Customer Reviews

Margaritaville G1000 Ride-Behind Tailgating Propane Grill

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

This grill was purchased for use at tailgates. It is perfect! It has a large capacity which allows us to cook for a crowd. The swing bar separates the grill from the car at just the right distance...not too close to the car, but close enough to avoid extending too far beyond our parking space. My husband is so pleased with the ability to heat and cook that he uses the Margaritaville grill at home instead of the large propane grill he has. We love it!

Bought this for my husband as a birthday gift. We tailgate quit a bit and are at motocross tracks ALOT. This grill has been the attraction at every race we show up to. Cooks evenly, stays lit and is easy to clean. Don't waste your time with the smaller propane bottles - those do NOT last long.... we use the 20lb tank and LOVE it :)

Truely an amazing grill. It is huge (fits 15 big Costco Filets on it without a problem). I can easily hook it up to my large propane tank to with the included stainless steel hose.

THE GRILL CAME IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND WORKS GREAT! DELIVERY WAS PROMPT. WE USE IT FOR CAMPING. THE FLAME IS HOT AND THERE IS PLENTY OF SPACE TO GRILL. WE LOVE BEING ABLE TO SET IT UP ON OUR TRUCK HITCH.

We LOVE our grill... so do our friends. Nice conversation piece as everyone wants to stop by and check it out! Great for our travel baseball/softball games & Pop Warner Football games. We will definetly get our money worth! We did buy a converter so we could hook up to a regular size propane tank.

We love this grill. It's everything and more than we expected. It's been to the beach and my husband's softball games so far. Everybody has been impressed by it.

Well, talk about getting the most bang for your buck. I researched the heck out of these tailgating grills as I always research everything to death before I purchase. I found that most decent ones that had their own legs to stand on were between 150 and 200 bucks. Anything less than that just wasn't enough for me. This grill was originally the one that I wanted, but I knew that these were really expensive and out of my league. I always shop Amazon first and I saw that it was around 350 bucks (now 450!) on there and immediately ruled it out. I did read a couple of the reviews though and somebody mentioned that Lowes was much cheaper. I immediately went to the Lowes website and saw it for $169.00!!!!!! I read some reviews on it and immediately purchased with a 10% off moving coupon that I picked up at the Post office. Final price was like 150 bucks with tax. Absolutely amazing.
Went to the Penn State this weekend and used it for the first time. I didn't find any of the issues that some mentioned in the reviews on here or Amazon. The grilling space on this thing is double the competition, and it heated up to 500 degrees within 5 minutes!!! Nice even heat too. Cooked everything we had fast and thoroughly. Most people were messing around with lighters to light their grill. Not me, just pushed the button and up and running. Don't worry about this thing not having a lid handle. It has a recessed plastic area to lift the cover that is completely safe. If you burn yourself, you are either really drunk or really not paying attention. This thing is so well made. The lid is completely cast iron, so the heat stays in well. We cooked two full meals for 7 people (one before game, and one after) and used almost one full small propane tank is all. Best part is all 7 burgers and all 7 brats fit on the grill in one shot. Their was even enough room for a small tin of sauerkraut.
As far as the hitch arm for traveling and as a leg base, it was super easy to put in the receiver and travels really well (3 hours each way). It swings out completely to the side of the vehicle so no worries about any tailgates or lifts getting in the way. That was one of my worries. I have a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, and there were no issues at all with the side swinging tailgate that I have. When it is fully extended, the entire back of the vehicle is exposed. Now fold her back two clicks, lock it up, throw on the grill cover accessory that I also purchased, and drive off. Sooooooo easy!
The only thing at all that I observed, and it just nitpicking, was that when the grill was fully extended to the side of my Jeep the grill was not exactly level, but it was probable just the ground where we parked. Try to find a nice level spot. The Brats rolled a little bit to one side, but no big deal at all. The front cover of the grill folds down to expose the ignition switch, and doubles as a condiment storage rail. So cool!
Ok, well I hope this helps someone out. Do NOT keep reading reviews. Buy this thing! It is completely worth it, especially at this price, and all the head turns you get with this thing are also a plus. Great conversation starter.
Lastly, spend the 50 bucks and buy a cover. It is nice and fits the grill perfectly. Also, buy the locking pin from Amazon for like 35 bucks and grab the free shipping and tax. I don't want somebody stealing this bad boy. Oh yeah, and the combination padlock that comes with it is junk. Buy a new one. Happy tailgating and camping everyone. I can't wait to use mine again. Looking for Steelers tickets right now...lol.

Was going to spend $100 on a portable grill for camping, then saw this at Lowe's for $200 and said what the heck. Very, very glad I spent the extra money.

The trailer hitch mount is great as both a space-saver as well as its durability. Drove over five miles on dirt roads in the mountains that had the bumpy washboard effect and everything was A-OK with the grill.

It fires up easily and reaches 320 in less than 90 seconds. This is also its sustained temperature at the low setting. It takes about 6 minutes to reach its max of 520 albeit at 5,500' of altitude. I didn't make note of temps when we were camping at 9,000'; however, it grilled both burgers and pancakes (with a $10 aluminum non-stick griddle plate I also bought at Lowe's) like a champ.

The grill itself weighs about 50 lbs, and the hitch is about 40 lbs. One can do the install on the trailer hitch, but two makes the process go smoother.

The company is selling this grill short by not making a stand available for the back patio. Nonetheless I like this unit so much I am making it my primary gas grill in the backyard with the $10 hose adaptor I bought for a 20 lb. LP tank.

The grill was as pictured except that it had the Margaritaville signage on the front (it shows it one picture, but not another). We received the grill in a fair amount of time and was well within when the seller said we would have it. This was a Father's day present for my husband. We connect it to the back of our travel trailer and then swing it around to cook. It's very convenient and we love it! It's very large and more than enough space for cooking, even for a crowd.