This is part V in the series. You can find part I here, part II here, part III here and part IV here.
Now that 2 years have passed it is time for a real trailer makeover. Its always fun to focus on the styling.
The first thing I had to do was to haul the smoker off the trailer. Since I can separate the firebox from the food chamber it wasn’t too hard. I then turned the food chamber belly up.
Shorten the legs
I wanted to lower the smoker to get a better working height. Since it sits on the trailer you need to be tall to reach in and grab that brisket. So I decided to shorten the legs by 6 inches. I cut the bottom frame off, shortened the legs, and welded it back on. Now it is much better.
Strip the trailer
Next up was a complete rebuild of the trailer. So I began stripping it completely, using a steel grinder.
Rebuild the trailer frame
Next up I bought a bunch of rectangular (2″ by 1″) tube so I could fabricate a custom frame to act as the new smoker mount. I welded it to what was left of the original trailer.
Mount the smoker
When the new frame was welded to the trailer it was time to haul the smoker back up.
To attach the firebox also I made a fork-like part of the frame. You can see it clearly in this photo.
After finishing the trailer frame it was time to permanently mount the firebox and the food chamber. After some tweaking and moving around I welded them to the trailer. It is now officially an ‘offset smoker trailer’, and no longer just a trailer 🙂
Counterweight
In order for the doors to open easily it is common to weld counterweights to the doors. I wanted that too, but a bit more old-school looking. So I ordered a set of old cast iron pulley wheels. I welded them to the smoker with some square tube. I use thick rope that is tied to the door in one end and a sand filled burlap bag in the other.
Fender bender
Initially I thought I’d fabricate the fenders out of wood, but then I came up with an idea of a rustique look, so I went ahead and made them from sheet metal instead. I think the look will fit the rest of the smoker well.
I used some wood blocks to get the correct spacing from the tires.
After mounting the fenders I bought a solid oak floor which I cut and mounted on the trailer. I also applied several layers of clear coat to make it weather resistant. I think the choice of wood was good considering what I use for fuel 🙂
YouTube video
Here’s a video showing you the end result: