Update: My auger was so jammed I had to use a crowbar to get it out, but I'm now happy to report that it's clean and turning again, and I have my smoker back. THANK YOU for the awesome video - it saved me a lot of time and taught me a few things!
OMG... THANK YOU!!!! After a week of searching, this is the first video that helped me. I was thinking that I made a huge mistake buying this thing and EVERY troubleshooting video only showed the horizontal grills, not the vertical grills. Once again, thank you. You're the man in my book 👍🏽
Thank you so much for putting this video together. I had the same problem and had my turkey's already to go on. Took about 45 minutes to clean out the auger and I was back in business only due to your video. So appreciative of people such as yourself that take the time to post DIY fixes for amateurs like myself.
Bro,,,you are the dam man!!!! After spending all morning trying to figure this stupid thing out, I come across this vid & LITERALLY 20 minutes later, I have it working like new again. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Searched forever for just this kind of answer! Can't believe that PitBoss wants you to take the entire thing apart. My only problem was the wires running from the wire chase on the left through the cover plate to the motor were so short I couldn't move it enough to pull the whole auger out. I ended up taking the hopper off (very easy, a 19 screws) and chipping away with a screwdriver and it worked. You saved me hours.
Thank you, this saved me so much time, last time I took the entire thing apart just about. My pellets swelled so bad that I had to use a shop vac with a long extention. This really helped.
Echoing other comments: this method did the trick and wasn't difficult (though needed the BIG screwdriver to pry out the stuck auger). I did put the smoker face down to clean out moist, swollen pellets (and pellet residue). Also, recommend cleaning the auger blade. Works great! Thank you for posting this.
I don't have a cover yet and it rained on it. I tried to use but wouldn't work so I knew the auger was clogged. Thanks to your video I removed the auger cleaned all bad pellets and now is working great thanks for the video.
This process worked for me perfectly. I had to use a pry bar to very gently remove the motor housing backwards, a little jiggle on each side (right and left), then the same by applying the pry bar against the auger threads to slowly remove the auger and motor assembly out. There was so much junk on the auger itself that I had to use a wire to "floss it" and remove material from in between the threads and the auger shaft, and then a course wire brush to clean the threads. Junk also gets in between the motor and auger, so clean that out too. I hope I never have to do this again. Thanks for posting.
Thanks I’ll try this! Had this problem since the first time I used it! Pit Boss had poor Customer Service. Was about to use my vertical pit boss as a bass habitat
Thank you!! Exactly what we needed!!! 2 people less than half an hour to fix! Now maybe we can start smoking this little turkey breast and eat dinner in a few hours!!!
UPDATE: my Nexgrill Oakford Pellet Vertical Smoker was not as easy as this one but once I got the extra panels off, it was super easy to get to the auger and take the brackets off and just clean it. I primed it and worked amazing. Now I’m running a test smoke and I do not hear the screeching sound from the auger anymore after cleaning the pellet clump that was by the turning point. Also cleaned the auger chamber too with a straw cleaning brush.
Used a pry bar and it came out perfectly. Be sure to only pry it from the left and right sides, the bottom metal cover can bend with too much force being applied.
Took me 2 hours. I had to take the back panel off (hopper or pellet holder) along with using a screwdriver to scrape and prod then vacuum the compacted pellets. A hammer was involved I had to beat the shit out of the front of the auger then once it moved about two millimeters went back to scraping and prying. All good now! Very much appreciated!!
@@8404greenside yes, it's working! i confess that I haven't touched it ever since, but your reply was somehow encouraging and I've just finished with it. It was stuck really hard I have to say. Thanks mate!
I think I have this problem.. and I'm at the step where I can't get the motor and auger to slide out. I see you used a screwdriver to get it started but mine seems really bad. I'm using a crowbar, and have it pulled out only about a half inch, but I'm worried that I'll damage something. Should I just force it? Any other ideas??
I’m not quite sure what issue you’re having with it. The wires are just stuffed into the wire run on the left side when looking at it from the back side.
Lol I use mine as a trash chute for ashes when cleaning out the heat chamber. Also idk where the fuck my fire box went, don’t really use it though because it starts fires when enough grease drips onto it!
Yes, the motor and auger slide all the way out - you just have to make sure you unplug the motor so you can get it all the way out. I had a really bad jam, so if you need to do this don't be surprised if it doesn't just slide out easily like those youtube videos using new units.
I’m sorry to hear that. If you can get it out enough to disconnect the motor from the auger shaft, you might be able to grab the shaft with a pair of vice grips to get a little more leverage.
mine got water in it, i think from perhaps a faulty door seal. i had to take off the back and chisel out the bricked up pellets to get enough clear that i could break the kinetic friction and get it loose
Mine was jammed really bad - had to use a crowbar and claw hammer to get it to budge. I was worried I was going to damage something but I eventually got it and had to clean out some caked on pellets at the very bottom of the hopper and all good now.
