How big have you towed? w/Pics no tricks!

[dajogejr]

What exactly is that thing if I may ask?

Why yes, kind sir, of course you can ask

It’s an Ole Hickory commercial smoker. Meant to be in a restaurant. My brother in law and father owned a welding/fab shop for over 30 years in Metro Detroit, so they built a trailer, drove it down to Cape Girarud Missouri, dropped it on the trailer and welded on. We’ve taken it all over to do BBQ comps, parties, events, etc.

Holds about 400 lbs of raw product, from butts to ribs to brisket, chicken, sausage…. Other than fish, you name it, we’ve smoked and cooked it.

Parties of 10 to 400 People. Lots of fun and very rewarding to feed others.

 

[uncc_99xj]

What exactly is that thing if I may ask?

Im intrigued as well. My first guess is some kind of smoker based on the stack of wood on the trailer, but the propane tank on the other side is throwing me off.

Edit: it would help if I read all the posts before commenting. Woops!

 

[Bt10]

I had a very poor experience with sumo's on my half ton for exactly that reason, they're almost always in play but, not always. On my truck I had about a quarter to half inch air gap which meant any bump on the road hit hard when the springs contacted.

The timbrens have more air gap, they'll probably hit hard too when they do eventually contact. But it depends on what you're towing, because on most TT's I bet the timbrens are always in contact so it's not jaring, and unloaded there is probably enough gap so that you never feel them.

If you find that perfect trailer/load where it doesn't contact until you hit a bump, still going to be annoying.

I tried the cheap air springs, the airlift 1000 and they also changed the unloaded ride quality until I had them at about 3 psi at which point they were squeaking and rubbing in the spring. They also don't lift anything, they only make the coil spring stiffer by making it harder for the coils to move up/down, whereas true air springs actually can lift the back end up.

In the end I ripped all that stuff off and I'm back to stock. I do get a tiny bit of sag but I no longer care, my truck is working and it looks like it as well, not concerned about it. And the funny thing is after moving to my anderson WDH I've actually fixed the problem I was trying to solve with the springs and air lifts (getting rid of the rear end porpoising).

Probably more then one solution here, better air lift systems or better coils/shocks would work too but I absolutely did not want to change my factory unloaded ride quality in any way.

I’ve been thru all these problems also, both this and my previous truck. I emailed sumo and they said I could cut the “spring” to any tapered shape for the initial hit. I’ll get to it next summer.

 

[dajogejr]

Im intrigued as well. My first guess is some kind of smoker based on the stack of wood on the trailer, but the propane tank on the other side is throwing me off.

Edit: it would help if I read all the posts before commenting. Woops!

LOL….
For competition you simply turn off the propane and load lump charcoal directly into the firebox, with smoking wood.
It has it’s own electronics, 5 rotating shelves and a fan to blow the heat throughout.

For cooking for parties and events, you use propane…cause it’s easier . And you just load smoking wood into the firebox.
No propane for any KCBS comps. You can use propane to start a fire, just not to cook on it.
+/- 5 degrees for as long as the smoker has propane.

 

[uncc_99xj]

LOL….
For competition you simply turn off the propane and load lump charcoal directly into the firebox, with smoking wood.
It has it’s own electronics, 5 rotating shelves and a fan to blow the heat throughout.

For cooking for parties and events, you use propane…cause it’s easier . And you just load smoking wood into the firebox.
No propane for any KCBS comps. You can use propane to start a fire, just not to cook on it.
+/- 5 degrees for as long as the smoker has propane.

If I had something that awesome, I’d be smoking just about any kind of food I could think of!

 

[dajogejr]

If I had something that awesome, I’d be smoking just about any kind of food I could think of!

It’s fun..until it’s not .
It absolutely is an awesome wow factor for sure.
But IMO…Good BBQ is best served fresh…
These restaurants that do smoked foods and hold to temp, serve, reheat, etc., and do it well have my complete admiration.
A lot of the foods lose moisture when you reheat…and a lot of quality as well.
I always said, as a retirement job I’d open a BBQ restaurant open Wednesday through Sunday, Lunch and dinner each day…when product runs out, close for the day..

 

[MarPar]

It’s fun..until it’s not .
It absolutely is an awesome wow factor for sure.
But IMO…Good BBQ is best served fresh…
These restaurants that do smoked foods and hold to temp, serve, reheat, etc., and do it well have my complete admiration.
A lot of the foods lose moisture when you reheat…and a lot of quality as well.
I always said, as a retirement job I’d open a BBQ restaurant open Wednesday through Sunday, Lunch and dinner each day…when product runs out, close for the day..

If you ever come up to the Chicago area for a comp, Ill sell ya the proteins at cost

 

[dajogejr]

If you ever come up to the Chicago area for a comp, Ill sell ya the proteins at cost

View attachment 173338

Dayum…

Frankly, we only do events for friends/families anymore. Grad parties, birthdays, etc. We’re all too busy with families and our own lives for now…. But I greatly, greatly appreciate it sir. TY!!