Haulin Coal ?

[Ron Hicks]

Looking for Advise
End of last summer had to have some work done on my 4 X 4 pickup- replace rear end- wheel bearings and front end work,It wasnt cheap.

I found a place in Vinita OK. " Phonix Coal Sales " -sells Coal $75.00 a ton .
I sure dont want to break my pickup again and wondering what would be safe weight to haul.
Its a Dodge 4 X 4 short bed 1/2 ton with the 360 motor. Tires 5 ply side wall.

Just so I have an idea how big a pile is 1 ton of coal:confused:
Thank You
Ron

[irnsrgn]

If you have to scoop it all by hand, its a rather large pile. LOL

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

Ton of coal:
Last time I got coal, I used a 50 gallon oil drum that was cut in half. Both halves were pretty well full, and that was roughly 500 pounds. So...volume wise a ton would equal about Four 50 gallon drums, give or take depending on size of lump, moisture content, etc.

As far as the truck goes, I regularly haul heavy loads of firewood out of the timber on hard frozen ground with a '95 F-150 4x4 (probably 7 or 8 times a winter) and have no problem. On highway hauling you should easily be able to haul a half ton, if not a full ton. Not sure of the ratings on a dodge, so you might wanna check your owner's manual and whatnot.

My solution (for ease of shoveling) was an old oval shaped gas barrel that had a hole rusted in the bottom and was no longer usable. We cut it in half and built a base for it. When I need coal from now on, i can put the half-tank on the trailer, take it to the coal yard, they'll dump a load it and when i get back it slides right off of the trailer by the shop. No more shoveling for me
-Aaron @ the SCF

[Glenn]

A ton of coal is about 4'x4'x4' in size, or very roughly 400 pounds to a 55 gallon drum (this area and this coal) and weighs either 2000 or 2200 pounds depending on which ton you purchase.

As to loading, Tennessee Ernie FORD can load 16 tons a day, but you better check your owners manual or the dealer to see what your Dodge can handle. You may even want to consider a trailer to haul the coal.

Just remember that making two trips for coal is still cheaper than an overloaded truck in need or repairs on the side of the road.

[Ron Hicks]

Irnsrgn
Ive wore out a shovel or two in my day,I dont usem to lean on:)
Im thinking about 1/2 ton - but you know how the guys runnin the loaders are
they like to pile it on. Ill take a shovel so I can unload some if they poor it on me.
Barrels sound like a good way to store it , did not want to pile it on the ground.
I was told this coal was good stuff
Thanks Guys
Ron

[HWooldridge]

Buy, rent or borrow a trailer. I bought 4 tons of coal in OK about 20 years ago and pulled a trailer with my (at the time) new 85 Ford and its 302. A buddy and I loaded all of it in a few hours but we took a jig to hold bean sacks and had plenty of them for the purpose. Each sack held between 80 and 100 lbs. I still have some of that coal left but it was not very high quality.

[rthibeau]

for that kind of weight, a trailer is the best recommendation. if you put it in your truck, make sure the tires stay round and the fenders stay off the tires (no joke, the truck can take it, but not the springs and tires). They put a rating on trucks for a reason....it's not the volume, it's the weight.

[blkbear]

I would agree with a lot of people here - rent a trailer. You can tow more than you can load in the bed.

Brian

[Ed Thomas]

Have you checked to see if they will deliver? I can get deliver of a minimum of 3 tons pretty reasonably. It's nice to having someone show up with a dump truck and dump it in one pile right where I want it.

Make sure it is pea coal. Anything much larger is going to be a chore breaking up every time you need coal for a fire.

Make sure it is not stoker or furnace grade coal. That stuff is adequate, but not much fun to use. If you can verify that it is metallurgical grade of some sort, that would be nice. If you can't get the quality of it, try a modest amount before you commit to a large pile.

A 5 gallon bucket holds about 35 to 40 pounds of coal. A day of forging for most home users in a decent-sized forge will take about that much. So a 1/2 ton of coal will probably last you at least 25 hard forging days. If you only forge on most weekends, that is close to a half year's worth. For occasional weekday forging and forging every weekend, you will still probably get three months out of a 1/2 ton.

A 1/2 ton pickup should have no problem hauling 1/2 ton of coal. Just put a tarp or plastic on the bed if there are any holes, and put a tarp over it to keep the coal dust from annoying the other people on the road.

Personally, I'd go get a 1/2 ton in my pickup and, if I liked it, try to get delivery of as much as I could afford and store.

[Ron Hicks]

I dont think they would deliver - Im 78 miles from Vinita OK.
Im headin over there today I hope-
Ill let you know how it goes
Ron