A Review of the New Stampede Competition Cart and Front Shelf

SlowmotionQue

Well-known member
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71
Grill(s) owned
  1. Stampede
As mentioned earlier, I ordered the new Rec Tec 590 Stampede competition cart and front shelf. They came in today.

The quick and dirty.... IMO, these are well worth the money.

The cart is very well packaged, solidly built and easy to assemble. It is a vast improvement over the stock cart. Night and day difference. But then one would expect that for the $299.00 upcharge.

The front shelf is a very welcome addition to the RT 590 Stampede. However IMO, it needs to be about an inch longer.

A few pics are in order at this point of this post.

The cart and the shelf are packaged well.

IMG_6565.JPG


The contents are very well wrapped in effort to prevent damage during shipping.

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The parts are easy to lay out in preparation for assembly.
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The casters are in an entirely different class than the stock casters. These remind me of casters on scaffolding used in construction projects. They wheels are made of a semi firm rubber material. All 4 wheels rotate. All 4 wheels have a locking mechanism.



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These are heavy duty.
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As mentioned before, the cart is very easy to assemble. It took me about 30 minutes taking my time.

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Turning it over and attaching the casters was easy. The hard part, if one can call it that, is removing the stock cart from the RT 590 and placing the pellet grill atop the Competition cart. This takes two people.

As mentioned before, the casters of the stock cart do not compare to the casters of the Competition cart.

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Once everything is assembled, the RT 590 takes on a different look. It sits at least 1 inch taller. It rolls considerably smoother over joints in decking and other surfaces and gives the RT590 Stampede a meaner and more solid look.

See the next post below.
 
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A shot of the finished install. As mentioned earlier, the unit stands at least an inch taller due to the diameter of the casters. It currently stands at about the height of my Weber Genesis gas grill.

Overall, this is a very welcome addition to my RT 590 Stampede. Both the shelf and the cart.

You do lose the lower shelf of the stock cart. However it can be placed underneath the Competition cart, but not secured there. I have put mine there and will figure a way to secure it if I get a hankering to, but I doubt it. I wasn't using the bottom shelf much at all anyway.

Furthermore, there are two small areas beneath the Competition cart which will allow storage of smoke tubes, but not much of anything else.

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And yes, I needed a few other pics and an excuse to test out the shelf.

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I'd like another inch forward on this shelf. However as it is, it good for rubs, sauces, beer cans and bottles, and small plates and pans. Cookie sheets and larger pans though, it's a tad small.
 
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As mentioned earlier, I ordered the new Rec Tec 590 Stampede competition cart and front shelf. They came in today.

The quick and dirty.... IMO, these are well worth the money.

The cart is very well packaged, solidly built and easy to assemble. It is a vast improvement over the stock cart. Night and day difference. But then one would expect that for the $299.00 upcharge.

The front shelf is a very welcome addition to the RT 590 Stampede. However IMO, it needs to be about an inch longer.

A few pics are in order at this point of this post.

The cart and the shelf are packaged well.

View attachment 1320

The contents are very well wrapped in effort to prevent damage during shipping.

View attachment 1321

The parts are easy to lay out in preparation for assembly.
View attachment 1322

The casters are in an entirely different class than the stock casters. These remind me of casters on scaffolding used in construction projects. They wheels are made of a semi firm rubber material. All 4 wheels rotate. All 4 wheels have a locking mechanism.



View attachment 1323

These are heavy duty.
View attachment 1324

As mentioned before, the cart is very easy to assemble. It took me about 30 minutes taking my time.

View attachment 1325

Turning it over and attaching the casters was easy. The hard part, if one can call it that, is removing the stock cart from the RT 590 and placing the pellet grill atop the Competition cart. This takes two people.

As mentioned before, the casters of the stock cart do not compare to the casters of the Competition cart.

View attachment 1326View attachment 1327View attachment 1329View attachment 1330

Once everything is assembled, the RT 590 takes on a different look. It sits at least 1 inch taller. It rolls considerably smoother over joints in decking and other surfaces and gives the RT590 Stampede a meaner and more solid look.

See the next post below.
I agree. I recieved the shelf today and am pretty disappointed. The latching mechanism is really cheap and clunky to use, it 2 cheap plastic ball locks.

The folding shelf brackets you see on Amazon would have worked much better.

15694493390411545466857707482974.jpg
15694493746173044177945465008202.jpg
 
I agree. I recieved the shelf today and am pretty disappointed. The latching mechanism is really cheap and clunky to use, it 2 cheap plastic ball locks.

The folding shelf brackets you see on Amazon would have worked much better.

View attachment 1333View attachment 1334

It appears that the RT shelf is approximately the same width as the one I used in the DIY thread with the brackets I got from Amazon. There doesn't appear there's any reason you couldn't follow the method I used and replace the RT arrangement. The Amazon brackets are stout, rated for 200# IIRC.
 
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I like the appearance of the comp cart in addition to the apparent operational advantages in some cases. The marketing guy in me appreciates that the comp cart adds a sense of sturdy/rugged/beefy swagger to the 590, even more than it does to the carted 700. It's probably a combination of the complementary angularity of the main body and the proportions. My conditions don't merit one, but I still like it a lot.
 
I do agree with you regarding the angularity of the Stampede and of the Competition cart.

The sharp angles of the cart compliment the octagonal shape of the Stampede.

The result when the two are combined is a heftier more solid appearance. Heft and stability, which I might add, is confirmed when you go to move the smoker from one place to the other.

The size of the wheels and the sturdiness of the locking mechanisms on the casters let you know that it's a solid setup as well.

All 4 of the Competition cart wheels are the same size. And as mentioned before, all have the capability to swivel and lock.

