Traeger Grills Ranger Grill TBT18KLD Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker Black & Grills BAC475 Scout and Ranger Grill Cover, Black review and price compare 2025
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Product overview
| Brand | Traeger |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Color | Black |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 20 x 21 x 13 inches |
product features
- by entering your model number.
- Product 1: Digital Arc Controller
- Product 1: Advanced Grilling Logic
- Product 1: Keep Warm Mode
- Product 1: Meat Probe
- Product 2: Water resistant
- Product 2: Heavy-duty, all-weather material
- Product 2: Side storage pocket
- Product 2: Fits Scout and Ranger grill models
This fits your .
product description
Style:Grill & Smoker + Cover
Traeger Grills Ranger Grill TBT18KLD Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker Black
Big wood-fired flavor in a portable package. Built for the road, the Ranger features a baffled lid design as well as lid latches for durability and safe transport. It also includes the new Digital Arc Controller, giving you precise, consistent temperatures and a Keep Warm Mode that makes sure your food is ready to eat whenever you need it to be. Pack up the Ranger to cook a Traeger feast no matter where adventure takes you.
Traeger Grills BAC475 Scout and Ranger Grill Cover, Black
Traeger Grills BAC475 Scout and Ranger Grill Cover, Black
product details
important information
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Questions about Traeger Grills Ranger Grill TBT18KLD Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker Black & Grills BAC475 Scout and Ranger Grill Cover, Black
Q:
Does it come with the flat top as well as the griddle?
Answer: It comes with porcelain grill grates, and a cast iron griddle.
Q:
What is the difference between the Ranger and Scout smokers by Trager?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: I can't provide a complete answer, but the arc controller is a primary difference. The Scout can only be temperature controlled to a tolerance of 25ºF, while the Ranger has a tolerance of 5ºF. The Scout has an analog dial, the Ranger has a digital controller.
Answer: And twice the hopper
Q:
Does this come with a griddle?
Answer: Yes comes with griddle
Q:
Does this smoker have the ability to sear?
Answer: 400 is not searing
Answer: Yes, temperature goes up to 400 degrees
Answer: Yes, with the temperature set on high.
Q:
Can you use or plug into a boat?
Answer: If you have an inverter
Q:
does it come with a cast iron grill plate ?
Answer: Yes
Q:
Is a griddle included as the advertisement says?
Answer: Yes
Q:
i have a 400 watt inverter in my truck. it that larger enough to efficiently run the ranger. also does the ranger come with a griddle? thx
Answer: Yes, a 400 watt inverter would work to power your Ranger and it does come with a griddle.
Q:
Can grill be stored outside in the winter?
Answer: Hey thanks for taking the time to reach out here. Regarding the grill being stored outside during the winter there is no problem with that. One thing I will caution is that if left outside in cold temperature's it can take longer for the grill to ignite as it's starting off at a lower temp. If you have any further questions or concerns dont hesitate to reach out to us at 1-800-872-3437
Answer: I’m really not certain. We have a camper and only take it out when in use. It’s an excellent grill, my husband loves it but it’s not too big. It’s ideal for a meal for 2-3 people. Good luck.
Answer: I think so but I would not recommend it. Mine is stored in the garage.
Answer: It could be. The lid latches and the powder coat seems hearty enough. It is pretty small though and would take up very little space in a basement/attic/garage. I keep it on top of a refrigerator in my garage. That space wasn't being used anyway.
Answer: Yes. Buy the Traeger Ranger cover to weatherize it and you should be good.
Answer: I don't see why not. Ours is under a covered patio. We also bought a cover for it.
Answer: I live in FL so my answer of yes will most likely not be helpful.
Answer: Yes
Q:
does this come with the cast iron griddle that is noted on the Traeger website?
Answer: Yes it does
Q:
Is a temperature gauge or thermometer included for the Traeger Ranger?
Answer: The Ranger does come with a built-in meat probe that allows you to monitor your food internal temperature without lifting the lid.
Q:
Does anyone have a table recommendation to place the grill on?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: I am looking for a table as well and would like a recommendation
Answer: We have had really good luck with this one:
Q:
is this 120V AC?
Answer: Product dimensions – 20" D x 21" W x 13" H | Cooking area – 184 square inches. | Product weight – 60 lbs. | Pellet hopper capacity – 8 lbs. | Max temperature – 450ᵒ | Voltage – 120V
Answer: This operates on AC only. But I have used spare battery with portable inverter and it works great for dry camping. Paul
Answer: yes standard outlet
Q:
Does this Ranger Grill have a griddle inside?
Answer: Yes comes with griddle
Answer: Yes, special one that allows grease to funnel out to grease trap
Q:
Where can I find the proper size Bucket Liners?
Answer: I have a Traeger 'Tailgate' which I think is very similar to the Ranger. I used foil pan cover sold at Sam's for the liner. They are a perfect fit. You can buy a stack of just the foil lids at a very reasonable price.
Answer: You can also use heavy duty aluminum foil. Much cheaper too.
Answer: Amazone
Q:
Can this operate on 12v?
Answer: Traegers will need 120V to operate.
Answer: Product dimensions – 20" D x 21" W x 13" H | Cooking area – 184 square inches. | Product weight – 60 lbs. | Pellet hopper capacity – 8 lbs. | Max temperature – 450ᵒ | Voltage – 120V
Answer: No
Q:
When I read the word Smoker, I think of a long time ... can this bbq be used to cook food on the fly?
Answer: Yes, in fact I use it more that way than I do as a smoker. I use it on my boat where I always want to avoid open flames but want more than an electric stovetop, so I rarely use the smoke setting and just set the temp high and cook.
Answer: Yes it heats up to temp very quickly.
Q:
what's the minimum temperature ?
Answer: The holding temperature is 165
Q:
I am planning to ship this to germany, may i learned the measurement of the box? so i can find out the international shipping cost. thank you
Answer: We do not have the box any longer. It was packed very well so I would add a few inches on the width and the length.
Q:
Does this Ranger Grill have a griddle inside?
Answer: Yes comes with griddle
Answer: Yes, special one that allows grease to funnel out to grease trap
Q:
What are the outside dimensions of the Scout and Ranger
Answer: Product dimensions – 20" D x 21" W x 13" H | Cooking area – 184 square inches. | Product weight – 60 lbs. | Pellet hopper capacity – 8 lbs. | Max temperature – 450ᵒ | Voltage – 120V
Answer: Unknown at this moment I’m not near it
Q:
What is the temperature range
Answer: The Rangers temperature ranges from smoke to 450°.
Answer: Low temp is 165 (on start-up) I've not used it higher than 450 degrees. Grill maintains temps well IF you keep the lid closed.
Q:
Does it come with the grease catch pocket?
Answer: Yes it does come with a grease catching pocket
Answer: Yes. It comes with a grease catch bucket.
Answer: Yes it has a drip tray with a catch bucket that hangs on the back
Answer: Yes you hang the bucket off the back that’s where it comes out
Answer: Yes. A small bucket hangs in the back.
Q:
How smoky is this? Can I use it on a condo balcony (I know about fire regs etc)
Answer: The kind of smoke that this grill produces is not your typical white clouds but more of a blue shimmer so you will be able to use it on a condo balcony if your building's fire regulations allow it.
Answer: Maybe...if you had a fan available to send smoke away from the building it could work. There is a lot of smoke as you open the lid as it builds nicely inside. Smoke escapes as it cooks. I used it on my son's patio with no complaints from neighbors.
Q:
How many watts/ amps? I’m wondering if I’d be able to use this plugged into my travel trailer?
Answer: I’m not sure, but I use mine exclusively plugged into an outside outlet of my 30 amp class C and have never had a problem.
Answer: OT will run on a standard 15 amp household circuit.
Q:
What are the dimension of the cooking area of the grill. Not the total dimensions of the whole unit?
Answer: The actual cooking area is limited by the drip tray not the grill. Anything larger than the drip tray area will drip down below and likely start a grease fire and worse get into your hopper. I would not cook anything larger than 10X13X5. Be safe! I read on the traeger forum these models were recalled early on for this issue and they redesigned the drip tray. Even after the redesign if you cook anything bigger than the drip tray you're asking for trouble. Do NOT "set it and forget it". Keep your unit clean and grease free.
Answer: Product dimensions – 20" D x 21" W x 13" H | Cooking area – 184 square inches. | Product weight – 60 lbs. | Pellet hopper capacity – 8 lbs. | Max temperature – 450ᵒ | Voltage – 120V
Answer: The dimensions of the useable cooking area are: 12” W x 16” L x 5” H.
Answer: 16" X 11"
Q:
Can i use wood chips instead of pellets
Answer: We would not recommend using wood chips in Scouts or any other Traeger. Hardwood pellets are much safer to use, give a cleaner smoke flavor to your food, and burns at a slower rate. Wood chips can cause inconsistent temperature due to the various sizes and higher moisture content.
Answer: No. This grill is specifically designed for food grade wood pellets.
Answer: No. It is specifically made for pellets only.
Answer: No, and they have to be cooking pellets not heating pellets.
Answer: I don’t think so. I think wood chips would clog the auger.
Answer: No. Wood chips would jam the augur that feeds the firepot.
Answer: No.... "pellet grill"
Q:
Is this 120v only? it is it 120v/240v like the pro 575 or 780?
Answer: Product dimensions – 20" D x 21" W x 13" H | Cooking area – 184 square inches. | Product weight – 60 lbs. | Pellet hopper capacity – 8 lbs. | Max temperature – 450ᵒ | Voltage – 120V
Answer: The Ranger Grill runs off a standard 110 Volt outlet.
Answer: 1`20v only
Q:
Does this grill include a 12V inverter to allow it to be powered from a vehicle while camping?
Answer: No, must purchase separately.
Q:
Is there a stand for the Traeger Ranger?
Answer: Unfortunately we do not offer a stand
Answer: I am not aware of one, but I bought this nice little portable table that has worked great so far:
Answer: Not that I know of, I got the Royal Gourmet 2 tier cart and it works.
Q:
What voltage does it take
Answer: 120 volts
Q:
Can I sit this on a plastic folding table?
Answer: You shouldn't have any issues with using the grill on a plastic folding table but to air on the side of caution, we wouldn't recommend it.
Answer: I have mine on a wooden table and there has been no problem.
Answer: Yes, it may make it smoky, stain a bit
Q:
Where is this made
Answer: The box it comes in says it is made in China.
Answer: Oregon
Q:
i just bought the traeger grills ranger grill tbt18kld. i want to add a rack in it. which one will fit?
Answer: I don’t think you can add a rack
Q:
What is the difference between model #tbt18kld here and the ranger pellet grill and smoker in black model # tft18kld treager has on their website?
Answer: This one has the temperature control to stay at the temperature that you want and it holds 8 lb. of pellets instead of 4
Q:
Can this boil water?
Answer: Traeger's work similar to a convection oven. The water will boil once it has reached over 200F.
Answer: Never tried to boil water. It does go up to 400 degrees though.
Answer: Sure can..... I have used it just like a stovetop before. A cast iron pan on it to fry some veggies, salmon, etc. Works great.
Answer: Yes with the correct size pot.
Answer: I would think so, but I’ve never tried it.
Q:
Can you use the grill without the pellets?
Answer: No, the pellets are required for fueling the grill.
Answer: I can say that this was the best thing I have gotten as for a BBQ. I take it everywhere. You must use the required pellets for the BBQ.
Answer: No, it needs the pellets
Answer: No you cannot as that is how it gets the heat. It's a smoker grill.
Answer: No
Answer: No
Q:
Can you use this without electricity?
Answer: No
Q:
I'm thinking of mounting this on the back bumper of my rv. there is already a swing out arm with a gas grill that i'll replace. has anyone done this?
Answer: Not to my knowledge
Q:
is the smoking surface large enough to accommodate a whole rack of spareribs?
Answer: The dimensions of the useable cooking area are: 12” W x 16” L x 5” H. As other users have said, that won't accommodate a full rack without cutting.
Answer: Yes. You need to cut the rack in half and cook the two halves side by side. (The same holds true for baby back ribs). That also leaves you a few inches of cook space for other items.
Answer: yes, if you cut the rack in half and its an average size rack.
Answer: No; you’ll need to divide that rack into 3 bone chunks to fit and then it still might not be enough depending on he rack
Q:
Are there drip liners available for the Ranger?
Answer: Yes..... you have to search for the Mini-grease catcher for Rangers
Q:
How do you use this grill without an outlet?
Answer: You will need a 115V inverter and a 12v battery. Traeger sells one or you can search online. It’s a very inexpensive device that will allow your Traeger grill to operate on your vehicle’s battery. I
Answer: Electricity is required to run the grill, whether by your normal power outlet or other means such as a power inverter for automobile batteries.
Answer: You don't. Pellet grills all need power to operate. If you aren't near an outlet you will need a generator or an inverter for your car to operate the grill.
Answer: This is an electric grill. It requires an electrical outlet wherever you go. It can also work from your vehicle as long as you have the right stuff for a three prong outlet to serve this device. Just check your vehicle owners Manuel or google. You can buy the right hookups. It needs electricity to work.
Answer: Your do not. It has to have an outlet
Answer: cannot be used without an outlet...sorry
Answer: DO NOT USE THIS GRILL WITHOUT PLUGGING IT IN. IT WILL NOT WORK
Answer: By using a generator to supply the electricity.
Answer: You can't. It requires electricity
Q:
What is the current draw? amps/watts
Answer: The Scout and Ranger should pull about 250W during ignition, It will drop slightly lower after the igniter turns off.
Q:
These are 300 on other sites why are you charging double here?
Answer: This is America, SHOP AROUND
Q:
Que Voltaje Tiene y El consumo en wattios?
Q:
What is power consumption
Answer: Not sure
Q:
Hello traeger manufacturing...is the tbt18kld a true smoker? will it consistently hold at temperatures low enough to smoke a pork butt?
Answer: The Ranger not only can smoke, but it can grill and bake too. For smoking, the temperature can be adjusted between 165F-225F.
Answer: Absolutely. It's remarkably stable, even in low temps. I've smoked pork butt for 9 hours with external temps below freezing, and it came out beautifully. It's not big enough for a full-size pork butt, though. 5lbs is about the limit.
Q:
Do the pellets say in the hopper when you pick it up by the handle? Or do you need to keep it upright?
Answer: Yes
Q:
Do you have to lift the main lid (dispersing the smoke) to fill the pellets?
