Mk II or Baker

I was set to get a Hitzer 30-95, It looks to be a solid stove, but after a close look at the MK II this seems to be a good choice too, but I never did see any Baker stoves in person, their site shows 2 that interest me, the Challenger and the Toastmaster, I have a 1500 sq ft ranch well insulated. was even thinking of the MK ! any comments or preferences on my choices. and where can I find some Baker dealers in the NE PA area Wilkes Barre Scranton surrounding areas.

Thanks
Chet

Hi chet All three are good quality stove I believe what it comes down to Would be price I think you can buy the bakers dierect from them they are located in lewisberry PA York county go to there site for phone number and map to there showroom http://www.bakerstoves.com All of the info you will need will be there they do make some nice looking stoves and stoker's they been in business since 1977 Hitzer 1975 & Harman 1979 good luck on you choice

Hi chet, all the stoves you mention are good units. I couldn't find the Baker 'toastmaster' though.

A Hitzer 30-95 is a hopper feed stove, sort of a gravity stoker. This should provide longer burn times between loading. And loading is through the top, not through the front door, so it is neater and cleaner.

If your home is well insulated with good windows, a MarkI should do the job. Maybe consider buying the slightly used Mark I that is for sale in the classifieds here, give it a season's use and learn from that.

If the Mark I is not what you want, you won't loose any or very much money on it. They are good stoves.


Greg L

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LsFarm wrote:Hi chet, all the stoves you mention are good units. I couldn't find the Baker 'toastmaster' though.

A Hitzer 30-95 is a hopper feed stove, sort of a gravity stoker. This should provide longer burn times between loading. And loading is through the top, not through the front door, so it is neater and cleaner.

If your home is well insulated with good windows, a MarkI should do the job. Maybe consider buying the slightly used Mark I that is for sale in the classifieds here, give it a season's use and learn from that.

If the Mark I is not what you want, you won't loose any or very much money on it. They are good stoves.


Greg L

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Hello Greg

Thanks for the heads up on the stove info, I called Baker stoves and got a recording, will wait to see when they call back so I can compare prices. there are 3 or 4 Harman MK II's in are local paper and the Paper shop, they are running around $400 to $500 in the area, I would try the MK I but it is a trip for me and if it was $400 I probably would consider it, but I am still looking to see what the Baker stove cost VS the Harman's


Thanks
Chet

Well I got a call back from Baker stoves there is a 4 week wait and the Harman seems to be the better value. question I have is on the Harman MKII stoves, I am going to look at 2 used ones within the the next few days, I was told that there were an early model and the newer one, how can I tell which is which, are the doors the same, glass size ect. what should I look for for when buying a used Harman.

thanks
Chet

Hi chet, the steel box that the Harman is made of is 1/4" thick, so it is very sturdy. The firebrick that line the sides of the firebox are cheap, about $1.50 each. The gasket material for around the doors is also very inexpensive. So if these are in need of replacement, they are not a problem.

The main wear areas are the door hinges and latches and the shaker mechanism.

I think the shaker mechanism and the grates are what I would focus on. See if the handle and linkage are excessively sloppy or worn. Give the handle a good shake and look at the grates to see if they all return to level. The linkage that connects the grates is subject to wear and corrosion. The grates should be flat, not sagging. If they are sagging, the stove has been run with an over-full ashpan, this blocked the air from underneath that cools the grates as it feeds oxygen to the fire.

I don't know the differences between the old and new models, but I'm pretty sure they are all cosmetic. Take a close look at the photos on Harmans website and here in the 'pictures of your stove' thread. You may be able to see the differences.

Best of luck, I'm sure you will like the Harman stoves, they are well made.

Greg L.

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HI chet one more thing that Greg over looked was the baffle plate up inside of the stove look at that to see if it is warped from over firing It is not a problem to replace but it will give a good indication if the stove was over fired One more thing the older harman grates are a little thicker / heavier then the new ones So that would be another thing to look for By the way what was the price of the Baker stove Good luck on you Search for a stove

coal berner wrote:HI chet one more thing that Greg over looked was the baffle plate up inside of the stove look at that to see if it is warped from over firing It is not a problem to replace but it will give a good indication if the stove was over fired One more thing the older harman grates are a little thicker / heavier then the new ones So that would be another thing to look for By the way what was the price of the Baker stove Good luck on you Search for a stove

As for the price on the Baker stove (Challenger) it rather on the expensive side, $1999.00 so that puts me the keep looking for a used MK II. there was one in the Paper Shop here in NEPA, I traveled 45 miles one way to check it out, when the lady showed it to me, I was stumped, I said to the lady this is a Harman SF 650 not a MK II, so back home I go, continuing my search for a MK II. I may get a new one if I have to, they had them on sale at the Bloomsburg Fair, $1400.00 which is still high, dam steel prices!

Chet

chet wrote:[quote="they had them on sale at the Bloomsburg Fair, $1400.00 which is still high, dam steel prices! Chet

I would grab it for $1400. An MKII with a blower by me, dealers want $1525.

hey chet....where are you putting the stove? if it is on the main level,the mark1 would most definatly do the job..i have a mark3 in the south end of my basement..heating 1900 sq ft total temps here in central maine can dip below zero for days to a time.