Ranger manual errors and omissions

[Pogo007]

I've had my Ranger for a little over a week now and have only grilled once but I have to say that I'm disappointed with the manual, the grill and with Traeger.

With regard to the manual I quickly, and necessarily, discovered the following errors and omissions:

1) Under the heading Control Shutdown Cycle on page 15 the manual states that the display should read "COOL Dn" followed by the actual temperature until the grill cools down to a safe temperature. My Ranger just counts down for 5 minutes. My first, any only experience with grilling on my Ranger was at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. At the completion of the 5 minute shutdown my grill was not at a temperature I would consider "safe". In speaking to a support representative at Traeger I was told that by "safe" they meant that there would no longer be a fire in the firepot. Whereas having a fire in the firepot after shutdown would not be "safe" I don't think that is the same thing as saying that the grill has cooled "down to a safe temperature".
2) Under the heading ARC CONTROLLER GUIDE on page 12, there is a NOTE that states "For the following, when the grill is in standby mode, press and hold the buttons indicated for 2 seconds".
This is the one and only mention of "standby mode" in the manual. I wanted to change the temperature display from Celcius degrees to Fahrenheit degrees and eventually, and after some missteps, discovered that this change could be made in "idle mode" which is described in the NOTE on page 13. I'm still uncertain if standby mode is the same as idle mode.
3) Under the heading CENTER BUTTON on page 12 the manual states "Use this button to turn on the grill and cycle through TEMPERATURE > TIMER > PROBE ALARM modes. Press and hold for two seconds to cancel a setting. To put the grill in the Shutdown Cycle, press and hold the button for two seconds in Temperature Adjustment mode."
PROBE ALARM mode does not appear anywhere else in the manual. Whereas this description explains how to "cancel" a mode it does not explain how to "adjust" that mode. If you read the next control panel and display description in the manual, describing the function of the UP/DOWN BUTTONS, you learn they can be used to adjust temperature or time. I interpreted this as applying to adjustments to the target temperature of the grill and/or the timer. I contacted Traeger Support to ask how to set a PROBE ALARM. On my first call I was told that the probe alarm temperature could be set using the Traeger app which, of course, is nonsense. On my second call I was told that the probe alarm could be set by using the center button to cycle to PROBE ALARM followed by using the UP/DOWN buttons to set the alarm temperature. I haven't tried this yet but hope it proves to be true. Do I use the Center Button after using the UP/DOWN button to "fix" the setting?
4) The INDICATOR LIGHT PANEL description on page 12 suggests that the meat probe icon will light (on the display) once the probe is plugged in and recognized by the grill. My display doesn't show the probe icon when I plug my probe in but my probe does seem to be working (although I'm not at all confident that the temperatures it is reading are accurate). When I talked to Traeger Support they told me that the fact that the probe icon doesn't display is "not uncommon"!!!

I asked Traeger Support about these errors/omissions and they said that they were working on making corrections. When I asked when they expected to have amendments made available I was told they wanted to be thorough. I asked if they were aware of any additional errors/omissions and I was told they were not aware of any others. So I asked what they were waiting for given that this model has been available for about 2 years and I had discovered these errors/omissions within a week and with just one grilling session. The representative repeated that they were working on it!!!!

If I had known the above before buying my Ranger I'm not sure I would have gone ahead with my purchase. It leaves me wondering a couple of things. Are there other things to "discover" about the Ranger that are not explained in the manual? Has development of the Ranger hit the same wall as the Scout did? I've read a number of negative comments about the accuracy of the Ranger meat probe - will I soon learn that it is not accurate?

All-in-all I have to say that I'm feeling some buyer remorse.

 

[Murphy's Law]

I think you'll find the meat probe to be inaccurate. It seems to be a very common issue regardless of model. Folks with the Scout all the way up to the Timberline 1300 have similar stories, I'm afraid. I absolutely love cooking on my Traeger but I often get the impression that they let the CEO's kid design the WiFi, write manuals, etc. just to give them a summer job!

 

[Pogo007]

I think you'll find the meat probe to be inaccurate. It seems to be a very common issue regardless of model. Folks with the Scout all the way up to the Timberline 1300 have similar stories, I'm afraid. I absolutely love cooking on my Traeger but I often get the impression that they let the CEO's kid design the WiFi, write manuals, etc. just to give them a summer job!

Could be.

 

[Slimpicker]

they said that they were working on making corrections. When I asked when they expected to have amendments made available I was told they wanted to be thorough

Story of the Country!!!

 

[Pogo007]

I think you'll find the meat probe to be inaccurate. It seems to be a very common issue regardless of model. Folks with the Scout all the way up to the Timberline 1300 have similar stories, I'm afraid. I absolutely love cooking on my Traeger but I often get the impression that they let the CEO's kid design the WiFi, write manuals, etc. just to give them a summer job!

You're probably right.
That said, if asked I would recommend they don't update the manual. Instead I'd recommend they simply publish an online addendum, as a pdf, on their website and insert a loose leaf page in the current manual pointing to this addendum which they could keep current should other matters arise. Publishing the addendum could be done very quickly if, indeed, they have been keeping track of the errors/omissions/suggestions that users, like me, have provided. One of the Traeger agents suggested that they are busy with production but this is not a good excuse for ignoring their manuals. In fact, I would suggest just the opposite particularly when one of the discrepancies (for example, the temperature at the end of the shutdown cycle) has to do with safety.

 

[Smokin']

I've had my Ranger for a little over a week now and have only grilled once but I have to say that I'm disappointed with the manual, the grill and with Traeger.