Answer: Yes the pellet hopper is inside but it holds quite a bit of pellets and the handle and the door do not get hot at all. A full hopper lasts a quite while especially at lower temps for smoking.
Answer: Yes, the pellet box is inside the grill. The grill is small and heats up quickly, so really not an issue. For what you would normally cook on this grill, should'nt need to refill the pellets during a cook.
Answer: Yes; but that would be a rarity since the pellet hopper holds enough pellets to smoke for at least 7 hours
Answer: Yes you do
Answer: Yes
Q:
funciona con 220 vl ?para la corriente
Answer: yes
Product reviews of Traeger Grills Ranger Grill TBT18KLD Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker Black & Grills BAC475 Scout and Ranger Grill Cover, Black
Jeffrey P Winn : Great product
Have the Traeger at home. Had to get another for camping/tailgating. This one is perfect. I used it this past weekend at a Hockey Tourney Tailgate party. Burgers, dogs, London Broils all came out perfect and a hint of smoke. Best part was using it as an oven to reheat Ribs and Pulled Pork i smoke the day prior (On its’ big brother the 780).
Teresa Solomon : Great For RVing
We LOVE our Treager. We are Fulltimers in our RV and being portable works well. We were a little worried about the weight, but it has not been a big deal.
RROverlander : This is even better than you can imagine!
Simplicity, Function, Portability, Flexibility, Control.... Can’t say enough about this pellet grill... If you want a small pellet grill that has quality control consistency and huge flexibility for a small “relatively portable size” don’t hesitate. Read and follow the instructions!! We bought the tray and grease catch liners, and the cover!!! This is an Overlanders dream grill/griddle!!! We have cooked breakfasts, ribs, brats and the 4 lb brisket in Photo (Traeger Midnight Brisket) 10 hrs mixed Oak /Pecan pellets.
Careful to have good venting on the back side away from anything where you set it. It really will slow smoke excellent at 180-185. Use the meat probe!!!
While it has some heft to it it’s really the only challenge when securing on our Jeeps roof rack. With care it can be easily done! In a lower RV compartment it would be a Grillers Dream!!! I can’t imagine smelling that grill inside my vehicle!
Keep your unit interior free of any grease or ash and keep the unit scrubbed clean and remove unused pellets it will be easier and less headache to transport and clean. The rubber feet will fall off so either use some adhesive, wire, etc. so you don’t loose them in transport!
Careful to have good venting on the back side away from anything where you set it. It really will slow smoke excellent at 180-185. Use the meat probe!!!
While it has some heft to it it’s really the only challenge when securing on our Jeeps roof rack. With care it can be easily done! In a lower RV compartment it would be a Grillers Dream!!! I can’t imagine smelling that grill inside my vehicle!
Keep your unit interior free of any grease or ash and keep the unit scrubbed clean and remove unused pellets it will be easier and less headache to transport and clean. The rubber feet will fall off so either use some adhesive, wire, etc. so you don’t loose them in transport!
Alex : Great little smoker
My husband loves his Ranger. He has a full size Traeger and bought this one for our camper. However, he loves this one so much, he has it sitting out next to his full size so he can use both!
Bob : More Info You Need before deciding. From 5 stars to 1. They can't fix it.
Initial Impressions: I would not recommend this as a beginner's unit. This is made for travel. They are expensive and if you are interested in learning and doing a lot of smoking, go with wood burners (IMHO) for that classic smoke flavor. These are not exactly BBQ grills nor are they likely good for competition grilling/smoking. These are ovens with a fan (convection) that can give you pretty good smoke flavors using pellets that need to be about 70% oak and 30% flavored wood (soaked in flavored oils I guess) so that the burn is cleaner with little ash left on your food. You are told to use Traeger for this reason, and I will. They claim other cheaper brands may have bark or not enough oak (for clean burn) and I don't see a big enough difference in price to argue about it. You want the thin blue smoke, not white puffs, so burn what they tell you to burn is my thought.
These are made for travel and will be great for tailgate for four at the most, or camping/RV at the park. When determining where you will set this unit, remember that you need 12" spacing all around it and at least 40" above it. Smoke will stain your bricks, eaves, and soffits, etc. not to mention the occasional grease fire. Also the grill can heat up to 450 (or a little more) so I'm not going to "set it and forget it" with kids around and I will at least be watching it on wifi camera.
Information I could not find anywhere: After the feet are installed, the footprint measured from outside of legs (not the unit dimensions) is 12 5/8" depth X 16 1/4" width, so you will ne a 13" X 17" (minimum) table top/surface capable of holding a possible 100 lbs and heat resistant (there is a report of it melting a plastic floding table in a review I saw). Tailgates and park picnic tables are fine as long as they are level and do not disrupt the grease flow to the back of the unit into the bucket.
I saw a review that claimed the griddle was 12 lbs. Its not. Its 8.5. If you add the grease tray, grill, and bucket it likely is about 12 lbs. If you have the hopper full that will add more weight (about 10 lbs). So, if you have to carry it by yourself for a distance, empty it all out and it will likely weigh around 47 lbs. That's still fairly heavy - use your legs when lifting.
Useable grill surface is anything under 10" W X 13" D X 5" H and must be positioned carefully over the grease plate to avoid the grease fire. So again, any hunk of meat less than your grease tray and not touching the lid should be ok if positioned with care. You can't put a full packer in there, but you could possibly separate them and cook separately. Boston butts higher than 5" are out of the question but you could easily do a pork shoulder, etc. I don't see how some are saying they've done both but the dimensions I gave above are maximum USEABLE dimensions.
I wish I would have understood the pellet management in these things better before I bought it. The hopper is inside the unit which makes it impossible to add any during a burn without interrupting the smoke or hold/stall temperatures so you have to ensure you fill it all the way for a long smoke. It has the capacity you might need.
Other than that, no big deal and makes it easier for travel and storage not having an outside hopper (or smoke stack).
Controller: Currently Traeger has a huge issue (IMHO) with units shipped and still on shelves that have malfuntioning controllers (center button will not scroll to timer, alarm, probe, and icons on left side of screen will not show. This renders your probe useless and they can not fix this issue. Traegers are made in CHINA like most other smokers but currently there are dealers having to pull rangers off the shelf to check for this defect. Traeger help desk would not acknowledge this of course. It seems like they hope you will just give up.
Shipping: On time with no damage to exterior box (came via Prime truck).
Unboxing - You should not try to lift the box initially, use a cart to get it to its location. After you open the box you can take out the heavy parts that will reduce it by 15 lbs (estimate). I lifted it by myself but it was heavier than I thought.
After opening and inspecting I found no missing items but they did give me an extra rubber foot which is good because everytime you lift it at least one of them falls off. Everything was packed well and individually wrapped items fit inside the grill just right. There was a sheen of oil on the grease tray and will leave oil marks on your clothes or whatever you sit it on so you should probably leave it wrapped until burn-in time. It did not come with starter pellets, no weather cover (bought separately), no samples of rubs etc., nor did I expect them.
Assembly and Quality Inspection - There was not a whole lot of assembly involved. There are 4 feet with rubber cups for each. You have to turn the unit on its side or even upside down and use a phillips screw driver and the provided washer and bolt to mount the 4 square metal legs then cover them with the rubber cups. There was a nice heavy handle to be screwed into the lid for lifting (not carrying the unit). The screwdriver they provide is nice enough but not large enough. if you tighten down with the provided screwdriver it does not get the proper bite and you will likely damage it for further use. Use a regular phillips. This unit comes with a small bucket for grease collection out the back, a grease tray (heavy gauged metal) that must be inserted properly so that the bucket can hang from it at the rear of the unit. The grill is heavy and coated. The griddle is cast iron and weighs 8.5 lbs. The external dimensions are correct and the unit itself is made of heavy gauged metal (very similar to weber grill). If I had to knock anything on quality it would be the hasps and hinging. The lid hinge mounts need to be beefier in my opinion in case the lid is up and the wind catches it. I'll likely mod it with a safety strap when the warranty is up. The front hasps are sufficient but again, beefier would suit me better.
Instructions - I've yet to see a perfect manual and this one did not surprise me. The initial burn to clean out chemicals and oils etc. is unfinished. it says go to Pri then 450 and let it burn for 30 min. - so far so good, but then it doesn't tell you what to do afterwards. I chose to do the shutdown as I was not going to cook anything today. So, it says to press center button for 3 seconds and it will flash off, then scroll down to shutdown and alternates with temperature. Mine did not scroll down to anything and flashes with time, not temperature. Then it flashes the idle mode "[ ]" mode awaiting further instructions. Is it safe to turn off now? No "finished" or any other clue to say what's next. I turned it off at the switch and unplugged it. Hopefully its ready to go when I cook. (see updates below)
There's lots of warning as you could imagine when playing with fire and they seem to be sprinkled liberally throughout and all of the rest deals with technical functions but I haven't finished it yet.
I'll update this after a few cooks.
UPDATED 6/12/20:
One reason the manual might not have been so great is my ARC controller was not fully functional. The center button would not take me to timer or alternate temperature and time display. Also, you are supposed to get indications on the left of the panel when the probe is recognized and/or the timer is being used. Mine did not. The instructions say nothing about if the probe has to be plugged in BEFORE it starts or if you can plug it in any time. It explained the timer mode but since mine did not work I should hope there would be something in the manual for troubleshooting. There is not. The only thing that troubleshooting portion shows is error codes, which I did not have. All in all, I wish they had a better troubleshooting section. If you call tech support they will be using the same manual you are looking at so don't expect any knowledge tips as they likely are unfamiliar with the Ranger.
So, I called the Traeger help line. The first call I got someone under two minutes and although knew less than I did was certainly helpful in attitude and pleasant to talk to. Then i got the "hello are you there, hello..." and she could not hear me, lost connection... I hope it was just that, a bad connection. I called back and think it was the same person. We determined that the probe should be plugged in while in the idle mode and since I was in the middle of a cook I should call back if that did not do the trick. I wasn't sure about the timer mode entry yet so I thought I would just finish the cook and start over again. It still did not detect the probe. Could not go into timer mode and probe could not be recognized. I called back and this person was very helpful with enough experience that she recognized something was wrong with the controller and from there it was a matter of setting me up for a new one to be shipped with a tracking number emailed to me. I'm editing this before I have received the tracking number email to let me know it shipped but just wanted to keep this updated in case you were looking at one. This is not a "nightmare issue" or unexpected for me. I'm glad I chose Traeger just because of this reason. Their controllers are modules that are easily replaced by plugging and unplugging and I read nothing on other brands other than the usual "no answer" type stuff. But I don't expect these modules to last more than a few years (the warranty is 3 years).
Update to Shipping 7/2/2020: I was supposed to receive another (second) controller that never came but was told it was awaiting UPS to deliver to USPS and then got lost, and then apparently found, and delivered to me. I think they were confused and thought that was the 1st controller replacement that did not work and the second never was shipped as they could not find it and I have a video doorbell and it never arrived at my door or the mailbox. But I'm taking them at their word that it was lost in shipping. I'll update when I get the second controller replacement.
Cooking: Without a probe or timer I cooked two 1 lb cornish hens and some vegetables with traeger pecan pellets. I watched the temperature swings and/or if it stayed at selected temperature. I must say that the system as a whole is pretty accurate and made my guessing at doneness a breeze. I set it at 270 and it added pellets then temperature went to 350 and then cooled off to 270. I put everything on the grill and watched temperature build back up to 300 and then settle down quickly to 270. I had to lift the lid during cook to get the serial number from the hopper lid, the temperature went back up and settled back down. When the lid was kept shut the temperature never varied by more than a few degrees on a very windy day. The smoke was thin (like it should be) unless the lid was lifted and it was burning off pellets. After an hour and 10 minutes I took an instant read and pulled it all of the grill. The wife loved it. I hate heavy smoked chicken and Traeger pecan is a weaker smoke flavor. And because with pellet burners you don't get as heavy a smoke as wood or charcoal (not to mention pellet burners are more consistent flavored from one cook of a chicken to the next) I think this was just what I expected. We shall see, and I'll keep you updated as I travel around with it and use it more.
I'll update this after I get the new module and install it.
EDIT 6/18/2020: Received the new module and it did the same thing!!! That is not possible typically. I called Traeger immediately and had her walk me through the instructions to make sure I had the correct manual and that the module was loaded with the correct software. She determined I needed to calibrate the probe but I reasoned that if I was unable to get into the timer mode, probe mode, or alarm mode, then calibrating the probe that wasn't being recognized when plugged in would not fix my inability to scroll through modes. I told her I did not want to use the probe at all and I could still not scroll with center button on either old or new controller. I had asked if I could speak to someone who actually owned and operated a Ranger but that will not happen and all you will get is going to be someone walking you through your manual. She also tried to do a live stream video but the link did not work with my phone, maybe because of web/antivirus protection I use on my phone, not sure, tried firefox and chrome browsers. So, she put me on hold and after what seemed like a half hour (likely 15 minutes) the connection was lost again so I called back and got my 4th agent. He seemed to be aware of the situation already and was very patient as we again tried the live stream and finally used my wife's phone which worked. Remember, once you've cooked with the unit it can not be shipped back so likely they will keep sending controllers until they find one that works and this is probably the case with green mountain or pit boss too. A note on replacement of controller is I was told its easy and on youtube. Its not, and its not. My big hands could not both fit into the small opening to plug and unplug connections and the arc controller is not currently on youtube, only for other models.
Note of some value: I have literally years of training in electronics/servicing/production and have manned the helpdesks at times so I am familiar with all of this from both sides of the phone. I'm not going to be the customer I used to joke about after we would hang up. There's no use in it and they are being as helpful as possible in their job capacity. So, if you are that customer, your experience with them is going to be very frustrating. The agents you talk to do not have immediate access to techs or engineers. So not because traeger agents aren't great at their job, its because the company itself is not geared for great quality control or after sales repairs that I am downgrading this to 4 stars for now. I've spent $500 for a grill (and accessories) that doesn't work and surprised they do not check the units out or update them before sending them out. The ones already on the shelf at the store they must know they are not going to work and are expecting your call.? Right now I have a pretty high level of confidence (because of the Traeger name) they will make it right but I might be a little nervous in a day or two. My wife's giving me the stink-eye every time I try to explain what's going on. I'll continue to update this in case your getting ready to make a travel grill purchase. Stay tuned!
