I was sitting at the patio table today just a few feet from the smoker.... looked over and thought I saw a small crack in the bottom door plastic on the hinge end...sure 'nuff.... its already cracking. I think I have smoked twice since I put the new hinge on. I also noticed that the plastic on the bottom the front has the end cracked off of it.... not sure it will prevent the door from opening, but its cracked. I don't know what to say other than I give up. I am getting myself emotionally prepared for the fact that I am going to have to buy another smoker. I know which one it is going to be, but I wont discuss it here. I sure hate that I wasted so much money.
Nothing I can say will make you feel better, I know how you feel though. I have had my share of problems with the 4 rack digital I bought. Elements Smoke generator and a couple of weeks ago I noticed a crack on my bottom door mount. I will get them to replace every thing that goes wrong till the warranty runs out and then I will make my own parts. Plastic parts is not in their best interest. I can build something better of metal and I'm not even a tin smith.
Like your going to hear from all the die hards here CALL BRADELY in the morning, their costumer service is #1.....to bad the smoker is NOT.
Yes, the Bradley customer service seem to be good, but the fact that have lost confidence in the product is the issue. Seems like every other smoke I have issues. I need the problems fixed, not the same inferior parts.
On the positive side, the Auber controller is the berries... I like it and hope to incorporate it into my new smoker.
Good luck to you Dean where ever you decide to go.
Sorry you are still having problems with your smoker. You can still post here; others that use non-Bradley equipment do.
If you have given up on the Bradley, then there is a very easy fix, with will probably void your warranty, but maybe not. If it works and you are satisfied, you've save money by not purchasing another smoker.
Broken Door Fix with Home Depot Hinges (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=13282.msg158865#msg158865)
Somewhere along the line it seems bradley started making their product out off cheap parts. From all the old timers here that have a unit older than two years old they never seem to have problems with theirs. I have made some wonderfull meals with mine but wonder each time I use it what is going to break next. OK things break and we live in a throw away world these days. Nothing lasts for ever right but these new units are breaking down right out of the starting gate. Bradley really needs to start looking at who is making these things and the quality of the parts they are using. Very sad when you replace parts only to have them break weeks later. The smoke generator problems with the micro switch is another one I went through. Good thing I can take things apart and put them back together but there are people out there that just can't turn a screw driver. Hope things work out for you because we new owners are all in the same boat.
sorry to hear of your problems, a with in 18 months of owning my bradlet the bottom plastic molding where the slider is broke and i never replaced it, just for the simple reason i had already did my heater mod and do not use the controls there. It is the only issue i have had with my bradley so far to date
Hi Guys & Girls,
Was looking to buy one of these 4 or 6 racks, but reading these bad reports should I buy a Bradley or wait for an update on the problems?
What do you all reckon please??
The cracking face plate of the OBS is due to the fact that the support feet for the front
of the Cabinet rest on the face plate. Knowing that going in is a good thing. There is a quick
no cost fix in the recipe site to that.
I broke my door hinge once and am almost sure it was when I hastily opened the door to put
a heavy brisket in and used a little too much force in swinging the door open.
Is there a "NEW" Bradley coming? I have no idea. I love my Bradley, period.
Was hoping someone was going to tell of a fix or update for some of the problems it seems to suffer? :)
Quote from: taviboi2011 on September 06, 2011, 12:22:02 PM
Was hoping someone was going to tell of a fix or update for some of the problems it seems to suffer? :)
Hey taviboi2011 all in all the bradley is a good unit for the price. I like mine even if I have had most of the problems that are out there. When I post about the problems I don't sugar coat the problems as I believe these problems can be resolved. It does bother me that some problems just keep coming back even after the great support you will get from Bradley and there is no argument about the support, is the best I have ever seen.
Hi Devo,
Thanks for the reply, not sure what the support is like here in the UK?
We have an importer here in UK, but can he give the same service you guys get in the USA, used to live there and sell Real Estate so I know all about the service you expect from a supplier.
Might just buy a smoker unit and build my own using a PID, will be over in November with an empty suitcase. 8)
Sure am sorry to hear about the problems you are having.
Bradley is a great back yard smoker. That said, many aspects of the product is made with plastic parts that will easily break so due care in handling the unit is a must.
I believe all of us can agree that improvements can be made, but many of those improvements would obviously drive up production costs. There are other great units out there, but if you do the research I think you will find that the Bradley is hard to beat for the money involved. As others on here have pointed out, you can make improvements to most of the Bradley problems.
Personally if I had the money to spare and smoked more than what I do I would go with a more solidly built expensive smoker but for what I do and the costs involved I plan to stick with the Bradley.
Dean I am very sorry to hear about your problems with your Bradley. I had the same issues with the door and front panel. Instead of replacing the front panel and door with more plastic parts under warranty I came up with a in-expensive fix to the problems. I actually used parts that I had lying around in my garage. Now I know not everyone can make mods to their smoker or do not want to and I understand that. Nor should you be required to. I am just one of those do it yourself guys and if I see a way to remedy the problem with a simple fix for a little bit of my money and time I will do it myself. My smoker is modified with a 900w element and a convection fan along with some other mods. And teamed up with a Auber dual probe PID I really cannot ask for more. I believe my Bradley is rock solid now and do not forsee anything going wrong with it because I fixed or changed the known problem parts.
