Tips for leveling a WSM 18


 
H

Harry S

New member
I am in my first competition this weekend and the competition area is in a paved parking lot. The email I just got says to bring leveling boards to level the cookers to compensate for the slope in the parking lot.

I'm looking for tips / advice on the best things to use for leveling a WSM in order to level it and at the same time having the leveling mechanism be sturdy enough to minimize the risk of it falling over if it gets looked at the wrong way. :)

Unfortunately, it wasn't specific on how "unlevel" this parking lot area is...
 
Do you have wheels on your WSM? If so take them off and add a nut to the base of the wheels and reassemble. You can then use the nut at the base to raise the the leg or legs. Three points should be easy to level.
 
You should only need to level one leg. Position the WSM so two legs are at the same "elevation", then put something under the the third leg to raise it to the same level. I would probably take a 1 x 6 (which is 3/4 inch thick) and cut it into maybe eight 6x6 pieces. That would allow you to adjust anywhere from 3/4 inches to about 6 inches, in 3/4 inch increments. If you're concerned about stability, drill holes in diagonally opposite corners of each piece of wood, then take along two long bolts (with washers and nuts) to allow you to stack the necessary number of wood pieces, then connect them with the bolts so they can't slide apart. Finally, you might consider securing the WSM leg to the top piece of wood (if you're as paranoid as I sometimes am). A small, thin piece of plywood and a couple of wood screws would work.
 
Also grab a few wood shims, the taper allows you to fine tune the level of your smoker. As long as no one bumps into the smoker it should be stable.
 
Larry D. said:
You should only need to level one leg. Position the WSM so two legs are at the same "elevation", then put something under the the third leg to raise it to the same level. I would probably take a 1 x 6 (which is 3/4 inch thick) and cut it into maybe eight 6x6 pieces. That would allow you to adjust anywhere from 3/4 inches to about 6 inches, in 3/4 inch increments. If you're concerned about stability, drill holes in diagonally opposite corners of each piece of wood, then take along two long bolts (with washers and nuts) to allow you to stack the necessary number of wood pieces, then connect them with the bolts so they can't slide apart. Finally, you might consider securing the WSM leg to the top piece of wood (if you're as paranoid as I sometimes am). A small, thin piece of plywood and a couple of wood screws would work.
Click to expand...

Great ideas - I will look into this for sure


Jim Strickland said:
Do you have wheels on your WSM? If so take them off and add a nut to the base of the wheels and reassemble. You can then use the nut at the base to raise the the leg or legs. Three points should be easy to level.
Click to expand...

Nope, just the stock WSM with no wheel mods...
 
It's hard to say without seeing it, but most lots have a 1/4"- pitch per ft, which aint bad just like a patio or driveway.
If they have you set up on a ramp or storm drain inlet I would grab a 24" paver and shim that to level and set the WSM on that.

Tim
 
As timothy said, 1/4" per foot (2%) slope is common in a parking lot.
I don't think that they would bother mentioning that.....it is not severe slope.
So it must be more and has probably been a problem so they chose to mention it.

Also, as stated above, place two legs at the same elevation and adjust one leg.
I would be prone to use 3"x3" or 4"x4" square pieces of plywood.
Assorted 1/4" 1/2" 3/4" thick pieces.

If you know a carpenter that works on tilt-ups, he would be able to get you some assorted "tilt shims".
Then you would be the coolest kid there with your tilt shims.
 
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