Update 7/2/2020: I'm downgrading this review from a 5, to a 4, now to a 3 as this has turned into the typical helpdesk experience everyone complains about as the previous one was lost in shipment, they say. I've now talked to 7 different voices (none are technicians) and they have all made me walk them through the issue. None of them have ever operated a traeger ranger or arc controller. they've only read the manual. They can not put me in touch with anyone with experience on my model. They can't explain why three controllers malfunction the same way. I can't return this for refund or replacement.
7/7/2020: So this has become worse, if you can imagine that. I called to check status of the lost then reordered again controller and was told there was no record of a previously ordered (second) replacement. This was after a 35 minute (officially timed) hold while she asked the team leader about how shipping works. When you track the UPS number they give you it goes to a "USPS is awaiting delivery" and the status had not changed. All that really means is someone printed a label and notified shipping that a tracking number has been created. I asked if the package had left the building and she said yes (without checking) and that they get 10 business days to deliver and that the above status means nothing. (Thanks for the tracking number, Traeger) This is what happened to the previous controller. I was given a tracking number and order number and the status never changed after 10 business days so it was reordered.
I typed a big long log of all the phone calls, names, times, order numbers and tracking numbers to prove someone ordered it and it was all for not as the email came back with an auto response saying it was an unmonitored email account. So here I sit until the 15th of July without use of the pellet grill.
I'll update this later and let you know if the latest controller arrived and actually fixed the issue.
Sorry this is so long, but it was a great opportunity to give perspective buyers more information that just isn't out there yet and let them know that if they decide to buy a Traeger Ranger and receive a malfunctioning one, they are in for a high level of exasperation. I can not recall a more uninformed, unhelpful, uncaring helpdesk. Oh, and the wait times for an answer are 25-30 minutes long (unless you get conveniently dropped) or you can press 1 and they will call you back in about an hour.
7/17/2020 UPDATE - it took longer than they said for another controller to get here. I plug it in and it does the same thing. So three different controllers all malfunction the exact same way? What are the odds? Well apparently pretty good from what I've gathered elsewhere. In my opinion they have a problem they can't fix. So, I called Traeger HD and spoke to another technician and he was also helpful but we had to go through the same troubleshooting steps as we did with the other 2 controllers but I was unable to use the center button as needed so the next step was to take it to a dealer and let them troubleshoot it. I had to call Traeger HD again to get the warranty request form with authorization number and then I delivered it today on same day as this update.
7/25/2020: I updated this a few days ago to wrap this up but it did not get posted. Maybe I've been censored. I'll make this quick. They had me take it to a local dealer to get it troubleshot and possibly fixed.. They could not fix it. Traeger offered upgrade but all they had in shop was outdated tailgater and they the PRO line which will not travel. The shop was extremely helpful and empathetic. They advised me to go get my money back. Amazon was great and I had gone past 30 day window but it was a warranty issue with Traeger and they refunded my money, no sweat. I gave the Ranger and Traeger help desk every chance possible and they both failed. If you order one, chances are it will not work properly. Check it out the controller BEFORE YOU FIRE IT UP to make your return easy and return it immediately. Perhaps in a year or two they will have this issue resolved but right now. I've personally operated 4 different controllers on 2 rangers and they all had the exact same problem. I know of a store who is pulling them off the shelf and finding the same issue with their stock. So now you know everything and if you still order this hoping you will be one of the few who got lucky, I'd think again.
Folks, I've had the same webber grill for over 25 years. Its a pain to store so Its been left outside all that time without problems (except i had to get new set of wheels). No it doesn't have an augering pellet system. But the charcoal bag weighs about the same as the pellet bag, I can smoke larger pieces of meat than the Ranger, its lighter and has wheels. I'm beginning to believe that its a far more pleasant experience with a webber and family, than a traeger ranger and helpdesk technicians.
These are made for travel and will be great for tailgate for four at the most, or camping/RV at the park. When determining where you will set this unit, remember that you need 12" spacing all around it and at least 40" above it. Smoke will stain your bricks, eaves, and soffits, etc. not to mention the occasional grease fire. Also the grill can heat up to 450 (or a little more) so I'm not going to "set it and forget it" with kids around and I will at least be watching it on wifi camera.
Information I could not find anywhere: After the feet are installed, the footprint measured from outside of legs (not the unit dimensions) is 12 5/8" depth X 16 1/4" width, so you will ne a 13" X 17" (minimum) table top/surface capable of holding a possible 100 lbs and heat resistant (there is a report of it melting a plastic floding table in a review I saw). Tailgates and park picnic tables are fine as long as they are level and do not disrupt the grease flow to the back of the unit into the bucket.
I saw a review that claimed the griddle was 12 lbs. Its not. Its 8.5. If you add the grease tray, grill, and bucket it likely is about 12 lbs. If you have the hopper full that will add more weight (about 10 lbs). So, if you have to carry it by yourself for a distance, empty it all out and it will likely weigh around 47 lbs. That's still fairly heavy - use your legs when lifting.
Useable grill surface is anything under 10" W X 13" D X 5" H and must be positioned carefully over the grease plate to avoid the grease fire. So again, any hunk of meat less than your grease tray and not touching the lid should be ok if positioned with care. You can't put a full packer in there, but you could possibly separate them and cook separately. Boston butts higher than 5" are out of the question but you could easily do a pork shoulder, etc. I don't see how some are saying they've done both but the dimensions I gave above are maximum USEABLE dimensions.
I wish I would have understood the pellet management in these things better before I bought it. The hopper is inside the unit which makes it impossible to add any during a burn without interrupting the smoke or hold/stall temperatures so you have to ensure you fill it all the way for a long smoke. It has the capacity you might need.
Other than that, no big deal and makes it easier for travel and storage not having an outside hopper (or smoke stack).
Controller: Currently Traeger has a huge issue (IMHO) with units shipped and still on shelves that have malfuntioning controllers (center button will not scroll to timer, alarm, probe, and icons on left side of screen will not show. This renders your probe useless and they can not fix this issue. Traegers are made in CHINA like most other smokers but currently there are dealers having to pull rangers off the shelf to check for this defect. Traeger help desk would not acknowledge this of course. It seems like they hope you will just give up.
Shipping: On time with no damage to exterior box (came via Prime truck).
Unboxing - You should not try to lift the box initially, use a cart to get it to its location. After you open the box you can take out the heavy parts that will reduce it by 15 lbs (estimate). I lifted it by myself but it was heavier than I thought.
After opening and inspecting I found no missing items but they did give me an extra rubber foot which is good because everytime you lift it at least one of them falls off. Everything was packed well and individually wrapped items fit inside the grill just right. There was a sheen of oil on the grease tray and will leave oil marks on your clothes or whatever you sit it on so you should probably leave it wrapped until burn-in time. It did not come with starter pellets, no weather cover (bought separately), no samples of rubs etc., nor did I expect them.
Assembly and Quality Inspection - There was not a whole lot of assembly involved. There are 4 feet with rubber cups for each. You have to turn the unit on its side or even upside down and use a phillips screw driver and the provided washer and bolt to mount the 4 square metal legs then cover them with the rubber cups. There was a nice heavy handle to be screwed into the lid for lifting (not carrying the unit). The screwdriver they provide is nice enough but not large enough. if you tighten down with the provided screwdriver it does not get the proper bite and you will likely damage it for further use. Use a regular phillips. This unit comes with a small bucket for grease collection out the back, a grease tray (heavy gauged metal) that must be inserted properly so that the bucket can hang from it at the rear of the unit. The grill is heavy and coated. The griddle is cast iron and weighs 8.5 lbs. The external dimensions are correct and the unit itself is made of heavy gauged metal (very similar to weber grill). If I had to knock anything on quality it would be the hasps and hinging. The lid hinge mounts need to be beefier in my opinion in case the lid is up and the wind catches it. I'll likely mod it with a safety strap when the warranty is up. The front hasps are sufficient but again, beefier would suit me better.
Instructions - I've yet to see a perfect manual and this one did not surprise me. The initial burn to clean out chemicals and oils etc. is unfinished. it says go to Pri then 450 and let it burn for 30 min. - so far so good, but then it doesn't tell you what to do afterwards. I chose to do the shutdown as I was not going to cook anything today. So, it says to press center button for 3 seconds and it will flash off, then scroll down to shutdown and alternates with temperature. Mine did not scroll down to anything and flashes with time, not temperature. Then it flashes the idle mode "[ ]" mode awaiting further instructions. Is it safe to turn off now? No "finished" or any other clue to say what's next. I turned it off at the switch and unplugged it. Hopefully its ready to go when I cook. (see updates below)
There's lots of warning as you could imagine when playing with fire and they seem to be sprinkled liberally throughout and all of the rest deals with technical functions but I haven't finished it yet.
I'll update this after a few cooks.
UPDATED 6/12/20:
One reason the manual might not have been so great is my ARC controller was not fully functional. The center button would not take me to timer or alternate temperature and time display. Also, you are supposed to get indications on the left of the panel when the probe is recognized and/or the timer is being used. Mine did not. The instructions say nothing about if the probe has to be plugged in BEFORE it starts or if you can plug it in any time. It explained the timer mode but since mine did not work I should hope there would be something in the manual for troubleshooting. There is not. The only thing that troubleshooting portion shows is error codes, which I did not have. All in all, I wish they had a better troubleshooting section. If you call tech support they will be using the same manual you are looking at so don't expect any knowledge tips as they likely are unfamiliar with the Ranger.
So, I called the Traeger help line. The first call I got someone under two minutes and although knew less than I did was certainly helpful in attitude and pleasant to talk to. Then i got the "hello are you there, hello..." and she could not hear me, lost connection... I hope it was just that, a bad connection. I called back and think it was the same person. We determined that the probe should be plugged in while in the idle mode and since I was in the middle of a cook I should call back if that did not do the trick. I wasn't sure about the timer mode entry yet so I thought I would just finish the cook and start over again. It still did not detect the probe. Could not go into timer mode and probe could not be recognized. I called back and this person was very helpful with enough experience that she recognized something was wrong with the controller and from there it was a matter of setting me up for a new one to be shipped with a tracking number emailed to me. I'm editing this before I have received the tracking number email to let me know it shipped but just wanted to keep this updated in case you were looking at one. This is not a "nightmare issue" or unexpected for me. I'm glad I chose Traeger just because of this reason. Their controllers are modules that are easily replaced by plugging and unplugging and I read nothing on other brands other than the usual "no answer" type stuff. But I don't expect these modules to last more than a few years (the warranty is 3 years).
Update to Shipping 7/2/2020: I was supposed to receive another (second) controller that never came but was told it was awaiting UPS to deliver to USPS and then got lost, and then apparently found, and delivered to me. I think they were confused and thought that was the 1st controller replacement that did not work and the second never was shipped as they could not find it and I have a video doorbell and it never arrived at my door or the mailbox. But I'm taking them at their word that it was lost in shipping. I'll update when I get the second controller replacement.
Cooking: Without a probe or timer I cooked two 1 lb cornish hens and some vegetables with traeger pecan pellets. I watched the temperature swings and/or if it stayed at selected temperature. I must say that the system as a whole is pretty accurate and made my guessing at doneness a breeze. I set it at 270 and it added pellets then temperature went to 350 and then cooled off to 270. I put everything on the grill and watched temperature build back up to 300 and then settle down quickly to 270. I had to lift the lid during cook to get the serial number from the hopper lid, the temperature went back up and settled back down. When the lid was kept shut the temperature never varied by more than a few degrees on a very windy day. The smoke was thin (like it should be) unless the lid was lifted and it was burning off pellets. After an hour and 10 minutes I took an instant read and pulled it all of the grill. The wife loved it. I hate heavy smoked chicken and Traeger pecan is a weaker smoke flavor. And because with pellet burners you don't get as heavy a smoke as wood or charcoal (not to mention pellet burners are more consistent flavored from one cook of a chicken to the next) I think this was just what I expected. We shall see, and I'll keep you updated as I travel around with it and use it more.
I'll update this after I get the new module and install it.
EDIT 6/18/2020: Received the new module and it did the same thing!!! That is not possible typically. I called Traeger immediately and had her walk me through the instructions to make sure I had the correct manual and that the module was loaded with the correct software. She determined I needed to calibrate the probe but I reasoned that if I was unable to get into the timer mode, probe mode, or alarm mode, then calibrating the probe that wasn't being recognized when plugged in would not fix my inability to scroll through modes. I told her I did not want to use the probe at all and I could still not scroll with center button on either old or new controller. I had asked if I could speak to someone who actually owned and operated a Ranger but that will not happen and all you will get is going to be someone walking you through your manual. She also tried to do a live stream video but the link did not work with my phone, maybe because of web/antivirus protection I use on my phone, not sure, tried firefox and chrome browsers. So, she put me on hold and after what seemed like a half hour (likely 15 minutes) the connection was lost again so I called back and got my 4th agent. He seemed to be aware of the situation already and was very patient as we again tried the live stream and finally used my wife's phone which worked. Remember, once you've cooked with the unit it can not be shipped back so likely they will keep sending controllers until they find one that works and this is probably the case with green mountain or pit boss too. A note on replacement of controller is I was told its easy and on youtube. Its not, and its not. My big hands could not both fit into the small opening to plug and unplug connections and the arc controller is not currently on youtube, only for other models.
Note of some value: I have literally years of training in electronics/servicing/production and have manned the helpdesks at times so I am familiar with all of this from both sides of the phone. I'm not going to be the customer I used to joke about after we would hang up. There's no use in it and they are being as helpful as possible in their job capacity. So, if you are that customer, your experience with them is going to be very frustrating. The agents you talk to do not have immediate access to techs or engineers. So not because traeger agents aren't great at their job, its because the company itself is not geared for great quality control or after sales repairs that I am downgrading this to 4 stars for now. I've spent $500 for a grill (and accessories) that doesn't work and surprised they do not check the units out or update them before sending them out. The ones already on the shelf at the store they must know they are not going to work and are expecting your call.? Right now I have a pretty high level of confidence (because of the Traeger name) they will make it right but I might be a little nervous in a day or two. My wife's giving me the stink-eye every time I try to explain what's going on. I'll continue to update this in case your getting ready to make a travel grill purchase. Stay tuned!