My hope is that Bradley will take notice of the two issues and take actions to fix it as they did with the defective heating elements. Sending out more door panels or front panels under warranty that have the same problem will make for unhappy customers and turn away potential buyers. Don't get me wrong I love my Bradley. But when people pay hard earned money for a new smoker due to positive comments in this forum from fellow owners and then the door falls off or a element fails during your first few smokes... well there is no excuse for that :(
Well here is a link to my door mod/fix on my OBS. Maybe it will help you...
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=23463.msg281749#msg281749
And my fix for the front panel...
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=23353.msg280751#msg280751
The elements again are the fault of a supplier. Bradley corrected the problem as
soon as it arose. They now have a new supplier, but there were elements installed
in a lot of smokers already in stores that did and probably are going to fail. That
problem will weed itself out.
Personally, I don't think the door is a real issue if you don't treat it like the door
at the mini mart and you are on you way to buy a case of beer.
The crack face plate can be avoided by placing a block of wood past the front feet to
get them to not touch or installing the front feet redesign. ($2)
I am the only one that has even open or closed the door on my smoker. I can tell you it has not been abused. The first plastic bottom that came from the factory was busted in many pieces under the plastic after I got it off. I inspected the second one before I installed it and didn't see any cracking. I was shocked to see the crack in the new hinge because I knew for sure that it not seen any rough treatment and I great care when I installed it. I cant say for sure what happened to the original one before I got it, but I can tell you without hesitation that the replacement hinge kit has not ANY rough treatment.
I did not treat my OBS door rough at all either. The plastic is simply becoming brittle and cracking. There were no cracks or damage when I first received my unit from Amazon.com There is some type of problem with the plastic on the door and it is becoming more of a issue for other forum members. My door was close to falling off and I had no idea until a post from another member convinced me to take a closer look.
And I mention the elements because Bradley did recognize the problem and take corrective action. I was giving them kudos for acting on the problem promptly. I am not blaming Bradley for the elements because an outside supplier provided them with faulty elements.
I love my Bradley and this forum but I am not going to tell other forum members that there is not a problem when I had it happen to me. A crack in the front panel is one thing and mostly cosmetic unless water/grease gets into the electronics but having a door fall off your new smoker is not cosmetic.
Trust me I hear ya, I have voiced my concerns more than once on this forum. I have gone through 3 heater elemnts a door and the hinges/base plates so far. The last heater element was one of the "New Supplier" elements or at least I am assuming it was because the serial numbers matched, and it only had abt 12hrs of use on it. I just did my first 20hr smoke with the new element so I'm keeping my fingers crossed it holds out for a while.
I love using the smoker but as of right now it is the last Item I would recommend to a potential new buyer. Everyone talks about how great it is for the price but I don't consider 600$ a great deal for a steel box with plastic parts that aren't made to last
$600? I got my OBS for $245
Have they always had plastic hinges? I keep looking at my 2008 DBS and I cannot tell.
@ Gus,
Retail on new 6 rack digital smokers at Cabelas is 599.00 and BassPro is 550.00
Quote from: wthr_dude on September 08, 2011, 12:46:18 PM
@ Gus,
Retail on new 6 rack digital smokers at Cabelas is 599.00 and BassPro is 550.00
You shop at the wrong stores ;D ;D ;D
Amazon: 4 rack digital= $339; 6 rack =$459 free shipping also (I think)
WalMart: 4 rack digital = $380; 6 rack = $463 free shipping
Buying from a local family run business might be an option as well. I phoned a family run fish and bait place and told them everything I wanted (Digital Smoker, 4 extra racks, pucks, and cover) and asked them to put their best price together and asked what they could throw in. I got the $25 Bradley cookbook. I know, lol, not much but hey smaller (non-national companies) may not be able to give you a break on the price but sometimes you can barter for other items they may sell and it supports local family run businesses! ;D
Quote from: northof60girl on September 08, 2011, 03:23:34 PM
Buying from a local family run business might be an option as well. I phoned a family run fish and bait place and told them everything I wanted (Digital Smoker, 4 extra racks, pucks, and cover) and asked them to put their best price together and asked what they could throw in. I got the $25 Bradley cookbook. I know, lol, not much but hey smaller (non-national companies) may not be able to give you a break on the price but sometimes you can barter for other items they may sell and it supports local family run businesses! ;D
Be sure and get 3 bubba pucks, a stand alone digital thermometer like the Maverick et732, and you might as well get some frog mats. You can get these items at
http://yardandpool.com (http://yardandpool.com)
Then, when you hang around here long enough, you'll start reading about the other TOYS :). Then you'll get the itch and take the plunge. In the last 2 months I broke down and got a Auber PID dual probe, a Charbroil SRG, and a Traeger
Pellet Grill. 8) ;) :) :eek:
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- Mike.
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