Non EPA wood stove prices?

Hey guys. I watch a number of on line places for Fisher stoves and other old brands. I am seeing a lot of these being listed for $600 +. I can't believe that people are getting this kind of money for a non EPA stove. I know you can ask whatever you want, but what you get is a different story. Is there a new interest in these old 'smoke dragons'??? Collecting or real use??? Interested to hear your thoughts about what is going on with these high and crazy prices.

Thanks

 

WeldrDave

 

Thanks for the reply Dave. I have found a couple that would be nice to start a collection with, but I have seen a lot of unrealistic people in the process. I looked at a mama bear that was poorly refinished. I thought the guy wanted 90 for it...he wanted 900...I said 'seriously?' He got pretty mad and asked me what I was thinking...I said it needs to be redone to make it look decent and it's not EPA listed, plus it's freaking heavy and told him 125...I thought he was gonna punch me and I got the hell out of there. From other things I have seen, people think the baby bear is cute and it that makes it worth big money...hell no...it would only be worth more with the bear feet in my opinion. I watch CL a lot and I have seen a couple of guys keep listing the same Fisher a 2 to 3 years in a row...they haven't figured out that they are wayyyy over priced.

 

I know my uncle has a mama bear in his basement, I thought he was a little crazy three years ago when he had a completely redone for 700 bucks. But his logic was, that stove has been heating the house for 40 years and he likes it. It was time for refresh.

 

Yes, I want that mama bear...also want one that says "76"... not sure what that one is...I need to have you load the mama on and get to you when you head north some week...we will talk.

 

In 2004 my wife talked me into purchasing an 1860 farmhouse that she fell in love with. It was left behind by an 90 year old local woman whom lived in it by herself to the end so not much was done to it in regards to updating anything. None of the house was insulated and still a lot is not insulated to this day as between money to renovate and time from work to do the work has prevented myself in doing so.

Shortly after purchasing the house or actually the first winter after we purchased it the old ancient ACM covered boiler started acting up. It had seen its lively hood and it was time to replace it. The house still had the old steam radiators through out which to this day I regret having removed them but they were huge and we went with a state of the art super efficient oil fired furnace along with 2 new air handlers one in the attic and one in the basement and all new duct work. Well the following winter was a cold one and that new boiler ran non-stop to keep the house somewhat warm. The price of oil at the time was ridiculous and it was costing me$1200 a month at a minimum in oil which was breaking the bank to say the least. So much for super efficient as the old steam radiators kept the house much warmer.

So I knew something had to change or we were gonna go broke the following winter so having worked in the woods to make a living people found out and soon I was cutting again, not for a living but to heat my home. Initially my father in law gave me a wood stove he was not using anymore which I installed but way to small. Previously in upstate NY I heated my farmhouse with a Timberline for many years as I had an endless supply of firewood earning my living in the woods. So I went up to New Hampshire to this old timers and had a gander at what he had for stoves. He had a lot of Fishers and a lot of heavy duty old stoves some refurbished some not but quite the selection.

I asked to look at the Fisher's and he laughed at me and said you don't look one of dem fancy flatlanders looking to buy an overpriced stove just because of the name and what you have read somewhere in some fancy magazine. I laughed and said you are correct Old Timer I need something to heat my Leaky old farmhouse what have you got ? He took me in the back and showed me a couple of stoves one of which I ended up buying the Alpiner Matterhorn. He laughed and looked me in the eye and said I don't know how dem Canadians have done it but they stole all the best ideas of the stoves of that time and put it together in this stove. So $700 later he loaded it up with his contraption into my truck and off I was with my Alpiner Matterhorn.

This beast will take up to 30" sticks and cranks out heat like no other stove I have ever seen to this day. I love the stove and if I had time to cut it would still be heating my house. I live in a small town so the EPA has never been a problem in fact I have had the fire chief and the insurance agent in my house without any comments what so ever. That stove heated my house for 10 years until I could not spend the time cutting anymore as I spend 16 hours a day away from my house to satisfy my current employment. It is sad that it is not worth anything when it could give someone heat for a lifetime but because of government regulations it will go by the wayside. The ironic thing is that I always seasoned my wood and having heated so long with firewood you would never except after just loading the stove and this would be for maybe 5 minutes see smoke coming from my chimney . I had a number of neighbors comment " How come I never see smoke coming from your Chimney ?"

Love these old stoves and would still be using mine if I had the time to harvest food for it. Would be glad to give it to someone who has a shop or barn to heat and access to plenty of firewood as its one hungry beast. This is what it took to heat my house with the Alpiner every year .

 

Nice stacks
Got any pics of the wood gobbler?

 

I’m quit sure I bought my current stove from the same guy! He is still selling stoves, I visited him for a shop heater this fall. An interesting fella....

 

I do somewhere just have to find them or grab some more.

 

Yessir that be the beast one hell of a stove, don't know for sure what BTU it generates but it is like none other I have seen from a wood stove new or old.

 

Thats awesome yes great old timer with some or many awesome old time stoves.

 

I have a 1986 Suburban Wood Chief, I bought it for $100 seven years ago. Paid for itself in the first two weeks of operation. Separate door for the ash pan down below, you never have to disturb the fire and I can get 14 hour burns if I pack it up with oak. I put new fire bricks in it last year and when I got it I went though it and cleaned it, then painted it. The value to me is not having to let it go out to clean it and the 14 hour burn times. It does put out more smoke than an EPA stove but so does all those fires in California. I would not install an EPA stove if it was given to me.

 

I had one of those stoves, but it was called a Wonderwood. There was a lot of knock-offs, but I have no idea which one was original. I liked mine, but it did not burn coal well, so I had to get something else. I went really old school: a pot bellied stove circa 1893!

I think a lot of the insane old stove prices came about because of the wood/coal cook stoves. There are some really nice ones out there, and my wife will get downright giddy at an old cook stove, BUT a refurbished old cook stove is far different then an everyday, old woodstove. I have seen a few cookstoves, and had antique dealers say, "give me a price, I might take it." I tell them, and like you they get down right mad. I might go $750 for an old wood/coal cookstove, but it would have to be really ornate, in good shape, and pretty close to home. They kind of are like old treadle sewing machines, a dime a dozen here.

I have honestly, and deliberately driven over a Vigilant woodstove with my bulldozer when I flattened off my dump. A Surdiac coal stove, several Vogelzang's were in there too.

 

I feel the exact same way!!