Update 7/2/2020: I'm downgrading this review from a 5, to a 4, now to a 3 as this has turned into the typical helpdesk experience everyone complains about as the previous one was lost in shipment, they say. I've now talked to 7 different voices (none are technicians) and they have all made me walk them through the issue. None of them have ever operated a traeger ranger or arc controller. they've only read the manual. They can not put me in touch with anyone with experience on my model. They can't explain why three controllers malfunction the same way. I can't return this for refund or replacement.
7/7/2020: So this has become worse, if you can imagine that. I called to check status of the lost then reordered again controller and was told there was no record of a previously ordered (second) replacement. This was after a 35 minute (officially timed) hold while she asked the team leader about how shipping works. When you track the UPS number they give you it goes to a "USPS is awaiting delivery" and the status had not changed. All that really means is someone printed a label and notified shipping that a tracking number has been created. I asked if the package had left the building and she said yes (without checking) and that they get 10 business days to deliver and that the above status means nothing. (Thanks for the tracking number, Traeger) This is what happened to the previous controller. I was given a tracking number and order number and the status never changed after 10 business days so it was reordered.
I typed a big long log of all the phone calls, names, times, order numbers and tracking numbers to prove someone ordered it and it was all for not as the email came back with an auto response saying it was an unmonitored email account. So here I sit until the 15th of July without use of the pellet grill.
I'll update this later and let you know if the latest controller arrived and actually fixed the issue.
Sorry this is so long, but it was a great opportunity to give perspective buyers more information that just isn't out there yet and let them know that if they decide to buy a Traeger Ranger and receive a malfunctioning one, they are in for a high level of exasperation. I can not recall a more uninformed, unhelpful, uncaring helpdesk. Oh, and the wait times for an answer are 25-30 minutes long (unless you get conveniently dropped) or you can press 1 and they will call you back in about an hour.
7/17/2020 UPDATE - it took longer than they said for another controller to get here. I plug it in and it does the same thing. So three different controllers all malfunction the exact same way? What are the odds? Well apparently pretty good from what I've gathered elsewhere. In my opinion they have a problem they can't fix. So, I called Traeger HD and spoke to another technician and he was also helpful but we had to go through the same troubleshooting steps as we did with the other 2 controllers but I was unable to use the center button as needed so the next step was to take it to a dealer and let them troubleshoot it. I had to call Traeger HD again to get the warranty request form with authorization number and then I delivered it today on same day as this update.
7/25/2020: I updated this a few days ago to wrap this up but it did not get posted. Maybe I've been censored. I'll make this quick. They had me take it to a local dealer to get it troubleshot and possibly fixed.. They could not fix it. Traeger offered upgrade but all they had in shop was outdated tailgater and they the PRO line which will not travel. The shop was extremely helpful and empathetic. They advised me to go get my money back. Amazon was great and I had gone past 30 day window but it was a warranty issue with Traeger and they refunded my money, no sweat. I gave the Ranger and Traeger help desk every chance possible and they both failed. If you order one, chances are it will not work properly. Check it out the controller BEFORE YOU FIRE IT UP to make your return easy and return it immediately. Perhaps in a year or two they will have this issue resolved but right now. I've personally operated 4 different controllers on 2 rangers and they all had the exact same problem. I know of a store who is pulling them off the shelf and finding the same issue with their stock. So now you know everything and if you still order this hoping you will be one of the few who got lucky, I'd think again.
Folks, I've had the same webber grill for over 25 years. Its a pain to store so Its been left outside all that time without problems (except i had to get new set of wheels). No it doesn't have an augering pellet system. But the charcoal bag weighs about the same as the pellet bag, I can smoke larger pieces of meat than the Ranger, its lighter and has wheels. I'm beginning to believe that its a far more pleasant experience with a webber and family, than a traeger ranger and helpdesk technicians.
Hebard's Travels : Not off to a good start here...
Update: Traeger was unable to find the source of the issue and they are shipping a new control module, 2 day. We will attempt to repair/replace and see if it works.
Todo modo : Great Product Poor Delivery.
The smoker is awesome simple to put together. Only concern was mine took 2 days longer then expected and when i unboxed it the lid was dented in the corner.. It didn't effect operating though.
Amazon Customer : Love this thing
Love this thing. I use it all the time. Way better than my electric wood chip smoker I was using before. Perfect for a single guy that doesn’t need to make large quantities of meat.
Debbie : need for every motor home!
Perfect to go in side of motor home for trips, we are set!!!
D.Roberts : My neighbors start showing up every time I fire up my Traeger
I'm still experimenting but all the food I've cooked is wonderful. I especially love the griddle where I can prepare fish and veggies. The grill is easy to operate. It does a good job of maintaining the temperature and it shuts down and saves all unused pellets for next time. I'm very surprised at how long a bag of pellets last, much, much longer than a bag of charcoal. I'm planning to take the grill to our vacation rental and appreciate the compact size.
Teresa Solomon : Great For RVing
We LOVE our Treager. We are Fulltimers in our RV and being portable works well. We were a little worried about the weight, but it has not been a big deal.
Jeffrey P Winn : Great product
Have the Traeger at home. Had to get another for camping/tailgating. This one is perfect. I used it this past weekend at a Hockey Tourney Tailgate party. Burgers, dogs, London Broils all came out perfect and a hint of smoke. Best part was using it as an oven to reheat Ribs and Pulled Pork i smoke the day prior (On its’ big brother the 780).
Jeffrey P Winn : Great product
Have the Traeger at home. Had to get another for camping/tailgating. This one is perfect. I used it this past weekend at a Hockey Tourney Tailgate party. Burgers, dogs, London Broils all came out perfect and a hint of smoke. Best part was using it as an oven to reheat Ribs and Pulled Pork i smoke the day prior (On its’ big brother the 780).
Larry S. : excellent product
perfect for travel with the rv and love to use it here at the house also
Sammy : Traeger grill review
The grill is good. But the instruction book don't tell u how to operate it. Really makes a person confused.
Alex : Great little smoker
My husband loves his Ranger. He has a full size Traeger and bought this one for our camper. However, he loves this one so much, he has it sitting out next to his full size so he can use both!
Gary McGill : Cooks better than my pro 575
Heats up fast . Has a cast iron griddle and rack.
Rob : SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW
I jumped in with both feet to purchase the Ranger when it was introduced. Really great until I started using it.
When I did chicken or hamburgers or any meat I was greeted with dark grease running down the sides and onto my patio which stained the patio.
If you notice in the photos I had to build a platform for the Ranger to sit on to catch the grease. I wipe the Ranger down after every use but you use it again you get the same results.
If you look at the attached pics you will see the FLAW. The lip of the lid closes so that the grease/juices flow down the out sides of the Ranger, not much goes into the Pail hanging on the back of the grill.
You also need to constantly clean out the furnace hole under the grill otherwise the ashes will blow up all over whatever you're cooking. I had to purchase a small hand held vac to accomplish this chore.
The Treager Ranger doesn't really BBQ your food, it bakes it. the flames never touch the food.
This was a $400.00 disappointment. Check out the market for other choices.
By the way, not that it matters to you but I am a Certified BBQ Judge.
When I did chicken or hamburgers or any meat I was greeted with dark grease running down the sides and onto my patio which stained the patio.
If you notice in the photos I had to build a platform for the Ranger to sit on to catch the grease. I wipe the Ranger down after every use but you use it again you get the same results.
If you look at the attached pics you will see the FLAW. The lip of the lid closes so that the grease/juices flow down the out sides of the Ranger, not much goes into the Pail hanging on the back of the grill.
You also need to constantly clean out the furnace hole under the grill otherwise the ashes will blow up all over whatever you're cooking. I had to purchase a small hand held vac to accomplish this chore.
The Treager Ranger doesn't really BBQ your food, it bakes it. the flames never touch the food.
This was a $400.00 disappointment. Check out the market for other choices.
By the way, not that it matters to you but I am a Certified BBQ Judge.
Teresa Solomon : Great For RVing
We LOVE our Treager. We are Fulltimers in our RV and being portable works well. We were a little worried about the weight, but it has not been a big deal.
Amazon Customer : Disappointment all around with Traeger and with Amazon
Purchased this as a gift for Father's Day. The temperature probe did not work. Contacted Traeger and received a replacement piece. it did not work and so Traeger sends another replacement probe. It still does not work. By now It is 3 months later. Amazon eventually gives a refund but not for the full price. I believe large purchased like these are best at the box stores or directly from the Traeger site. Giving up $50.00 for whatever reason just makes this that much more disappointing.
Mike in Virginia
Mike in Virginia
ktewcute : Fantastic Smaller Grill that packs a big punch! Love it!
Hesitant to buy this grill due to anticipated size of grilling area. However, we were pleasantly surprised at how much it actually holds/grills. And, as is the case with all Traeger grills, it grills/smokes to perfection! Fairly easy to set up, and love the fact it can be grabbed on both sides and carried to wherever we chose. Great portable option by traeger. 50+ lbs, buy just about any healthy human being can pick it up alone, or grab a buddy and move it wherever. We will be keeping this one around for a while!
Bob : More Info You Need before deciding. From 5 stars to 1. They can't fix it.
Initial Impressions: I would not recommend this as a beginner's unit. This is made for travel. They are expensive and if you are interested in learning and doing a lot of smoking, go with wood burners (IMHO) for that classic smoke flavor. These are not exactly BBQ grills nor are they likely good for competition grilling/smoking. These are ovens with a fan (convection) that can give you pretty good smoke flavors using pellets that need to be about 70% oak and 30% flavored wood (soaked in flavored oils I guess) so that the burn is cleaner with little ash left on your food. You are told to use Traeger for this reason, and I will. They claim other cheaper brands may have bark or not enough oak (for clean burn) and I don't see a big enough difference in price to argue about it. You want the thin blue smoke, not white puffs, so burn what they tell you to burn is my thought.
These are made for travel and will be great for tailgate for four at the most, or camping/RV at the park. When determining where you will set this unit, remember that you need 12" spacing all around it and at least 40" above it. Smoke will stain your bricks, eaves, and soffits, etc. not to mention the occasional grease fire. Also the grill can heat up to 450 (or a little more) so I'm not going to "set it and forget it" with kids around and I will at least be watching it on wifi camera.
Information I could not find anywhere: After the feet are installed, the footprint measured from outside of legs (not the unit dimensions) is 12 5/8" depth X 16 1/4" width, so you will ne a 13" X 17" (minimum) table top/surface capable of holding a possible 100 lbs and heat resistant (there is a report of it melting a plastic floding table in a review I saw). Tailgates and park picnic tables are fine as long as they are level and do not disrupt the grease flow to the back of the unit into the bucket.
I saw a review that claimed the griddle was 12 lbs. Its not. Its 8.5. If you add the grease tray, grill, and bucket it likely is about 12 lbs. If you have the hopper full that will add more weight (about 10 lbs). So, if you have to carry it by yourself for a distance, empty it all out and it will likely weigh around 47 lbs. That's still fairly heavy - use your legs when lifting.
Useable grill surface is anything under 10" W X 13" D X 5" H and must be positioned carefully over the grease plate to avoid the grease fire. So again, any hunk of meat less than your grease tray and not touching the lid should be ok if positioned with care. You can't put a full packer in there, but you could possibly separate them and cook separately. Boston butts higher than 5" are out of the question but you could easily do a pork shoulder, etc. I don't see how some are saying they've done both but the dimensions I gave above are maximum USEABLE dimensions.
I wish I would have understood the pellet management in these things better before I bought it. The hopper is inside the unit which makes it impossible to add any during a burn without interrupting the smoke or hold/stall temperatures so you have to ensure you fill it all the way for a long smoke. It has the capacity you might need.
Other than that, no big deal and makes it easier for travel and storage not having an outside hopper (or smoke stack).
Controller: Currently Traeger has a huge issue (IMHO) with units shipped and still on shelves that have malfuntioning controllers (center button will not scroll to timer, alarm, probe, and icons on left side of screen will not show. This renders your probe useless and they can not fix this issue. Traegers are made in CHINA like most other smokers but currently there are dealers having to pull rangers off the shelf to check for this defect. Traeger help desk would not acknowledge this of course. It seems like they hope you will just give up.
Shipping: On time with no damage to exterior box (came via Prime truck).
Unboxing - You should not try to lift the box initially, use a cart to get it to its location. After you open the box you can take out the heavy parts that will reduce it by 15 lbs (estimate). I lifted it by myself but it was heavier than I thought.
After opening and inspecting I found no missing items but they did give me an extra rubber foot which is good because everytime you lift it at least one of them falls off. Everything was packed well and individually wrapped items fit inside the grill just right. There was a sheen of oil on the grease tray and will leave oil marks on your clothes or whatever you sit it on so you should probably leave it wrapped until burn-in time. It did not come with starter pellets, no weather cover (bought separately), no samples of rubs etc., nor did I expect them.
Assembly and Quality Inspection - There was not a whole lot of assembly involved. There are 4 feet with rubber cups for each. You have to turn the unit on its side or even upside down and use a phillips screw driver and the provided washer and bolt to mount the 4 square metal legs then cover them with the rubber cups. There was a nice heavy handle to be screwed into the lid for lifting (not carrying the unit). The screwdriver they provide is nice enough but not large enough. if you tighten down with the provided screwdriver it does not get the proper bite and you will likely damage it for further use. Use a regular phillips. This unit comes with a small bucket for grease collection out the back, a grease tray (heavy gauged metal) that must be inserted properly so that the bucket can hang from it at the rear of the unit. The grill is heavy and coated. The griddle is cast iron and weighs 8.5 lbs. The external dimensions are correct and the unit itself is made of heavy gauged metal (very similar to weber grill). If I had to knock anything on quality it would be the hasps and hinging. The lid hinge mounts need to be beefier in my opinion in case the lid is up and the wind catches it. I'll likely mod it with a safety strap when the warranty is up. The front hasps are sufficient but again, beefier would suit me better.
Instructions - I've yet to see a perfect manual and this one did not surprise me. The initial burn to clean out chemicals and oils etc. is unfinished. it says go to Pri then 450 and let it burn for 30 min. - so far so good, but then it doesn't tell you what to do afterwards. I chose to do the shutdown as I was not going to cook anything today. So, it says to press center button for 3 seconds and it will flash off, then scroll down to shutdown and alternates with temperature. Mine did not scroll down to anything and flashes with time, not temperature. Then it flashes the idle mode "[ ]" mode awaiting further instructions. Is it safe to turn off now? No "finished" or any other clue to say what's next. I turned it off at the switch and unplugged it. Hopefully its ready to go when I cook. (see updates below)
There's lots of warning as you could imagine when playing with fire and they seem to be sprinkled liberally throughout and all of the rest deals with technical functions but I haven't finished it yet.
