Pellet/Hopper Feed Issues

[RayS]

I'm fairly certain that that would have to be a complete re-design of the hopper and thus reducing the capacity. And...I'm not sure that the "bridging" problem would be completely fixed with that anyway. I didn't mind spending $100 more to ensure I can use the full hopper all the way to the last few pellets (and getting a good night's sleep on those long cooks!).

Pit Boss should correct this problem on current production, certainly! But I don't see them retrofitting all the old ones with new hopper assemblies. But good luck with the endeavor! I'll be hopeful!

Yes, they will have to do something and it might reduce capacity but guess what - capacity is already reduced by 75%. So if they replace the hoppers with something that gets it higher than what it is (reducing by 25% wouldn't be an issue in my mind because that would still allow an overnight cook) that would be a dramatic improvement without us having to jump through hoops. Kudos to you for being willing to engineer a solution, but Pit Boss needs to fix this. We should not have to settle for a bad product that requires us to jump through hoops to get working.

If you have a Lockhart, open a case and complain. If enough owners yell, they might realize they need to fix this.

 

[RBurg1]

Not sure of other models of Pit Boss horizontal smokers, but the Lockhart leaves me less than satisfied with the way pellets feed down to the auger! I think the engineers/promotional staff may have been more interested in quantity of pellets loaded than the way they feed to the auger. I don't want to have to get up 3 or 4 times a night to push pellets to the bottom and have tried a number of different fixes with varying degrees of success. I've searched all kinds of forums for solutions and some have worked but none well. For anyone with the same problem, I'll share these with you and tell you what has worked for me.

1. Wax the hopper with auto wax. The Lockhart should not have a texture-painted hopper. It should be as smooth as a baby's bottom. Waxing it didn't help much!

2. Glued PTFE (Teflon) paper to the sloped surfaces of the hopper. This helped some, was a royal pain to cut it to fit, and as everyone knows, nothing is supposed to stick to a non-stick surface! Contact cement seemed to work the best, the results better but marginal.

3. Time to get serious. I read on one foru!!m where a guy jokingly suggested taping the biggest vibrator you could get from an adult store to the hopper...a real conversation piece but not really practical . I ordered a variable industrial machine vibrator and variable delay time from Amazon, attached it to the inner surface of the OUTSIDE of the hopper bin, and set the timer to run for 10 seconds every hour. Works perfectly! No more overnight cook worries!
My biggest concern was the vibration affecting the smoker components mounted in the area. After RTV'ing all the wire connections (because of previous connection failures), I have high hopes for the longevity of this setup. If anyone shows any interest in this, I'll post pics and part #'s of what was used in the mod.

Cheers, ALL

Where did you find the industrial vibrator? Send me a link if possible. I've been having the same issues since I got this thing.

 

[GeorgeD]

Where did you find the industrial vibrator? Send me a link if possible. I've been having the same issues since I got this thing.

The links are back in post #6.

 

[JeepSmoker]

Here are some pics of the mods I made to the hopper and some links to the parts I used.
View attachment 306View attachment 307View attachment 308View attachment 309View attachment 311View attachment 312

The first couple of pictures show the end off of the vibrator. It can be adjusted by loosening the nut and setting the eccentric. It has this on both ends so almost infinitely adjustable. 3rd pic is the timer which can be set from seconds to days on and off. 4th and 5th an alternate timer, easier to install, plug & play but limited to max 1 hour on or off.

Here are some links to these items on Amazon and a link to the Smoke Daddy Magnum which I highly recommend if you're looking for a smoke ring and serious flavor in those long cooks!

RzeruiH Vibration Motor Concrete Vibrator AC110V 30W 60HZ 3600RPM Used for Shaker Table Screening (30W)

RzeruiH Vibration Motor Concrete Vibrator AC110V 30W 60HZ 3600RPM Used for Shaker Table Screening (30W) - - Amazon.com

RzeruiH Vibration Motor Concrete Vibrator AC110V 30W 60HZ 3600RPM Used for Shaker Table Screening (30W) - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

GAEYAELE GRT8-S Asymmetric Cycle Timer SPDT Relay 220V 16A AC/DC12V-240V Electronic Repeat Relay(GRT8-S1,AC/DC12V-240V)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B91KRZX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Short Period Timer

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SCK2V8W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Generator

Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Generator - Smoke Daddy Inc. - BBQ Pellet Smokers, Cold Smokers, and Pellet Grill Parts & Accessories

Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Generator - Smoke Daddy Inc. - BBQ Pellet Smokers, Cold Smokers, and Pellet Grill Parts & Accessories

smokedaddyinc.com

Pictures #4 and 5 are of a more convenient plug-in timer and the one I'm using now. It's easier to change settings. When running on "S"moke I set it at 10 ON and 1 hour off. When running at higher temps and the auger is feeding more, I set it at 10 ON and 1/2 hour OFF so when pellets get towards hopper bottom it still keeps the auger filled.

Hope this helps!

 

[JackAH1G]

RayS is right about the hopper feed being a design flaw, my 850 does the same thing, and twice I have had a flame out because pellets did not feed. We as buyers should not be Rube Goldberging these grilles. Not when they cost what they do. I have some plexiglass that I am going to line the hopper with. Another flaw is the amount of rust these things generate after very little time.

 

[JackAH1G]

Yes, they will have to do something and it might reduce capacity but guess what - capacity is already reduced by 75%. So if they replace the hoppers with something that gets it higher than what it is (reducing by 25% wouldn't be an issue in my mind because that would still allow an overnight cook) that would be a dramatic improvement without us having to jump through hoops. Kudos to you for being willing to engineer a solution, but Pit Boss needs to fix this. We should not have to settle for a bad product that requires us to jump through hoops to get working.

If you have a Lockhart, open a case and complain. If enough owners yell, they might realize they need to fix this.

You are right on, the 850 does the same nonsense.