55 ga. drum coal bin for AA 130??

Is it possible to use a 55 ga drum as a makeshift coal bin? I have an Axeman Anderson 130 and I am trying to get it up and running quickly. I would like to begin using it while it is still cold out, then later build a "real" bin for it. Has anyone done this before? Will this work? thanks in advance for any advice!

That's exactly what I use. I got some heavy solid concrete blocks and stood them up on end in a ring around the end of the doghouse and set the barrel on top. Just cut a hole in the bottom to the shape of the hole in them. You can just cut a hole in the drum side but you don't want the tube into the coal, it could get messy and you lose about a quarter of the drums volume to supply coal.

no problem

Build a wood frame around the auger. cut approximately a 6 x 6 hole in the bottom of the barrel. Put the barrell on top of the frame and the coal will feed through the hole.

Here is a picture using a 30 gallon plastic barrel.

Exactly what I did for my first month or two with my AA260. The above described bases works well, I took the easy way, and just cut a hole in the side of the barrel, not right at the bottom, so I couldn't get most of the coal out of the barrel. But it worked to get it burning, rather than burn propane.

Greg L

I've told my wife that if I ever kick the bucket & she wants to continue burning coal to do exactly this. She can't run the backhoe to remove the roof of the bin & fill it, but she can carry a 5 gallon bucket each day.

Awwww C'mon Freddy.

Get her a set of gloves and boots and put her in the seat this summer......

You never know, she may just want to plow the driveway come winter time with it !!!





Rick

Freddy wrote:I've told my wife that if I ever kick the bucket & she wants to continue burning coal to do exactly this. She can't run the backhoe to remove the roof of the bin & fill it, but she can carry a 5 gallon bucket each day.

She will probably spend all the money you saved by burning coal and have a natural gas (or oil ) boiler installed I bet my misses would

AA130FIREMAN wrote:have a natural gas (or oil) boiler installed

Ohhhh, she's only seven ball valves and three electric switches away from burning oil.... I just know she'd prefer to save the money. Besides, if I kick the bucket tonight, what's she going to do with the 30 ton of Pea?

Teach her to run the backhoe? LOL My buddy Charlie has the same make & model backhoe & he can barely drive mine. His is 15 years newer. Mine's got more slop than a prison cafeteria!

It takes real skill to run the old stuff, anybody can run a new one. I had a d4 with hand clutch and manual gear box, started it with a rope (pony motor). Most guys that looked at it could'nt get it started. It could knock a house down at an idle.

Freddie. you have dozens of friends that would make darned sure she was comfortable, and living a lifestyle she was accustomed to.
................alright, she'd be on Expedia.com headed for Flagstaff for the winters......or Gulfport or Biloxi .

Winter is underrated.....we all stay here just to enjoy watching 'others' try to learn how to burn coal, stay warm, slip and fall, crash vehicles and generally just plain suffer.
Blueberries aren't as sweet out there, so you know she would be back. ........not as many rattlers in the greater Bangor area......no low-riders........
No pressing '1' for English, although that brogue spoken in parts of Maine sure is a foreign language!

A 'Coal Holder' is whatever it takes to make the boiler work. AHS just skipped the auger (up-slope) however for a couple grand they will add one that feeds the much higher bin.......and where is the price difference between the two? Apples to Giraffes folks. 26 pages of posts on the AHS big bang theory.......do any inquiring minds want to know why Pete Axeman doesn't have database of 'boom technology questions'? Think about it guys...and gals.

Thanks for all of your input. That's exactly the experience I was looking for to confirm what I wanted to do. A friend of mine has a plastic drum that I plan on using---pretty heavy gauge blue drum...should work fine. I'll post pics when I finally get it set up. Thanks again.

Here's my solution for the present time.