I'll update this after a few cooks.
UPDATED 6/12/20:
One reason the manual might not have been so great is my ARC controller was not fully functional. The center button would not take me to timer or alternate temperature and time display. Also, you are supposed to get indications on the left of the panel when the probe is recognized and/or the timer is being used. Mine did not. The instructions say nothing about if the probe has to be plugged in BEFORE it starts or if you can plug it in any time. It explained the timer mode but since mine did not work I should hope there would be something in the manual for troubleshooting. There is not. The only thing that troubleshooting portion shows is error codes, which I did not have. All in all, I wish they had a better troubleshooting section. If you call tech support they will be using the same manual you are looking at so don't expect any knowledge tips as they likely are unfamiliar with the Ranger.
So, I called the Traeger help line. The first call I got someone under two minutes and although knew less than I did was certainly helpful in attitude and pleasant to talk to. Then i got the "hello are you there, hello..." and she could not hear me, lost connection... I hope it was just that, a bad connection. I called back and think it was the same person. We determined that the probe should be plugged in while in the idle mode and since I was in the middle of a cook I should call back if that did not do the trick. I wasn't sure about the timer mode entry yet so I thought I would just finish the cook and start over again. It still did not detect the probe. Could not go into timer mode and probe could not be recognized. I called back and this person was very helpful with enough experience that she recognized something was wrong with the controller and from there it was a matter of setting me up for a new one to be shipped with a tracking number emailed to me. I'm editing this before I have received the tracking number email to let me know it shipped but just wanted to keep this updated in case you were looking at one. This is not a "nightmare issue" or unexpected for me. I'm glad I chose Traeger just because of this reason. Their controllers are modules that are easily replaced by plugging and unplugging and I read nothing on other brands other than the usual "no answer" type stuff. But I don't expect these modules to last more than a few years (the warranty is 3 years).
Update to Shipping 7/2/2020: I was supposed to receive another (second) controller that never came but was told it was awaiting UPS to deliver to USPS and then got lost, and then apparently found, and delivered to me. I think they were confused and thought that was the 1st controller replacement that did not work and the second never was shipped as they could not find it and I have a video doorbell and it never arrived at my door or the mailbox. But I'm taking them at their word that it was lost in shipping. I'll update when I get the second controller replacement.
Cooking: Without a probe or timer I cooked two 1 lb cornish hens and some vegetables with traeger pecan pellets. I watched the temperature swings and/or if it stayed at selected temperature. I must say that the system as a whole is pretty accurate and made my guessing at doneness a breeze. I set it at 270 and it added pellets then temperature went to 350 and then cooled off to 270. I put everything on the grill and watched temperature build back up to 300 and then settle down quickly to 270. I had to lift the lid during cook to get the serial number from the hopper lid, the temperature went back up and settled back down. When the lid was kept shut the temperature never varied by more than a few degrees on a very windy day. The smoke was thin (like it should be) unless the lid was lifted and it was burning off pellets. After an hour and 10 minutes I took an instant read and pulled it all of the grill. The wife loved it. I hate heavy smoked chicken and Traeger pecan is a weaker smoke flavor. And because with pellet burners you don't get as heavy a smoke as wood or charcoal (not to mention pellet burners are more consistent flavored from one cook of a chicken to the next) I think this was just what I expected. We shall see, and I'll keep you updated as I travel around with it and use it more.
I'll update this after I get the new module and install it.
EDIT 6/18/2020: Received the new module and it did the same thing!!! That is not possible typically. I called Traeger immediately and had her walk me through the instructions to make sure I had the correct manual and that the module was loaded with the correct software. She determined I needed to calibrate the probe but I reasoned that if I was unable to get into the timer mode, probe mode, or alarm mode, then calibrating the probe that wasn't being recognized when plugged in would not fix my inability to scroll through modes. I told her I did not want to use the probe at all and I could still not scroll with center button on either old or new controller. I had asked if I could speak to someone who actually owned and operated a Ranger but that will not happen and all you will get is going to be someone walking you through your manual. She also tried to do a live stream video but the link did not work with my phone, maybe because of web/antivirus protection I use on my phone, not sure, tried firefox and chrome browsers. So, she put me on hold and after what seemed like a half hour (likely 15 minutes) the connection was lost again so I called back and got my 4th agent. He seemed to be aware of the situation already and was very patient as we again tried the live stream and finally used my wife's phone which worked. Remember, once you've cooked with the unit it can not be shipped back so likely they will keep sending controllers until they find one that works and this is probably the case with green mountain or pit boss too. A note on replacement of controller is I was told its easy and on youtube. Its not, and its not. My big hands could not both fit into the small opening to plug and unplug connections and the arc controller is not currently on youtube, only for other models.
Note of some value: I have literally years of training in electronics/servicing/production and have manned the helpdesks at times so I am familiar with all of this from both sides of the phone. I'm not going to be the customer I used to joke about after we would hang up. There's no use in it and they are being as helpful as possible in their job capacity. So, if you are that customer, your experience with them is going to be very frustrating. The agents you talk to do not have immediate access to techs or engineers. So not because traeger agents aren't great at their job, its because the company itself is not geared for great quality control or after sales repairs that I am downgrading this to 4 stars for now. I've spent $500 for a grill (and accessories) that doesn't work and surprised they do not check the units out or update them before sending them out. The ones already on the shelf at the store they must know they are not going to work and are expecting your call.? Right now I have a pretty high level of confidence (because of the Traeger name) they will make it right but I might be a little nervous in a day or two. My wife's giving me the stink-eye every time I try to explain what's going on. I'll continue to update this in case your getting ready to make a travel grill purchase. Stay tuned!
Update 7/2/2020: I'm downgrading this review from a 5, to a 4, now to a 3 as this has turned into the typical helpdesk experience everyone complains about as the previous one was lost in shipment, they say. I've now talked to 7 different voices (none are technicians) and they have all made me walk them through the issue. None of them have ever operated a traeger ranger or arc controller. they've only read the manual. They can not put me in touch with anyone with experience on my model. They can't explain why three controllers malfunction the same way. I can't return this for refund or replacement.
7/7/2020: So this has become worse, if you can imagine that. I called to check status of the lost then reordered again controller and was told there was no record of a previously ordered (second) replacement. This was after a 35 minute (officially timed) hold while she asked the team leader about how shipping works. When you track the UPS number they give you it goes to a "USPS is awaiting delivery" and the status had not changed. All that really means is someone printed a label and notified shipping that a tracking number has been created. I asked if the package had left the building and she said yes (without checking) and that they get 10 business days to deliver and that the above status means nothing. (Thanks for the tracking number, Traeger) This is what happened to the previous controller. I was given a tracking number and order number and the status never changed after 10 business days so it was reordered.
I typed a big long log of all the phone calls, names, times, order numbers and tracking numbers to prove someone ordered it and it was all for not as the email came back with an auto response saying it was an unmonitored email account. So here I sit until the 15th of July without use of the pellet grill.
I'll update this later and let you know if the latest controller arrived and actually fixed the issue.
Sorry this is so long, but it was a great opportunity to give perspective buyers more information that just isn't out there yet and let them know that if they decide to buy a Traeger Ranger and receive a malfunctioning one, they are in for a high level of exasperation. I can not recall a more uninformed, unhelpful, uncaring helpdesk. Oh, and the wait times for an answer are 25-30 minutes long (unless you get conveniently dropped) or you can press 1 and they will call you back in about an hour.
7/17/2020 UPDATE - it took longer than they said for another controller to get here. I plug it in and it does the same thing. So three different controllers all malfunction the exact same way? What are the odds? Well apparently pretty good from what I've gathered elsewhere. In my opinion they have a problem they can't fix. So, I called Traeger HD and spoke to another technician and he was also helpful but we had to go through the same troubleshooting steps as we did with the other 2 controllers but I was unable to use the center button as needed so the next step was to take it to a dealer and let them troubleshoot it. I had to call Traeger HD again to get the warranty request form with authorization number and then I delivered it today on same day as this update.
7/25/2020: I updated this a few days ago to wrap this up but it did not get posted. Maybe I've been censored. I'll make this quick. They had me take it to a local dealer to get it troubleshot and possibly fixed.. They could not fix it. Traeger offered upgrade but all they had in shop was outdated tailgater and they the PRO line which will not travel. The shop was extremely helpful and empathetic. They advised me to go get my money back. Amazon was great and I had gone past 30 day window but it was a warranty issue with Traeger and they refunded my money, no sweat. I gave the Ranger and Traeger help desk every chance possible and they both failed. If you order one, chances are it will not work properly. Check it out the controller BEFORE YOU FIRE IT UP to make your return easy and return it immediately. Perhaps in a year or two they will have this issue resolved but right now. I've personally operated 4 different controllers on 2 rangers and they all had the exact same problem. I know of a store who is pulling them off the shelf and finding the same issue with their stock. So now you know everything and if you still order this hoping you will be one of the few who got lucky, I'd think again.
Folks, I've had the same webber grill for over 25 years. Its a pain to store so Its been left outside all that time without problems (except i had to get new set of wheels). No it doesn't have an augering pellet system. But the charcoal bag weighs about the same as the pellet bag, I can smoke larger pieces of meat than the Ranger, its lighter and has wheels. I'm beginning to believe that its a far more pleasant experience with a webber and family, than a traeger ranger and helpdesk technicians.
These are made for travel and will be great for tailgate for four at the most, or camping/RV at the park. When determining where you will set this unit, remember that you need 12" spacing all around it and at least 40" above it. Smoke will stain your bricks, eaves, and soffits, etc. not to mention the occasional grease fire. Also the grill can heat up to 450 (or a little more) so I'm not going to "set it and forget it" with kids around and I will at least be watching it on wifi camera.
Information I could not find anywhere: After the feet are installed, the footprint measured from outside of legs (not the unit dimensions) is 12 5/8" depth X 16 1/4" width, so you will ne a 13" X 17" (minimum) table top/surface capable of holding a possible 100 lbs and heat resistant (there is a report of it melting a plastic floding table in a review I saw). Tailgates and park picnic tables are fine as long as they are level and do not disrupt the grease flow to the back of the unit into the bucket.
I saw a review that claimed the griddle was 12 lbs. Its not. Its 8.5. If you add the grease tray, grill, and bucket it likely is about 12 lbs. If you have the hopper full that will add more weight (about 10 lbs). So, if you have to carry it by yourself for a distance, empty it all out and it will likely weigh around 47 lbs. That's still fairly heavy - use your legs when lifting.
Useable grill surface is anything under 10" W X 13" D X 5" H and must be positioned carefully over the grease plate to avoid the grease fire. So again, any hunk of meat less than your grease tray and not touching the lid should be ok if positioned with care. You can't put a full packer in there, but you could possibly separate them and cook separately. Boston butts higher than 5" are out of the question but you could easily do a pork shoulder, etc. I don't see how some are saying they've done both but the dimensions I gave above are maximum USEABLE dimensions.
I wish I would have understood the pellet management in these things better before I bought it. The hopper is inside the unit which makes it impossible to add any during a burn without interrupting the smoke or hold/stall temperatures so you have to ensure you fill it all the way for a long smoke. It has the capacity you might need.
Other than that, no big deal and makes it easier for travel and storage not having an outside hopper (or smoke stack).
Controller: Currently Traeger has a huge issue (IMHO) with units shipped and still on shelves that have malfuntioning controllers (center button will not scroll to timer, alarm, probe, and icons on left side of screen will not show. This renders your probe useless and they can not fix this issue. Traegers are made in CHINA like most other smokers but currently there are dealers having to pull rangers off the shelf to check for this defect. Traeger help desk would not acknowledge this of course. It seems like they hope you will just give up.
Shipping: On time with no damage to exterior box (came via Prime truck).
Unboxing - You should not try to lift the box initially, use a cart to get it to its location. After you open the box you can take out the heavy parts that will reduce it by 15 lbs (estimate). I lifted it by myself but it was heavier than I thought.
After opening and inspecting I found no missing items but they did give me an extra rubber foot which is good because everytime you lift it at least one of them falls off. Everything was packed well and individually wrapped items fit inside the grill just right. There was a sheen of oil on the grease tray and will leave oil marks on your clothes or whatever you sit it on so you should probably leave it wrapped until burn-in time. It did not come with starter pellets, no weather cover (bought separately), no samples of rubs etc., nor did I expect them.
Assembly and Quality Inspection - There was not a whole lot of assembly involved. There are 4 feet with rubber cups for each. You have to turn the unit on its side or even upside down and use a phillips screw driver and the provided washer and bolt to mount the 4 square metal legs then cover them with the rubber cups. There was a nice heavy handle to be screwed into the lid for lifting (not carrying the unit). The screwdriver they provide is nice enough but not large enough. if you tighten down with the provided screwdriver it does not get the proper bite and you will likely damage it for further use. Use a regular phillips. This unit comes with a small bucket for grease collection out the back, a grease tray (heavy gauged metal) that must be inserted properly so that the bucket can hang from it at the rear of the unit. The grill is heavy and coated. The griddle is cast iron and weighs 8.5 lbs. The external dimensions are correct and the unit itself is made of heavy gauged metal (very similar to weber grill). If I had to knock anything on quality it would be the hasps and hinging. The lid hinge mounts need to be beefier in my opinion in case the lid is up and the wind catches it. I'll likely mod it with a safety strap when the warranty is up. The front hasps are sufficient but again, beefier would suit me better.
Instructions - I've yet to see a perfect manual and this one did not surprise me. The initial burn to clean out chemicals and oils etc. is unfinished. it says go to Pri then 450 and let it burn for 30 min. - so far so good, but then it doesn't tell you what to do afterwards. I chose to do the shutdown as I was not going to cook anything today. So, it says to press center button for 3 seconds and it will flash off, then scroll down to shutdown and alternates with temperature. Mine did not scroll down to anything and flashes with time, not temperature. Then it flashes the idle mode "[ ]" mode awaiting further instructions. Is it safe to turn off now? No "finished" or any other clue to say what's next. I turned it off at the switch and unplugged it. Hopefully its ready to go when I cook. (see updates below)
There's lots of warning as you could imagine when playing with fire and they seem to be sprinkled liberally throughout and all of the rest deals with technical functions but I haven't finished it yet.
