Need Help

[Roger2561]

Hi all - With the price of oil being uncertain for the forseeable future I have been thinking of buying a pellet stove as a source of heat using oil only as backup. My problem is I have a chronic lower back problem where I can not lift anymore that 50 pounds at a time for a very short amount of time. Carrying the bags of pellets down the steps to the basement of my house will lay me out for about week. I own a JD 4500 with FEL. I was wondering if anyone has plans or knows where I can find plans to make something where I can lift a ton of pellets and lower it into the basement of my houise through the bulkhead opening. Is the FEL on the 4500 able to handle that much weight? I had the rear wheels of my 4500 in the air one time trying to lift a heavy item with the FEL and I'm not too keen on doing that again. If using the FEL on the tractor is something that I can not do, any and all suggestions will be taken into consideration. Thanks, Roger

 

[Soundguy]

what about a hopper with a lid up top, and a 4" feed tube ( like a grain chute) that filled a plastic drum down below.. then use a scoop or short shovel to load the stove.

soundguy

 

[KevPH1]

Soundguy has a good idea! "Back in the day", people had coal storage bin inside the basement.

The coal customer would order a truck load. The coal would be dumped into a ramped access from a exterior door/spillway to the coal storage bin. (No hand work)

Think of the grain hopper for inspiration. With the right setup, You might pipe-auger the pellets,to move inside the house. Once built, the labor process required would be very small.

Hope this helps.

 

[shvl73]

The bags only weigh 40lbs. can you store them outside and bring them in as needed? You should only go through 1+ bags a day. I don't think I've ever used 2 bags in a days time.

 

[Ductape]

My FIL picked up some literature from a vendor @ the Fryeburg fair from a company doing bulk pellet deliveries in the northern part of the state. As described earlier, they install some type of bin in your basement and deliver in bulk a couple times a year. I haven't actually seen the literature yet, but it sounds interesting.

On the other hand, is there anyone near you (friend or family) that could help lug the bags of pellets into your house/garage a couple times a year? Dumping bags of pellets into a large container a few bags at a time will allow you to use a pail to carry them to the stove, saving your back.

 

[MikeD74T]

Roger, Pellet stoves are a wonderful device, however the reliability of pellet availability is also somewhat questionable. Look before you buy. A large stove shop in my town has been rationing pellets since June in order to keep selling stoves. MikeD74T

 

[thump186]

Here is one solution if you want to go the bulk route. http://www.powderandbulk.com/yabbfiles/Attachments/PelliStore.jpghttp://www.matene.com/products.html

http://www.matene.com/products.html
As for the bag method why not slide a few into you fel drive to the bulkhead and have a plywood ramp over the steps and let gravity do the carrying down to the basement. When they reach the bottom have a 2 wheel dolly or cart you can slide under them and whell them to where they need to go.

 

[Roger2561]

Soundguy has a good idea! "Back in the day", people had coal storage bin inside the basement.

The coal customer would order a truck load. The coal would be dumped into a ramped access from a exterior door/spillway to the coal storage bin. (No hand work)

Think of the grain hopper for inspiration. With the right setup, You might pipe-auger the pellets,to move inside the house. Once built, the labor process required would be very small.

Hope this helps.

KevPH1 - I remember as youngster my folks would buy their coal in bulk. As described in previous postings, the truck would back up to the house, lower the shute, lift the hydraulic dumpbody to deposit the load of coal into the storage bin in the basement of our house. That brings back some wonderful childhood memories. It was quite exciting as a child to watch the guy operate the truck. We lived on road where traffic was very lite so to have a truck pull into the driveway, that was alot of excitement for a child. Thanks for helping me relive some of my childhood. Roger

 

[Trucker1]

Your tractor will handle 1 ton on forks just fine w/ rear ballast of course. I have a 4510 and 1 ton is no problem.

Not that this will help, but I was just talking to a fella the other day who was saying he'd like to come up with a scissor lift contraption for his bulkhead that he could set his pallet on. Then lower it to basement level, and have a pallet jack in the basement to wheel it around into place. Sounded like a clever thought.

 

[jimmer2880]

There is, also the corn stove route. There are a few folks around here that swear by them. Good, clean heat.

www.marylandcornstoves.com is a place to start if you don't know what I'm talking about.

FWIW, I don't have one yet. But, I will as soon as I can scrounge up the $$$'s.