Lawn & Garden – TOOLANDPROJECT.COM

The Grilla Grills Chimp may just be the ultimate tailgate accessory. This portable pellet smoker/grill is everything you want in a pellet smoker in miniature. If you are tight on space, or simply want a smoker you can take camping or tailgating, you will want to learn more about the Grilla Chimp. Speaking of camping, can you imagine the smell of ribs smoking at your campsite! Let’s take a closer look at the Chimp.

So if you are reading this, you are obviously interested in a smaller smoker pellet grill. So here are the dimensions. One thing I like to point out is the weight. At first glance, 90 lbs may seem heavy especially compared to other small smokers and grills. The weight is a testament to the quality construction of the Grilla Chimp. It’s not just stamped out of sheet metal, it is well built.

Dimensions & Weight (Folded)

Height: 24 in.
Width: 37 in.
Depth: 20 in.
Weight: 90 lbs

Dimensions & Weight (Extended)

Height: 41 in.
Width: 38 in.
Depth: 20 in.
Weight: 90 lbs

Grilla Grill Chimp

The cooking area is split into an upper and lower rack for a total of 460 square inches. That breaks down to dimensions of 22″x15.5″ on the main rack and 22″x5.5″. The top grate is removable if you have a larger piece meat. As for cooking temperatures, you have a cooking range of 185 degrees to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The pellet hopper will hold 15 pounds of pellets so you have plenty of run time. For instance if you are set at 250 degrees, you are looking at a range of 10-15 hours.

So yes, this is a pellet smoker/grill and so like others, you load the pellets and set your temp and the unit will feed the pellets. The Chimp features the Grilla Grills Alpha Connect WiFi Controller that functions through an app on your phone. That means you can get it set up and running and go about your business. One of the biggest challenges in smoking is maintaining temperature, running back to the smoker and checking in. Especially is this a hassle in windy or cold conditions. With the WiFi controller, you can do that from your phone. The grates are stainless steel, no corrosion or pitting of painted or chromed grates. The fire pot is also stainless steel as well for much longer life. The double wall construction helps maintain steady temps during smoking, a real plus. The unit comes with a probe for you meat so you can monitor that at the same time. Safety features shut down the grill if it drops below 150 degrees for an extended time or if the temp goes past 615 degrees. If either should occur, an error message will be displayed.

Yes, the unit does require 110V to operate. So can it truly be portable? Well, yes if you do it right. If you are camping or tailgating without power, consider a power station. Grilla Grills offer a power station that can run the Grilla Grill Chimp for over 10 hours! There are many power supplies on the market to choose from that will work as well. Other options include an inverter that you can power from you 12V car battery. So yes, this unit can truly function of the grid.

If you are looking for a portable, quality pellet smoker or grill that does justice to your meats, I think the Grilla Grill Chimp deserves you consideration. This is a truly portable unit. Heavier yes but quality sometimes weighs just a little bit more. The Chimp is equally at home on your deck, in your driveway or even camping. Adding a power source allows operation completely off the grid! We’ve uploaded the manual for the Grilla Grill Chimp below so you can take a more in depth look simple assembly and operation of the unit. Simply click on the manual below to view.

If you are looking for a truly useful piece for your patio this summer, checkout some of the top rated patio coolers available on Amazon. While something as simple as a bucket with ice can keep refreshments cool for you and your guests, you will want to take a look at some of the patio coolers available, they are very cool (pun intended). I will show you the one we decided on later in the post.

You will find many of the patio coolers available have a certain vintage look to them. These are my favorite. They are available in a variety of colors and most are raised up and have casters for moving around. It looks like many of the coolers have come off the same drawing board and according to the reviews; most are of fairly nice quality. Most have a bottle opener on the side with a catch box for the caps. Look for one with locking casters if you can to keep them in place on the patio if you have a little bit of a wind. You will also find some need branded units available. There are some very nice Coca Cola patio coolers with a true vintage look, almost like an old time soda pop machine. You will also find them branded in popular beer brands as well.

So what do you look for when you are shopping for a patio cooler? It really comes down to your style as well as your space requirements. There looks to be several types of patio coolers. First the retro look that has a couple of lids that fold open and that are raised up on legs with wheels. Most have handles, a bottle opener, cap catcher, and a drain which is nice to have. You will also find a variety of rustic patio coolers made of wood and other materials if that fits your décor. There are a lot of people who buy a standard cooler and then build around it to create their own design. You will also find some branded units like the Coca Cola ones mentioned earlier and a fair amount of smaller ice chests with different beer logos that offer a vintage look. If you want something with a more modern look, you will find them along with some whimsical units as well.

