Better pricing on bagged anthracite in Central Mass.

I'm looking for better pricing on bagged anthracite in Central Mass.

I am currently looking at $270/ton (plus delivery) pricing for good quality, bagged, pea coal in the Worcester Ma. area. I use about 6 tons a season and would like to possibly split a trailer load (perhaps a 2 years supply for me) with another central mass person. Is $200/ton possible for a good quality product, delivered, if purchased in large quantity ? Does anyone have experience with this process?

Thanks,

Doc

9/2/09

270/ton is pretty good for around here. The Stove Place in Shrewsbury is getting something like $320/ton!

I was paying just under 270/ton up until this year, when my supplier went up in price by $25/ton. I live out in the sticks between Worcester & Springfield. Don't know of too many places -- they're hard to come by out here.

A trailer load is always the best bet. I'll let someone with that experience chime in, as I have never done it. I burn nut, & have already paid for a few tons, otherwise I'd go in with ya.

That price is quite good from what I gather. Bagged coal is never cheap, if you want it cheaper look at getting delivery in bulk. Might not be available other than tractor trailer load. Some members have done that.

CoalRay and I bought a tractor trailer load and paid $245 a ton, 22.5 tons total.
Robins garden center is pretty reasonable. That's where I bought mine last year and paid right around the $300 range with delivery.

The transportation is the biggest cost that you can't modify much. Bagged is the same in NEPA, so that is the penalty anyone pays who can't go bulk delivery. It is an 800 mile round trip so 60/ton delivery is very fair. Just the fuel alone is going to be 160 gallons at 2.75 ($440) plus tolls, plus driver, plus 18 tires turning, registration.....blah, blah, blah. No easy way out, but still well worth the effort for the level of comfort received.

Doc, no way for 200/ton bagged. Bulk perhaps, in a 23.5 ton load....if you can receive a 60 ft truck, have a level spot to dump, and some machinery to move and store it. 23 tons is not that big a pile, but it would last you for some time.
If someone goes in with you, now we have the "how do we measure the stuff to split it up." It is very easy, use a tractor that you measure the bucket on and calculate the volume. It will be within 2 percent, not bad for a couple of country boys.

250/ton bagged in MA is about right for TT load, but you must have a fork lift able to lift the pallet 1.25 ton say 3000 lb to be safe.
220/ton bulk for a TT load, but you need a loader and truck if you split it up.
Bulk is the way to save $$.

I just paid $270/ton plus a small mileage based delivery cost for 6 tons of bagged rice coal. From one of my co-workers, I might have been able to beat that price by a couple of bucks if I had the energy to call-around to a number of dealers in the Springfield MA and vicinity, and see if they’d come to south suburban Springfield….almost in Connecticut.

At work, 2 of my co-workers are also coal burners, and a pellet-man, also, so he’s out. We’ve been toying with going to Pennsylvania somewhere with an 18-wheeler and get our own coal…reducing our costs by cutting out the local dealer. As it turns out, one of the others has a CDL-A driver and has his own rig with a 53’ enclosed trailer. He also agreed to make the trip at cost…roughly $1.00, on average. I and one of the others use rice coal in our stokers. Mr. “hand bomber” boiler uses furnace coal…2-3” chunks from his description.

So, let’s do some math…

Based on what we’ve read on this site, we’re thinking we could get some coal in Pennsylvania for, $160-180/ton…loose. I’m guessing $180-200 bagged. It’s 185 miles from here to Scranton, so let’s say it’s closer to 225 each way to the breaker/dealer of our choice. That makes it $450 for trucking costs…at cost. We figure the maximum amount, palletized coal would be about 22 tons, without breaking legal weight limits. $450/22 tons works out to $20.83 per ton. Round numbers, call it $200/ton, with trucking included.

Now, how do we get the pallets delivered to our house? Also, don’t forget this is a Saturday and/or Sunday, too? We have access to a fork lift and pallet jack, but then, how to get THEM to our house, plus the 18 wheeler? Obviously, a 2nd truck would be needed to transport the fork lift, or someone with a good-sized trailer with a ramp. Let’s assume we’d need to rent the trailer…another $100 or so, or $5/ton. Or, how about renting a repo-man flat-bed truck with a winch to carry the fork lift? It gets complicated, doesn’t it? And it all has to come off in the same day.

