Introduction: DIY CHEAP SPIT ROAST/PIG SPIT
You can build a Spit roaster/Pig/Lamb spit for very little money if you use recycled materials...
Step 1: Gather Materials
Materials you will need:
1 x 44 Gallon Drum
Approx 30 x Rivets
Steel Box section (length and width depends on how high you want your legs)
8 x bolts for legs
4 bolts for uprights
2 x spit roast uprights and adjustable
https://www.bbqspitrotisseries.com.au/upright-pill...
https://www.bbqspitrotisseries.com.au/spit-roast-s...
1 x 1.5m Stainless steel (food grade) tube.
1 x car wiper motor
1 x battery charger (we used 240 volt but you could use a 12 volt)
1 x old bike inner tube
1 x old bike wheel (bigger the better)
Old long bolt
Scrap wood for building the motor base
Optional
Spray paint
Adjustable prongs
Step 2: Cutting the Drum
Cut your 44 gallon drum in half using an angle grinder with a cutting blade.
Take care and wear eye protection.
Once cut in half, cut 1 end of each of the halves.
Use a grinding disk to smooth any bur edges.
Step 3: Building the Drum Base
Lay the cut halves inside each other until you have your desired length.
I think we made ours 1.4 metres long from end to end.
Once happy, pre drill and then rivet these halves together.
File off any sharp edges.
Step 4: The Legs and Uprights
Depending on how high you want your spit off the ground cut the steel box section long enough so you can put a top and bottom bolt through the end of the drum.
- NOTE: If i did this again i would have reinforced the whole end before attaching the legs as the end of the barrel tends to flex a little.
You will need to cut the box section using a hacksaw or angle grinder with a cutting blade.
Next pre drill the section and then use these holes to mark drill holes on the drum ends.
Drill these holes, file everything down then bolt together.
Once you have the legs in place and bolted on and you are happy with your height, mark where you would like your uprights to be.
MAKE SURE THEY ARE THE SAME on both sides so they are parallel to the sides of the drum.
Pre drill the uprights and drum ends and bolt together.
AT THIS STAGE you can check if they are parallel by laying your stainless steel bar on.
Step 5: The Motor
Take your wiper motor and strip off any unnecessary parts to leave a single rotating axle. Attach any way you can a bolt, whether you need to glue or use extra nuts to do this, do whatever works.
You are basically trying to extend the axle to allow for the inner tube to stay on.
Create a base where the wiper motor is on its side and the base is wide enough so it won't pull up when turned on.
Step 6: The Bar and Old Bike Wheel
Take your bar and wheel and see how they can be attached.
The bigger your wheel the slower the rotation which is what you want for a great spitroast...around 1-2.5 turns per minute.
We had to strip the wheel bearings out and add extra tubing as a sheath to tighten up the gap before pre drilling and bolting on.
The challenge is making sure the wheel does NOT move (spin) at all on the bar so the inner tube can grip well.
Step 7: Testing It Out
Once the wheel is attached to the bar strip down an inner tube, in half, then half again.
This means the inner tube fits nicely in the wheel gap and doesn't work its way out.
Position the motor a far enough distance away so the inner tube is tight and can spin the bar.
THIS WILL HAVE TO FURTHER AWAY if you have a heavy animal such as a pig or lamb on the bar...
Connect up the motor to a battery charger and away you go!
