Tractor Supply Test

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Were Man
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Post by Were Man » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 2:14 pm

So I was in TS and curious to try their nut coal, bought a bag $6.79. Product is uniformly sized little bit bigger than a walnut, noticed that when starting it the coal will crackle unlike I ever noticed with my current supply, of which I am not sure of brand but larger pieces, shinier. Was here when I bought the house and packed 50 lb heavy brown paper bag. The stuff I have seems to start much quicker and easier than the TS stuff, but now that I got some blue dancers will chill out and wait to see what awaits in the ash pan.

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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 2:48 pm

Before buying a ton/pallet of it, buy 10 bags and see if they are all nice like that bag. They can have real consistency issues. Usually every 5th bag was full of fines for me the last 2 or 3 times I bought any.

 
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Hrdnox1
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Post by Hrdnox1 » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 3:13 pm

I wasn't too happy with this stuff especially for the price. It had too many fines in it and was super inconsistent along with big ole wood chunks approx 4-5/ bag. Now i did hear somewhere that this i contracted through Lehigh but i find that hard to believe since the nut coal at their breaker looks wayyyyyy better, consistent, super shiny not a lot of wood or fines not much in the way of flat stuff either.

 
LehighanthraciteMatt
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Post by LehighanthraciteMatt » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 3:20 pm

Hrdnox1 wrote:
Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 3:13 pm
I wasn't too happy with this stuff especially for the price. It had too many fines in it and was super inconsistent along with big ole wood chunks approx 4-5/ bag. Now i did hear somewhere that this i contracted through Lehigh but i find that hard to believe since the nut coal at their breaker looks wayyyyyy better, consistent, super shiny not a lot of wood or fines not much in the way of flat stuff either.
It is NOT bagged by Lehigh....

 
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keegs
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Post by keegs » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 3:50 pm

There's a lot of idle seasonal retail space at Walmart, Lowes, HD during winter months... The coal suppliers should try to work out something.

 
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Hrdnox1
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Post by Hrdnox1 » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 3:55 pm

Thanks for clearing that up Matt, Like i said i see something different from your breaker and its not whats in those bags.

 
Were Man
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Post by Were Man » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 4:59 pm

Yeah some of the bags looked pretty dicey, did some prodding and feeling, some obviously had a lot of fine, others just looked spent. I just got a little bitty old Jøtul 507B in the basement that was here when I bought house last year, along with 10+ bags of coal. But from the little time and experience I have had with coal, it really seems the way to go for me in the future. As soon as I get done burning the 20 cords of wood I got will maybe invest in a good hand fired stove.

Meanwhile, the Tractor coal seems to be burning well so far. But I've used practically the whole bag so far, which was 40 lbs. The other stuff I have seems to burn longer and slower, though I have noticed a lot of slag but I think I had not enough draft going. Still working out the kinks.


 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 6:08 pm

LehighanthraciteMatt wrote:
Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 3:20 pm
It is NOT bagged by Lehigh....
Thank you for confirming that, Matt, but Dean Lehman has told me it wasn’t Lehigh....so I bought some real stuff from him.👍

Been meaning to get back in touch with Matt, about bulk coal...just had other priorities.

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 6:11 pm

By the way...that tractor supply coal...as far as price is concerned is the over my limit for coal locally and bagged. I’ll either buy it bulk, get a pellet stove, or put the wood stove back in. Really pushing the limit at $6 bag.

You folks in the east have it made.

 
LehighanthraciteMatt
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Post by LehighanthraciteMatt » Tue. Nov. 19, 2019 9:17 am

Hoytman wrote:
Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 6:11 pm
By the way...that tractor supply coal...as far as price is concerned is the over my limit for coal locally and bagged. I’ll either buy it bulk, get a pellet stove, or put the wood stove back in. Really pushing the limit at $6 bag.

You folks in the east have it made.
Pellets are almost double the price per BTU so pellets make no sense...

 
Hoytman
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Post by Hoytman » Tue. Nov. 19, 2019 10:26 am

Yep...that's why I've stayed the course with coal. Understand what you're saying...just meant I'd buy in bulk at much more per bag cost than that.

 
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Post by archangel_cpj » Tue. Nov. 19, 2019 12:21 pm

I used TSC for two seasons very inconsistent lots of fines... I switched to Lehigh last year was far better... this year Lehigh is even better very few fines and much better sizing... I was told they did some work on their breaker...

 
Were Man
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Post by Were Man » Tue. Nov. 19, 2019 1:53 pm

The TSC one-bag test verdict is:
a lot of small unburnt/partially burnt coal pieces, some rocks (?!), other miscellaneous unidentifiable detritus. The unburnt pieces I will reuse just because I'm a cheap so and so.

 
lobsterman
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Post by lobsterman » Fri. Nov. 22, 2019 8:01 pm

Hoytman wrote:
Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 6:11 pm
By the way...that tractor supply coal...as far as price is concerned is the over my limit for coal locally and bagged. I’ll either buy it bulk, get a pellet stove, or put the wood stove back in. Really pushing the limit at $6 bag.

You folks in the east have it made.
??? I went from scrounge and burn anything for free when old houses around here still had basements full of coal to all I need now is one ton of something really good. We get Lehigh at the local shop here for 6.75 per 40 lb bag, so $340 on the season works for me, the coal sippin' Chubby just purrs for 3 months. Coal is not very expensive but it ain't free either so I don't waste it.

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Fri. Nov. 22, 2019 10:15 pm

Lobsterman you are just getting older...
LOL...
There are basements still full...
Just a bit harder to sniff out...
Besides nothing is ever free...
Sometimes it is just better to pay the coal dealer...
LOL...
Must get the kids trained but they are just 7 now...
I a few years I will bring them on an adventure...
To the Shallow Suburban Mines...


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