I'll update this after a few cooks.
UPDATED 6/12/20:
One reason the manual might not have been so great is my ARC controller was not fully functional. The center button would not take me to timer or alternate temperature and time display. Also, you are supposed to get indications on the left of the panel when the probe is recognized and/or the timer is being used. Mine did not. The instructions say nothing about if the probe has to be plugged in BEFORE it starts or if you can plug it in any time. It explained the timer mode but since mine did not work I should hope there would be something in the manual for troubleshooting. There is not. The only thing that troubleshooting portion shows is error codes, which I did not have. All in all, I wish they had a better troubleshooting section. If you call tech support they will be using the same manual you are looking at so don't expect any knowledge tips as they likely are unfamiliar with the Ranger.
So, I called the Traeger help line. The first call I got someone under two minutes and although knew less than I did was certainly helpful in attitude and pleasant to talk to. Then i got the "hello are you there, hello..." and she could not hear me, lost connection... I hope it was just that, a bad connection. I called back and think it was the same person. We determined that the probe should be plugged in while in the idle mode and since I was in the middle of a cook I should call back if that did not do the trick. I wasn't sure about the timer mode entry yet so I thought I would just finish the cook and start over again. It still did not detect the probe. Could not go into timer mode and probe could not be recognized. I called back and this person was very helpful with enough experience that she recognized something was wrong with the controller and from there it was a matter of setting me up for a new one to be shipped with a tracking number emailed to me. I'm editing this before I have received the tracking number email to let me know it shipped but just wanted to keep this updated in case you were looking at one. This is not a "nightmare issue" or unexpected for me. I'm glad I chose Traeger just because of this reason. Their controllers are modules that are easily replaced by plugging and unplugging and I read nothing on other brands other than the usual "no answer" type stuff. But I don't expect these modules to last more than a few years (the warranty is 3 years).
Update to Shipping 7/2/2020: I was supposed to receive another (second) controller that never came but was told it was awaiting UPS to deliver to USPS and then got lost, and then apparently found, and delivered to me. I think they were confused and thought that was the 1st controller replacement that did not work and the second never was shipped as they could not find it and I have a video doorbell and it never arrived at my door or the mailbox. But I'm taking them at their word that it was lost in shipping. I'll update when I get the second controller replacement.
Cooking: Without a probe or timer I cooked two 1 lb cornish hens and some vegetables with traeger pecan pellets. I watched the temperature swings and/or if it stayed at selected temperature. I must say that the system as a whole is pretty accurate and made my guessing at doneness a breeze. I set it at 270 and it added pellets then temperature went to 350 and then cooled off to 270. I put everything on the grill and watched temperature build back up to 300 and then settle down quickly to 270. I had to lift the lid during cook to get the serial number from the hopper lid, the temperature went back up and settled back down. When the lid was kept shut the temperature never varied by more than a few degrees on a very windy day. The smoke was thin (like it should be) unless the lid was lifted and it was burning off pellets. After an hour and 10 minutes I took an instant read and pulled it all of the grill. The wife loved it. I hate heavy smoked chicken and Traeger pecan is a weaker smoke flavor. And because with pellet burners you don't get as heavy a smoke as wood or charcoal (not to mention pellet burners are more consistent flavored from one cook of a chicken to the next) I think this was just what I expected. We shall see, and I'll keep you updated as I travel around with it and use it more.
I'll update this after I get the new module and install it.
EDIT 6/18/2020: Received the new module and it did the same thing!!! That is not possible typically. I called Traeger immediately and had her walk me through the instructions to make sure I had the correct manual and that the module was loaded with the correct software. She determined I needed to calibrate the probe but I reasoned that if I was unable to get into the timer mode, probe mode, or alarm mode, then calibrating the probe that wasn't being recognized when plugged in would not fix my inability to scroll through modes. I told her I did not want to use the probe at all and I could still not scroll with center button on either old or new controller. I had asked if I could speak to someone who actually owned and operated a Ranger but that will not happen and all you will get is going to be someone walking you through your manual. She also tried to do a live stream video but the link did not work with my phone, maybe because of web/antivirus protection I use on my phone, not sure, tried firefox and chrome browsers. So, she put me on hold and after what seemed like a half hour (likely 15 minutes) the connection was lost again so I called back and got my 4th agent. He seemed to be aware of the situation already and was very patient as we again tried the live stream and finally used my wife's phone which worked. Remember, once you've cooked with the unit it can not be shipped back so likely they will keep sending controllers until they find one that works and this is probably the case with green mountain or pit boss too. A note on replacement of controller is I was told its easy and on youtube. Its not, and its not. My big hands could not both fit into the small opening to plug and unplug connections and the arc controller is not currently on youtube, only for other models.
Note of some value: I have literally years of training in electronics/servicing/production and have manned the helpdesks at times so I am familiar with all of this from both sides of the phone. I'm not going to be the customer I used to joke about after we would hang up. There's no use in it and they are being as helpful as possible in their job capacity. So, if you are that customer, your experience with them is going to be very frustrating. The agents you talk to do not have immediate access to techs or engineers. So not because traeger agents aren't great at their job, its because the company itself is not geared for great quality control or after sales repairs that I am downgrading this to 4 stars for now. I've spent $500 for a grill (and accessories) that doesn't work and surprised they do not check the units out or update them before sending them out. The ones already on the shelf at the store they must know they are not going to work and are expecting your call.? Right now I have a pretty high level of confidence (because of the Traeger name) they will make it right but I might be a little nervous in a day or two. My wife's giving me the stink-eye every time I try to explain what's going on. I'll continue to update this in case your getting ready to make a travel grill purchase. Stay tuned!
Update 7/2/2020: I'm downgrading this review from a 5, to a 4, now to a 3 as this has turned into the typical helpdesk experience everyone complains about as the previous one was lost in shipment, they say. I've now talked to 7 different voices (none are technicians) and they have all made me walk them through the issue. None of them have ever operated a traeger ranger or arc controller. they've only read the manual. They can not put me in touch with anyone with experience on my model. They can't explain why three controllers malfunction the same way. I can't return this for refund or replacement.
7/7/2020: So this has become worse, if you can imagine that. I called to check status of the lost then reordered again controller and was told there was no record of a previously ordered (second) replacement. This was after a 35 minute (officially timed) hold while she asked the team leader about how shipping works. When you track the UPS number they give you it goes to a "USPS is awaiting delivery" and the status had not changed. All that really means is someone printed a label and notified shipping that a tracking number has been created. I asked if the package had left the building and she said yes (without checking) and that they get 10 business days to deliver and that the above status means nothing. (Thanks for the tracking number, Traeger) This is what happened to the previous controller. I was given a tracking number and order number and the status never changed after 10 business days so it was reordered.
I typed a big long log of all the phone calls, names, times, order numbers and tracking numbers to prove someone ordered it and it was all for not as the email came back with an auto response saying it was an unmonitored email account. So here I sit until the 15th of July without use of the pellet grill.
I'll update this later and let you know if the latest controller arrived and actually fixed the issue.
Sorry this is so long, but it was a great opportunity to give perspective buyers more information that just isn't out there yet and let them know that if they decide to buy a Traeger Ranger and receive a malfunctioning one, they are in for a high level of exasperation. I can not recall a more uninformed, unhelpful, uncaring helpdesk. Oh, and the wait times for an answer are 25-30 minutes long (unless you get conveniently dropped) or you can press 1 and they will call you back in about an hour.
7/17/2020 UPDATE - it took longer than they said for another controller to get here. I plug it in and it does the same thing. So three different controllers all malfunction the exact same way? What are the odds? Well apparently pretty good from what I've gathered elsewhere. In my opinion they have a problem they can't fix. So, I called Traeger HD and spoke to another technician and he was also helpful but we had to go through the same troubleshooting steps as we did with the other 2 controllers but I was unable to use the center button as needed so the next step was to take it to a dealer and let them troubleshoot it. I had to call Traeger HD again to get the warranty request form with authorization number and then I delivered it today on same day as this update.
7/25/2020: I updated this a few days ago to wrap this up but it did not get posted. Maybe I've been censored. I'll make this quick. They had me take it to a local dealer to get it troubleshot and possibly fixed.. They could not fix it. Traeger offered upgrade but all they had in shop was outdated tailgater and they the PRO line which will not travel. The shop was extremely helpful and empathetic. They advised me to go get my money back. Amazon was great and I had gone past 30 day window but it was a warranty issue with Traeger and they refunded my money, no sweat. I gave the Ranger and Traeger help desk every chance possible and they both failed. If you order one, chances are it will not work properly. Check it out the controller BEFORE YOU FIRE IT UP to make your return easy and return it immediately. Perhaps in a year or two they will have this issue resolved but right now. I've personally operated 4 different controllers on 2 rangers and they all had the exact same problem. I know of a store who is pulling them off the shelf and finding the same issue with their stock. So now you know everything and if you still order this hoping you will be one of the few who got lucky, I'd think again.
Folks, I've had the same webber grill for over 25 years. Its a pain to store so Its been left outside all that time without problems (except i had to get new set of wheels). No it doesn't have an augering pellet system. But the charcoal bag weighs about the same as the pellet bag, I can smoke larger pieces of meat than the Ranger, its lighter and has wheels. I'm beginning to believe that its a far more pleasant experience with a webber and family, than a traeger ranger and helpdesk technicians.
Kim Brawley : Great grill
Great grill for camping!!
Amazon Customer : Love this thing
Love this thing. I use it all the time. Way better than my electric wood chip smoker I was using before. Perfect for a single guy that doesn’t need to make large quantities of meat.
Bob : More Info You Need before deciding. From 5 stars to 1. They can't fix it.
Initial Impressions: I would not recommend this as a beginner's unit. This is made for travel. They are expensive and if you are interested in learning and doing a lot of smoking, go with wood burners (IMHO) for that classic smoke flavor. These are not exactly BBQ grills nor are they likely good for competition grilling/smoking. These are ovens with a fan (convection) that can give you pretty good smoke flavors using pellets that need to be about 70% oak and 30% flavored wood (soaked in flavored oils I guess) so that the burn is cleaner with little ash left on your food. You are told to use Traeger for this reason, and I will. They claim other cheaper brands may have bark or not enough oak (for clean burn) and I don't see a big enough difference in price to argue about it. You want the thin blue smoke, not white puffs, so burn what they tell you to burn is my thought.
These are made for travel and will be great for tailgate for four at the most, or camping/RV at the park. When determining where you will set this unit, remember that you need 12" spacing all around it and at least 40" above it. Smoke will stain your bricks, eaves, and soffits, etc. not to mention the occasional grease fire. Also the grill can heat up to 450 (or a little more) so I'm not going to "set it and forget it" with kids around and I will at least be watching it on wifi camera.
Information I could not find anywhere: After the feet are installed, the footprint measured from outside of legs (not the unit dimensions) is 12 5/8" depth X 16 1/4" width, so you will ne a 13" X 17" (minimum) table top/surface capable of holding a possible 100 lbs and heat resistant (there is a report of it melting a plastic floding table in a review I saw). Tailgates and park picnic tables are fine as long as they are level and do not disrupt the grease flow to the back of the unit into the bucket.
I saw a review that claimed the griddle was 12 lbs. Its not. Its 8.5. If you add the grease tray, grill, and bucket it likely is about 12 lbs. If you have the hopper full that will add more weight (about 10 lbs). So, if you have to carry it by yourself for a distance, empty it all out and it will likely weigh around 47 lbs. That's still fairly heavy - use your legs when lifting.
Useable grill surface is anything under 10" W X 13" D X 5" H and must be positioned carefully over the grease plate to avoid the grease fire. So again, any hunk of meat less than your grease tray and not touching the lid should be ok if positioned with care. You can't put a full packer in there, but you could possibly separate them and cook separately. Boston butts higher than 5" are out of the question but you could easily do a pork shoulder, etc. I don't see how some are saying they've done both but the dimensions I gave above are maximum USEABLE dimensions.
I wish I would have understood the pellet management in these things better before I bought it. The hopper is inside the unit which makes it impossible to add any during a burn without interrupting the smoke or hold/stall temperatures so you have to ensure you fill it all the way for a long smoke. It has the capacity you might need.
Other than that, no big deal and makes it easier for travel and storage not having an outside hopper (or smoke stack).
Controller: Currently Traeger has a huge issue (IMHO) with units shipped and still on shelves that have malfuntioning controllers (center button will not scroll to timer, alarm, probe, and icons on left side of screen will not show. This renders your probe useless and they can not fix this issue. Traegers are made in CHINA like most other smokers but currently there are dealers having to pull rangers off the shelf to check for this defect. Traeger help desk would not acknowledge this of course. It seems like they hope you will just give up.
Shipping: On time with no damage to exterior box (came via Prime truck).
Unboxing - You should not try to lift the box initially, use a cart to get it to its location. After you open the box you can take out the heavy parts that will reduce it by 15 lbs (estimate). I lifted it by myself but it was heavier than I thought.
After opening and inspecting I found no missing items but they did give me an extra rubber foot which is good because everytime you lift it at least one of them falls off. Everything was packed well and individually wrapped items fit inside the grill just right. There was a sheen of oil on the grease tray and will leave oil marks on your clothes or whatever you sit it on so you should probably leave it wrapped until burn-in time. It did not come with starter pellets, no weather cover (bought separately), no samples of rubs etc., nor did I expect them.
Assembly and Quality Inspection - There was not a whole lot of assembly involved. There are 4 feet with rubber cups for each. You have to turn the unit on its side or even upside down and use a phillips screw driver and the provided washer and bolt to mount the 4 square metal legs then cover them with the rubber cups. There was a nice heavy handle to be screwed into the lid for lifting (not carrying the unit). The screwdriver they provide is nice enough but not large enough. if you tighten down with the provided screwdriver it does not get the proper bite and you will likely damage it for further use. Use a regular phillips. This unit comes with a small bucket for grease collection out the back, a grease tray (heavy gauged metal) that must be inserted properly so that the bucket can hang from it at the rear of the unit. The grill is heavy and coated. The griddle is cast iron and weighs 8.5 lbs. The external dimensions are correct and the unit itself is made of heavy gauged metal (very similar to weber grill). If I had to knock anything on quality it would be the hasps and hinging. The lid hinge mounts need to be beefier in my opinion in case the lid is up and the wind catches it. I'll likely mod it with a safety strap when the warranty is up. The front hasps are sufficient but again, beefier would suit me better.