We opted for the Permasteel 80-Quart Patio Cooler in white and we are very pleased with it. It seems well built and was very easy to assemble. It held plenty of drinks for our last get together. It’s easy enough to maneuver, and when empty it is light enough that we can store for the winter. I am going to have our name made in a vintage font at Sticker Mule to give it a unique personalized look. I have used them before for some projects and have very satisfied.

If you shop on line at Amazon, you will have plenty of patio coolers to choose from. It’s really just a matter of picking the looks style and capacity you like. Most all of the reviews across the board are high for all of them. You may want to consider a cover especially if you plane to keep the unit outside year round. You will find the addition of a cooler to you patio a very good investment for entertaining.

Here is a review of the HITBOX UW-AT2000J arc welder. Is this tiny little inexpensive stick welder worth having? For many this HITBOX is just what the doctor ordered. Let’s take a look at some of the key features of the unit and see if the UW-AT200J it is a tool you should make a little room for in your shop.

Speaking of making a little room: the first thing that struck me about this particular welder is how small it is. I am not a big welder, I actually don’t care to weld but when you need to weld, you need to weld! Growing up my dad’s stick welder was the size of a mini fridge. The HITBOX UW-AT2000J is the more like the size of a small lunch cooler. It has a foot print of about 4.5” x 9” and is about 17” tall. Weight comes in at under 7 pounds. So yes it is a small welder but can it really weld? First, check out some basic features of the welder.

The HITBOX UW-AT2000J is dual voltage, 110V/220V. It does a nice job with both 7018 and 6013 welding rods. I remember my first welding experience trying to strike an arc. I really struggled. This little welder is designed with the beginner in mind as it is easy to strike your arc and the stable voltage and hot start feature aids with that as well. It’s a safe little unit featuring overload and overcurrent protection.

So what market is the HITBOX UW-AT2000J welder going after? Well it’s not an all day long industrial welder. That is a totally different market. In my opinion this little welder has a home in many shops. If you are just starting out doing some metal craft work, this welder is a great way to start. If you are new welder, it will be some time before your skills will outperform the welder. Basic repair is another reason why you may like this little HITBOX welder. For instance, let’s say you break a bracket on your lawnmower deck. To hire an onsite welder won’t be cheap. The cost will likely be more than the welder! You may have a buddy who has a welder. So now you take your deck off, load it in your trunk, drive it over to your buddies, have him weld it up, put it back in your trunk, drive home and bolt it back on. Welding in place in this instance is obviously a better option. Use it once or twice and this welder will have paid for itself.

Don’t forget when you buy your welder to buy a good helmet. Do yourself a favor and make sure you get a auto-darkening helmet. You may find an old style helmet laying around but an auto-darkening helmet is the way to go and there really are some inexpensive ones out there that will get the job done.

I only smoke meats 5 or 6 times a year. I started with a very inexpensive Brinkman charcoal smoker that really did the job for me at the time. However, I wanted longer smoke times without having to change the charcoal out. Eventually after a few years I purchased a Masterbuilt propane smoker which did a real nice job and had more room. One thing I was always struggling with was temperature control. It seemed hard to maintain the ideal temp through the smoke. Still it did a nice job and I was really able to smoke some awesome ribs and steaks. Now I am on my third smoker, a Masterbuilt Thermo Temp XL propane smoker with a thermostat that my wife bought for me. So I thought I would share my thought on the unit. I am not going to go into how fast I got it, how assembly went etc. I am going to tell you what I like about the smoker and what it does well. Here is my review after almost 2 years with the smoker.

The main reason I bought the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp was the thermostat. I know you can get a thermostat on an electric smoker but I wanted propane. I think propane gives a better bark than electric. There are smaller versions of the Thermo Temp, I went with the XL. I am glad I did. Just this last weekend we had some guests over and I was able to fit 6 full racks of ribs and a pork shoulder in at once. I read a little trick to get the temp dialed in on the smoker. Bring the temp up higher than you want and then bring it back down to where you would like. You can use the dial to adjust the temperature but I really didn’t rely on it but it was a good reference and starting point. Once the door is shut you may have to spend a little time monitoring the temperature and fine tuning but once you get it set, it really holds pretty close. I used an external thermometer with an app on my phone to keep an eye on it. I got it set at 225 degrees and it really held within a few degrees most of the smoke. When I opened the door to add wood or add water to the pan, I would have to spend a little time dialing the temp back in but then I was good to go. The smoker lit and stayed lit no problem. We had a little rain come through and the temp stayed right on.

