Tractor Supply Stores to Start Carrying Bagged Anthracite

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Sun. Sep. 28, 2014 6:58 pm

franco b wrote:My local store has one pallet. As has been said, they are testing the water.
Bought 5 bags to try. Coal wet in bag and weighed 42 pounds. Clean bags.
Coal had a lot of fines clinging to each piece which when dry will probably fall off as dust. Size uniform and good.
You got further than I did. :D

Had to drop off the daughters truck for warrantee work and there's a TS just about next door. Even though I can get bagged Blaschak a bit cheaper by driving in the opposite direction, , curiosity got the better of me. :D

This is as far as I got. The kitchen range is on the other side of that back porch wall and already full of bulk nut. Soon as It needs a refill I'll bust open a bag and see how "Cookin' With Coal" does on Kimmels.

Yeah, I know. I couldn't help making a shameful pitch for coal ranges. :D

Paul

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scalabro
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Post by scalabro » Sun. Sep. 28, 2014 7:04 pm

My vote is for beef short ribs braised in red wine with pearl onions. Maybe a casserole of baked cauliflower with some good sharp NY cheddar, and a nice strong red....at least 15%.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sun. Sep. 28, 2014 7:31 pm

adkcoalburner wrote:Just talked to a TSC manager from Queensbury, NY. He said they have nut and have pea coal coming. They are just testing the market but can order it for $4.99/bag.
Be nice to get other sizes besides nut. :)

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 8:53 am

Well, since I had the Kimmels here I decided I run the kitchen range on that for a few days - starting with the morning reload and clearing the night ash build up.

The outside of all the bags on the single pallet that TS had were clean and dry as those in the picture I posted above. Inside the first bag, all the coal was wet. Size seems about as uniform as the bulk nut I've been getting from my dealer for many years.

By now, the fire box is about 3/4 full of Kimmels. I noticed that it snaps and pops less. Maybe going into the firebox wet has something to do with that ??? It didn't take long to see that it caught light quickly and it burns HOT !

Even though it's been in the mid 50 degrees outside, now an hour after loading, the range is running almost 100 degrees hotter on the plates over the firebox than it usually does under these same conditions with the bulk nut.

Since I finished with reloading, I've had the range in indirect mode, with the primary closed to just two of the five slots only open about .040-.050 inch - same as damped down for the night. The MPD is fully closed like night time setting too. And, it's over 80 degrees in the kitchen. :shock:

Up to now I've only used the check damper at night to slow the range down and make a firebox load last longer. Once we get into colder weather with stronger draft, this will require using the check damper during the day, not only when just heating, but to bring the temps down to where we usually run the range for cooking too.

So, with the range burning noticeably hotter, this makes me wonder if a firebox full of the Kimmels will last as long as the bulk I've been using ???

I wonder how the other types of hand feds and the stoker stoves will make out using it ?

Time will tell.

Paul

 
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Post by qbwebb » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 9:17 am

I'm still waiting on my order of 50lb bags of Rice from a location in western mass. Pricing on 50 lb bags works out to 285/ton & pricing on 40lb bags should work out to 240/ton (they give a 4% discount on an entire skid). Thing is the store manager is saying he can't get the 40lb bags, only 50's at higher price. I have another store in northern CT looking into it now and will report back. For those that are getting the 4.99/bag price would you mind posting your location? 4.99/bag does not seem to be available in 01077. Thanks!

 
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Post by franco b » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 9:34 am

New Milford CT.
Using the TS website you can get all the stores near your zip code that have the coal in stock.

At first my store was not aware that they even had it, so question if they say they do not. It's new for them.

 
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Post by 4500GUY » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 11:19 am

Hi Guys!

I just picked up a few bags of Kimmel from the Tractor Supply in Putnam, CT for $4.99 per 40 lb. bag, no tax! Want to try the Kimmel and see how it looks before I commit to a larger stock. Looks like they had a full ton pallet on hand. Evidently, they recently started carrying coal, because it took them a while to even find it in the store!


 
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Post by qbwebb » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 12:08 pm

Right, that's for nut size only on the website, the guy I spoke with at the Barkhamsted store said couldn't "rain check" the 40 lb bags to that location but he would e-mail the buyer to see if he could get them. The $5/ 40lb rice bags I'm looking for are SKU#1100816. Got that by calling the store in Olean, NY and asking them for the SKU#. Not sure why their website only shows nut size, maybe because its the most widely available. $240/ton bagged is pretty good for my area.

Also I like the idea of a higher burn rate coal, my VF3000 struggles to keep up in winter with the santa stuff, if this burns hotter with all else being = then maybe I can get a bit more BTU/hr out of my unit.
franco b wrote:New Milford CT.
Using the TS website you can get all the stores near your zip code that have the coal in stock.

At first my store was not aware that they even had it, so question if they say they do not. It's new for them.

 
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Post by SheepDog68 » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 3:00 pm

Talked to TSC Friday about ordering me a pallet of nut coal and they got the truck in today with my coal on it.

Price was $237 for the pallet (5% off for buying full pallet) and other than the lady up front not knowing they sold coal everything went smoothly.

I flat out told them I already had my coal for this year and was only buying more to encourage management to keep this going.