I had to watch like a dozen videos before finding one that quickly addressed the issue. Good video thanks I will try this in the morning
I’m so happy to hear that. Hopefully it helped and you were able to get yours up and running.
Update: My auger was so jammed I had to use a crowbar to get it out, but I'm now happy to report that it's clean and turning again, and I have my smoker back. THANK YOU for the awesome video - it saved me a lot of time and taught me a few things!
So glad it helped. And even happier that nothing broke.
OMG... THANK YOU!!!! After a week of searching, this is the first video that helped me. I was thinking that I made a huge mistake buying this thing and EVERY troubleshooting video only showed the horizontal grills, not the vertical grills. Once again, thank you. You're the man in my book 👍🏽
Thank you so much for putting this video together. I had the same problem and had my turkey's already to go on. Took about 45 minutes to clean out the auger and I was back in business only due to your video. So appreciative of people such as yourself that take the time to post DIY fixes for amateurs like myself.
I am so glad I could help.
You literally just saved my daughter's birthday dinner. Thanks for taking the time to make the video! 👍👍👍
Bro,,,you are the dam man!!!! After spending all morning trying to figure this stupid thing out, I come across this vid & LITERALLY 20 minutes later, I have it working like new again. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Searched forever for just this kind of answer! Can't believe that PitBoss wants you to take the entire thing apart. My only problem was the wires running from the wire chase on the left through the cover plate to the motor were so short I couldn't move it enough to pull the whole auger out. I ended up taking the hopper off (very easy, a 19 screws) and chipping away with a screwdriver and it worked. You saved me hours.
Thanks for opting to record this. I'm watching it for future reference in case my Pit Boss 4 needs it.
Thank you, this saved me so much time, last time I took the entire thing apart just about. My pellets swelled so bad that I had to use a shop vac with a long extention. This really helped.
Echoing other comments: this method did the trick and wasn't difficult (though needed the BIG screwdriver to pry out the stuck auger). I did put the smoker face down to clean out moist, swollen pellets (and pellet residue). Also, recommend cleaning the auger blade. Works great! Thank you for posting this.
I don't have a cover yet and it rained on it. I tried to use but wouldn't work so I knew the auger was clogged. Thanks to your video I removed the auger cleaned all bad pellets and now is working great thanks for the video.
This process worked for me perfectly. I had to use a pry bar to very gently remove the motor housing backwards, a little jiggle on each side (right and left), then the same by applying the pry bar against the auger threads to slowly remove the auger and motor assembly out. There was so much junk on the auger itself that I had to use a wire to "floss it" and remove material from in between the threads and the auger shaft, and then a course wire brush to clean the threads. Junk also gets in between the motor and auger, so clean that out too. I hope I never have to do this again. Thanks for posting.
Thanks I’ll try this! Had this problem since the first time I used it! Pit Boss had poor Customer Service. Was about to use my vertical pit boss as a bass habitat
Thanks so much man!!!! Seemed like there was some kind of fastener holding the auger in.
I can’t thank you enough for this shortcut!!! So easy!!
Thank you!! Exactly what we needed!!! 2 people less than half an hour to fix! Now maybe we can start smoking this little turkey breast and eat dinner in a few hours!!!
Thanks for this! Had to do this today…auger was jammed bad.
I don't normally comment but I have to this time. THANK YOU! You saved the day and my prime rib.
I’m so glad I could help. These comments have been amazing. I never would’ve thought I’d help so many with this same issue.
Buddy, it took me 20 min to fix it! Thank you!!!
This video saved my 4th of July brisket. Thank you
Wow! Thank you so much brother. God Bless you. I am going to give it a good right now. And I will report back once I’m done.
UPDATE: my Nexgrill Oakford Pellet Vertical Smoker was not as easy as this one but once I got the extra panels off, it was super easy to get to the auger and take the brackets off and just clean it. I primed it and worked amazing. Now I’m running a test smoke and I do not hear the screeching sound from the auger anymore after cleaning the pellet clump that was by the turning point. Also cleaned the auger chamber too with a straw cleaning brush.
Thx for the video you just saved my dinner !! It was clogged to hell. Gonna make sure to keep up with it next time.
Used a pry bar and it came out perfectly. Be sure to only pry it from the left and right sides, the bottom metal cover can bend with too much force being applied.
Thank you! You just saved me so much time with this quick little hack!
God bless you holy cow the video I’ve been looking for all my life
Thank you for this video. My first auger jam.
Yes. Been searching for an hour to find this. I do believe i am having this issue right now. I going to go give it a shot.
I hope it works.
Thank you for sharing, saved me so much time.
I’m so glad I could help.
