BBQ Competition Trailer w/ Porch

[Smoking Pill Doc]

Hello,

Long time lurker that is convinced of the foamie way... Need advice if this is even feasible. I compete in BBQ cooking competitions (like the ones you can watch on cable). One of the headaches is the excessively long time to set up to go, set up at site, clean up at site, and finally clean up at home. Some of the competitors use enclosed trailers with a porch on the back end for the smokers...very nice but expensive . If you google BBQ Porch Trailer you can get the gist. They are pricey, too long, and weigh too much for my current TV (I guess I shouldn't have traded in the truck).

So after reading Big Thrifty and now moving on to FoamStream, I am looking to build a stand up / pop up with porch. The enclosed portion will be around 10 foot with a 5 foot porch. I came across a 2001 Palamino Stampede on Craigslist today for $500. The AC, furnace, sink, and fridge work...the floor is no good (potable water tank leaked w/o owner realizing until it was too late). It has good windows, a working door, and all lights/electrical work. I will cut the trailer size down to a max of 20ft (including tongue) so that I can fit in the allotted cooking space.

So I am thinking this is a thrifty starting point. Am I crazy to think I can do this?

I have decent woodworking, electrical, and plumbing skills, so I am thinking a foamie might be in order.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Mike

[tac422]

My initial thought is that you will need careful placement of the BBQ Grill to avoid heat damage to or possibly sparks hitting the Foamie part of the trailer.

[Smoking Pill Doc]

No sparks and outside temp of smoker is cool enough that I can put my hand there. Plus the smokers will be a minimum of 3 feet away from any foam. In cold weather, I put moving blankets on the smokers to keep them warmer (saves on charcoal consumption).

[Smoking Pill Doc]

Hoping a picture might help. The couch will pullout on each end for a bed (we start cooking at midnight). I know the size is much bigger than traditional on this site, but the foamie part is accurate at least. I will use 2" foam for the base walls. The pop up roof will have 4" side walls (so there can be an overlap with base wall) with a 2" roof top.

[GPW]

Here’s a drawing from a while ago ... just for ideas ...

[Smoking Pill Doc]

Yes! That is it (your drawing is much nicer though).

So it should work then....cannibalizing a travel trailer should be OK...now the biggest question is the wife OK with it?????

[lrrowe]

It will unique for sure. One consideration I would think about is whether you will keep it forever or maybe sell it someday. It will be so unique that there may be no buyers out there for you. I now even wonder why I just posted this to you? I am building my CT with things that may be of no interest to others and I do not care if it has any resale value. Anyway, just a few rambling thoughts.

[Ned B]

Purpose built for what *you* like to do, great idea & should be an interesting build!

[KCStudly]

Couple of thoughts; I googled BBQ porch trailer images, as suggested, and was surprised at all of the high end units that came up, so perhaps there is a resale market niche for a more modestly priced version.

On using a stripped down TT; the beauty of GPW's porch trailer sketch is that it is based on a tandem axle car hauler. The decks on these tend to be much lower than a TT, which to my way of thinking would be better suited to the 'fair' like atmosphere of a BBQ competition. By way of comparison, if you look at the history of professional drag racing haulers, over the years they have engineered them to be lower and lower, including air ride systems that virtually lay their frames down on the ground, all in an effort to reduce crew fatigue from going in and out of the trailers hundreds of times per weekend.

Car haulers typically have drop spindle axles that can be a good 4 inches lower than straight axles.

[asianflava]

What are you using BGEs? Toyed with the idea of comp, even took a couple classes one with Kelly Wertz (4 Legs Up) and another with Myron. Having to stay up all night didn't appeal to me.

[GPW]

Note... the sketch above was not one of mine .... I think it was Steve from Texas .... we just did some decorating on his drawing ... (what you see here )

[Smoking Pill Doc]

What are you using BGEs? Toyed with the idea of comp, even took a couple classes one with Kelly Wertz (4 Legs Up) and another with Myron. Having to stay up all night didn't appeal to me.

I use a generic BGE made by Bayou Classic (it is no longer made) that I bought off of Craigslist for a fraction of a BGE. I also use 2 ugly drum smokers (made from 55 ga mineral oil drums).

Impressive to take those classes . Maybe one day... Needing to increase comfort for the overnight cooks is one of the driving forces behind this build (getting too old to sleep in my TV).

[Smoking Pill Doc]

The trailer set up posted by GPW/Steve would be ideal, but I don't have a drop axel and they are expensive around here.

So I bought the donor TT last night. There are a lot of salvage items from the TT which was the basis for buying. The bad is that the floor is shot and street side wall is shot, so I have a lot of dismantling to do. This is OK as I need to chop 6ft off the trailer (BBQ competition sites are typically 20'x20' [need to pay $50+ more to get a bigger spot]) and probably most importantly I need to drop weight (personally and trailer wise ). Per manufacturer, dry weight is 3,335lb and my TV max tow weight is 3,500lb.

Design....I love the concept posted by GPW. It would be easier in setup as all you do is pull up, level the trailer with jack stands, and cook. The bad it feels like a daunting task to ensure travel stability of a standie and increased wind drag while towing. Additionally part of the competition fun is the camaraderie that you develop with the other contestants. By going with a pop up style left open in good weather, it may open up conversation...then again a foamie will probably generate a lot of conversation .

I have time to workout my final design as I have a lot of scavaging to do on the donor TT and before I can officially start building, I need to finish the master bath remodel (that has been ongoing for 2 months...waiting on 2nd tub, first one was cracked ).

Thanks everyone for all the inspiration on this site .

[greygoos]

I wish you luck on your build. I have built and operated food carts and trailers but never built a foamie. If I may make a few suggestions. I see you have a triple sink in your sketch which I assume is commercial. Lots of water in a kitchen environment. Make sure the surrounding walls are well sealed and more importantly the seam between the walls and the floor are water tight. Adding a drain hole in the floor of the unit will help tremendously. As far as covering the walls and roof with canvas keep in mind that your rig and the other rigs around you will be putting off quite a bit of smoke. If you don't keep your walls clean it can alter the appearance of your unit. After reading the foamie builds I have see that some people have had problems with mold. If you are going to have an open concept which I think is a wonderful idea I suggest you keep you sleeping quarters separated by some sort of divider. Don't get me wrong I do advocate the foamie builds, just trying to point out some issues which may help you along the way. You are putting your best foot forward with your food and your rig should reflect your best efforts as well as issues you might have with the local Health department. I look forward to your build and I know that the members on this site are a wealth of information.

[GPW]

Goos, it’s not particularly a problem that Foamies have a mold problem .... It’s the darn mold that gets on everything .... I have mold on my pickup truck ...
And yes , trailers are expensive , especially what Mike want to do ^ ... And if one’s worried about Foam , then go all Steel or aluminum for the cabin .... it’s all a compromise ...