Best Way to Move Coal Bags

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 6:36 pm

Every year I have to move about 2 tons of 40-50lb bagged coal from the front yard (where I can back a p/u truck to or have a delivery truck access) through a stockade fence gate & about 40' more to my back basement steps.(flat terrain) I usually have help doing this but am looking for an easier, yet inexpensive way to make things easier. I have a self-propelled, walk-behind lawn mower, a motorized snow blower & a lawn cart. (The lawn cart can easliy hold 6-8 bags, but it becomes hard to pull at that point) Has anyone ever tried to hook these up so that the mower or the snow blower will actually pull the cart?
(My property is small & I have no use for an expensive tractor or even a riding lawn mower)

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 6:55 pm

It may work, but the drive system that a self-propelled mower or a walk-behind snow thrower uses is sized to move the unit. using one of these to pull a cart with heavy weight on it would place excessive strain on the drive mechanisms.
You could probably buy (or build) a nice flatbed cart to move the bags on, something capable of carrying a lot of weight. If you equip it with large pneumatic tires with the front ones on a pivoting axle it will roll nicely along to your destination.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 7:29 pm

Wood'nCoal wrote:It may work, but the drive system that a self-propelled mower or a walk-behind snow thrower uses is sized to move the unit. using one of these to pull a cart with heavy weight on it would place excessive strain on the drive mechanisms.
You could probably buy (or build) a nice flatbed cart to move the bags on, something capable of carrying a lot of weight. If you equip it with large pneumatic tires with the front ones on a pivoting axle it will roll nicely along to your destination.

I was thinking of your concern about excessive strain on the drive mechanisms & share them. I figured I would be safer pulling my cart behind the snow blower (rather than the mower) which has a few forward gears & larger wheels & thus appears more capable of pulling a small load. I obviously would have to jury-rig some small wheels (& bolt them to the front with a quick connect mechanism) or figure out another way of keeping the front of the snow blower up & off the ground & run it with the auger off. The cart I have already will easily hold 6-8 40lb bags so that is like 200lbs but I don't know much about trailer pulling specs....tongue weight, etc.
Just wondered (b4 I ruin a perfectly good snow blower) if anyone else has tried such a hair-brained idea?

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:02 pm

Anyone know anything about this?

Looks to good to be true for under $300

gambler · Post by **gambler** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:05 pm

Get yourself an old Gravely 2 wheel tractor. If you keep an eye out you can get one with a lot of life left in it for $500.

Sorry, when I first read the post I thought he said under $3000. not $300.

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:09 pm

Since your terrain is flat, why not just use a wheel barrel or a handtruck? I bought a real nice hand truck at Lowes with large inflatable tires that makes moving large heavy loads very easy.

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:11 pm

I never heard of it before. It looks like it would work well for your uses. It certainly would be easier then trying to hitch the cart to the snowthrower.
It wouldn't work out too well for me, though. I'd probably wear it out in a month.
I noticed it has pneumatic tubed tires, which is a plus, and a lead acid battery, which certainly will last longer then the cheaper alternatives.

av8r · Post by **av8r** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:12 pm

Devil5052 wrote:Anyone know anything about this?

Looks to good to be true for under $300

capacity is 200 pounds on level ground, 150 on slopes..so figure about 175 on level and much less on slopes.

How about a big wheeled handtruck with a piece of 3/4 ply on the tongue? Guys at work move some big stuff with a setup like this.

av8r · Post by **av8r** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:15 pm

These work great. Local nurseries use these for heavy duty stuff

http://www.harborfreight.com/steel-mesh-deck-wago ... ce=linking

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:23 pm

The hand truck would work as well, as long as it has big pneumatic tires. Mine has solid tires, it's a pain on the gravel driveway and the lawn. Certainly cheaper. The choice is all about how much labor is involved to move the bags. When I've bought bagged coal I just back the truck up near the cellar window, roll the bags out and dump them down the chute into the bin.
I have a fairly long piece of sch. 80 PVC pipe, either 8 or 10", I'm thinking of using that to run the coal into the bin. It probably will slide through it easier then my homemade chute, wood planks with some aluminum flashing stuck in on the bottom plank (once I chase the critters that are nesting in it out).

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:35 pm

coalkirk wrote:Since your terrain is flat, why not just use a wheel barrel or a handtruck? I bought a real nice hand truck at Lowes with large inflatable tires that makes moving large heavy loads very easy.

I already am using a wheel barrel & a hand cart.........You don't seem to catch my intentions here.....

I'm looking for a very cheap cart/vehicle that will:
1. Load the bags of coal by itself
2. Bring them around back & stack them neatly by the back door
3. Operate very quietly (by itself) so as not to wake me up from my afternoon nap
4. Mix me a very dry martini

Hey wait a minute........ I already have one of these things!!!
It's called a wife!

(anyone shows this to my wife is in big trouble!

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 8:53 pm

Devil5052 wrote:
coalkirk wrote:Since your terrain is flat, why not just use a wheel barrel or a handtruck? I bought a real nice hand truck at Lowes with large inflatable tires that makes moving large heavy loads very easy.
I already am using a wheel barrel & a hand cart.........You don't seem to catch my intentions here.....

I'm looking for a very cheap cart/vehicle that will:
1. Load the bags of coal by itself
2. Bring them around back & stack them neatly by the back door
3. Operate very quietly (by itself) so as not to wake me up from my afternoon nap
4. Mix me a very dry martini

Hey wait a minute........ I already have one of these things!!!
It's called a wife!

The standard issue wife will not perform any of the listed operations.

As far as this: "anyone shows this to my wife is in big trouble!", your post is already printed and in the mail to your house.

Just kidding!

Post by **coaledsweat** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 9:19 pm

Wood'nCoal wrote:The standard issue wife will not perform any of the listed operations.

You may want to mention that wife 2.0 has these functions, it could step up the program. Then again, you may lose your hardrive.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 9:22 pm

coaledsweat wrote:
Wood'nCoal wrote:The standard issue wife will not perform any of the listed operations.
You may want to mention that wife 2.0 has these functions, it could step up the program. Then again, you may lose your hardrive.

Always worried about new program that could give me a virus & term my hardrive into software!

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Tue. Jan. 01, 2008 10:54 pm

go to a farm auction and get yourself a hay elevator or conveyor or whatever they are called. They usually are 20-50' long and can handle a ton of weight (not literally but close) Some are driven by the tractor's PTO but without a tractor you can hook up an electric or gas motor to the shaft and run it with that, most have gear reduction units on them. Lay that bad boy down, stand on one end and load the bags until they are all piled at the other end, may require a helper to "offload" the bags. Option 2 is to modify your gate so that a truck can fit through. I used option 3, I had the delivery guy back up to my basement window, once the coal bags were dumped I used the tractor to pull the truck out. Then I stood inside and the kids handed me bags through the window. 6 ton worth