Traeger 885 Auger Noises

[Torstenlaw]

My Ironwood is pretty new, but when the auger turns it sounds like it's binding. I've cleaned it out and used a vacuum, primed it and then continued on with the same noise. When priming I don't hear the noise. Any ideas? Should I talk to Traeger?

 

[RayClem]

What pellets are you using?

The Traeger pellets are fairly soft and break easily. Some pellets are harder and require more force to break. I think the Traeger pellets may also have a coating of vegetable oil for lubricating the pellet dies, but it also lubricates the auger tube.

I have used Traeger pellets but often use other brands. I have an IW885. The auger is pretty robust, so I would not worry unless it jams. If it does, there is a mode that will reverse the auger to clear the jam. I guess it is possible that your auger is bent, but I have not heard of such cases.

 

[Torstenlaw]

What pellets are you using?

The Traeger pellets are fairly soft and break easily. Some pellets are harder and require more force to break. I think the Traeger pellets may also have a coating of vegetable oil for lubricating the pellet dies, but it also lubricates the auger tube.

I have used Traeger pellets but often use other brands. I have an IW885. The auger is pretty robust, so I would not worry unless it jams. If it does, there is a mode that will reverse the auger to clear the jam. I guess it is possible that your auger is bent, but I have not heard of such cases.

I've been using Broil King and Furtado pellets.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I've been using Broil King and Furtado pellets.

Unfortunately, we cannot get Furtado Farms pellets south of the border, but my understanding is that they use the entire wood, bark and all. If so they are like Knotty Wood pellets which I have some experience with. They give off more smoke than other brand pellets but they also produce more dust. When I am using them, I carefully monitor the cook for auger jams and clinkers. So far I haven't had problems but I cannot relax the monitoring. For me the extra smoke does make it worthwhile on some cooks.

You may want to do a test after a thorough cleaning with a pellet brand other than Furtado Farms to see if the auger noise goes away. RustyJake on this forum has an Ironwood 650 and uses Furtado Farms pellets and may have some suggestions.

 

[RustyJake]

My auger on my 650 will make some noise when the pellets are hard. I notice this most on the charcoal and charcoal blends. But I haven't had any issues with the auger. It has always got the pellets through into the firepot. Just a little noisy at times, but I haven't heard anything I would worry about