FotonDrv

Those 2 items make good sense and yes, I too am old, arthritic and have enough extra metal in me to set off detectors wherever I go, not mention the rad detectors too Thanks for the thoughts.

Yeah, those people who moved to HumCo to grow pot ruined the place. Before it was a bunch of hippie gardeners that were very mellow and just into making a living. Then the big out of town growers moved in and hired very sketchy security; we all called them guerilla gardeners. Not a nice bunch indeed. A buddy of mine was hired to guard the cattle from poachers once those "gardeners" moved in; it was the beginning of the end for a mellow place to live. Now we live here. Noisy but a nice and always interesting view.

It WAS very quiet and peaceful, but I had to move closer to affordable healthcare (military and VA) so we sold it after 20+ blissful years.

Does anyone have a photo of the lifting straps in action? Especially for the Big 32?

That was an old stump and if you can believe it that was not the largest, only average. My neighbor had a 32' dia stump! Redwood country in Humboldt County Ca. I could go 80 miles north, 32 miles east and 6 miles south without hitting another road. 2-1/2 miles west as a paved road. This photo shows the project under construction. Guest house done (where bear incident happened) sauna building finished, and the foundation for the main home was complete. You could see 38 miles of coastline from these homes and was truly a special place to live for 20+ years. Enjoying a Kamado the whole time

You bet I did! Funny though, it was a glass topped dutch door.... The bear stood up and spread its arms so my adrenaline was really pumping. I had not been that pumped since a particular firefight in Vietnam, so it prompted me into researching how to get rid of problematic bears without killing it. Man, there is a whole lot of info and bears and I can tell you what doesn't work Bear was between the door and the dog. Dog prudently retreated but unfortunately did not utter a peep to warn me. Neither dog did since I had 2 at the time. They also would not make a sound when the mountain lion was cruising the meadow.

How thick was the plywood?? I do not have the space to get equipment to the final resting place so rolling on its casters and lifting it is the name of the game here. I am hoping that it can go down these 48" wide stairs, either carried down or rolled down with a plywood cover on the stairs. It is 8 ft from the top of the stairs to the bottom which mean one sheet of plywood will cover it, literally.

I like the discussion about the coyote and wondered when someone would say Wiley Coyote. So why not Wiley C. ? I personally am going to name mine (a 32"), when it arrives, Bear. The photo in my Profile shows a Kamado and a dog. I encountered a bear where the dog is sleeping on one dark night. Opened the door, which is 4 ft from the dog, and the bear stood up! Very impressive and got an immediate reaction from me!!

Thanks HalfSmoke! I have cooked on Kamados since 1960 and have tried many ways to light but the latest technology is always appreciated. I have used paper/coals in a coffee can, and various lighter methods with 99% isopropyl or denatured alcohol swabs, finely shaved kindling wood and a match, etc. The Mapp Gas is not something I have tried but in lieu of a BBQ Dragon I have a battery operated leaf blower and sit back several feet from the draft door to get the coal going. Amazing how well the airflow can be feathered by just aiming a bit off target.

I was thinking about setting it on a flat 1/8" X 2 ft X 4 ft steel plate and/or table top with a blanket under it. Think that will work? On the steel plate I would be able to get fingers under the lid on the long axis to lift it off the plate. I can probably come up with a strong bench to do the same thing.

2 questions. 1. Are you using the mapp torch from the top aiming down onto the coals/char/etc? Why not light from the bottom? 2. I ordered the propane burner attachment if I ever had to use it but in all reality it sounded like a super way to light whatever is in the basket. Is this a good idea? I can think of at least one negative but am asking for thoughts

I am lining up muscle for the moving day since my muscle has long since gone with the wind from injuries.

I just ordered the Big 32 and as I understand it there are 4 lifting straps/ropes w/loops on them. Are they designed to be used with poles (2x4's) run between them so strong people could be on the end of each pole? I plan on removing the lid and taking out everything that moves to reduce the weight to 480 pounds. All questions and responses appreciated

Dan, I am pretty excited about smoking oysters and clams when my 32 arrives but I hope it is not snowing when it does arrive!

I just ordered the 32 because my wife is always asking, after I start to cook something, "Can we cook this too?"

The delivery driver made it over grass to get to the edge of the patio??!! Strong driver... Did you put plywood down first? I just ordered one today and all these install questions are up close and personal

The copper would get a nice patina on it since we live on the beach in a saltwater environment. When the winds kicks up the salt spray gets everything corroded so that was why I went with a big copper hood over the fire pit, which turned a greenish brown. I might lower it and polish it so the wings and the hood could age together and since I now have a fenced yard with a big fuzzy guard wandering around I would not have to worry about copper thieves.

I suspected that was what it was since that is the color I have been eyeing for the Big 32. Thanks for the reassurance I was thinking about putting a hammered copped cladding on the teak wings. Has anyone tried doing it? Since it will sit next to a large copper fire pit hood I thought it might be appropriate.

What a great Thread! Thanks for the info

As a point of curiosity, what was this nice color of your KK called?

So how do you order and "Extra Charcoal Basket" if it is not in the "Accessories" list of options, or at least I did not see it?

That thing is so big it would double as a soaking tub

Wow, heavy equipment injuries are never pretty and that is a perfect example. Get well soon!

Thanks for the thoughts Susan! It was 50 years ago for me Never saw a Kamado there but sure saw a lot of lump charcoal.

Thanks for the compliments! The dog is a 17mo old Red & Black Shepherd with obvious tan and the trees are Bloodgood Maples. The pup is 17mo old and weighs 80#, she is going to be big! She is my car alarm