Crane 404 and Raising Off the Floor

Due to a myriad of health issues I need to raise the stove in order to service it, arthritis bad back and loss of strength from COPD and meds for hyper tension. It is 4 inches now on some solid blocks and thinking 8 to 12 inches more would turn hands and knees that is very painful into some bending for a short period of time that would be manageable. Question is if on a solid 4 inch block on the bottom then 1 layer of hollow then another 4 inch solid on top. I think it will be secure lacking an earth quake. Has anyone else done this or are you all young and flexible? I rather not load up on pain killers to service the stove.

Make middle an last layer Solid Block .Lastly make your set up or hearth Wider Than Stove .Get young help to position the block .Jack

It's been done to one degree or another DD. YES, your method sounds safe & secure. Sorry to hear you're fallin apart like the rest of us older gentlemen!!

When I constructed the hearth for the Mark II I used one row of bricks to outline the perimeter. Then I filled the void with concrete. Finally, I put a second row of bricks down over the whole thing as a cover. It wouldn't take much more money to make it a little higher. DK had me put the hearth on a piece of plywood "just in case we need to move it." Believe me it's not going anyway. Take care, Lisa

DD, Sounds like you have a sound idea and I cannot imagine any coal stove that would squash solid concrete blocks. My advice is to get the lifting and wrestling done by others. Do you have to lift the coal hod or bucket much higher to fill the stove after the elevation happens? Can you allow the vent riser off the stove to the chimney to be shortened without ill effects? Good luck with the lift, that darn coal bucket is definitely getting heavier each year , mine feel like they are in the 60 pound range right now. Mike

Dave, did you get your stove raised off the floor yet?

coalvet wrote:Dave, did you get your stove raised off the floor yet?

Yes went for 8 inches more for a total of 12 as any more would make refitting the stack pipe more trouble than the 4 inches were worth. It sure is a lot easier to tend the stove and took about an hour thanks to a young kid I mentored for several years and now more or less my second son.

Now that I can see the fire box and grates easier I have learned a couple of things already. The coal burns from front to rear and ends to center.