door below the half way mark

taintedplay · BBQ Fan Joined: 14 Dec 2010 Posts: 172

i have a 30in propane tank and want to have three racks if i can. Is there a disadvantage to having the doors going below halfway? so the doors would be 120 degrees out of 360 or something like that.

Jon D. Q. · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

Go for it. Almost all of my designs have the door cuts at about 1:00 o'clock and 4:00 o'clock.

Wreckless · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

I cut down 1" past the 3:00 position which puts the top of my lowest rack at centerline. You may want to put a grate lower than that, depending on what you want to achieve but I wouldn't want to go much lower than 1" past center with my door. The resulting gravity would tend to try and open the door past that point I believe.
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SoEzzy · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

Wreckless · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

SoEzzy · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

If you draw a line from 1 to 5, that is the plumb line, (vertical), if you cut the door from 1 round to 5, (or anywhere before 5), the door will shut under it's own weight, if you cut from 1 to anywhere after 5, the door will hang open!
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Wreckless · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

k.a.m. · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

taintedplay, on slide out racks I make my cut 1" below 3:00 as Mike said this does allow for the grate top to be at 3:00 if your using 1" stock for your grate frame. If I am doing drop in grates I keep my cut at 3:00 and frame in the cooker rails below that. Keep in mind the lower you go effects how the opening into the cooking chamber is configured. Many a door have been cut so low that it put the bottom rack at to low a position. Also consider your top cut. On a 30" tank if you make your top cut at 12:00 and your lower cut at say 4:00 you will need a step ladder to open the door because of the travel height to break center. These are just my thoughts. Smile

Edited: because SoEzzy is much more awake than myself. Laughing

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SoEzzy · Posted: May 15 2011 Post subject:

QObsession · BBQ Fan Joined: 23 Jul 2007 Posts: 243

My cooker door is below the half way point and I am very sorry I did not put the door lower. I to could have put in 3 racks if I had done so.
On Tip put a drip rail on the bottom inside of the door so Condensation/moister drips on the inside of the cooker and does not drip out the bottom of your door all over the outside of the cooker.
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