Pit Boss Austin XL Mods

[RCAlan]

Camp Boss, thanks for posting your detailed journey of modifying your PB Austin XL. Anyone with a PB Austin XL Pellet Grill or a Classic PB Pellet Grill and want to make it better should definitely give this thread a good reading.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods... In SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[david_ski]

I was just wondering what modifications other members have done to there Pit Boss Austin XL. I have had the grill since they first came out and was ok with it's overall performance but it could be a lot better. I understand that these grills are at the low end/affordable range of pellet grills. The most frustrating issues with the grill are the drastic temperature swings (15 deg. +/-) and that hot spot right above the burn pot. Not to mention there heat distribution across the grill is also horrible at best. The top rack I have never used because it just seems to be always in the way. Other than that I actually like the grill. So I think it's time to tear this thing apart and do some much needed upgrades.

1st Upgrade:

PBR Products Folding Shelf for Pit Boss Austin XL 1000 Pellet Grill Shelf | eBay

This diamond plate aluminum, black powder coated shelf, is for the Pit Boss Austin XL. Easy clean up and give the Austin a seamless look.

www.ebay.com

This is a very nice front shelf upgrade that is easy to install and is a wonderful product. Shipping was very fast and the product came with all items to attach to the grill. I give it a solid 5 stars.View attachment 501

2nd Upgrade:

Pit Boss Austin XL/Pro 1100 Air Gap Heat Deflector Plate Mod | eBay

Pit Boss Austin XL /1100 air gap deflector plate. This plate does not require any drilling or modifications of your smoker and will not void your warranty. Bad temperature swings ?. This will fix it on your PitBoss Austin XL or 1100.

www.ebay.com

I don't have a picture of mine so I used there image. This was extremely easy to install and reduced temperature fluctuations.

View attachment 503

3rd Upgrade:

Camp Chef Controller for Woodwind WIFI 20, PG20CT-8

Replacement Wi-Fi Controller for Camp Chef Woodwind WIFI 20 Pellet Grills.

pellet-stove-parts-4less.com

I wanted to upgrade the controller in the grill to something better with more accurate temperature control and have a better temperature selection. At first I was trying to get a Rec Teq controller but ran into issues. They wouldn't sell me one unless I had a serial number and prof of purchase. So I went on a search and found a Camp Chef Woodwind WIFI Bluetooth controller that had a 3 inch color display and could monitor 4 meat probes. Did some research and found that this controller would work on the Pit Boss with a few modifications to the mounting location and installing a new RTD. The RTD is longer so I had to drill a hole in the upper shelf mount. I might just remove it because I have never used that shelf. It just always seems to be in the way. The new adapter plate is 1/16" anodized aluminum plate that is attached with 8/32 stainless steel cap screws.

View attachment 504View attachment 505

It is unfortunate that one has to spend an additional $300 to make Pit Boss a great pellet grill. I factored In those costs on my grill decision. I like Pit Boss’s mechanical build quality expecting to fix the uneven temps and controller shortcomings. Right now I am leaning towards a new Camp Chef

 

[MonnieRock]

It is unfortunate that one has to spend an additional $300 to make Pit Boss a great pellet grill. I factored In those costs on my grill decision. I like Pit Boss’s mechanical build quality expecting to fix the uneven temps and controller shortcomings. Right now I am leaning towards a new Camp Chef

David,
Which Pit Boss grill do you have / had ?

 

[david_ski]

David,
Which Pit Boss grill do you have / had ?

I was going to buy the Pit Boss Pro 850 from Lowe’s. I like the mechanical build of Pit Boss products. However after seeing the issues with their PID controllers and no way for the customer to do a firmware upgrade I decided to not buy a Pit Boss product. I even looked at getting the Pit Boss Pro850 and swapping out the controller with one that really worked that had 5 degree temp increments. However $500 grill plus $200 controller made me look at other options. $500 was a good deal. $700 was not a deal for a build it yourself Frankenstein pellet smoker.

Costco Traeger Silverton 820 is going for $699 in warehouse, and Camp Chef Windwood 24 from Sportsman’s is $799 -10% (for first purchase).

I decided on the CampChef WW24. The ash clean out system and super easy pellet change gate were the clinchers. CampChef’s PID controller seemed reliable and they support over the air firmware updates. CampChef also has happy customers with great customer service.

 

[david_ski]

David,
Which Pit Boss grill do you have / had ?

My sister bought a PB 700fb when they were $335 at Walmart. I was also looking at going to go down that path, but the price jumped back up to $499 at walmart. You can find it at $400 elsewhere. $400 for grill plus $200 for PID controller made it a $600 grill. The $335 price plus $200 for $550 was a great deal. I didn’t act quick enough on that one.

 

[MonnieRock]

David_Ski,

Thanks for the reply.

So, you do not / have not owned any Pit Boss grills.

Good luck with your Camp Chef.

Monnie

 

[david_ski]

David_Ski,

Thanks for the reply.

So, you do not / have not owned any Pit Boss grills.

Good luck with your Camp Chef.

Monnie

That is correct. One month ago, I was 99% ready to purchase a Pit Boss Pro 850, an upgrade from what my sister had purchased the PB 700FB. Then I dug into their PID operation, support, customer reviews, and information on this forum. My takeaway was their non-PID grills were pretty good. They have too many PID controllers, and inconsistent SW behavior between controllers. To get the SW updated you have to send the controller back to the factory. Too many headaches for a new grill.

I have only had the Camp Chef for a week. So far each cook has been to the desired set temperature. Temps have been verified with a separate WiFi thermometer.

 

[Big Daddy Q]

Thank you, but I couldn't have done it without the help and support from the forum. It would have been a much longer process with many fails.

When you installed the new thermostat, was it a direct replacement with the connections from the Pit Boss controller?