Weber Kettle Club Forums

The front leg on my 26 OTG has always been a little wobbly. Last week the socket popped clean off! It looks like all three of the spot welds were very weak.
I have been researching ways to reattach the socket, and I have not found any really good options. Any sort of bolt or rivet will obstruct the ash sweeps. Welding will mess up the porcelain.
Then I got creative and mocked this up:

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/29/ca7677c026adb097b53c53caf2b97d2e.jpg)

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/29/c203e534818cd173b694414802719fc3.jpg)

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/29/0df85acdcde043f7db8350fd9cc3b159.jpg)

This could work very easily.  The only thing is that I really like my OTP/Rotisserie set up and I don't want to break it up.
So what do you guys and gals think? Does anyone have a good repair options for the socket?
Does anyone have an extra OTG or SS Performer frame lying around?

Decisions,decisions. 

That cooker is less than 10 years old....call Weber and register the grill for a warranty claim. Bet you get a new bowl.

I am sure that I could get it replaced,  but this one is special!   This grill starred in an installment of Steven Raichlen's show a few years ago.
I would not be able to bring myself to get rid of the bowl, and then I would be storing it somewhere until I found/bought enough parts to make it work as a table or cart mounted kettle. I could just make the mods now and save myself some time!

Buy another OTP? Best of both worlds.

Also, that's a really good story about it being used in a Raichlen show. I like that he generally uses Webers.

Pictures of the damaged area? Socket and bowl?

can the bowl be warranteed?

Quote from: AZ_MIKEY on July 29, 2015, 06:35:01 PM
Pictures of the damaged area? Socket and bowl?

I will take some pics in the morning, but there is virtually no damage. The welds just seperated.

Inspiration  maybe?  http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/weber-%27tall-boy%27-conversion-done!/

Quote from: pbe gummi bear on July 29, 2015, 08:37:25 PM
can the bowl be warranteed?

I am sure that he could get it replaced,  but this one is special!   This grill starred in an installment of Steven Raichlen's show a few years ago.
He would not be able to bring himself to get rid of the bowl, and then he would be storing it somewhere until he found/bought enough parts to make it work as a table or cart mounted kettle. He could just make the mods now and save himself some time!

Everyone wants a 26" performer! Sock that big boy in the cart and call it good!

Change should be embraced, not feared.  8)

whats holding it in the stand ?

Um. Gravity.

Maybe i should have said what is your plan to anchor it to the stand

What about a ring with brackets on the outside that would fit cart, then the 26" bowl could sit in the ring?

You could interchange the 26 and 22 bowls as needed?

Or you could keep it simple and get a warranty replacement bowl from weber. I get the sentimental value but the best way to honor the sentiment is to cook on it.

Quote from: northwestkettle on July 30, 2015, 09:16:07 AM
Maybe i should have said what is your plan to anchor it to the stand

My thought is to use some aluminum 90 angle stock to make brackets. I will bolt the horizontal portion of the brackets to the frame tubes where the current bowl tabs go. The vertical portion of the brackets will be formed to fit around a portion  of the bowl, drill some holes and attach with SS bolts.

Quote

Quote from: MartyG on July 30, 2015, 09:13:24 AM
Um. Gravity.

Marty, I spilled my coffee all over the desk when I read this!

26 OTP gets my vote

The bottom line on the 26er is that I love cooking on it, but I think I will like it better if it is more stable. This can be accomplished if the kettle is mounted to a cart, table, or stand. I am going to attempt to create these brackets out of some scrap material from our shop at work. I will be able to verify the fit and function of the plan before I have to drill anything, so my risk is low. I would be able to use the brackets to mount the 26" bowl on any of my four-legged Webers, so I could leave my OTP for the rotisserie. I have an SS Performer and a recently acquired 2nd gen. Performer that could be candidates for 26" greatness!

And if I don't love it, I can put everything back and deal with the socket.

Unfortunately, I am out of town and it will be next week before I can look at it.  :o

Do the Ranch Kettle Mod and never look back!

Quote from: swamprb on July 30, 2015, 05:28:02 PM
Do the Ranch Kettle Mod and never look back!

Brian, I have thought about that too. I will have to price out the ranch leg kit.

Get a new bowl form Weber. No one is going to know ir care. Raichlen is not that special! He didn't invent the Weber or BBQ.
Maybe if you cooked with him or he autographed it.. Maybe..
Get a new bowl and convert the old one to a Frirepit..
Just my 2 sense.. Do what YOU want..

Quote from: Heyjude on July 31, 2015, 09:01:21 PM
Get a new bowl form Weber. No one is going to know ir care. Raichlen is not that special! He didn't invent the Weber or BBQ.
Maybe if you cooked with him or he autographed it.. Maybe..
Get a new bowl and convert the old one to a Frirepit..
Just my 2 sense.. Do what YOU want..

This^^ is what I wound up doing.
I spent the hottest August that I can remember out in the garage fiddling around with this, but was never satisfied. My sentimental attachment to my original bowl melted away as the temperature climbed well over 110°.  :o

This almost happened:

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/25/8cf22e54a8639a4c4181ecfa495f1556.jpg)

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/25/61c777c263a5e68e22823c91beb86fa9.jpg)

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/25/3ed85f6620b800aa4e3ad0c65ffc2cbc.jpg)




Weber C.S. was awesome. The new one arrived in 4 days.
I also find that with the new bowl installed, my 26er stands as firm and steady as my 22 OTG! I had been under the impression that the amount of wobble that I was experiencing was to be expected on the 26. Now I believe that the old bowl was just "outa whack".

That's a sweet setup! How did you find out that it was used on one of Raichlen's shows? That makes it even more special.

...

Quote from: Craig on August 26, 2015, 05:05:14 AM
That's a sweet setup! How did you find out that it was used on one of Raichlen's shows? That makes it even more special.

This 26er popped up on CL in Tucson a couple of years ago. G$ acted as my agent and got the story.
The guy that was selling it had previously run a BBQ/grill store that was no longer in business.  He stated that Raichlen's show had used some grills from his store when they were shooting in Tucson. The front handle of this grill had been autographed, but it had also been used, and was dirty. The ink pretty much washed off with the dirt.
The Zavod44 handles look and work better anyhow!

The mount on the SS frame could work, but the mounts that I worked up weren't the right material for a final product. The bowl also sat too high to mount the gas assist.

Hummmmmm,  sounds like you need a home-made custom wooden "Sequoia"-like cart ???           SJ

Quote from: SmokenJoe on August 26, 2015, 10:24:53 PM
Hummmmmm,  sounds like you need a home-made custom wooden "Sequoia"-like cart ???           SJ

Hell yeah!