DO NOT BUY TRACTOR SUPPLY RICE COAL

 
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swattley01
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Post by swattley01 » Sun. Dec. 09, 2018 9:44 pm

i just got back from trying 3 bags of RICE coal from tractor supply here in north new jersey, this is to feed my alaska built Gnome stoker. i only sifted one 40 lb bag and took these pictures of what was left on my screen. this coal is 60 cents more the Blachaulk wich i prefer on both my coal stoves but this TS location just open in my town and thought i try it with the hopes i can get coal in a pinch when getting low. i had the stoker motor break the gears with READING coal last year and it was my fault since i did not run that bag through my screen
COAL TS.jpg

this will break your feed motor

.JPG | 390.5KB | COAL TS.jpg

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TS COAL.jpg
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Post by warminmn » Sun. Dec. 09, 2018 9:58 pm

Most the people using TSC rice have had good luck with it. Im glad you only bought 3 bags and not 3 tons. For whatever it is worth, TSC coal is mostly from Reading.

 
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Post by lamina1982 » Sun. Dec. 09, 2018 10:36 pm

I also noted some larger pieces in my last few bags.
I found a feed store with blackshck .30 cheaper so dont get tsc anymore.
Seemed odd so many larger pieces..my keystoker ate it up though

 
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Post by captcaper » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 4:41 am

I've bought 6 to 7 tons of TSC now for years.. And have been burning it this season from Oct 1st. 24/7 no issues and Ash is A1... Nice stuff. Love the handles and bags too. I burnt Santa's coal for years and this is better. I've had some real crap from Santa's with lot's of fines and large pieces as well. No fines out of this coal at all.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 5:43 am

Unless you are getting coal right out of the screening plant, you run the risk of oversize coal...regardless of what name is on the truck or bag.

 
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swattley01
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Post by swattley01 » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 7:40 am

do you guys agree the picture would break most feeder motor? i have been burning for one year non stop, i have had Reading, Blaschaulk, last year. yes i did find the large piece once in a while screening, but never so much as this bag. the picture was from one 40lbs bag. i am afraid to open the other two and i am running out of coal. replace the feed motor was not a fun job in middle of winter last year.
can i ask you guys who run stoker what you think the screen size i use to sift out the bad stuff. seems anything smaller just clogs up, all i do now is dump a bag into the screen and work a small shovel back and forth to get it to drop to the bin.

 
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 8:38 am

Rob R. wrote:
Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 5:43 am
Unless you are getting coal right out of the screening plant, you run the risk of oversize coal...regardless of what name is on the truck or bag.
It's possibility at an point especially in the winter. At the breaker if a screen gets hole, coal frozen in the loader bucket and/or truck for example. All this stuff is supposed to be checked but you will never catch all of it. When I was loading rice the guy running the loader always made sure I had a chance to look at the bucket, proabaly half the time I had to clean something off in the winter.


 
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Post by CoalHeat » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 10:59 am

With an EFM stoker an oversize piece of coal can get pulled in between the auger and the feed tube. If the auger can break the piece then all will be fine, if it can't then the shear pin will break. The issue would then be getting the oversize piece out of the auger tube, so regardless of what type of stoker you're running it is an issue. The only ones I can think of that wouldn't have a problem is a flatbed carpet feed unit similar to the Alaska I used to have and probably an AA.
A few months ago I got 1.5 ton of rice at Lehigh and have only found one oversize piece about the size of nut.

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 1:10 pm

CoalHeat wrote:
Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 10:59 am
The only ones I can think of that wouldn't have a problem is a flatbed carpet feed unit similar to the Alaska I used to have and probably an AA.
The piece would prob have to be larger than stove size to effect the auger on an AA.

On a hopper fed ahs or eshland it would need to be larger than 5” to not pass through the bottom of the hopper, my hopper fed Eshland is fed from a 6” auger, it would probably give an issue with larger size nut.

 
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Post by thurberk » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 9:52 pm

I also have a gnome 40. Ive broken my feed motor once from a large piece in the 5 years ive been running mine. I get my coal from the local suppler here in RI. TSC doesnt even sell it up here. Once in a while ill catch a large piece, i dont think its avoidable in any brand you buy, its gonna happen. I dont sift mine out, I just try to pay attention when i scoop it into the hopper.

 
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swattley01
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Post by swattley01 » Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 10:50 pm

anyone else have this happen on a alaska built feed auger? the piece of coal that broke this motor gear was not that big, i was surprised. there is no shere pin either it just breaks the gear box of this 150 dollar motor. there i best desribed as a paddle wheel shoving the coal into the fire tray does not take a big piece to jam the motor. be nice to have some sort of clutch or something to protect this, so far the tractor supply coal after i screen it has burned well and is only mile down the road. i just nervous about breaking more motors.

 
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Post by hotblast1357 » Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 5:23 am

Well.. with such a sensitive stove to coal size.. I would be screening anything and everything I put in it, no matter where from, $150 mistakes hurt.

 
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Post by captcaper » Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 7:12 am

I thought of making a screen cause over the years I've gotten a few large chunks and once a few pieces of wood.. this is from all the companies.. but It never gave me a problem other then blocking the feed opening and slowing down the coal loading. But I've read of bent feeding arm forks in the Harman Mag (not sure about the Super Mag) that would open up when jammed.. and would not want that to add to my things to do list during winter.

 
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swattley01
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Post by swattley01 » Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 9:13 am

thurberk wrote:
Mon. Dec. 10, 2018 9:52 pm
I also have a gnome 40. Ive broken my feed motor once from a large piece in the 5 years ive been running mine. I get my coal from the local suppler here in RI. TSC doesnt even sell it up here. Once in a while ill catch a large piece, i dont think its avoidable in any brand you buy, its gonna happen. I dont sift mine out, I just try to pay attention when i scoop it into the hopper.
how big was the piece that broke the feed motor

 
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swattley01
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Post by swattley01 » Tue. Dec. 11, 2018 9:17 am

i would feel better use any coal if maybe few of you more experiance guy give me an opinion on the screen i am using to filter out large parts. it does work nice and just have to sift the coal back and forth, i NEVER put any brand straight in the stove anymore. but i would hope this size screen is all i need to do.


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