Do Pit Boss grills come assembled? This is a question asked by consumers who are looking to purchase a grill. Does it come assembled, or do I need to put it together myself?
Do Pit Boss Grills Come Assembled?
All pellet grills are sold disassembled, meaning you will have to assemble them. That said, some companies such as Home Depot, Lowes, etc offer add-on assembly services for an extra fee.
Today’s consumers have two options for purchasing a Pit Boss grill. In this article, we’ll take a look at the different options as well as the cost of the add-on assembly fees and the pros cons of both choices.
If you’ve recently purchased a Pit Boss and are not sure how to assemble it, check out my article on how I assembled my Pit Boss 820 Pro Series. It took me about an hour to do it, without any prior experience.
Buying A Pit Boss
There are several things to consider when you’re buying your first pellet smoker, so be sure to do your due diligence. Once you’ve determined you’re ready to buy, you’ll have two options.
Disassembled
A disassembled grill means the grill comes completely disassembled (except for the main components) that requires you to put it together.
When the box arrives you’ll have the following parts in the box:
| Part | Quantity |
| Bushing | 2 |
| Grease bucket | 1 |
| Side shelf | 1 |
| Stationary support legs | 2 |
| Porcelain-coated steel upper cooking rack | 1 |
| Lid stopper | 1 |
| Chimney cap | 1 |
| Flame broiler slider | 1 |
| Support leg | 2 |
| Flame broiler plate | 1 |
| Wheel | 2 |
| Front shelf | 1 |
| Bottom shelf | 1 |
| Tool hook | 3 |
| Wheel washer | 2 |
| Wheel axle pin | 2 |
| Screw | 2 |
| Nut | 2 |
| Front shelf bracket | 2 |
| Meat probe | 1 |
| Locking washer | 26 |
| Wheel cotter pin | 2 |
| Lift handle | 1 |
| Lift handle bezel | 1 |
| Maine barrel / Hopper assembly | 1 |
| Chimney stack | 1 |
| Chimney gasket | |
| Porcelain-coated match pattern cast-iron cooking grid | 2 |
The parts contained in the box will depend on the model grill purchased. Consult the owner’s manual for a complete list of the parts & specs for your grill.
Assembled
When purchasing an assembled grill, you’ll get a completely assembled grill that is ready to use. You’ll be charged an assembly fee, that varies from $90 – $100.
Some companies such as Lowes Home Improvement offer free assembly when purchasing the grill from them. So, you’ll want to ask them if you’re considering purchasing an assembled grill.
Which Is Best to Buy?
Buying your grill assembled or disassembled will depend on your preference. There are pros and cons every consumer should be aware of, no matter the brand of grill they purchase.
Let’s take a closer look at them.
Advantages of Buying Assembled
The biggest advantage of buying an assembled grill is you don’t have to worry about assembly. You either pick up the assembled grill from the store or have it delivered to your home.
Disadvantages of Buying Assembled
One of the biggest downsides of buying an assembled grill is you didn’t assemble it. Meaning someone who doesn’t care about it did it for you.
So what does this mean? Well, it means you may end up getting. a grill that is bent in places, missing a screw or the screws could be stripped.
When I purchased my first Pit Boss, we purchased it from Lowe’s. We purchased it when Covid was first starting and since Lowe’s offered free assembly, we took them up on their offer.
Most people won’t have any issues, but we faced a lot of problems. We used the free Lowe’s delivery, and when they delivered the grill, it looked fine.
Regardless of where you buy the grill, you’ll want to inspect your grill to ensure it was assembled properly.
Inspecting An Assembled Grill
Below is the best way to inspect it to ensure it was assembled properly and wasn’t damaged during the assembly process.
Main Barrel
The main barrel and hopper do not require any assembly as they are pre-assembled in the box. However, you’ll want to inspect it for any scratches, knicks, or damage of any kind.
An undamaged barrel will have a shiny porcelain coat with fresh paint.
Hopper Guard
Open the lid and ensure the guard is not bent, scratched, and held has all the necessary screws.
When we opened the hopper lid, we noticed the hopper guard was bent. To this day, I’m not sure how they bent it, since Pit Boss grills are constructed of high-quality porcelain that isn’t easy to bend.