With regard to the manual I quickly, and necessarily, discovered the following errors and omissions:

1) Under the heading Control Shutdown Cycle on page 15 the manual states that the display should read "COOL Dn" followed by the actual temperature until the grill cools down to a safe temperature. My Ranger just counts down for 5 minutes. My first, any only experience with grilling on my Ranger was at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. At the completion of the 5 minute shutdown my grill was not at a temperature I would consider "safe". In speaking to a support representative at Traeger I was told that by "safe" they meant that there would no longer be a fire in the firepot. Whereas having a fire in the firepot after shutdown would not be "safe" I don't think that is the same thing as saying that the grill has cooled "down to a safe temperature".
2) Under the heading ARC CONTROLLER GUIDE on page 12, there is a NOTE that states "For the following, when the grill is in standby mode, press and hold the buttons indicated for 2 seconds".
This is the one and only mention of "standby mode" in the manual. I wanted to change the temperature display from Celcius degrees to Fahrenheit degrees and eventually, and after some missteps, discovered that this change could be made in "idle mode" which is described in the NOTE on page 13. I'm still uncertain if standby mode is the same as idle mode.
3) Under the heading CENTER BUTTON on page 12 the manual states "Use this button to turn on the grill and cycle through TEMPERATURE > TIMER > PROBE ALARM modes. Press and hold for two seconds to cancel a setting. To put the grill in the Shutdown Cycle, press and hold the button for two seconds in Temperature Adjustment mode."
PROBE ALARM mode does not appear anywhere else in the manual. Whereas this description explains how to "cancel" a mode it does not explain how to "adjust" that mode. If you read the next control panel and display description in the manual, describing the function of the UP/DOWN BUTTONS, you learn they can be used to adjust temperature or time. I interpreted this as applying to adjustments to the target temperature of the grill and/or the timer. I contacted Traeger Support to ask how to set a PROBE ALARM. On my first call I was told that the probe alarm temperature could be set using the Traeger app which, of course, is nonsense. On my second call I was told that the probe alarm could be set by using the center button to cycle to PROBE ALARM followed by using the UP/DOWN buttons to set the alarm temperature. I haven't tried this yet but hope it proves to be true. Do I use the Center Button after using the UP/DOWN button to "fix" the setting?
4) The INDICATOR LIGHT PANEL description on page 12 suggests that the meat probe icon will light (on the display) once the probe is plugged in and recognized by the grill. My display doesn't show the probe icon when I plug my probe in but my probe does seem to be working (although I'm not at all confident that the temperatures it is reading are accurate). When I talked to Traeger Support they told me that the fact that the probe icon doesn't display is "not uncommon"!!!

I asked Traeger Support about these errors/omissions and they said that they were working on making corrections. When I asked when they expected to have amendments made available I was told they wanted to be thorough. I asked if they were aware of any additional errors/omissions and I was told they were not aware of any others. So I asked what they were waiting for given that this model has been available for about 2 years and I had discovered these errors/omissions within a week and with just one grilling session. The representative repeated that they were working on it!!!!

If I had known the above before buying my Ranger I'm not sure I would have gone ahead with my purchase. It leaves me wondering a couple of things. Are there other things to "discover" about the Ranger that are not explained in the manual? Has development of the Ranger hit the same wall as the Scout did? I've read a number of negative comments about the accuracy of the Ranger meat probe - will I soon learn that it is not accurate?

All-in-all I have to say that I'm feeling some buyer remorse.

Hello , I have a Ranger and found the manual and instructions to be very straight forward.

 

[Smokin']

Hello , I have a Ranger and found the manual and instructions to be very straight forward.

also need to add , Ranger model , in my opinion , is designed as a portable small cooking area smoker. There are no bells and whistles on it , just the basics to cook really good smoked foods. As for the control on the unit is is a basic control , as far as the temp. of the grill not being "safe" for you , common sense and logic says if you touch it and it hurts maybe you want to wait a few more minutes.... ?? With this model you need to do some work yourself , it is not a robot smoker. If that is what you need then a suggestion would be the Pro or Timberline models with the D2 wirefire control may be more to your liking.

 

[Smokin']

Could be.

the meat probe on my 1300 works great , but it needs to be calibrated , i have the D2 wirefire control , not sure if calibration is available on the other controllers

 

[Pogo007]

Hello , I have a Ranger and found the manual and instructions to be very straight forward.

Glad your experience was better than mine. For what it's worth, support at Traeger agreed that the manual needed revision and, ultimately, will be revised. It just was't a high priority for them since revising the manual won't likely help sales. And although you found the manual and instructions to be very straight forward that doesn't mean it doesn't contain errors which, clearly, it does.

 

[fuser22]

Hello , I have a Ranger and found the manual and instructions to be very straight forward.

Thanks so much for this. I was having the same issues. The manual clearly states that to power off, you need to press the center button, wait for off to blink 9 times (this is NOT found on page 15, it’s on page 12) & wait for display to read Cool DN. Then the Ranger will cool for 15 minutes, when it’s at a safe temperature, according to the manual.
It DOES NOT do this. It goes to a 4-minute timer and shuts off, leaving the Ranger very hot & ready to burn anyone touching it.
I’m sure when company lawyers realize the manual is actually giving dangerous information, when the company knows it’s erroneous, they’ll demand some kind of update. Until then, this manual is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

 

[Pogo007]

Hello , I have a Ranger and found the manual and instructions to be very straight forward.

The instructions are straight forward and this model is very basic but there are errors and omissions in the manual which could easily be corrected by Traeger by simply posting a corrected manual as a pdf available online. Being their least expensive model is not an excuse for failing to make these corrections.