Or…how about unload the coal where the fork lift and pallet jack are? Not a problem, as it turns out. But we’d be limited to short-term storage of the coal, there…perhaps a week at most. But now, how do we get the coal to OUR houses? I have a mini-van and could load ½ ton at a time and take it home…9 miles each way. And I’d be handling each bag twice, once on, once off. How about a pickup truck? We could fork-lift a pallet at a time on the pickup, but then we’d still have to hand-unload it. How’s your back? Two of us are over 50, the other, over 60. Not a desirable choice.

Or, do it the lazy-mans’ way. Have the local dealer deliver it and pay profit both for the truck driver, and local driver, too, and the local store. From my dealer, with delivery, it worked out to $281/ton for me. I guess I can live with the added expense and not having the hassle of lots of hand-labor and not having any ‘surprises’ along the way…such as a broken down truck, etc. The truck driver opted to pick up his coal at the same dealer, and put it in an empty 53 foot trailer he had briefly. He unloaded it with the fork lift but now has to get hit home somehow. Good thing he has a big pickup truck. The furnace coal man has a small trailer, and he’s planning on going to a dealer and getting about a ton at a time.

In short, how much is one willing to pay for the convenience of having it delivered? Or, put another way, how much is your back and your time worth? Only you can decide.

The delivery services for contractors at Home Depot and Lowes are contractors and they are not employees of the store. In my area the trucks are large flat beds with fork lifts attached to the rear. Perhaps one could make a deal for local delivery of bagged coal with one of these contractors. I would doubt they are regularly making delivery of lumber to building sites on the weekend. They might welcome moonlighting work.

Thanks to all who sent ideas, advice and commiseration concerning more affordable anthricite ! It sounds like the price I'm paying will have to do fore the time being.

I would be happy to contact anyone and mention the supplier from whom I got this year's quote. Very friendly and professional people, about forty minutes west of Worcester. A strong recommendation from me, based on last years results.

Let me know if you're interested.

Great forum !

Doc

Try http://www.penncoal.com/. They are a good company to deal with and their prices are reasonable. I was going to get a bulk load but after I priced out the cost of building a coal bin and factored in the hassles of dealing with shoveling coal I decided on bagged coal. Lots of the guys here are afraid of the quality of the coal that you may get but I was more than happy with my load. I also have yet to see one post of anyone not happy with their coal from them.

Hi Folks,
I'm getting my coal from Centralia Coal Sales Co. I've purchased coal for a very fair price and the quality is great!!!
Here is the info if your interested.
Centralia Coal Sales Co.
ISO 9001 certified
John D Howley III
Sales Manager
RES 610-687-5889
1-800-432-COAL
Email jhowley@centraliacoal.com
PO Box 478
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703
570-822-4135
FAX 570-824-1884

John Howley is one-hell-of-a nice-guy. Give him a call at the 800 number and see what he can do for you!!
Hope this helps some of you folks out - BTW I have no association with this company - I just want to help you folks out!!
Let me know how you make out!!

As long as they don't have a retail customer close by they will sell direct. I was talking to your guy and when I told him my location he said they had a rep. He then hungup abruptly. That left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Centralia Coal Sales Co...
Coal Broker...

Centralia Coal Sales Company is the largest marketing representative of Anthracite in the United States.

http://www.centraliacoal.com/a1.html

One thing I've found is the dealers that bag their own are more flexible on price than the ones that sell the pre-made plastic bagged stuff (reading, blaschak)

mr1precision wrote:CoalRay and I bought a tractor trailer load and paid $245 a ton, 22.5 tons total.
Robins garden center is pretty reasonable. That's where I bought mine last year and paid right around the $300 range with delivery.

I bought some from Robbins last year. About mid winter they changed suppliers and whoever they got it from, there was no name on the bags, was terrible coal.

I just called them and they said they had Reading @$289 per ton. Which worked fine last year.

Stove place in Shrewsbury has Blaschack $300/t picked up.

Aubuchon in Putnam, Ct Blaschack for $374/t