I only have a couple of things that I would change. The pan that holds the wood chips is really clever. It is mounted with a bracket to the lower door so when you open it the pan swings out which makes it very easy to add wood chips. I just think it is too small for my taste. I actually took it off and placed a small pan on the cover over the flame and loaded my chips there. Not as convenient but I wanted to be able to place more wood in the smoker. The second thing that I didn’t like and it’s not just unique to the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp Smoker is the water tray. In particular, it doesn’t slide out that smooth to add more water. I have it happen on this smoker and others when I slide the tray out to top off the water it catches and splashes water on the fire and the grease and it can flare up. Again neither of these things is a big deal but something I noted. I have heard others adding gaskets around the doors for a tighter seal, I just don’t think that is an issue, the smoke is going to vent out though the vent and some may slip out the doors but the smoke needs to keep moving.

I would recommend the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp. I think it is a good value and for me solved one of my biggest issues with smoking meat. With the thermostat control, I was even able to take a little nap during my last smoke!

My back hurts but the weeds keep growing. The solution, a stand up weed puller. As we age any tool that can help us accomplish a task without getting down on our hands and knees quickly becomes a must have tool. While a hoe or small shovel may do the job there are times when a stand up weed puller is the right tool for the job. There are a couple that are top sellers by a large margin compared with the rest of what is being offered. Let’s take a look at the top 2.

This is a real “old timey” stand up weed puller. The design has been around since the early 1900’s and it really looks to fit the era. It really looks like something would find in your grandpa’s garden shed. The tool has a bamboo handle and the metal portions of the tool are powder coated. It’s simple to use, just position over the weed and step on the metal bar to force into to the ground and then lean the pole over using the metal arm that sticks out as a fulcrum. I applaud the use of bamboo on the handle. I am sure that the original stand up weed puller had a hickory handle but bamboo is an excellent choice for the tool. There is some interesting information on Grandpa’s weeder on Amazon. You will find nice overview of the company and how the product was reintroduced to the market as well as a video.

Fiskars has long been a name associated with well-made quality products. Their stand up weeder is very similar in design to Grandpa’s Weeder with more of a modern look and feel. The material is mostly durable high quality plastic and the claws are made of stainless steel. As for functionality, the operation is the same. Step on the foot platform or pedal to force the claws into the ground and then lean the tool over the foot platform to lift the weed out of the sod. Like the Grandpa’s tool above, both have good reviews. I did note a few complaining of the handle breaking on the Fiskars tool but both tools had very ratings, both about 4.5 stars.

Which Stand Up Weeder To Buy

I have to admit, I prefer the Grandpa’s Stand Up Weeder to the Fiskars version of the tool. I think the bamboo handle will hold up better over time and if the handle did break, I could replace it easy enough. I have to admit, I like the look of the Grandpa’s unit. It just reminds me of a simpler time when tools were created to solve a problem not necessarily to make money. I think both tools would do a good job for you. Keep in mind, your soil conditions can play a part in how either one of these weed pullers will work. Softer moist soil will make either one of these tools much more affective. Clay and hard rocky soil may present a challenge

There can be nothing more startling as when your riding mower backfires. My worry always turns to “great how much is this going to cost me to fix”. There are a bunch of reasons why your riding lawn mower may backfire. In my case, the mower was backfiring when I shut it off. You will find a bunch of different possibilities why this happens, but you will want to try this first as it is simply a matter of changing what you do before you shut down the mower.

Try this little trick before you spend any money trying different gas, re-gapping your spark plug or messing around with adjusting your valves or changing your carb mixture. Before you turn off your riding mower, throttle down to idle for about 30 seconds or so. This simple little trick may just solve your backfire problem. I can’t take credit for this little bit of information. I have a family friend who can fix just about anything. He is always busy rebuilding and repairing small engines and he gave me that simple little trick. Just on a side note, one other little trick he gave me was to always add Sta-Bil to my gas can. Those two little tricks have made my life so much easier when it come so my lawn mowers!

So why will throttling down your riding mower before you shut it done help with back fires? When you turn the key off on your riding mower, the spark plug stops immediately but inertia may keep the motor spinning just a bit. This will suck more fuel into the cylinder and the send the unspent fuel into the exhaust which is hot and ignites the fuel. Throttle down before shut off does reduces not only the fuel pulled in but the spin of the motor. Both will reduce the instance of backfire.

So there you have it. I am not saying this little trick will work for every issue but it is easy to try and it costs you nothing to try.