What sort of truck or trailer is required for hauling coal?

This from a newbie who is soon to be burning anthracite pea. If I got crazy and decided to make an annual trek to anthracite country and pick up my own coal, at an estimated annual need of 5-6 tons, what sort of trucks or trailers are those of you who routinely haul that much coal at one time using to do so? My trek would be roughly 320 miles each way. I would only consider doing it once annually to pick up all I should need.

Moving this to the general discussion forum.
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Any truck will do preferably a high lift:




Since I'm probably the only person in the entire northeast with one of these for sale and purchase of it would be a bit impractical you're next best bet is small dump. Small dump of course will only work if you want it somewhere near the ground or you can get your hands on a auger. Otherwise flat bed with sides is about the same thing.


Where does the coal have to go?


Edit: If you're looking to do this with pickup truck/trailer combo 5/6 ton is going to be pushing your luck.

It would not be worth buying a truck for just hauling coal for your own use, registration and liscence.

you might be able to get a 4 ton dump trailer, not sure what kind of license if any needed. A good truck to haul it too.
Or get someone to deliver. Depending on how far away you are.

How much do you think you will save, let's say $100/ton. Now registration in PA. on my 1 ton ford f350 is $200, inspection $40, insurance $400, a trailer inspection $30 and registration $20, now were up to $690 with diesel I make 16 mpg empty, gas you may be around 10 mpg so you will have 40-60 gallons of fuel, another $200 for your 600 mile trip. So you spend $890 to save $600. AND of coarse you have the expence of purchaseing the vehicle and trailer+ maintenance.

AA130FIREMAN wrote:How much do you think you will save, let's say $100/ton. Now registration in PA. on my 1 ton ford f350 is $200, inspection $40, insurance $400, a trailer inspection $30 and registration $20, now were up to $690 with diesel I make 16 mpg empty, gas you may be around 10 mpg so you will have 40-60 gallons of fuel, another $200 for your 600 mile trip. So you spend $890 to save $600. AND of coarse you have the expence of purchaseing the vehicle and trailer+ maintenance.

but to get the coal you want priceless .................

This is certainly beginning to sound like an uneconomical idea. The fuel cost alone would probably fall between $250 and $300 to go roughly 650 miles round trip hauling 6 tons of coal. That plus all of the other negatives that have already been brought to my attention certainly adds up to this being a dead issue for me.

As was surmised by AA130FIREMAN, my savings would be pretty close to $100 per ton, or $600 for 6 tons. Take away say $275 for fuel, and the potential savings are down to $325. Add in the cost of the truck, the registration, etc..., and it could never add up to savings.

Only large scale transport offers the potential for savings vs. the local retail costs in my area. Now if someone could bring in about 250,000 lbs. or so at a time via rail to Ohio that might have the potential to bring down the overall cost. Let's see, that's about 125 tons. Likely enough for about 25-30 people to heat their homes annually. Is anyone bringing in anthracite to Ohio via rail?

But then there is always back-haul as an option. I bet that one doesn't happen often though.

And for those who are forced to travel through NY or MA, you have to factor in at least $100 in fines for whatever law they decide your violating at that particular moment. Those state gov'ts have to fund their incessant spending sprees, after all.




I thought about renting a dump truck to pick up a large quantity of bulk .... but good luck finding a rental place that will rent to anyone that doesn't own a trucking company ( at least where I live ). And you'll need at least a B license if you don't already have one. Then your still in the same boat with rental fees plus 6 mpg @ $3.30+ per gallon for diesel ... or higher in CT & NY.

I want to go bulk just to save money, but I really don't have a decent place to put all of it. I'd go with a TT load bagged, but I don't have equipment to unload it. I'm a healthy guy, but I can't see myself unloading 22 ton by hand while a driver patiently waits ....

That's why I posted the Blaschak link. They may have a dealer nearby isayre.

i haul a ton at a time in my 86 2wd toyota........my roomate has a 97 f350 that i can get 3200 lbs on, but it eats 4x the fuel

SMITTY wrote: I can't see myself unloading 22 ton by hand while a driver patiently waits ...

My buddy bought a TT full of bagged coal on pallets. He put forks on his backhoe to move it. The truck driver & I used a pallet jack to move the pallets to the back of the truck. It was the most work I've done in my life! I didn't time it, maybe an hour? Two? Seemed like four. I do remember wondering how long the driver was allowed for unloading, and thinking that next time we'd have two extra people.

Freddy wrote:

SMITTY wrote: I can't see myself unloading 22 ton by hand while a driver patiently waits ...

My buddy bought a TT full of bagged coal on pallets. He put forks on his backhoe to move it. The truck driver & I used a pallet jack to move the pallets to the back of the truck. It was the most work I've done in my life! I didn't time it, maybe an hour? Two? Seemed like four. I do remember wondering how long the driver was allowed for unloading, and thinking that next time we'd have two extra people.

Smitty, you can also rent a forklift and have to delivered to your house by the rental place. I can't imagine it would be more than a couple hundred for the day.

When unloading a trailer at street height - pick the pallet with the pallet jack then rope the handle to the jeep and pull it back to a wood stop. spin it and push it by hand -- only the last 4 feet to the edge.

Or unload on a good hill and get the driver to let the air out of the trailer suspension for even more drop.

Most loads plan for at least a couple hours of "dock" time - getting a guy that speaks English and one who will put the trailer where you want it might be the worst part.

Wood'nCoal wrote:That's why I posted the Blaschak link. They may have a dealer nearby isayre.

Not to pick nits, but to assist everyone here, that's an "L' (albeit lower case) in front of sayre.

lsayre = Larry Sayre