Had to pick between kerosine forge and propane forge for my mobile rig

I finally bit the bullet last month and went propane after 8 years of using a kerosine forge on the truck. My buddy Mike kept telling me I was crazy for sticking with kerosine because of the smell and the startup time, but I was worried propane would cost more per shoe and run out at the worst moment. First two weeks with the propane forge though it was a total pain getting the air mix right for the long shoes I do for draft horses. Once I dialed it in with a new regulator from the farm supply in Lexington though it lights up in 10 seconds flat and the heat is way more even across the shoe. The fuel cost so far is about the same because I'm not wasting gas on a 15 minute warmup anymore. Has anyone else switched and regretted going back to kerosine or did you stick it out with propane? I'm still keeping the old forge in the shed just in case but I doubt I'll use it.

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.thea1mo ago

Holy cow, you ran kerosine for 8 years?

williams.sage1mo ago

That much kerosene buildup in a house is a fire waiting to happen. Glad she's out of that situation now.

emerym361mo ago

Yeah and that's just the kerosene, I probably ran on pure stubbornness and bad decisions for about the same amount of time. @williams.sage is totally right though, my whole house was basically a giant zippo lighter by year six. At least now I don't have to worry about spontaneous combustion during dinner.