I need some advice/opinions

rebbelbiker · By: **rebbelbiker** On: Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:46 am

Hi all. I need some advice/opinions on 2 different stoves. What I am looking for are any pros or cons with 2 stoves. I need to make a decision on which one to purchase before I loose the deals. The first one is a Crane coal cooker #202. It is complete in good condition. No manual or other info is with this stove. Second one is a FoxFire. This one has a combustion circulator and a air blower on the rear of the unit. The burning chamber or pot. measures 27"Lx18"Wx10"D. It has no draft control on either the load or ash door. I suppose this one may be called a furnace? This unit is also complete. My main concern is which one of these 2 units will burn nut anthracite the best? (I dunno) Thanks in advance for any info I can recieve, Mark

lowfog01 · By: **lowfog01** On: Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:22 am

Did you check out the archives? I seem to remember a thread running a few months back on the Crane. Lisa

Freddy · By: **Freddy** On: Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:35 am

I can't help on specifics, and I'm no expert, but generally speaking a good coal stove needs some things and likes others. It needs the air that feeds the fire to come from under the grates. The incoming air needs to be controllable. The whole stove should be air tight and one way or another the air regulated. It's OK to have air ports over the fire, but they usually remain closed. The next thing, it needs cast iron grates that shake one way or another. The grates should allow plenty of air flow and cover or almost cover the entire bottom of the burn chamber. If the grates are smaller than the burn chamber it will be more difficult to use. Now the biggie....coal likes depth. A taller skinnier stove will burn better than a flat, more shallow one. There are some good flat-ish ones out there, but if it doesn't allow for at least 6 or 7" of depth,... I like 8 to 12" better..... I'd keep looking.
Got pics? We love pics!

rebbelbiker · By: **rebbelbiker** On: Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:35 am

lowfog01 wrote:Did you check out the archives? I seem to remember a thread running a few months back on the Crane. Lisa

Thanks for the input. Yes, I searched the archives. Nothing popped up relating to the Crane 202 or the Firefox. Mark

rebbelbiker · By: **rebbelbiker** On: Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:45 am

Freddy wrote:I can't help on specifics, and I'm no expert, but generally speaking a good coal stove needs some things and likes others. It needs the air that feeds the fire to come from under the grates. The incoming air needs to be controllable. The whole stove should be air tight and one way or another the air regulated. It's OK to have air ports over the fire, but they usually remain closed. The next thing, it needs cast iron grates that shake one way or another. The grates should allow plenty of air flow and cover or almost cover the entire bottom of the burn chamber. If the grates are smaller than the burn chamber it will be more difficult to use. Now the biggie....coal likes depth. A taller skinnier stove will burn better than a flat, more shallow one. There are some good flat-ish ones out there, but if it doesn't allow for at least 6 or 7" of depth,... I like 8 to 12" better..... I'd keep looking.
Got pics? We love pics!

Both stoves have shakeable cast grates. The Crane 202 says coal cooker on it. Has a round vertical fire pot, lined with bricks. The Firefox is also brick lined, but at a downwards taper toward the "full" length grates. The manual says it will use coal. I know coal needs oxygen from under the grate. I am not sure how it achieves this with using a combustion blower? Thanks, Mark

lowfog01 · By: **lowfog01** On: Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:50 am

rebbelbiker wrote:
lowfog01 wrote:Did you check out the archives? I seem to remember a thread running a few months back on the Crane. Lisa

Thanks for the input. Yes, I searched the archives. Nothing popped up relating to the Crane 202 or the Firefox. Mark

Check out - Crane Coal Cooker - They mention a Crane Cooker. I don't know if it will help but there were some email addresses that maybe of interest and help to you. Stangely enough, I didn't find this in the archives either. I got it through a internet search on Crane Coal stoves. I guess it's just one of those things, Go figure. Good luck, Lisa

CapeCoaler · By: **CapeCoaler** On: Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:32 pm

The Crane would be my choice!
http://hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Crane_Stove_Works
Was talking with someone who worked with the owner/designer of the Crane Stoves back in the day.
Brilliant chemical engineer, great stoves.
He resold the Cranes as a dealer and strongly endorsed the stove.
Had the Crane Stoves owner do seminars for him to explain the science of burning coal.
Crane went out of business for a few reasons but not because they had a bad coal stove.
I like the Model 44 myself.
You want straight sides and a deep fire pot.

rebbelbiker · By: **rebbelbiker** On: Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:27 am

CapeCoaler wrote:The Crane would be my choice!
http://hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Crane_Stove_Works
Was talking with someone who worked with the owner/designer of the Crane Stoves back in the day.
Brilliant chemical engineer, great stoves.
He resold the Cranes as a dealer and strongly endorsed the stove.
Had the Crane Stoves owner do seminars for him to explain the science of burning coal.
Crane went out of business for a few reasons but not because they had a bad coal stove.
I like the Model 44 myself.
You want straight sides and a deep fire pot.

