Troubleshooting

Before you reach out, try these quick checks—they solve most ignition problems and just take a few minutes.

Don't worry—we've got you covered. If you're still experiencing issues, here are some less common things worth checking.

In the event the racks get uneven or out of parallel, they can be reset so they are level again. The spoke arms are held in place by a keyless bushing called a trantorque. This is a two-piece assembly that creates the friction to hold the spoke arm tight to the shaft. Using a big crescent wrench or a 2" open end wrench, loosen the smaller nut enough so the spoke arm will rotate on the shaft. When the arms are both aligned, tighten the smaller nut to around 190 ft lbs. of torque. You can step back and make sure the rack hangers in the back are parallel with the shaft and the door opening. It does not matter which side is moved. The threads on both sides are right hand threads (counterclockwise to loosen and clockwise to tighten). It is not recommended to use a pipe wrench. This can cause the smaller nut to become egg shaped and prevent it from turning enough to loosen.

The most common cause for this to happen is loading meat on the shelves incorrectly. Letting the meat hang over the edges can cause it to slide off the shelves and cause the racks to dump. It is best not to load the largest cuts of meat on the top shelf.

The other cause for this is if the main shaft gets an accumulation of grease. This reduces the amount of clearance between the shaft and the racks and can cause the shelves to dump.

After loading product in the pit you should run the rotisserie a couple of turns with the foot advance while watching to ensure there are proper clearances.

(This guide applies to Ole Hickory Pits built prior to 2012. Shafts are now welded in place from the factory. If you have this issue on any welded shaft pit please give our service department a call at 1-800-223-9667)

If the rotisserie stops turning, the 6-amp rotisserie breaker may need to be reset. This breaker is located in the side compartment, right behind the switches and gauges, on the end loader models. On the side loader models it is inside the compartment behind the switches and gauges, near the drive motor. The breaker that has the wires connected to it is the one that needs to be reset. Flip the white toggle lever the other direction to reset the breaker. There should be another new, spare breaker installed on the same bracket. If the first breaker keeps tripping, unplug the wires and reconnect them to the spare breaker.

Note: It is important to load product onto the shelves evenly. While loading product, loading one shelf and then advancing the rotisserie to load product on the shelf opposite of the first one will help to balance out the load. The most extreme load on the rotisserie is when one set of shelves is loaded completely. Once the shelves are loaded evenly, the rotisserie will be balanced and will reduce the load on the drive motor.

If resetting the 6 amp rotisserie breaker does not make the rotisserie turn, check to see that the belt is not broken. If the belt is broken, a replacement can be found at an auto parts store. The most common size belt is a number 4L320 (Fits all EL and most SS Models) but larger models may require a 4L380 (Exclusive to SSJ, SSJ-AE and SRO models)

You may contact our service department to obtain a replacement belt at 1-800-223-9667.