Update #2
I am looking for a stand of some sort so I can use this grill on my deck at home... has anyone found a good stand that works?
Update #1 11/22/09
We we used this on our first two tailgates. The first one the outside temperature was about 37 dg. It got right up to 350 dg very quickly, under 10 minutes. Cooked great. The second tailgate was an early AM one. It was around 55 dg and we cooked breakfast, eggs, sausage, bacon, etc. using castiron and nonstick skillets. Worked great. SUV was jammed to the hilt with luggage and passengers, without the hitch mount we couldn't have done it.
We removed the unit from the hitch attachment during the tailgates as we parked away from the tent.
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I got one of these with the hose to connect to a 20# propane tank and a cover for travel. It also uses those convenient 1LB propane tanks that you can find anywhere.
Assembly took about 15-20 minutes, very easy and straightforward, I didn't need the manual as it was really obvious what went where. Unit mounts on regular 2" hitch and leaves enough room between car and grill that they don't touch. Don't know if there's enough clearance for a rear mounted spare, but there might be. Grill hitch mechanism easily unlatches and swings away from the car when cooking. Excellent design.
Unit has electric start, but the one thing they don't show you is which way the battery needs to go into the electric starter, reverse the AAA battery polarity if starter doesn't work, you have a 50% chance of getting it right the first time.
There is a match extender rod that is included, not documented anywhere, but that's what it is and does.
I cooked with it about 30 degrees outdoors. Unit got up to 500 degrees pretty fast. Very nice heat dispersion. Plenty of heat for steaks, burgers, brats, pork, ribs, etc. I'll be trying to make breakfast on it tomorrow, eggs with bacon, sausage, toast, etc. on a griddle placed over the stock rack.
A minor point is that there is no way to level the unit, so if you can, park on a flat surface, otherwise you may have some pans sliding around on the grill (if you use pans) and the fat might not exit through the drip hole. Not a big deal.
I bought this for tailgates, but seeing how nice it is I'll use it often on road trips, why not? Save on food and expensive restaurants with bad service <grin>! Between this and a 2 burner camp-chef stove, there really isn't anything I can't cook when on the road.
This seems to be very well constructed and they have thought of every detail, like the drip tray that clips underneath the unit and is disposable and the condiment holder with lighting instructions on the front. I bought a cheap utensil holder to put on the side. The lid flips back and stays put, so you don't have worry about what to do with the lid. The lid has a thermometer built in to make it easy to control the heat output level. There are two fold out side trays like the Coleman Roadtrip. Accordng to the freedomgrill people, you can easily paint the limegreen parts any color you want, so mine will soon be Black and Gold - On Iowa!
Customer service is excellent, they answer the phone on the first ring and will answer any question you have in English... very nice folks... I called the number for freedom grill and got all the info I needed on how to use the product without the hitch mount, as it is removable and can be used on a tabletop.
I guess this wouldn't be fair and balanced if I didn't add that they provide a lock that secures the grill to the hitch. That lock is a plastic combination lock that you can set to any 4 digit number you want. The lock didn't match the instructions and when I reset the numbers it didn't work at all... probably user error on my part, but I didn't like the lock anyway and substituted a Gorilla Guard BHLO lock with a key vs. the combination style... easier to unlock since it's underneath the grill. [...]
Also, if you don't have one, you should buy the optional hitch pin lock. I like the way the hitch pin is threaded so that the hitch unit is secure and doesn't rattle; but you need to secure the hitch pin with a lock that is optional. I think the locks are around $35. I have a pin/lock combo for my sportworks bike rack that worked perfectly with the grill hitch so I didn't need the margaritaville lock. My Hitch unit had a stabilizer built into it, but here's a link that shows the lock [...]
Looking forward to lots of great meals on this baby! Will also be using cast iron grill/griddle combinations to add that extra sizzle to the steak.