I appreciate the opinions. Dang the Crane is soooo tiny. I'm not accustom to using such a tiny coal burner. (Or is it true size does not matter? haha) I currently have been using a year 1900 Sunbeam coal furnace that is original to my house. Unfortunately for me I'm not permitted to burn Bit. in my area. And I am not willing to try Anthracite in the furnace knowing that it isn't a sealed design. Wood is far too expensive and far too much of a headache for me to store close to 10 cords and getting up to replenish the furnace every 2-4 hrs. This is why I asked about the 2 burners I were able to find reasonable for me. I do not expect either one of them to heat the whole house, but I would like to heat a few rooms on first floor for winter survival. I may of lost the deals on these to burners by now. Thanks, Mark

DOUG · By: **DOUG** On: Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:07 am

Here is a write up on the Crane Coal Cooker, from the 1980 book written by Peter Hotton, Coal Comfort, An Alternative Way to Heat Your House.

: (131.8 KiB) Viewed 34 times; View: New Page • Popup • Select:BBCode; [nepathumb]14481[/nepathumb]

: (69.88 KiB) Viewed 70 times; View: New Page • Popup • Select:BBCode; [nepathumb]14482[/nepathumb]

I don't have any information regarding the other coal stove that you mentioned, but the Crane Coal Cooker has a good patent write up. You can register and look it up. Here is a link. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/ Search under coal stoves. From what I've read, the Crane Coal Cooker is a good coal stove.

DOUG · By: **DOUG** On: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:52 pm

Here is the patent write up for the Crane Coal Cooker. Just thought you may have trouble finding it.

USD262993.pdf: (51.62 KiB) Downloaded 34 times; Select:BBcode: [nepafile=14487]USD262993.pdf[/nepafile]

rebbelbiker · By: **rebbelbiker** On: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:44 pm

I appreciate all the replys. The Patent you showed is for model 44. The one I was looking at is model 202 I don't know what to expect out of a 202. I do know, it sure is tiny......On another note. I located a "new" Hitzer 55 for $550.00. I may just go with the Hitzer being that it's new.

Thanks, Mark

DOUG · By: **DOUG** On: Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:58 pm

The Hitzer 55 sounds like a good price. But if you are willing to go that high in price or a little more, don't overlook a Coal Chubby. Hitzer makes a great product and they do perform well, but it's hard to beat a Coal Chubby for the price and performance. :idea:

rebbelbiker · By: **rebbelbiker** On: Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:34 pm

Hi It's not that "I" want to spend the bigger bucks on the Hitzer. I called a few stores within a 30 mile radius from me. The prices I had gotten for the Hitzer 55 plain jane were close to $900.00. I located a "new" one for the $550.00 I stated.

I sure was sold on the Chubby Stove after I watched the owners video. Unfortunately for me. I have had no success in locating a Chubby local to me. The Chubby web site gets close to $1,000.00 or more for refurbished stoves not shipped. That price puts it way out of my pocket. Now If you know where I can get a large Chubby within a fair price for me. I am "all" ears.

Thanks, Mark

DOUG · By: **DOUG** On: Wed Oct 07, 2009 6:10 am

I'd check http://www.craigslist.com. I've been seeing a few Coal Chubby's pop up from time to time, lately.

dcrane · By: **dcrane** On: Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:48 am

OK folks, ill try to educate a little with the 5 minutes i have left before my open house, for efficient coal burning the airflow must be able to come from under and up through the coals, for wood burning the airflow must be able to circulate around the wood. For a coal stove to maintain an airtight combustion chamber over the long term it needs to be solid welded (NOT glued and screwed like a chubby). Cast iron cannot be effectively welded therfor to obtain a solid welded airtight stove it needs to be made of steel (you can hand and make all the decorative elements on and around this steel to make it look pretty) but the combustion chamber of the coal stove should be solid welded steel (or it WILL loose its efficiency and air tightness within a few years due to the glues and gaskets and warpage of the castings). Woodstoves on the other hand will not loose efficiency because of loose of air tightness (you will only smell it alot more as it looses it).

Crane Model 44 is the smaller version of the 202 (in my opinion the 44 is superior since it produced an equivalent heat source in less space and could burn easily through the night (its no advantage the be able to burn an extra 12 hours with the 202), the crane model 44 is arguably the best designed, most heavy duty, longest lasting, easiest to maintain, smallest in size and most powerful for its size coal stove ever made in the history of the world!!!

Sincerely Doug Crane

I need some advice/opinions

I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions

Re: I need some advice/opinions