discounted because someone returned it. I bought it and used it a few weeks. temp swings and flameouts were common. sold it to a guy for what I paid for it.....its his problem now

Yeah at this point the only Traeger I’d own would be the timberline. Otherwise the pitboss is a lot cheaper and I rarely hear complaints about them. That and they are actually built with pretty thick gauge steel!

 

[highergr0und]

I've had my Traeger for about 8 months but it holds temps within 5 degrees the vast majority of the time. If it's hot out I noticed it can overshoot the temp when heating up but it settles right back down.

 

[rwalters]

I respectfully disagree, you can lol all you want. If you saw how fast the temps shot up past the setpoint and how long the unit stayed below temp there is absolutely NO way the average temp was anywhere near the setpoint. I also think you should go back and read the part where I stated the unit almost hit 300°. That's a swing of nearly 50° and I don't see how anyone can claim that is acceptable especially from a $1300 unit.

I apologize if my “lol” came across as sarcastic... that was not my intent. Personally, my pellet cooker sits within a pretty tight temp range... +/-10°. I’ve had stick burners before that turned out fantastic food. With the stick burners, I’d usually work to keep an average temp of 250°. When it dipped to 225ish, I’d feed it a stick or two and often watch it climb watch it climb to 270-275ish and then settle back down. Food was always great and consistent. Honestly, I think most people would be surprised to set their home ovens at 250° (or any temp for that matter) and drop an accurate temp probe into it. Home ovens bounce up and down to, and I think most people don’t even realize that, as the end product is what they expect it to be... good. So again, if I came across in a sarcastic manner I am sorry. And I do agree with you in that watching the temps swing like that on a pellet cooker, especially if you are not used that that, would be disturbing. This may come as a surprise, but from what I have gathered, numerous pellet grill manufacturers, including MAK (which is what I have) have the controller designed to display the average temp, not the real-time temp. I can change that on my controller to display real-time, but I’ve been cooking on MAK’s for 3 years now and the average temp which is displayed has never caused an issue. Heck, years ago, my cooks used to look like they were in life support with wires everywhere as I wanted to track temps on the cooker and every piece of meat that was cooking. Nowadays, give me a cooker that is fairly stable and a Thermapen and I am a happy camper

All this said, and as others have mentioned, there is absolutely no harm in contacting Traeger to see if they can’t help your family member get the temps dialed in to a tighter range.

 

[electron_si]

I have a 2015 lil Tex elite. Their controllers just aren’t that good unless you step up to a timberline. IMO the big issue was they put an RTD readout on the machine. They used to only have settings with no temp display. The grill had the same swings you just didn’t know about it. Ignorance was bliss.

I swapped the stock controller out for a Savannah stoker and haven’t looked back. It holds temps within 5 degrees and has auto relight if the wind ever blows out the fire. Traeger makes a good grill you just have to know what you are getting.

These days it seems like better deals are out there now with better controllers

 

[smoke ninja]

Yeah at this point the only Traeger I’d own would be the timberline. Otherwise the pitboss is a lot cheaper and I rarely hear complaints about them. That and they are actually built with pretty thick gauge steel!

I used the money from the sale to buy my pit boss. it's only had a problem once at super low temps. works great at cooking temps and the sear feature, while small, works incredibly well. I was impressed with the thickness of the metal myself, with a little care I see it lasting years.

 

[RCAlan]

That's what I was trying to convey the swings were constant and severe. I especially didn't like how long it sat below the setpoint and then would way over shoot. I agree something isn't right.

Why someone would spend $1300 on a Traeger I have no idea and agree one could make a far better choice in a smoker. Even if I had that kind of money to spend I would rather have multiple lower cost units like a pbc or wsm or a quality stick burner.

To the OP about Traeger grills, I truly hope you find the solution to the problems you’re having with your grill. Sometimes it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack and sometimes is as simple as following the owners manual instructions. Give these tips a try first... They should fix your wild temp swing issues you’re having with your grill. and if all else falls, then I would reach out to Customer Service for support.
1. Always allow your grill to preheat for 20mins at 300* degrees to allow your grill to properly heat up and stabilize. Never just “set it and forget it”. Again, if you’re just plugging in your grill and setting the temp like it’s an oven in your home, you’re going to have problems with wild temp swings... These are still stick burners... Just Pellets. Allow Your grills temp to settle and stabilize during the 20 min. Preheat, then once the temp is stable, then you can set the grill to your desired temp for cooking/grilling.
2. With all Pellet Grills, the burn pot/fire pot needs the ash from prior cooks to be cleaned and removed.. If possible using a shop-vac. If you don’t keep it clean, the wild temp swings can happen along with flame outs.
3. Never go by what You see or hear from TV Info Commercials... Always read and follow the instructions from the Traeger owners manual.
4. Make sure heat shield and heat deflectors are in their correct position... ie... The instructions manual.
5. If these tips are followed and You are still having the same problems, then I would request from Traeger a replacement controller from your grill.
6. Often times, new pellet grill owners will have some issues because the lack of understanding and the learning curve required for their particular grill. Should it be that difficult? No.. Often times it’s just the end users not reading and following instructions. Can mechanical issues happen as well? Yes and that’s where Traeger’s Customer Support will come into play. Give these tips a shot first, they should work. Good Luck

Update.. After reading the Traeger Select Pro Pellet Grills Owners Manual, there is not one mention of Preheating of the pellet grill in the entire owners manual. smh.. It just say to have the lid open, set your grill to “smoke” and ensure the pellets have ignited.. about 2mins.. You’ll see smoke, then close the lid and set to your desired temp... Wow.. 2 mins.. I know every grill and grill manufacture is different but, the way Traegers are designed, You’ll always have temp swing issues starting their grills up that way and that’s from their owners manual. Give the 20min preheating a shot and if that doesn’t fix it for you and Customer Support doesn’t resolve the problem, then I would return it for a full refund and not for a replacement.. .02. $1300.00 spent... I wouldn’t put up with it...

PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi