'Assembly Required' - the new Bunnings Barbecue

My wife ha's been after me for about a year to replace our original 4 burner barbecue. I don't know why - it works just fine: put meat on, burn meat, take meat off, eat. I think body rust and years of caked-on cooking residue add a lot of character to the appliance, and flavour to the meat. And having a black baked enamel hood actually go gray in colour is the mark of a well-used, and well-loved, portable incineration device. Plus, it's been a member of the family for almost as long as the kids have been.

Well, no matter what they say to the contrary, a husband never (ultimately) gets in the way once a wife has made a decision. Everyone knows that dripping water can wear through stone, just as... nope, better stop before I get clobbered.

Anyway, after listening to a lot of lectures about the merits of replacing the aged barbie, I caved-in and started shopping for one. I did feel like I was doing something unkind and unjust behind an old friend's back. But I know where my bread is buttered. So old friend or not, it had to go.

Barbecues have gone through amazing evolution over the past few years. There's one for every price point from about $150 for a flat-top 4 burner one up to literally thousands of dollars for stainless steel 12 burner 'professional grilling centre.'

I had actually repainted the body of our barbie but that didn't last. I was about to have it grit blasted and repainted, and had already cut new legs and frames for it from galvanised steel tubing in my workshop, but that will have to wait for another opportunity.

Knowing what goes into making a barbecue my price point for a new barbecue was pretty low. Less than $400, thank you.

After much looking I decided that the 4 burner, hooded, Garth B2 barbecue would meet our needs so I bought one from Bunnings. Well, buying one actually consists of taking away three very large boxes weighing: 39.5kg, 17.7kg, and 38.1kg respectively. Lucky I had my trailer attached to the car when I visited Bunnings that day. The three boxes set me back $399, so the price point was reached. And it has a side burner (wok burner?) thrown-in as well for that price. Beth had romantic notions of me doing stir fried vegetables on the barbie while toasting snags. Hah! I can't think of once when we have stir-fried anything while barbecuing.

Are you a masochist? Don't answer that. But if you are, and you have some spare time, like a lot of spare time, think seriously about buying these three boxes as you will love the assembly experience! Think putting together junior's bike is fun the night before Christmas, just try one of these Garth barbecues. It will keep you occupied for hours. And I think that the experience of assemblying one is better than playing those computer exploration games as once you have mastered it you can eat from it. By contrast, who ever got full from 'Myst'?

First let me say what the the people at Garth do well (always start with the positive...):
1) Their packaging is beautiful. The product might be made in China but the graphics and presentation are very classy.
2) The wheels are really nice.
3) (Much later...) the electronic ignition system is pretty high-tech!

Now let me say what could be improved:
1) The instruction manual, while looking nice, would be better if the parts used to assemble the legendary B2, were actually labelled as to what they are. There is a picture of the components in the Cabinet Assembly Instructions booklet but several of the panels are very close in appearance and it only becomes apparent after tightening several screws that the panel that should have been installed as the bottom panel is actually the top panel.
2) It would be helpful if the packers (in China, I assume) didn't install the drip tray upside down in the cabinet - to save space so it all fits nicely into box 3 of 3 (weighing 39.5kg)) with no way of getting it out except by removing the fancy front panel on which the control knobs fit.
2a) But while the front panel is off you can actually get the fibre washer and small nut onto the extralong screw that holds the leg onto the cabinet frame. Garth could weld a captive nut in that place to save the budget-concious purchaser/assembler wasting valuable time farting about trying every trick he/she knows to get the darned washer and nut onto these screws. But that would probably put the price point well over the $399.50 price point.
3) The (really nice) wheels are paired on the other end of the barbie with the heavy-duty castors. The heavy-duty castors with tightening nuts that are too thin for normal tools to be able to grip them to tighten them despite the instructions say, "Using a spanner, tighten the castor wheels into the castor cup on each end of the short legs." About the only spanner you'd be able to get any purchase on those tightening nuts would be completely anorexic. Nothing I have in my workshop fits them.
4) 'Axle' is spelled 'axle' not 'axel.' At least when referring to things that (really nice) wheels fit onto. (Just being petty but that's what happens in a situation like this...) Temperature rising...
5) Don't try assembling one of these barbecues next to the pool while 4 kids are celebrating a 11th birthday. It isn't conducive to a relaxed experience. And yes, I think Garth should have included that warning in the assembly manual!
6) If you need 8 phenolic spacers to provide heat insulation between the barbecue cabinet and the frame then provide at least 8 of them. 7 is a nice number but not quite enough to make the barbie, and this is a very early step in the assembly process.
6a) If Garth does provide at least 8 of the phenolic spacers then it should ensure that the purchaser/assembler is warned not to misplace one of them. Just in case...
7) Why didn't they tell me that I need an offset Philips head screwdriver to tighten the screws under one side of the 'side burner' ledge. ARGH!

Tomorrow I'll tackle installing the hood and hopefully will have some more to report on that experience.

P.S. The hood fits. The barbeque works. For all those other Garth purchasers out there I hope your assembly experience provides you with as rewarding an experience as mine did. All I can say is that the meat I'm going to cook on this machine is going to taste so good!