Woodburning Stove Great But LEG Caution

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

RoadtripsAndCampfires

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 20, 2017
Messages
431
Reaction score
1
Location
CO at the moment
I just got a small woodburning stove that so far I love but I want to send out a word of caution so someone doesn't get hurt like I did.  I have fixed the problem and will be sending the info the the manufacturer.  First off - the fix is just awesome, so much better.

I got the Siliverfire Tent Dragon - the word multiuse is in there somewhere.  I love it and yes I will be doing a review (I like to use something well before I review it, too many people do an unboxing video say it's great after one use and you never hear from them again - itsn't that right?)

The cool things are it burns wood, has a means of controlling the stovetop heat depending upon the positions of the steel plates being used, has an oven with thermometer but most importantly, has secondary burn so this is safe for appropriately vented and positioned units in small homes and tents.  Right now we are only going to use it outside but the fix made it easy for us to move it up and down the ramp of the cargo trailer once we figure out securing it for travel.

So, the problem?  The legs that come with are on the bottom and swing into place.  There is no way to lock them into place.  The oven is heavy, about 50 pounds.  So if you pick up the oven to put it on the ground you can't control the leg position and if they are not perfect your fingers can get caught under heavy metal trying to get them right and it is quite difficult.  I thought it was right, went to set it down firmly and one leg went one way and the leg on the other side another way and the thing started to fall.  I hurt my arm with the weight of holding it while it was trying to move in the direction of gravity.

So I took the legs off - they are just inside a hole welded to the bottom.  Now it's on the ground.  The legs only hold it about 5 inches above the ground.  When I was cooking my bread I had to lay on the lawn with my head on the cement to read the temperature.  Not fun.  I have two replaced hips and don't get up from that position well and I had to do this several times.

SO ...  I have an IKEA black rolling metal cart.  I removed the top of 3 shelves allowing me to place the stove on top.  I will be able to secure it and secure the cart for travel.  I'll be able to roll it up and down the ramp.  It fits if the bed design works out like we want it to.

I just want to shout out a heads up about the legs so someone doesn't lose a finger or have an arm they can't fully use for a month due to a pulled muscle.  But I love my stove, you can't have it back.  And now I don't bend over to use it or to read the thermometer.  I think I paid $30 for the cart about a year ago.  

I now am bringing 3 ovens - one electric, one propane and one wood burning.  Crazy, huh?
 
cool, I am waiting for your review. I like the concept but IMO the execution is flawed.

the thing that I noticed is the oven access is on the side so you need access to 2 sides. then if you have the water heater attachment you need access to 3 sides because it's opposite from the oven. so in a vehicle it is taking up a lot of space.

highdesertranger
 
Yes, for a van it would be overkill.  No matter what, I wouldn't want to use the BBQ indoors.  For my cargo trailer and with the cart on wheels it will work great for taking in and out using the ramp, I'll cook outdoors.  It is a good stove for tents designed for tentstoves, there is usually plenty of room in them to get at all sides.  The water can be heated on the stove top so that part should not be a deal breaker but one does need 2 access sides for the oven and firebox.  I would not light a fire in my class B, a skoolie maybe and maybe down the road I will figure something out for the cargo trailer but for now taking it outside is good for us.
 
That looks like a great stove. I think I'd remove the water tank and food rack and nest it near the wall (with heat shielding of course) and install it that way so I'd only need to access 2 sides rather than 3.
 
For those who don't want to do the cart thing, there are other solutions to the leg problem. Off the top of my head, a piece of wire coat hanger could be twisted around the cross pieces of the two legs to keep them spread apart. Or if you don't ever need to fold the legs, just have them tack welded in the proper position. I'm certain others here also have ideas.
 
RoadtripsAndCampfires said:
I just bbq'd a cornish game hen and made fried potatoes.

Good lunch.

Mmmmmm that sounds so good!
 
It was. I thought I might ruin it as I experimented with basting it with pineapple juice, chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce and some orgainic black berry/pomegranate spread. But it tasted great. I got it a bit black and almost lost it (I think I caught the save on video). Wayne came home, saw the plate and only got tiny bits he could find by looking carefully LOL. I liked it.
 
What brand chipotles in adobo sauce? I like la costeña but san marcos is far superior imo. 

My nephew wanted to surprise everyone by baking a ham over a wood fire once. And we were surprised. He used raw pineapple instead of blanched or canned and the entire ham was paté. Like potted meat. Lol.
 
I threw away the can, sorry. It was my first time using that pepper sauce. It was good. I remember it was a small red and white can.

I didn't get the video up yet for the wood burning stove - our topper came in for the pickup. Today I finished insulating the pickup bed with reflectix and then laid down flooring that matches the flooring in the cargo trailer - it was leftover. We will use it for storage but also put the dogs back there if we go to the grocery store, etc. We sprang for the USB ports (3) so we can run fan/heater if need to. I think it'll work.

My estimtate on the insulation project is $75 in materials (reflectix + blue painters tape + Nausha Aluminum tape) and 1 day to wash the bed and 2 days to do the insulation project like I did. I did not include the flooring cost.
 

Latest posts

Top