Thank you so much for this video. You saved my Thanksgiving! 👍🏾
Absolutely absolutely spot on best video. Thank you very much fix my problem and it only took one beer lol.
THANK YOU! Much better way of doing this! Should be part of the operators manual!
Perfect video! Got mine unstuck and pork shoulder is back on the menu
I’m so glad I could help.
Amazing! Took 30 minutes and I was back in business. Thank you!!!
Man I needed this! Thanks bro!
Thank you so much for putting this video together!!!!😀
Took me 2 hours. I had to take the back panel off (hopper or pellet holder) along with using a screwdriver to scrape and prod then vacuum the compacted pellets. A hammer was involved I had to beat the shit out of the front of the auger then once it moved about two millimeters went back to scraping and prying. All good now! Very much appreciated!!
Worked perfectly. Thanks for the video
Nice short cut. Much appreciated
Easy to follow and it resolved my issue.
Ty sir! And I will try to be vigilant to remove the wood and cover my pit boss lol
Dude , awesome video . Thanks ALOT your a lifesaver
Thank you sir, you saved Thanksgiving.
A Million Thank you's!!!!!
Dude... I seriously would take you to lunch if you lived close, this video is huge!
I would suggest filtering out the pellets in a spaghetti like strainer before adding the pellets
For me it hasn’t made any difference. The bucket I use to store my pellets has a mesh basket for this very purpose.
You’re a lifesaver
Bro man! Thank you for this video. I was just about to go the hard way!
I can’t believe how much positive feedback on this video. Thank you so much. I’m glad it helped.
Thanks for posting this, I thought my smoker was garbage. Works perfectly again!
Thank you sooooooo much!!!!
Brother thank you so much! You saved the Christmas ham! Lol
I feel it’s a flawed design it gets stuck very easily. Ty for the help tho man
Love you bro
Dope thank you
So is mine. Tried to take the auger out last weekend without success.
Were you able to get it unstuck?
@@8404greenside yes, it's working! i confess that I haven't touched it ever since, but your reply was somehow encouraging and I've just finished with it. It was stuck really hard I have to say. Thanks mate!
Thanks for that!
I think I have this problem.. and I'm at the step where I can't get the motor and auger to slide out. I see you used a screwdriver to get it started but mine seems really bad. I'm using a crowbar, and have it pulled out only about a half inch, but I'm worried that I'll damage something. Should I just force it? Any other ideas??
Ever had a hopper fire during shutdown? I get 1 on my Bruswick almost every time.
Thank you soooo much
Mine is stuck really good
Hopefully you were able to figure out a way to get yours unstuck.
Thank you
I’m so glad it helped.
Well i know what im doing after work today...
Doing this next week.
Thank you for being straight forward. I was about to throw mine away.
You forgot to mention how to get your cords out. I am now stuck and can’t get the auger all the way back in
I’m not quite sure what issue you’re having with it. The wires are just stuffed into the wire run on the left side when looking at it from the back side.
@@8404greenside mine we not stuffed. They were attached to the side with a thin running plate over them. I had to disassemble the whole damn machine.
I cleared my auger and it's still acting weird. You think I should just buy a new one?
try cleaning the auger (e.g., light sanding the blade edge) and wiping out the auger tube.
Could you please tell me what kind of smoker that was
Tennessee/PitBoss vertical style pellet smoker
Does anyone have a problem with the drip tray not draining to the bottom grease pan.
Because it has the water pan, there is very little that can actually make it to the drip tray on the bottom
Lol I use mine as a trash chute for ashes when cleaning out the heat chamber. Also idk where the fuck my fire box went, don’t really use it though because it starts fires when enough grease drips onto it!
Do you know pitboss is using your video for customer service.
@@Timetheft-j2z thanks for the heads up. I did not know they were using it.
@@Timetheft-j2z can you send me a link to where you saw them using it?
@@8404greenside they literally sent it to me in an email
Does the auger slide all the out? So you can clean it?
Yes, the motor and auger slide all the way out - you just have to make sure you unplug the motor so you can get it all the way out. I had a really bad jam, so if you need to do this don't be surprised if it doesn't just slide out easily like those youtube videos using new units.
Can't get mine unstuck
I’m sorry to hear that. If you can get it out enough to disconnect the motor from the auger shaft, you might be able to grab the shaft with a pair of vice grips to get a little more leverage.
mine got water in it, i think from perhaps a faulty door seal. i had to take off the back and chisel out the bricked up pellets to get enough clear that i could break the kinetic friction and get it loose
Mine was jammed really bad - had to use a crowbar and claw hammer to get it to budge. I was worried I was going to damage something but I eventually got it and had to clean out some caked on pellets at the very bottom of the hopper and all good now.
Thx for the video you just saved my dinner !! It was clogged to hell. Gonna make sure to keep up with it next time.