The stock cart, only the front wheels pivot and lock.

The front/pivoting wheels of the stock cart vs the wheels of the Comp cart are shown in the below pic. Considerably larger diameter and width difference.

IMG_0801.JPG


The stock cart rear wheels or the wheels which would be closest to the pellet bin and controller vs the Competition cart wheels are shown in the bottom pic.
IMG_7431.JPG
 
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Pictures aren’t great but I got my cart and shelf last night and couldn’t help but put it all together as soon as I got home. It was a beast to lift by myself but man it makes it look so much beefier. Looks better than the yoders, better Computer, and won’t rust. We have a winner for the pellets.
D22B704B-B7C2-4C8D-AFB3-43E174AE91E8.jpeg
 
I agree. I recieved the shelf today and am pretty disappointed. The latching mechanism is really cheap and clunky to use, it 2 cheap plastic ball locks.

The folding shelf brackets you see on Amazon would have worked much better.

View attachment 1333View attachment 1334
I was nervous after reading your post, but when i got my shelf installed, I feel pretty good about it. Feels sturdy and honestly big enough for my needs. I have my grill next to my grill table with my Kamado Joe on it so I think it'll work for my needs.
 
Got my shelf today. The locking mechanism is pretty kludgey for the money but it does the job.

One thing I didn't realize, but should have, is how low to the ground it is. Just under 26". At 6'3", I may have to figure out a way to raise the whole grill.


IMG_20190927_135130804_HDR.jpg
 
Pictures aren’t great but I got my cart and shelf last night and couldn’t help but put it all together as soon as I got home. It was a beast to lift by myself but man it makes it look so much beefier. Looks better than the yoders, better Computer, and won’t rust. We have a winner for the pellets.View attachment 1345

Picture is fine. And I agree with you 100% when it comes to your comments on the Yoder, but I was trying not to go there.

You just said what I had been thinking since I put this Competition cart together and put my Stampede atop it.

Congrats on the new shelf and new cart. Nice job on the assembly. However you could have hurt yourself badly trying to lift that Stampede atop the Comp cart.

It's not so much the weight of the Stampede, but the width. Unless you have awfully long arms, you have to spread your arms apart widely and use your back way too much as a result.

In other words, you have to use "poor technique", your arms have to be wide apart, you can't use your legs, you're using your back, in order to lift the Stampede atop the cart.

I don't recommend trying to do this particular step by yourself at all.

I tried it. And when I realized that I was probably going to hurt my perfectly healthy back if I continued, I waited until I could put someone else on the other end of it.
 
Great report and tons of information on this thread. It definitely brings out a beat like appearance to the 590 and I love the look.

Shame that it takes away a storage shelf. I use my during a cook and when the 590 is stored. Overall its work of art. And thanks for taking the time to post a write up about it.. cheers
 
Got my shelf today. The locking mechanism is pretty kludgey for the money but it does the job.

One thing I didn't realize, but should have, is how low to the ground it is. Just under 26". At 6'3", I may have to figure out a way to raise the whole grill.


View attachment 1346
I know this is an old post but it fits my thoughts exactly. I'm 6'3" and was disappointed how low the grill and especially shelf stands. But very happy with how well the grill works. I replaced a Weber Smokefire that was bad at holding temp and had other major functional issues, so I'm glad this thing works much better but I miss the taller stature. I got the comp cart to assemble and try. If that isn't enough, I'll replace the casters with even bigger ones.
 
I really love how the 590 works and I am glad I made the purchase. My only complaint is that the stock wheels and legs are pretty chintzy for its price range. There should not be a need for a lengthy mod thread discussing wheel upgrades, or a need to shell out another $300 for the cart. Seems to me wheels/legs should be the quality of the mod to start with.
 
No way they would be able to sell what would amount to a Rec Tec Stampede with the competition cart for $899.00.
 
No way they would be able to sell what would amount to a Rec Tec Stampede with the competition cart for $899.00.

Doesn't need to be a competition cart. Taller splayed legs would go a long ways. And personally, I'd prefer the larger plastic wheels you see on Traegers. The scooter ones work well on pavement, not so well on grass.
 
Doesn't need to be a competition cart. Taller splayed legs would go a long ways. And personally, I'd prefer the larger plastic wheels you see on Traegers. The scooter ones work well on pavement, not so well on grass.
That was my point. Hence the popularity of the wheel mod thread. It seems to me a wheel upgrade wouldn't be that difficult for them to do at very little extra cost- unless you're making a killing on upgrades. Sorry to not be a fan boi.
 
That was my point. Hence the popularity of the wheel mod thread. It seems to me a wheel upgrade wouldn't be that difficult for them to do at very little extra cost- unless you're making a killing on upgrades. Sorry to not be a fan boi.

Don't know who you are apologizing to for not being a "fan boi", but it's likely not necessary.
Everyone is going to have likes and dislikes when it comes to virtually any product.

I really love how the 590 works and I am glad I made the purchase. My only complaint is that the stock wheels and legs are pretty chintzy for its price range. There should not be a need for a lengthy mod thread discussing wheel upgrades, or a need to shell out another $300 for the cart. Seems to me wheels/legs should be the quality of the mod to start with.

Perhaps a thoughtfully worded letter to Rec Tec might go a ways towards addressing said complaint about the quality of the wheels and legs for a product in this price range.

There should not be a need for a lengthy mod thread discussing wheel upgrades, or a need to shell out another $300 for the cart.

Who knows? Such an effort as suggested above might eliminate any need for future lengthy mod threads discussing wheel upgrades, or a need to shell out another $300 for the cart.

I'd write it myself, but I'm not complaining.

Please keep us posted on any and all progress should you decide to go this route.

Good luck.
 
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