Leatherwood Chunk Coal

Hello, I am burning Blaschak anthracite currently and there is a dealer in Flint,MI that is now selling Leatherwood chunk coal which I believe to be bituminous. Anyone have any comments on the Leatherwood coal. I did some searching and only found reference to the area.

Bushman

Never heard of it.

Bk

Its going for $180.00 loose ton. Last winter I burnt bituminous coal used at a paper mill-power plant and it was going for $100.00 loose ton up in Escanaba Michigan at the coal docks. Too dirty to consider, it was crushed too fine for my front loader and I bought it wet so the soot factor was huge.

Do you mean lump coal instead of chunk coal?

The place selling the coal is called Streat Fuel and Storage in Flint,MI and they call the coal chunk. They also offer Pochahontas chunk along with the Leatherwood and claim its from West "By God" Virginia.

Bushman

ask them where the "chunk" coal is from. you're probably not going to want the poco, it has a high btu content, but the coke button (fsi/free swelling index) is likely an 8 or 9; this means that it will "bridge over" and melt together inside of any hand fired appliance, this is a real pain.

on edit, their website says "kentucky chunk coal"

That should be some VERY good stuff. likely a high volitile, low fsi coal. doesn't mean that it won't produce soot if your furnace isn't designed to burn it properly, but it does mean that aside from soot, the burning experience should be pretty smooth. it should also burn well in open fireplaces.

They must have changed their site recently because I have seen them advertise Kentucky chunk also but now when I go to the site it says Leatherwood chunk.

Bushman

I spoke with them today and they told me the "chunk" or what we call lump coal comes from a Kentucky deep mine. Although $180 a ton seems rather expensive !

If you can burn Bituminous it is good coal. I agree that it is expensive, but transportation costs were high this year, so he probably paid $60+ per ton for delivery.

I'd buy a few hundred pounds and give it a try, that's the only real way to find out. IF it is full of fines, I'd not buy it.. Bituminous fines are a real pain to deal with.

Greg L

Willis wrote, "I spoke with them today and they told me the "chunk" or what we call lump coal comes from a Kentucky deep mine."

My dealer located in Thorn Hill, TN told me the only working deep mine in Harlan, KY produces good coal but it produces a lot of fines due to the way it is mined and so he doesn't purchase it.

Harlan is in E. KY and that end of the state produces a lot of coal. More than W. KY by far. TVA buys a lot of E. KY coal (passes by my house every day) and most of the power in KY is produced by burning coal. Who knows how long all this coal burning will continue now that the Obama regime is soon to be in control.

My dealer buys surface mined coal from Harlan. He did say some buyers were coming into the Harlan area and 'scooping up' a good amount of tonnage that is causing him concern. For now, I handpick the pile he has in his yard and come back with Boulder coal at $85 a ton. It burns 'real good' down to a fine ash but does make some soot along the way. Willis, let us know how the coal you are considering buying burns, if you buy some. I just wonder what and where the coal is coming from that they claim is from 'deep mines'. Hmmmmm, unless maybe they screened it and then claim it is $180 loose ton. Maybe it's just me but something is not making any sense here.

kentucky has much more than one underground mine.

I gave Streat Fuels a call yesterday and they said that his Leatherwood chunk is now going for $300.00 a ton. I called last month and it was $180.00 and this summer it was going for 150.00. I wonder how many folks called in since this thread started? For $300.00 a ton I will stick to bagged Blaschak anthracite stove coal here locally. Seems like the price for bituminous is going up awfally fast here in Michigan. I know of a few places in Jackson and am going to give them a call saturday and see what they are selling and for how much.

Bushman

obviously there's some demand, someone with some land ought to order a truckoad of kentucky lump and sell it.

Bushman, how much coal are you looking for. If you had enough friends I can deliver 25 tons of Ohio coal to you for about 125 a ton. Anything less that a full load isnt profitable to haul that far. Try Arbor Stone in Jackson. Bob Grey is a pretty nice guy to deal with, Im not sure of his prices though

I spoke with Streat Fuel in Flint, Michigan yesterday afternoon. Really nice gentleman. At this point they carry 2 types of bit coal. #1 Deep mined, low sulphur chunk from Kentucky, 6-14 inches in size. 15 cents a pound $300. ton. #2 Pocohantus, he suggested using this product for metalurgical work, 18 cents a pound $360. ton.