Bit or Anth

Just bought a house looking to get away from the oil boiler. I live in western Pa (Punxsutawney) so bit coal is cheap or free in some cases. Just trying to figure which is going to be easier due to the fact I work away and the Missus will be tending during the week.

I would think Anthracite would be easier as there are several boilers which have a good part of the process automated. All she would have to do is to haul out the ashes which could be done on a schedule designed to minimize the weight.

with a good stoker setup (wil-burt etc.) heating with bituminous is so simple a cave-man could do itl However with a hand-fired stove, if your wife will be tending it, and due to the lack of purporse built bituminous stoves on the market, i would say anthracite will be a bit easier. being in Punxsutawney, however, with such inexpensive (70/ton) and relatively good bituminous coal available locally, IMHO it would make much more sense to heat with bituminous.

While Bit is cheap, marrying the Wilburt stoker to a boiler requires engineering expertise and significant cost. Bit is also dirtier and more smokey. You can get hand fired bit boilers but that is something the Mrs. may not want to deal with. I researched going with Bit for a long time before I gave up on it and went with Anthracite.

Anthracite would be the easiest to tend to. Several stoker boilers are available from different manufacturers. It might cost more per ton but it might be worth the extra money to have less headaches.

Do some research and see what fits you best.

A stoker would be easier on your wife Not saying she can't run a hand fed unit but automatic feed stokers are easier and ones that use anthracite are readily available in your area.
Here in Utah I know where you can get a boiler with bituminous stoker for FREE right now...just have to dismantle/move it. I don't know if these opportunities come up where you are but you could check around for a free/cheap in good condition boiler designed for bituminous. Bituminous works very well in underfed stokers and is way under used in home heating nowadays.
Here is a thread about "coalman" boiler you might be interested in. It may be too large for your heating needs though.
pics of coalman up and running on ky bit

How would Bit coal work in a base heater.

Probably well, it depends on the quality of the bit coal. where are you located?