New Breaker in North East Pennsylvania

Last march I visited a strip mine site to take pictures of the Euclids and big loaders working, after meeting owner and signing safety release I walked the site. Later I spotted a culm, refuse bank about 50 ft high and 150 ft long, with a lot of good lump coal mixed in withdirt and rock. I asked the foreman what's going to happen to the pile? He said starting this week it will be used to fill a worked out pit. I asked could I take some lumps? He replied "If your crazy enough to climb up there, it's free!" By 4 PM I moved about 3.5 ton away from the pile. That night I borrowed a friends 3.5 ton dump truck. At 7 AM I was at the site, signed in and loaded the lump coal. I gave the boss agreed money and a case of lager. I've been cracking since down to nut and pea size. I also wash the coal. See pictures some 24 inches round. Note, no rock, slate, or boney. Pure glass like coal! Some guys golf or play tennis, I'm a coal cracker!
Fastcat 0. Power and F. Fred, any comments?
Picture 1- Big Pile
Picture 2- Nut Screen
Picture 3- Lump and 5 gallon pail
Picture 4- Cracking Table.
Thanks Den 34071

Outstanding find den, God I remember when I had that kind of energy. But now that I'm getting rich off my Soc, Sec. that I pd into all my life I'm down to buying it already NUTTED looks like a real functional set up you put together for breaking & sorting my friend

So tell me, have you been back there anymore and looked for coal? Think placing a few of them in a hand fired unit would last a while.

Oh yea, they would definetly last, but you'd never get the heat output you need.

Fred im 67, I went back fore more coal, but contractor said for liability reasons I couldnt take any more coal. I still have about a ton left, long burning white ash coal. Stay warm, Den.

So your not for a second going to tell me how much that 3.5 cost & make me more envious then I already am are you? By this time of the year, I'm just about getting over moving 800-1000 bales of hay around. Hence, we're just gettin older not deader. Sounds like you got some quality in that find Den.

That's some big chucks of coal Den. Great score and the price was sure right. That said, one of the reasons I got away from wood burning was the cutting, splitting and stacking. It got old after a couple of decades of it. That's a bit too much like splitting for me .

So just how are you breaking the coal? Is it anthracite?

Isayre: I sledge hammer the big lumps to football size on a tarp. Then is use a 32oz hammer to break it into nut or pea size, then screen & wash. It's my therapy & realaxation, I can do 100lb in less than an hour.

I can't figure out why all of that coal was being discarded.

Make sure you wear a good pair of safety glasses.

Freetown Fred after screening I have a buck and rice coal left over, about half a ton left over, I sold it for 80 bucks. My cost for the lumps and lager came to 85.00$ after selling the small coal, plus gas. Remember though lots of labor, but niiiiice warm reward. Keep warm, Den

Mark VIII, When the loader removes the over burden rock, dirt, etc., he sometimes picks up the coal from the edge of the vein. All is put aside to fill in worked out areas. Too labor intensive to go through the pile. I worked about 6 hours to remove my load. Keep warm, Den

SteveZee, was removing snow, just got back on the computer I burned wood 18 years and the coal is my therapy very relaxing, also where I got it from is superior quality, just enjoy cracking, keep warm, Den