SD

 
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Post by qbwebb » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 5:16 pm

Quick update, looks like the Barkhamsted location can get me a skid of rice for the $240/ton bagged price. Weird thing is they didn't need my CC to do the order, they just ordered it and will call me when its in. Anyway, I am cancelling my order for the 50lb rice bags at the higher $285/ton price from the other store in southwick, ma. Interested to see how it burns, $240/ton in my area is a great price considering bagged santa is $300-$310. Trouble is it likely can't be relied upon as a source, they are testing it now, so spread the word that other sizes can be had, just need to call and ask store manager.
qbwebb wrote:Right, that's for nut size only on the website, the guy I spoke with at the Barkhamsted store said couldn't "rain check" the 40 lb bags to that location but he would e-mail the buyer to see if he could get them. The $5/ 40lb rice bags I'm looking for are SKU#1100816. Got that by calling the store in Olean, NY and asking them for the SKU#. Not sure why their website only shows nut size, maybe because its the most widely available. $240/ton bagged is pretty good for my area.

Also I like the idea of a higher burn rate coal, my VF3000 struggles to keep up in winter with the santa stuff, if this burns hotter with all else being = then maybe I can get a bit more BTU/hr out of my unit.
franco b wrote:New Milford CT.
Using the TS website you can get all the stores near your zip code that have the coal in stock.

At first my store was not aware that they even had it, so question if they say they do not. It's new for them.

 
rberq
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Post by rberq » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 7:36 pm

SheepDog68 wrote:Price was $237 for the pallet (5% off for buying full pallet) and other than the lady up front not knowing they sold coal everything went smoothly.
So they are selling one-ton coal pallets -- different from everybody else, but consistent with wood pellets, and saves confusion for the folks at the cash register who always seem confused when pallets don't equal tons. :|

 
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Post by SheepDog68 » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 9:19 pm

rberq wrote:
SheepDog68 wrote:Price was $237 for the pallet (5% off for buying full pallet) and other than the lady up front not knowing they sold coal everything went smoothly.
So they are selling one-ton coal pallets -- different from everybody else, but consistent with wood pellets, and saves confusion for the folks at the cash register who always seem confused when pallets don't equal tons. :|
My last pallet at one of my coal dealers was 1.2 tons, but the other dealer also has 1 ton pallets and better prices than the guy with 1.2 ton pallets.

I always thought it was coal company dependent, some did up 1 ton and others did up 1.2 ton pallets.

SD

 
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Post by 2001Sierra » Mon. Sep. 29, 2014 9:28 pm

I always liked Kimmel, I was on my own for 28 years before this forum. Just sayin' ;)
My Buderus hand fed liked it, and recently my Keystoker 90 was also pleased.

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Tue. Sep. 30, 2014 8:07 am

Well after 24 hours of the TS Kimmels, I've found out that it sure does burn hotter then anything I've been able to get so far.

Granted, this is just one bag so far, but it noticeably lights quicker, and snaps and pops less than any coal I've ever tried. So, I can set the primary and MPD back to cruise that much sooner after each reload. I didn't time it, but the reloading wait times seem to be cut by about 1/3. I was having to do more to slow it down - even with the warm weather impact on draft.

Example. Yesterday afternoon it was 75 F outside. To slow it down, the range not only was damped down like I do for overnight, I had to open the check damper about double the gap I normally use in cold weather. Even at that, the stack temp was staying 20-25 degrees higher than it does with the bulk nut. The range was acting like it does when I've used Blaschak stove coal in cold weather when the draft is much stronger.

It responded more quickly to increases in damper opening when we wanted more heat, but it also takes more care to not get the range so hot that we're burning food.

I can see where this would have an advantage for those who are trying to get a bit more heat out of a small stove, or trying to bring back a dying fire, or have a not-so-strong draft condition. This burning hotter should help some without having to go to a larger size coal to increase the draft.

I notice this coal is duller, not as shiny as the bulk nut, or the bagged Blaschak stove size, I've been getting. Some of that dullness is from the wet dust coating when it dries out. But even at that, putting the shovel into it in the coal bucket it sounds duller too. Doesn't give the bucket and shovel the same hard ring that the shiny (also delivered wet) bulk coal, or the Blaschak bagged does.

Plus there was quite a bit of fines and small bits in the bottom of the bag. A higher proportion then I get in the bulk.

Ash seems to be the same color and volume as the bulk nut and Blaschak bagged stove.

For me, the real down side of this burning hotter, with the range having a small-ish firebox, is as I suspected, it had burned up more over night. There is no way that I can see a full firebox load of this lasting as long as the bulk nut I've been getting. After 9 hours overnight, this morning the firebox looked like it does when it's gone 11-12 hours.

And I goofed about the price in my post back on page three. :oops:
The Blaschak stove bags I've been getting are 40 lb bags, not 50 lbs. at $6.00 each from a local dealer. So the TS Kimmels works out to $50.00 a ton less than I can get Blaschak bagged.

In fact, if it stays at $4.99 a 40 pound bag and no sales tax, the TS Kimmels is cheaper than even the bulk from both of my two nearest dealers.

Paul

 
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Post by Vinmaker » Tue. Sep. 30, 2014 8:34 am

That is awesome that TSC carries coal now.

I have been buying coal from Squire Lumber in Monson, MA but they are out of Nut coal. I ordered it back in August and still none after about 5 weeks. I am thinking I need to call up and have them refund my money so I can buy it elsewhere. I will have to see if TSC delivers and if they can place it into my garage.

It is beginning to get cooler and I need to get some coal. I thought I was being proactive by ordering in August but who new there would be a shortage of coal. I always hear of the wood pellet people being out but never coal.

Vin.


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