looked at the MK2, TLC2000, Hitzer 30-95, at fair

Looked at several stoves at Stolz today at the fair. Except for the one sided ash pan on the Hitzer 30-95, its a really nice top loading stove. Too bad the ash pan only has 3 sides.

The MK2, I liked as its includes the blower, but the ash pan doesn't go all the way to the end of grates on either side.

The TLC2000 has a bigger ash pan, top loaded, but the door is thinner metal, as well as the top lip. Also, the shaker handle isn't as convenient as the MK, or Hitzer.

The Alaska Kodiak, I'm worried about the grates not being able to break up any coal that gets stuck in the round grate setup that only rotates when shaking. Otherwise, the Kodiak is the best value for the price.

Which would you choose?

That 3 sided ash pan is nice! So nice , we have taken one side out of my uncles Harmon Mark 3. The ashes slide out nicely when emptying pan. It also acts as a shovel when putting the pan back in the stove. With a 4 sided pan , you may have to shovel out any ashes which may have fallen off the pan , or through the grates while pan is out. I favor the 3 sided pan. One more thing you will want to do with the HITZER ash pan is to do away with the wire type handle which pivits in the middle. Ashes hang up on the sides of the pan at the wire. Can make a real mess if useing an ash box.

Thanks oliver power, I was wondering about the '3-sided' ash pan. This response should make ron's decision easier.

Greg L.

LsFarm wrote:Thanks oliver power, I was wondering about the '3-sided' ash pan. This response should make ron's decision easier.

Greg L.

With the 3 sides, I would have to be very carful walking it through my living room to garage. This stove is going in a finished basement with cream color carpet.

However, I narrowed my pick to the Hitzer 354, or the Alaska Kodiak. I'm still waiting for a price on the 354 w/blower.

ron54 wrote:

LsFarm wrote:Thanks oliver power, I was wondering about the '3-sided' ash pan. This response should make ron's decision easier.

Greg L.

With the 3 sides, I would have to be very carful walking it through my living room to garage. This stove is going in a finished basement with cream color carpet.

However, I narrowed my pick to the Hitzer 354, or the Alaska Kodiak. I'm still waiting for a price on the 354 w/blower.

ron54 what about the hitzer 50-93 same size as 354 plus it has a E-Z flo hopper makes it easy to load you can use a coal bucket to fill instead of shovel as has Automattic draft control

The 354 has a 24" clearence to back wall, as opposed to 28" on the 50-93. This is a finsised living room, and I don't want the stove sitting in middle of room, as that space is only 11' wide.

I'm sure the 4" difference would be quickly negated by the ease of using a hopper feed with a bucket or bagged coal, instead of loading a big hand-feed stove with a shovel.. especially with your white carpet in the stove's room.

The clearance is to combustable surfaces, a layer of cement backer board with marble floor tile glued on, placed behind the stove will create a non-combustable surface. Then you can move the stove closer to the wall.

Greg L

ron54 wrote: This stove is going in a finished basement with cream color carpet.

WOW I hope your wife is on board with this as this could be a recipe for disaster. I hope the cream color carpet is not your favorite.

gaw wrote:

ron54 wrote: This stove is going in a finished basement with cream color carpet.

WOW I hope your wife is on board with this as this could be a recipe for disaster. I hope the cream color carpet is not your favorite.

Not married. Yes, I chose cream carpet. The room is contemporary & modern.

Regarding the ash pan on the Harman Mark series stoves: The ash pan is in fact smaller then the width of the stove due to the fact that the shaker mechanism is on the left of the pan. I usually have to shovel out the ash once a day before setting the pan back in the stove. This is the only complaint I have about the stove. I suppose making the ash door opening wider to accept a wider ash pan could compromise the integrity of the unit, since the openings would be very close to the corners.

Hi Ron:
I've got coal dust and coal ash all over the place; it doesn't bother me much at all. In fact, each time I notice it, it brings a smile to my face and I think to myself, "You burn coal, you lucky s.o.b.!" Nevertheless, I borrowed my daughter's spritzer bottle she uses to wet her hair with when styling and I spray the top of the ash in the ash pan with a bit of water as I pull out the pan. It makes for less flyash when I carry the ashpan through the house and when I dump it in the metal ashcan in the garage. Give it a try.
John

JerseyCoal wrote:Hi Ron:
I've got coal dust and coal ash all over the place; it doesn't bother me much at all. In fact, each time I notice it, it brings a smile to my face and I think to myself, "You burn coal, you lucky s.o.b.!"

Yeah Baby!!!
LOL!