Instructions - I've yet to see a perfect manual and this one did not surprise me. The initial burn to clean out chemicals and oils etc. is unfinished. it says go to Pri then 450 and let it burn for 30 min. - so far so good, but then it doesn't tell you what to do afterwards. I chose to do the shutdown as I was not going to cook anything today. So, it says to press center button for 3 seconds and it will flash off, then scroll down to shutdown and alternates with temperature. Mine did not scroll down to anything and flashes with time, not temperature. Then it flashes the idle mode "[ ]" mode awaiting further instructions. Is it safe to turn off now? No "finished" or any other clue to say what's next. I turned it off at the switch and unplugged it. Hopefully its ready to go when I cook. (see updates below)
There's lots of warning as you could imagine when playing with fire and they seem to be sprinkled liberally throughout and all of the rest deals with technical functions but I haven't finished it yet.
I'll update this after a few cooks.
UPDATED 6/12/20:
One reason the manual might not have been so great is my ARC controller was not fully functional. The center button would not take me to timer or alternate temperature and time display. Also, you are supposed to get indications on the left of the panel when the probe is recognized and/or the timer is being used. Mine did not. The instructions say nothing about if the probe has to be plugged in BEFORE it starts or if you can plug it in any time. It explained the timer mode but since mine did not work I should hope there would be something in the manual for troubleshooting. There is not. The only thing that troubleshooting portion shows is error codes, which I did not have. All in all, I wish they had a better troubleshooting section. If you call tech support they will be using the same manual you are looking at so don't expect any knowledge tips as they likely are unfamiliar with the Ranger.
So, I called the Traeger help line. The first call I got someone under two minutes and although knew less than I did was certainly helpful in attitude and pleasant to talk to. Then i got the "hello are you there, hello..." and she could not hear me, lost connection... I hope it was just that, a bad connection. I called back and think it was the same person. We determined that the probe should be plugged in while in the idle mode and since I was in the middle of a cook I should call back if that did not do the trick. I wasn't sure about the timer mode entry yet so I thought I would just finish the cook and start over again. It still did not detect the probe. Could not go into timer mode and probe could not be recognized. I called back and this person was very helpful with enough experience that she recognized something was wrong with the controller and from there it was a matter of setting me up for a new one to be shipped with a tracking number emailed to me. I'm editing this before I have received the tracking number email to let me know it shipped but just wanted to keep this updated in case you were looking at one. This is not a "nightmare issue" or unexpected for me. I'm glad I chose Traeger just because of this reason. Their controllers are modules that are easily replaced by plugging and unplugging and I read nothing on other brands other than the usual "no answer" type stuff. But I don't expect these modules to last more than a few years (the warranty is 3 years).
Update to Shipping 7/2/2020: I was supposed to receive another (second) controller that never came but was told it was awaiting UPS to deliver to USPS and then got lost, and then apparently found, and delivered to me. I think they were confused and thought that was the 1st controller replacement that did not work and the second never was shipped as they could not find it and I have a video doorbell and it never arrived at my door or the mailbox. But I'm taking them at their word that it was lost in shipping. I'll update when I get the second controller replacement.
Cooking: Without a probe or timer I cooked two 1 lb cornish hens and some vegetables with traeger pecan pellets. I watched the temperature swings and/or if it stayed at selected temperature. I must say that the system as a whole is pretty accurate and made my guessing at doneness a breeze. I set it at 270 and it added pellets then temperature went to 350 and then cooled off to 270. I put everything on the grill and watched temperature build back up to 300 and then settle down quickly to 270. I had to lift the lid during cook to get the serial number from the hopper lid, the temperature went back up and settled back down. When the lid was kept shut the temperature never varied by more than a few degrees on a very windy day. The smoke was thin (like it should be) unless the lid was lifted and it was burning off pellets. After an hour and 10 minutes I took an instant read and pulled it all of the grill. The wife loved it. I hate heavy smoked chicken and Traeger pecan is a weaker smoke flavor. And because with pellet burners you don't get as heavy a smoke as wood or charcoal (not to mention pellet burners are more consistent flavored from one cook of a chicken to the next) I think this was just what I expected. We shall see, and I'll keep you updated as I travel around with it and use it more.
I'll update this after I get the new module and install it.
EDIT 6/18/2020: Received the new module and it did the same thing!!! That is not possible typically. I called Traeger immediately and had her walk me through the instructions to make sure I had the correct manual and that the module was loaded with the correct software. She determined I needed to calibrate the probe but I reasoned that if I was unable to get into the timer mode, probe mode, or alarm mode, then calibrating the probe that wasn't being recognized when plugged in would not fix my inability to scroll through modes. I told her I did not want to use the probe at all and I could still not scroll with center button on either old or new controller. I had asked if I could speak to someone who actually owned and operated a Ranger but that will not happen and all you will get is going to be someone walking you through your manual. She also tried to do a live stream video but the link did not work with my phone, maybe because of web/antivirus protection I use on my phone, not sure, tried firefox and chrome browsers. So, she put me on hold and after what seemed like a half hour (likely 15 minutes) the connection was lost again so I called back and got my 4th agent. He seemed to be aware of the situation already and was very patient as we again tried the live stream and finally used my wife's phone which worked. Remember, once you've cooked with the unit it can not be shipped back so likely they will keep sending controllers until they find one that works and this is probably the case with green mountain or pit boss too. A note on replacement of controller is I was told its easy and on youtube. Its not, and its not. My big hands could not both fit into the small opening to plug and unplug connections and the arc controller is not currently on youtube, only for other models.
Note of some value: I have literally years of training in electronics/servicing/production and have manned the helpdesks at times so I am familiar with all of this from both sides of the phone. I'm not going to be the customer I used to joke about after we would hang up. There's no use in it and they are being as helpful as possible in their job capacity. So, if you are that customer, your experience with them is going to be very frustrating. The agents you talk to do not have immediate access to techs or engineers. So not because traeger agents aren't great at their job, its because the company itself is not geared for great quality control or after sales repairs that I am downgrading this to 4 stars for now. I've spent $500 for a grill (and accessories) that doesn't work and surprised they do not check the units out or update them before sending them out. The ones already on the shelf at the store they must know they are not going to work and are expecting your call.? Right now I have a pretty high level of confidence (because of the Traeger name) they will make it right but I might be a little nervous in a day or two. My wife's giving me the stink-eye every time I try to explain what's going on. I'll continue to update this in case your getting ready to make a travel grill purchase. Stay tuned!
Update 7/2/2020: I'm downgrading this review from a 5, to a 4, now to a 3 as this has turned into the typical helpdesk experience everyone complains about as the previous one was lost in shipment, they say. I've now talked to 7 different voices (none are technicians) and they have all made me walk them through the issue. None of them have ever operated a traeger ranger or arc controller. they've only read the manual. They can not put me in touch with anyone with experience on my model. They can't explain why three controllers malfunction the same way. I can't return this for refund or replacement.
7/7/2020: So this has become worse, if you can imagine that. I called to check status of the lost then reordered again controller and was told there was no record of a previously ordered (second) replacement. This was after a 35 minute (officially timed) hold while she asked the team leader about how shipping works. When you track the UPS number they give you it goes to a "USPS is awaiting delivery" and the status had not changed. All that really means is someone printed a label and notified shipping that a tracking number has been created. I asked if the package had left the building and she said yes (without checking) and that they get 10 business days to deliver and that the above status means nothing. (Thanks for the tracking number, Traeger) This is what happened to the previous controller. I was given a tracking number and order number and the status never changed after 10 business days so it was reordered.
I typed a big long log of all the phone calls, names, times, order numbers and tracking numbers to prove someone ordered it and it was all for not as the email came back with an auto response saying it was an unmonitored email account. So here I sit until the 15th of July without use of the pellet grill.
I'll update this later and let you know if the latest controller arrived and actually fixed the issue.
Sorry this is so long, but it was a great opportunity to give perspective buyers more information that just isn't out there yet and let them know that if they decide to buy a Traeger Ranger and receive a malfunctioning one, they are in for a high level of exasperation. I can not recall a more uninformed, unhelpful, uncaring helpdesk. Oh, and the wait times for an answer are 25-30 minutes long (unless you get conveniently dropped) or you can press 1 and they will call you back in about an hour.
7/17/2020 UPDATE - it took longer than they said for another controller to get here. I plug it in and it does the same thing. So three different controllers all malfunction the exact same way? What are the odds? Well apparently pretty good from what I've gathered elsewhere. In my opinion they have a problem they can't fix. So, I called Traeger HD and spoke to another technician and he was also helpful but we had to go through the same troubleshooting steps as we did with the other 2 controllers but I was unable to use the center button as needed so the next step was to take it to a dealer and let them troubleshoot it. I had to call Traeger HD again to get the warranty request form with authorization number and then I delivered it today on same day as this update.
7/25/2020: I updated this a few days ago to wrap this up but it did not get posted. Maybe I've been censored. I'll make this quick. They had me take it to a local dealer to get it troubleshot and possibly fixed.. They could not fix it. Traeger offered upgrade but all they had in shop was outdated tailgater and they the PRO line which will not travel. The shop was extremely helpful and empathetic. They advised me to go get my money back. Amazon was great and I had gone past 30 day window but it was a warranty issue with Traeger and they refunded my money, no sweat. I gave the Ranger and Traeger help desk every chance possible and they both failed. If you order one, chances are it will not work properly. Check it out the controller BEFORE YOU FIRE IT UP to make your return easy and return it immediately. Perhaps in a year or two they will have this issue resolved but right now. I've personally operated 4 different controllers on 2 rangers and they all had the exact same problem. I know of a store who is pulling them off the shelf and finding the same issue with their stock. So now you know everything and if you still order this hoping you will be one of the few who got lucky, I'd think again.
Folks, I've had the same webber grill for over 25 years. Its a pain to store so Its been left outside all that time without problems (except i had to get new set of wheels). No it doesn't have an augering pellet system. But the charcoal bag weighs about the same as the pellet bag, I can smoke larger pieces of meat than the Ranger, its lighter and has wheels. I'm beginning to believe that its a far more pleasant experience with a webber and family, than a traeger ranger and helpdesk technicians.
These are made for travel and will be great for tailgate for four at the most, or camping/RV at the park. When determining where you will set this unit, remember that you need 12" spacing all around it and at least 40" above it. Smoke will stain your bricks, eaves, and soffits, etc. not to mention the occasional grease fire. Also the grill can heat up to 450 (or a little more) so I'm not going to "set it and forget it" with kids around and I will at least be watching it on wifi camera.
Information I could not find anywhere: After the feet are installed, the footprint measured from outside of legs (not the unit dimensions) is 12 5/8" depth X 16 1/4" width, so you will ne a 13" X 17" (minimum) table top/surface capable of holding a possible 100 lbs and heat resistant (there is a report of it melting a plastic floding table in a review I saw). Tailgates and park picnic tables are fine as long as they are level and do not disrupt the grease flow to the back of the unit into the bucket.
I saw a review that claimed the griddle was 12 lbs. Its not. Its 8.5. If you add the grease tray, grill, and bucket it likely is about 12 lbs. If you have the hopper full that will add more weight (about 10 lbs). So, if you have to carry it by yourself for a distance, empty it all out and it will likely weigh around 47 lbs. That's still fairly heavy - use your legs when lifting.
Useable grill surface is anything under 10" W X 13" D X 5" H and must be positioned carefully over the grease plate to avoid the grease fire. So again, any hunk of meat less than your grease tray and not touching the lid should be ok if positioned with care. You can't put a full packer in there, but you could possibly separate them and cook separately. Boston butts higher than 5" are out of the question but you could easily do a pork shoulder, etc. I don't see how some are saying they've done both but the dimensions I gave above are maximum USEABLE dimensions.
I wish I would have understood the pellet management in these things better before I bought it. The hopper is inside the unit which makes it impossible to add any during a burn without interrupting the smoke or hold/stall temperatures so you have to ensure you fill it all the way for a long smoke. It has the capacity you might need.
Other than that, no big deal and makes it easier for travel and storage not having an outside hopper (or smoke stack).
Controller: Currently Traeger has a huge issue (IMHO) with units shipped and still on shelves that have malfuntioning controllers (center button will not scroll to timer, alarm, probe, and icons on left side of screen will not show. This renders your probe useless and they can not fix this issue. Traegers are made in CHINA like most other smokers but currently there are dealers having to pull rangers off the shelf to check for this defect. Traeger help desk would not acknowledge this of course. It seems like they hope you will just give up.
Shipping: On time with no damage to exterior box (came via Prime truck).
Unboxing - You should not try to lift the box initially, use a cart to get it to its location. After you open the box you can take out the heavy parts that will reduce it by 15 lbs (estimate). I lifted it by myself but it was heavier than I thought.
After opening and inspecting I found no missing items but they did give me an extra rubber foot which is good because everytime you lift it at least one of them falls off. Everything was packed well and individually wrapped items fit inside the grill just right. There was a sheen of oil on the grease tray and will leave oil marks on your clothes or whatever you sit it on so you should probably leave it wrapped until burn-in time. It did not come with starter pellets, no weather cover (bought separately), no samples of rubs etc., nor did I expect them.
Assembly and Quality Inspection - There was not a whole lot of assembly involved. There are 4 feet with rubber cups for each. You have to turn the unit on its side or even upside down and use a phillips screw driver and the provided washer and bolt to mount the 4 square metal legs then cover them with the rubber cups. There was a nice heavy handle to be screwed into the lid for lifting (not carrying the unit). The screwdriver they provide is nice enough but not large enough. if you tighten down with the provided screwdriver it does not get the proper bite and you will likely damage it for further use. Use a regular phillips. This unit comes with a small bucket for grease collection out the back, a grease tray (heavy gauged metal) that must be inserted properly so that the bucket can hang from it at the rear of the unit. The grill is heavy and coated. The griddle is cast iron and weighs 8.5 lbs. The external dimensions are correct and the unit itself is made of heavy gauged metal (very similar to weber grill). If I had to knock anything on quality it would be the hasps and hinging. The lid hinge mounts need to be beefier in my opinion in case the lid is up and the wind catches it. I'll likely mod it with a safety strap when the warranty is up. The front hasps are sufficient but again, beefier would suit me better.
