Best value in a turkey fryer

[richbug]

I have a couple 55 gallon drums of sifted/big chunks of range lead/scrap to smelt. Who has the best, highest output burner? Strongest frame... a couple local ones I looked at didn't impress me any. I could just make a frame if I could find a good burner and valve.

I have a cheapie that came from amazon/ebay or somewhere years ago, but it never impressed me.

Any idea what a 55 gallon drum of sifted slugs weighs?

[jmort]

This is the best burner I know of

http://www.northernbrewer.com/blichmann-floor-burner

[rda72927]

This one looks light weight, buy has held up VERY well. I use a large cast 14" dutch oven to smelt with.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/king-kooker-12-tripod-propane-jet-burner?repChildCatid=27736

[richbug]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000291GBQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

$50, 185,000 btu, even if I have to add a wind shield, and build a new frame.

[Mk42gunner]

I think my turkey fryer is about 55,000 BTU. I welded a stout frame out of 1¼" angle iron for it after my daughter ran a pickup tire into the original one.

Weight? A five gallon bucket of WW goes anywhere from 85 to 125 pounds, depending on how full and how much junk/ steel/ zinc or trash is in the mix. You could easily have a ton of alloy; maybe less, probably more. Wish I had a barrel or two waiting on me.

Robert

[gwpercle]

Check Amazon for a Bayou Classic SP-1, High Pressure , Jet Cooker. The words high pressure and jet are the clue . This bad boy has a 185,000 btu rating, they go for about $42.00.
The cookers with a circular ring burner do not heat like the jet burner does.
We use the SP-1 to boil huge pots of water for a crawfish boil. A turkey fryer is a weenie burner.
Don't get the Bayou Classic SP-10 that's a 55,000 btu, made for frying turkeys.
Gary

[bajacoop]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JXYQY/ref=sxr_rr_xsim_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454349070&sr=0

I use this with a 14" dutch oven and it works pretty well. 200,000 btu and made to hold a 30 gallon pot. I regularly have 150 to 200 lbs of lead on it no problem.

[Idz]

Burner I use is a Harbor Freight weed burner. It can output 500,000 btu/hr and only cost about $15 on sale.

[bajacoop]

I use a weed burner torch in addition to the burner on the stand. makes short work of a couple hundred lbs. make about 550 lbs of ingots in 3 hours by myself the other night.

[Cord]

This is the one I use...it was on sale for $25.00
I didn't need a whole Turkey fryer, just a burner.

It easily supports a propane tank smelting pot with 125 or more pounds in it.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/outdoor-gourmet-deluxe-fryer-stand?repChildCatid=27742

[richbug]

Check Amazon for a Bayou Classic SP-1, High Pressure , Jet Cooker. The words high pressure and jet are the clue . This bad boy has a 185,000 btu rating, they go for about $42.00.
The cookers with a circular ring burner do not heat like the jet burner does.
We use the SP-1 to boil huge pots of water for a crawfish boil. A turkey fryer is a weenie burner.
Don't get the Bayou Classic SP-10 that's a 55,000 btu, made for frying turkeys.
Gary

Thanks, Just ordered it

Will see how it does.

[DerekP Houston]

I got the cheapest one Home Depot carried at the time, Bayou something or other iirc. If you have some smaller pieces in the bottom of the pot it will help a lot getting the melt started. Haven't done over 75lbs at a time but it works fine for me.

EDIT: The picture Cord posted looks like the one I have, hell maybe it was Academy I went to :D. Works like a champ!

[gwpercle]

Thanks, Just ordered it

Will see how it does.
You welcome...that's a good burner for the money, I use one and have no complaints. And you can always have a crawfish boil when your not melting lead!
Gary

[Chris C]

(Just don't cook'em in the same pot!) :kidding:

[gwpercle]

richbug,
When you get the SP-1 , follow the instructions for tank set-up and lighting as shown.
Not doing it the way shown only gets a small flame, not reading and following directions made us think something was wrong with the 4 burners we were using for crawfish boils. The problem was US ....we were not turning the valves on in the correct order and not getting the jet of flame ! We good at beer drinking , not so reading directions.
Read and follow the directions, and be careful of pots, that jet burner will burn a hole in an aluminum pot , unless it's filled with water, seasonings , crawfish, corn, potatoes and sausage !
Gary

[richbug]

INSTRUCTIONS????? what is instructions?

No problem on aluminum pots, I don't/won't own any.

[rmark]

'water, seasonings , crawfish, corn, potatoes and sausage'

And now I'm hungry.

[Springfield]

I use one rated at 55,000 btu's and it melts a 175 lb pot of lead with no problem, and it can keep enough lead melting to keep my 60 lbs of ingot moulds filled as fast as I can fill them, and dump them. Any more would seem to be a waste of gas. . As long as you have a high pressure valve you should be good to go.

[gwpercle]

A 55,000 btu burner is enough, but if you want to smelt big time the 185,000 SP-1 is just the ticket. And you can always turn it down if you don't need full force.
It's like owning a car with 400 hp , you can get around with 150 hp , my first VW beetle had a whopping 60 hp , but man bigger is better when you need it.
Gary

[jmort]

I went for the 210,000 BTU unit. Bigger, stronger and more powerful. Holds 250 lbs plus. So I guess I got the 700 hp car. $83 delivered.










Bayou Classic KAB4 High Pressure Banjo CookerThis powerful, high-pressure outdoor propane stove features a 10-inch cast-iron burner that emits a minimum 210,000 BTUs, making it one of Bayou Classic's hottest stoves. As a result, large pots of water heat very quickly. In fact, the 17-inch spread on the grill arms holds pots up to a whopping 120 quarts in size. Designed with a height of only 9-3/4 inches for safety, the one-piece welded steel stove is very stable and eminently portable.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NC5Ecxk0L._SL1200_.jpg

[richbug]

My truck is 385 hp, So I guess I picked the right burner. It came today but with 45 mph winds I decided to wait till tomorrow to try it out(supposed to be a high of 30, but with 185,000 btus, who cares).

[kidmma]

a 5 gal pale weights between 75-100Lbs. a 55 gal drum could be around 4000lbs if it's full.. ;-)

[richbug]

It looks like this stuff will yield 15-20# of ingots per gallon. I ran one batch to see how it went. Made 50# of ingots in under 30 minutes from a cold pot. Very happy with the burner for the $45.

[44magLeo]

If a 5 gallon bucket weighs 100 lbs. 1 gallon will weigh 20 lbs.
So 55 gallons weighs 1100 lbs. as in 20 lbs. x 55 gallons = 1100 lbs.
Or you can divide 55 by 5 and come up with 11. 11 x 100 = 1100 lbs. That's a bit over 1/2 ton.
The only way a 55 gallon drum can hold 4000lbs is if 1 gallon weighed 72.72 lbs. that would make a 5 gallon bucket weigh 363.6 lbs.
Leo