My pit is 4-5 years old.  All was great up until a year ago.  The spot welds for the handle broke loose.  I drilled holes and used nut & bolt to secure.  Recently the spot wells for the leg supports/brackets also broke loose. Not sure I want to bolt them on.  A real bummer.  I was really loving this kettle but now I am concerned about replacing it with the same make/model.
The extra weight my be a problem for the spot welds.....  Maybe I just had a bad run.