Instructions - I've yet to see a perfect manual and this one did not surprise me. The initial burn to clean out chemicals and oils etc. is unfinished. it says go to Pri then 450 and let it burn for 30 min. - so far so good, but then it doesn't tell you what to do afterwards. I chose to do the shutdown as I was not going to cook anything today. So, it says to press center button for 3 seconds and it will flash off, then scroll down to shutdown and alternates with temperature. Mine did not scroll down to anything and flashes with time, not temperature. Then it flashes the idle mode "[ ]" mode awaiting further instructions. Is it safe to turn off now? No "finished" or any other clue to say what's next. I turned it off at the switch and unplugged it. Hopefully its ready to go when I cook. (see updates below)
There's lots of warning as you could imagine when playing with fire and they seem to be sprinkled liberally throughout and all of the rest deals with technical functions but I haven't finished it yet.
I'll update this after a few cooks.
UPDATED 6/12/20:
One reason the manual might not have been so great is my ARC controller was not fully functional. The center button would not take me to timer or alternate temperature and time display. Also, you are supposed to get indications on the left of the panel when the probe is recognized and/or the timer is being used. Mine did not. The instructions say nothing about if the probe has to be plugged in BEFORE it starts or if you can plug it in any time. It explained the timer mode but since mine did not work I should hope there would be something in the manual for troubleshooting. There is not. The only thing that troubleshooting portion shows is error codes, which I did not have. All in all, I wish they had a better troubleshooting section. If you call tech support they will be using the same manual you are looking at so don't expect any knowledge tips as they likely are unfamiliar with the Ranger.
So, I called the Traeger help line. The first call I got someone under two minutes and although knew less than I did was certainly helpful in attitude and pleasant to talk to. Then i got the "hello are you there, hello..." and she could not hear me, lost connection... I hope it was just that, a bad connection. I called back and think it was the same person. We determined that the probe should be plugged in while in the idle mode and since I was in the middle of a cook I should call back if that did not do the trick. I wasn't sure about the timer mode entry yet so I thought I would just finish the cook and start over again. It still did not detect the probe. Could not go into timer mode and probe could not be recognized. I called back and this person was very helpful with enough experience that she recognized something was wrong with the controller and from there it was a matter of setting me up for a new one to be shipped with a tracking number emailed to me. I'm editing this before I have received the tracking number email to let me know it shipped but just wanted to keep this updated in case you were looking at one. This is not a "nightmare issue" or unexpected for me. I'm glad I chose Traeger just because of this reason. Their controllers are modules that are easily replaced by plugging and unplugging and I read nothing on other brands other than the usual "no answer" type stuff. But I don't expect these modules to last more than a few years (the warranty is 3 years).
Update to Shipping 7/2/2020: I was supposed to receive another (second) controller that never came but was told it was awaiting UPS to deliver to USPS and then got lost, and then apparently found, and delivered to me. I think they were confused and thought that was the 1st controller replacement that did not work and the second never was shipped as they could not find it and I have a video doorbell and it never arrived at my door or the mailbox. But I'm taking them at their word that it was lost in shipping. I'll update when I get the second controller replacement.
Cooking: Without a probe or timer I cooked two 1 lb cornish hens and some vegetables with traeger pecan pellets. I watched the temperature swings and/or if it stayed at selected temperature. I must say that the system as a whole is pretty accurate and made my guessing at doneness a breeze. I set it at 270 and it added pellets then temperature went to 350 and then cooled off to 270. I put everything on the grill and watched temperature build back up to 300 and then settle down quickly to 270. I had to lift the lid during cook to get the serial number from the hopper lid, the temperature went back up and settled back down. When the lid was kept shut the temperature never varied by more than a few degrees on a very windy day. The smoke was thin (like it should be) unless the lid was lifted and it was burning off pellets. After an hour and 10 minutes I took an instant read and pulled it all of the grill. The wife loved it. I hate heavy smoked chicken and Traeger pecan is a weaker smoke flavor. And because with pellet burners you don't get as heavy a smoke as wood or charcoal (not to mention pellet burners are more consistent flavored from one cook of a chicken to the next) I think this was just what I expected. We shall see, and I'll keep you updated as I travel around with it and use it more.
I'll update this after I get the new module and install it.
EDIT 6/18/2020: Received the new module and it did the same thing!!! That is not possible typically. I called Traeger immediately and had her walk me through the instructions to make sure I had the correct manual and that the module was loaded with the correct software. She determined I needed to calibrate the probe but I reasoned that if I was unable to get into the timer mode, probe mode, or alarm mode, then calibrating the probe that wasn't being recognized when plugged in would not fix my inability to scroll through modes. I told her I did not want to use the probe at all and I could still not scroll with center button on either old or new controller. I had asked if I could speak to someone who actually owned and operated a Ranger but that will not happen and all you will get is going to be someone walking you through your manual. She also tried to do a live stream video but the link did not work with my phone, maybe because of web/antivirus protection I use on my phone, not sure, tried firefox and chrome browsers. So, she put me on hold and after what seemed like a half hour (likely 15 minutes) the connection was lost again so I called back and got my 4th agent. He seemed to be aware of the situation already and was very patient as we again tried the live stream and finally used my wife's phone which worked. Remember, once you've cooked with the unit it can not be shipped back so likely they will keep sending controllers until they find one that works and this is probably the case with green mountain or pit boss too. A note on replacement of controller is I was told its easy and on youtube. Its not, and its not. My big hands could not both fit into the small opening to plug and unplug connections and the arc controller is not currently on youtube, only for other models.
Note of some value: I have literally years of training in electronics/servicing/production and have manned the helpdesks at times so I am familiar with all of this from both sides of the phone. I'm not going to be the customer I used to joke about after we would hang up. There's no use in it and they are being as helpful as possible in their job capacity. So, if you are that customer, your experience with them is going to be very frustrating. The agents you talk to do not have immediate access to techs or engineers. So not because traeger agents aren't great at their job, its because the company itself is not geared for great quality control or after sales repairs that I am downgrading this to 4 stars for now. I've spent $500 for a grill (and accessories) that doesn't work and surprised they do not check the units out or update them before sending them out. The ones already on the shelf at the store they must know they are not going to work and are expecting your call.? Right now I have a pretty high level of confidence (because of the Traeger name) they will make it right but I might be a little nervous in a day or two. My wife's giving me the stink-eye every time I try to explain what's going on. I'll continue to update this in case your getting ready to make a travel grill purchase. Stay tuned!
Update 7/2/2020: I'm downgrading this review from a 5, to a 4, now to a 3 as this has turned into the typical helpdesk experience everyone complains about as the previous one was lost in shipment, they say. I've now talked to 7 different voices (none are technicians) and they have all made me walk them through the issue. None of them have ever operated a traeger ranger or arc controller. they've only read the manual. They can not put me in touch with anyone with experience on my model. They can't explain why three controllers malfunction the same way. I can't return this for refund or replacement.
7/7/2020: So this has become worse, if you can imagine that. I called to check status of the lost then reordered again controller and was told there was no record of a previously ordered (second) replacement. This was after a 35 minute (officially timed) hold while she asked the team leader about how shipping works. When you track the UPS number they give you it goes to a "USPS is awaiting delivery" and the status had not changed. All that really means is someone printed a label and notified shipping that a tracking number has been created. I asked if the package had left the building and she said yes (without checking) and that they get 10 business days to deliver and that the above status means nothing. (Thanks for the tracking number, Traeger) This is what happened to the previous controller. I was given a tracking number and order number and the status never changed after 10 business days so it was reordered.
I typed a big long log of all the phone calls, names, times, order numbers and tracking numbers to prove someone ordered it and it was all for not as the email came back with an auto response saying it was an unmonitored email account. So here I sit until the 15th of July without use of the pellet grill.
I'll update this later and let you know if the latest controller arrived and actually fixed the issue.
Sorry this is so long, but it was a great opportunity to give perspective buyers more information that just isn't out there yet and let them know that if they decide to buy a Traeger Ranger and receive a malfunctioning one, they are in for a high level of exasperation. I can not recall a more uninformed, unhelpful, uncaring helpdesk. Oh, and the wait times for an answer are 25-30 minutes long (unless you get conveniently dropped) or you can press 1 and they will call you back in about an hour.
7/17/2020 UPDATE - it took longer than they said for another controller to get here. I plug it in and it does the same thing. So three different controllers all malfunction the exact same way? What are the odds? Well apparently pretty good from what I've gathered elsewhere. In my opinion they have a problem they can't fix. So, I called Traeger HD and spoke to another technician and he was also helpful but we had to go through the same troubleshooting steps as we did with the other 2 controllers but I was unable to use the center button as needed so the next step was to take it to a dealer and let them troubleshoot it. I had to call Traeger HD again to get the warranty request form with authorization number and then I delivered it today on same day as this update.
7/25/2020: I updated this a few days ago to wrap this up but it did not get posted. Maybe I've been censored. I'll make this quick. They had me take it to a local dealer to get it troubleshot and possibly fixed.. They could not fix it. Traeger offered upgrade but all they had in shop was outdated tailgater and they the PRO line which will not travel. The shop was extremely helpful and empathetic. They advised me to go get my money back. Amazon was great and I had gone past 30 day window but it was a warranty issue with Traeger and they refunded my money, no sweat. I gave the Ranger and Traeger help desk every chance possible and they both failed. If you order one, chances are it will not work properly. Check it out the controller BEFORE YOU FIRE IT UP to make your return easy and return it immediately. Perhaps in a year or two they will have this issue resolved but right now. I've personally operated 4 different controllers on 2 rangers and they all had the exact same problem. I know of a store who is pulling them off the shelf and finding the same issue with their stock. So now you know everything and if you still order this hoping you will be one of the few who got lucky, I'd think again.
Folks, I've had the same webber grill for over 25 years. Its a pain to store so Its been left outside all that time without problems (except i had to get new set of wheels). No it doesn't have an augering pellet system. But the charcoal bag weighs about the same as the pellet bag, I can smoke larger pieces of meat than the Ranger, its lighter and has wheels. I'm beginning to believe that its a far more pleasant experience with a webber and family, than a traeger ranger and helpdesk technicians.
Alex : Great little smoker
My husband loves his Ranger. He has a full size Traeger and bought this one for our camper. However, he loves this one so much, he has it sitting out next to his full size so he can use both!
steve soto : Substandard made in china
after just 1 season the paint peeled off in 2 places. The arbor plugged up several times and we wish we bought something else and then we realized it was made in China. China, as you know has no quality control or standards on materials like steel. In China there is only "good steel" and "bad Steel". I know, I know, everything is made in china these days, so what are you supposed to do? Well, I'd say, look harder.
annette rivera : He loves it!
Bought for my fiancé. He loves it. We travel a lot in our RV, use it often. Perfect for 2.
Sherri : Perfect size for our RV
My Husband made pulled prok...it was so filled with flavor and melt in your mouth.
mark p : Quite possibly our most important RV accessory
We are 6 weeks into use...
Ok, simple word description... amazing!
The only complaint is the cheap, falling off rubber feet covers... seriously could have done better. We travel 10 months a year in an rv. We have tried several camp chefs and the grill that came with rv. We are done shopping. So far, we have cooked
steaks, roasts, meatloaf, pancakes, chicken, full breakfast( eggs, toast, bacon), poppers, several dump cakes, canned biscuits, grilled veggies, grilled potatoes and sausage,
baked potatoes, quesdillas, burritos, NACHOS, some of these several times. The results have been shocking. When smoking (just meaning low temp) totally perfect. Every bit as good as my huge smoker at home. When grilling on higher temps, 325 to 450, minimal smoke, no smoke flavor on food, perfectly even surface temps. It is a bit heavy, remove griddle, prob 45lbs. Fits perfectly in our rv slideout. The case for this seems to be out of stock. The case for my Camp Chef Oven fits nicely. The day cover works well once set up. The additionsl metal drain tray cover is just foil, way over priced, just use foil. The griddle is cast iron, wonderful quality. So, to say we are pleased is an understatement. If smoking, pellet use is about 1lb per hour. When using more like an oven, fraction of that. We have used everyday for nearly 6 weeks, some days more than once, used about 45lbs of pellets. Just use Traeger pellets, burn evenly and completely. We are looking at the bigger model for home. A serious 5 star review! Here is your first recipe...
RIBEYES (at least 1")
Meat tenderizer for several hours, room temp., dry meat (blot) well prior to placingon grill
Set grill 200-225
Cook until internal temp between 117&120 (produce medium rare)
Remove and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Set grill to high, 450 degrees...
Cook on grates about 2 minutes per side...
There just aren't words.....
This is sincerely a great product. I paid full price on Amazon, no connection with Traeger!
Ok, simple word description... amazing!
The only complaint is the cheap, falling off rubber feet covers... seriously could have done better. We travel 10 months a year in an rv. We have tried several camp chefs and the grill that came with rv. We are done shopping. So far, we have cooked
steaks, roasts, meatloaf, pancakes, chicken, full breakfast( eggs, toast, bacon), poppers, several dump cakes, canned biscuits, grilled veggies, grilled potatoes and sausage,
baked potatoes, quesdillas, burritos, NACHOS, some of these several times. The results have been shocking. When smoking (just meaning low temp) totally perfect. Every bit as good as my huge smoker at home. When grilling on higher temps, 325 to 450, minimal smoke, no smoke flavor on food, perfectly even surface temps. It is a bit heavy, remove griddle, prob 45lbs. Fits perfectly in our rv slideout. The case for this seems to be out of stock. The case for my Camp Chef Oven fits nicely. The day cover works well once set up. The additionsl metal drain tray cover is just foil, way over priced, just use foil. The griddle is cast iron, wonderful quality. So, to say we are pleased is an understatement. If smoking, pellet use is about 1lb per hour. When using more like an oven, fraction of that. We have used everyday for nearly 6 weeks, some days more than once, used about 45lbs of pellets. Just use Traeger pellets, burn evenly and completely. We are looking at the bigger model for home. A serious 5 star review! Here is your first recipe...
RIBEYES (at least 1")
Meat tenderizer for several hours, room temp., dry meat (blot) well prior to placingon grill
Set grill 200-225
Cook until internal temp between 117&120 (produce medium rare)
Remove and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Set grill to high, 450 degrees...
Cook on grates about 2 minutes per side...
There just aren't words.....
This is sincerely a great product. I paid full price on Amazon, no connection with Traeger!
you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you
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