What Do You Use For Anti Skid and How Do You Spread & Store it?

[terraformer]

I have a pair of boots with hex head sheet metal screws driven into sole from the outside. Sure traction. On my dirt bike I use ice racing screws in the knobs.

I save my wood ash and will get a tractor bucket of sand from a bar in the creek.

Have most of my ash from this winter. Spread ash and chicken litter on the pasture in the shape of a #47 to celebrate the rebirth of the country.

We have had winters here with 2-3" of ice for a month. Snow then thaw then snow or ice then thaw keeps building up. If it is too bad I stay home and walk around in my ice boots. No one else who lives on a secondary road is moving either. Better stock up on essentials.

This winter has been average. No ice more than a day or 3.

 

[DougPA]

I used to take my dump trailer over to one of the coal dealers south of Scranton to get a better price. I parked it in the barn and used it as a coal bin over the winter. I only bought 5 tons at a time though, and most of the coal breakers now have a 10 ton minimum. The cost of gas and my time, ate into the $$ savings though.

I stored the ash in 30 gal cans, which were fairly easy to load into the spreader. I thought about using 55 gallon drums but the weight would have been too difficult to manage. How do you spread the ash, and if you use a spreader, how do you load it?

I buy my coal from a seller close to home. I only have a small 4x8 trailer which holds about a ton. I use wood for the fall/spring and its looking like i am going to use 2 tons this winter.
The ash I store in 55 gal plastic barrels that are cut in halve. My spreader is mounted by the hitch on my RTV and is controlled on/off wirelessly with a keychain controller. I load the spreader with a shovel until the half barrel is light enough to lift and dump. Loading is easy enough as it only takes about 2 minutes.
My problem with the spreader is it is cone shaped but there is not enough agitation so it will wormhole quick. I've tried a few things to help but it is still frustrating. What i have found to help is I was able to fabricate a post with chains. I used a 1 inch EMT conduit cut to the depth of the spreader. I slit the conduit to slide over the auger and used a hose clamp to make it tight. The conduit i drilled holes and bolted 1/4 inch chain to it so it is shaped like this (I). It still wormholes but not as fast. The best way I have found for now is I have my son drive and I ride in the back of the RTV with a stick and keep it flowing. This is where the wireless controller shines because I can turn it on and off while I am riding in the bed.

 

[bdhsfz6]

If I go back to burning coal, I'll likely pic up one of these pivoting drum slings:

Drum Tilt Ring H-5733 - Uline

Tip and pour 55-gallon steel drums with your forklift. Pivoting fork pockets allow tipping and emptying. Adjustable locking latch. Welded steel construction. ULINE offers over 42,000 boxes, plastic poly bags, mailing tubes, warehouse supplies and bubble wrap for your storage, packaging, or...

www.uline.com

That way, I can dump the cans into the spreader with the forks.

 

[DougPA]

I tracked the coal prices over the years and it hurts just looking them up
2016 $180 a ton
2017 $166
2018 $166
2019 $180
2020 $175
2021 $200
2022 $342
2023 I did not buy any 2022 i did not use what i bought in 2022 it was a warm winter here
2024 $340

sorry if i drifted your thread.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I tracked the coal prices over the years and it hurts just looking them up
2016 $180 a ton
2017 $166
2018 $166
2019 $180
2020 $175
2021 $200
2022 $342
2023 I did not buy any 2022 i did not use what i bought in 2022 it was a warm winter here
2024 $340

sorry if i drifted your thread.

Sounds about right. I'll check my records to compare.

I just got my second fuel oil delivery at $3.39/gal. Paid $3.09 back in November. Even with the price increase, using oil instead of coal will only cost around $250 extra. Still worth it to me at my age.

There were years back in the 1980's & 90's when the savings were well over $1000. I could be wrong but with the way coal has been going up relative to oil, I doubt I'll ever see that kind of savings again.

 

[John_Mc]

I don't spread anything. If the yard get too slippery I hook onto my diamond tooth harrows and run them over the ice. The ice shavings refreeze onto the ice and the driveway is no longer slippery. I repeat as necessary. I do have the advantage of a flat driveway.

I rarely spread anything myself. We have a driveway with an east facing hill. It can get bad when it ices up in the winter. AWD/4WD and a good set of real snow tires does it for us (not "all season" tires - they don't even come close.) The smaller, lighter vehicles get studded snows. If things get really slick, I drop the ripper shanks on the box blade and break the ice up a bit.

Our town does leave a small pile of the sand they use for traction on our gravel roads in the winter for residents to grab. I keep a couple of 5 gallon buckets of that around, just in case. I don't have to use it unless someone is coming to visit who does not have a car properly equipped for Vermont winters.

 

[DougPA]

Sounds about right. I'll check my records to compare.

I just got my second fuel oil delivery at $3.39/gal. Paid $3.09 back in November. Even with the price increase, using oil instead of coal will only cost around $250 extra. Still worth it to me at my age.

There were years back in the 1980's & 90's when the savings were well over $1000. I could be wrong but with the way coal has been going up relative to oil, I doubt I'll ever see that kind of savings again.

I will probably be there too. I’m 48 raising two great kids. But just this weekend making a dozen trips down the basement stairs with two drywall buckets full of coal I always wonder how long I will be able to keep this up.

 

[LouNY]

I tracked the coal prices over the years and it hurts just looking them up
2016 $180 a ton
2017 $166
2018 $166
2019 $180
2020 $175
2021 $200
2022 $342
2023 I did not buy any 2022 i did not use what i bought in 2022 it was a warm winter here
2024 $340

sorry if i drifted your thread.

Just add about $100 to $150 per ton for what I've paid.

 

[DougPA]

Just add about $100 to $150 per ton for what I've paid.

Wow! Really? Do you buy bag or bulk? I buy mine bulk. Just wondering bdhsf and I are very close to a coal region.

 

[LouNY]

I get bagged by the pallet either 2000# or 2200# per pallet.
This is my last year even though I enjoy the coal heat. Getting the second knee replaced this spring so no more kneeling down to shake or knife the grates for me.

Not much difference in price per ton up here unless getting a 20 ton load at a time, bagged or bulk pretty close to the same price