Hi All. Got my 30-P years ago directly from Ron Goodwin (before A 0f H took over distribution.) Upgraded to pneumatic tires at time of sale. Included at no charge: 2 20# bags of lump, Weber Chimney starter, grill cover and free delivery to my home! I only live about 20 miles from Burns KS.
Anyway, I have been having the same left to right burn problem for a long time. Spoke/e-mailed with several A of H people. I follow their instructions EXACTLY. Doesn't help.
I have made these mods over the years: added a second layer (staggered) of the charcoal shelf material to decrease the drop through of unburned lump into the ash pan. Plugged the thermometer hole as I use a Maverick ET-73. 2 way lockable casters on the front T stand. And about 2 years ago I updated the 2 lower vent spinners to the current style. That's when I first started having the uneven burn problem!
The new style spinners don't stay parallel to the body of the fire box. The top of the spinner tilts back as soon as you start to open it. The old style did not do this! It did "self-adjust" due to gravity.
A of H told me to bend the end cap of the ash pan into the body of the fire box to seal it better. Only made it worse. I am going to re-install the old spinners to see if that helps. I know that the old spinners would smother the fire when closed to conserve lump. The new ones when tightly closed along with the top vent closed, the lids closed and the damper closed still allow the lump to smolder for 2-3 days after shut down. No lump remains, only ash! I found this out when I grabbed the smoker 2 days after my cook when I went to move it. HOT!!!
I don't want to sound bitter or unhappy. Quite the opposite! Just some issues that need to be resolved.
FYI...in other threads people have mentioned they move the hot coals around with lots of things. I use the rake and 90 degree bent tip poker from my wood stove tool set. They work well to move hot coals and also to get the ash that misses the ash pan. They hang nicely from the slide in/out handle for moving the smoker. I also changed the bolt at the top of the left leg (as you look at the ash pan end) with a longer bolt so that I can hang my thermometer transmitter from it.
Ron Goodwin once told me that when you try to make too many improvements over the original design, you just mess it up. He was absolutely correct with regards to the spinners!