ARS_54
New member
So I bought a damaged Eastwood 34 from Home Depot on a reduced tag for $200 earlier this year in February. The hopper was completely smashed in and the controller damaged.
Traeger sent me a new controller but did not offer replacement parts. I purchased a brand new 3rd party hopper from smokedaddyinc with a pellet chute built-in for $60 dollars including shipping.
I fixed any other dents as best as I could other than a small dent on the main cooking chamber.
After cooking brisket for my 2nd time. I began to grow lazy and tired so I started looking into wifi controllers with Traeger releasing their new wifire grills. I could not justify spending over $1000 for a similar grill size to mine. So I found out about the RECTEC Wifi Control and as it turns out it was compatible with my current Traeger Components aside from a minor housing issue for the actual controller and some minor wiring work.
Let me just say one thing about this controller if you don't have one and want wifi capability without buying a new grill get it. It is life-changing.
The next mod I decided to do was add a heat gasket to my lid. The dent I mentioned earlier was messing too much with my airflow and temperatures. I bought the LavaLock seal most people here buy and used washers to slightly raise the lid to compensate for the added seal. While I didn't take pictures of the installation here is what it looks like with a wrapped piece of tri-tip and a smoke tube in the grill.
Onto my most recent and 2nd favorite mod. I was not willing to spend $80 on an overpriced Traeger Shelf. So I spent $30 instead of on raw lumber and some other supplies to make one instead. The wood I used was 2inx4inx 6ft and a strip of walnut I had sitting in a scrap pile with some folding brackets I purchased on Amazon. This is my first time attempting anything woodworking and the results came out better than I expected.
Here is a list of items I've added with an included link if they are still available:
Hopper:
SmokeDaddyInc Pellet Hopper Standalone (N/A)
Controller:
Rec Tec Wifi Controller
Custom 3d Printed FacePlate
Controller Enclosure
Wiring Harness (N/A)
Heat Seal:
Heat Seal
Shelf:
Foldable Hinges
Traeger sent me a new controller but did not offer replacement parts. I purchased a brand new 3rd party hopper from smokedaddyinc with a pellet chute built-in for $60 dollars including shipping.
I fixed any other dents as best as I could other than a small dent on the main cooking chamber.
After cooking brisket for my 2nd time. I began to grow lazy and tired so I started looking into wifi controllers with Traeger releasing their new wifire grills. I could not justify spending over $1000 for a similar grill size to mine. So I found out about the RECTEC Wifi Control and as it turns out it was compatible with my current Traeger Components aside from a minor housing issue for the actual controller and some minor wiring work.
Let me just say one thing about this controller if you don't have one and want wifi capability without buying a new grill get it. It is life-changing.
The next mod I decided to do was add a heat gasket to my lid. The dent I mentioned earlier was messing too much with my airflow and temperatures. I bought the LavaLock seal most people here buy and used washers to slightly raise the lid to compensate for the added seal. While I didn't take pictures of the installation here is what it looks like with a wrapped piece of tri-tip and a smoke tube in the grill.
Onto my most recent and 2nd favorite mod. I was not willing to spend $80 on an overpriced Traeger Shelf. So I spent $30 instead of on raw lumber and some other supplies to make one instead. The wood I used was 2inx4inx 6ft and a strip of walnut I had sitting in a scrap pile with some folding brackets I purchased on Amazon. This is my first time attempting anything woodworking and the results came out better than I expected.
Here is a list of items I've added with an included link if they are still available:
Hopper:
SmokeDaddyInc Pellet Hopper Standalone (N/A)
Controller:
Rec Tec Wifi Controller
Custom 3d Printed FacePlate
Controller Enclosure
Wiring Harness (N/A)
Heat Seal:
Heat Seal
Shelf:
Foldable Hinges
