List Price: $299.00
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We bought and used this rotisserie to roast a 30lb lamb over Easter. It worked. But there are some issues with the spit:
1. The spit is a 7/8" hollow stainless pipe. After 5 hours of roasting our lamb we discovered afterwards that the spit had a bow in it.
2. Our 30 lb lamb was too long for this unit's 48" spit, though under it's weight limit (40 lbs.). We had to solder on a 12" piece of 3/4" copper pipe to accommodate the lamb. An equivalent 30 lb. suckling pig would be shorter, and probably would work. But lamb probably maxes out at 25 lbs, which at that weight hasn't got a lot of meat.
3. Balancing the load: Without proper balance the motor will have a very short life. When roasting whole animals, trying to get the beast on the spit is work enough, let alone trying to balance it. Therefore, a counter balance is commonly used to compensate. Spitjack emphasizes the importance of this in their manual. The catch is that Spitjack doesn't offer a counterbalance. Because Spitjack uses a proprietary 7/8" spit, there are no other counterbalances on the market that will fit. We improvised by attaching a pair of vice grips to the spine u-bolt, but this is hardly ideal.
4. As with the counterbalance, other standard rotisserie baskets or forks on the market will not fit this unit. Seems to me that Spitjack should offer a spit reduction coupler for the motor that would allow the user to utilize industry standard 5/16" or 1/2" spits. The user could then take advantage of the various rotisserie baskets and other accessories available on the market when roasting lighter fare. As it stands now, your only option is to use the forks they offer.
Another issue is the motor clip that goes around the tripod upright to keep the motor stationary and the spit turning. The clip does not fit tightly around the upright. There is about 3/8" of play and this means that the motor lurches against the upright with every rotation. We fixed this by wedging in a piece of wood, but this seems like very poor engineering to us.
The forks, thermometer, and trussing kit were all first rate. The tripods are in the el-cheapo category, but they worked and did the job.
We contacted Spitjack with our concerns and they promptly sent out a new 60" spit. They further stated that a counterbalance is "in the works". As for the ill fitting clip, they stated: "it is supposed to be that way to allow play in the motor. By allowing play in the motor in (sic) increases the life of the motor." This makes no sense to us, and when we asked for further clarification, we received none. So wedge the wood already and you'll be all set. As for a reduction coupler to use other accessories from other manufacturers on your new rotisserie motor, Spitjack politely suggested that we have our own manufactured...
So how to rate? At the heart of the deal is the motor. It had no trouble turning our 30 lb. lamb. But by far the bigger question is: How long will it last? We can not say based on our single test. Issues with the spit have been documented, and lastly we have the price point, which is quite good. We rate 4 stars. If and when a counterbalance becomes available, and with proven motor longevity, we'd be happy to come back and award 5 stars.
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Worked as stated. I did 2 32 pound whole pigs, one at a time, the first didn't go so well. I didn't get it balanced very well. The second went great. I was happy with all of it except the picture showed a trussing needle and it didn't come with one. Over all it is great we are planning on roasting our turkey this year for thanks giving.Best Deals for Spitjack CB35 Backyard and Camping Rotisserie
I always wanted a spit to cook outdoors. The CB35 I thought was a good size, its rated for up to 40lbs.I received it on time paying for 2 day delivery. The spit itself is great heavy steel and the motor runs and wont quit. I was a little disappoint with the stands, not made with heavy steel as the spit.. I purchased a 33 lb hog and it was to big for the lenth of the spit
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