Screws
Ensure all the screws are in the pellet grill. When having a grill assembled, it’s easy for an employee to overlook a screw, especially, when they have so many other things to do.
According to the Pit Boss manual, there are 32 screws and all of them should be used.
Wheels
The wheels should be able to turn without any problems. Ensure the wheel axle pin is installed to keep the grill balanced and prevent the wheels from falling apart.
Unlike most grills that have casters (such as Weber), you’ll want to use the grill on a flat surface since you can’t lock them. If the wheels are mounted incorrectly, or bent, you won’t be able to move it easily and it’s too heavy to pick it up.
Shelves
Inspect the shelves and ensure the front shelf locks in place. When we got out grill assembled, the front shelf was misaligned. Meaning it wouldn’t lock in place, in fact, it wouldn’t even come up.
Somehow during the assembly process, the shelf or screw was bent preventing it to function. The front shelf makes it easy for you to put on or take food off the grill without you having to hold it.
It acts like a table, where you place your cutting board, pan, or plate on it while using your tongs to load or unload the grill.
Flame Broiler Plate
Ensure your assembled grill has the flame broiler plate properly installed. The notches in the plate will fit perfectly in the grill. If not installed properly, the grill won’t be able to heat properly and could damage the grill.
I’ve written an article on using the Pit Boss flame broiler and how it works.
Outside Thermometer
Inspect the outside thermometer to ensure it doesn’t have any knicks or scratches. I personally always use a handheld thermometer to check the foods.
The outside thermometer will monitor the inside temperature preventing you from always having to lift the lid.
Chimney
If your grill has a chimney, inspect it for any damages. Make sure it’s easy to take off and take off. When we got our assembled grill delivered, the chimney was stuck. Meaning it wouldn’t go up or down.
When we took a closer look, we noticed that the screw was bent.
Meat Probe
Every Pit Boss grill comes with one meat probe. Ensure it is not missing or bent.
Basically, you want to use a keen eye to inspect the grill, especially if you’ve had it pre-assembled. They are not cheap grills and no one is going to care for them as much as you do.
Store employees do the best they can, but they want to get it done as quickly as possible so they can go home. Some don’t have the time to devote to doing a great job, because they are tasked with so much to do throughout the day.
Luckily, all Pit Boss grills come with a 30 day warranting. So, if you notice any discrepancies or are not happy with it, don’t be afraid to reach out to customer service of where you purchased it.
Depending on where you purchased it, they will be more than happy to come back out and pick it up so you can get a different grill that doesn’t have any issues.
At least that was our experience when buying from Lowes.
Buying Unassembled
The only disadvantage of buying an unassembled Pit Boss is that you’ll have to spend an hour or two assembling it yourself. While it sounds like a bad thing, it’s really not.
Spending time assembling your own grill helps you help you familiarize yourself with the different parts. You’ll also know how many parts your grill is supposed to have or whether you’re missing any parts.
When we put our grill together, we were missing some washers. We had to use some replacement washers we had on hand, but Pit Boss eventually sent us a whole set of screws for it.
Assembling the grill will also instill confidence so that you can change the fuse, or replace the old control board with an updated Smoke IT Wi-Fi control board.
This means if you ever see an error code, or have to troubleshoot your Pit Boss, you can do it without any problems.
Where to Buy A Pit Boss Pellet Grill?
At the time of this writing a Pit Boss grill can be purchased at the following locations:
- Lowes Home Improvement
- Walmart
- Tractor Supply (not all stores)
- Pit Boss (Company site)
The prices of the grills are pretty standard at all the stores above. That said, some stores will offer lower prices than others, especially during the holidays, so be sure to shop around.
Do All Stores Offer Add On Assembly Services?
After doing some due diligence here’s what I found based on the stores that sell Pit Boss and the add-on assembly costs.
| Store | Add-On Assembly Cost |
| Walmart | $59.00 |
| Lowes | Free |
| Tractor Supply | $50.00 |
| Pit Boss | Option not available |
As mentioned above, add-on assembly fees and prices will change throughout the year. Meaning they run specials, especially during Black Friday when people shop for them.
Final Word
You can buy a Pit Boss unassembled or assembled. There are benefits to both, but how you purchase yours will depend on your preference.
Whether you assemble it yourself or buy it pre-assembled, it’s vital to ensure it was done correctly before using it.