Help identify Fisher wood stove

ponderosa77 · Nov 24, 2015

I have been browsing through the various Fisher threads. I am trying to identify a Fisher wood stove that looks to me like a Fisher Grandpa Bear Stove. Here are the features I noted:
1. Door handle bars are straight handles and have springs, not knobs
2. Stove has 2 doors
3. The trees on both front doors closest to the middle door edge seem to have a larger gap between them (as opposed to a shorter gap
4. There are no stars on the doors
5. From the front or side views, there is no angular bar/seam running along each of the stove's four corners down to the feet; it looks like a smooth steel box with feet welded to the bottom corner as opposed to a steel box with brackets welded along the vertical edge of each corner

I was trying to ID it so I could dig up some more information, such as heating capability, log size, and weight. It looks like a stove that would weigh something like 450+ lbs and also looks like it should easily heat 1500sq ft. I would guess it has an 8 inch flue opening.

In other words, perfect for my needs, assuming I can get it down a set of wide stairs, and that it is in decent condition. Will be getting measurements later. Any identification help would be much appreciated. Grew up with a Ponderosa insert and loved it.

I see one manual here:
https://www.hearth.com/images/uploads/fischermanual.pdf

However, this stove height is ~30.5 tall and 29.5 wide. Will hunt for more info.

coaly · Nov 24, 2015

1979 Grandpa III.
This was the first year for optional Cathedral arched top doors. This was also the year before the major redesign of box no longer welded at corners with angle iron that became legs at bottom. You have the new model III box with old style doors. You also have Fireplace Leg option. That Door / Box combination is rare since most everyone wanted the new style doors on the old box.

Yes, they both have 8 inch outlet.
Heats approx. 2000 sf.
With baffle and shields rated for 1750 to 2250 sf.
Weight varies from 466 pounds (old style box) which is 374 without brick.
562 pounds new style with baffle, shields, and brick.
Logs to 24 inches (takes longer diagonally)
Screen #75-200 (Contemporary Chrome) rectangular old style. Fits and locks into old and new door opening.
Screen #237-585 (arched top black) Fits new arched top doors ONLY.

I lay planks on stairs, remove doors and lay on side. Winch down with hand winch. (come along type) Using 4 X 4 on floor across doorway. Same way up. I wrap around stove with tie down straps like a basket to pull straight from top with it on its side nice and straight. Keep it on wheels all other times. 4 wheel furniture dolly or hand carts. I put a 2 X 6 through outlet and front door to tilt and lift front or rear to raise. It's like a 6 foot lever through vent hole. Not bad with leverage blocking and wheels.

Wish I had the entire manual for you. I watch all the time for them, collect literature as well and scan to send or post in the manual thread in sticky section at top. This is all I have of it;

coaly · Nov 25, 2015

The manual you found with link posted is with rear shield and internal baffle. Yours may not have either. Very good idea to add the baffle.
It was made just before that manual was printed.

And welcome to the Forum !
Utah stoves put you a little ahead of the curve. I only have one, new and unfired it has a special place in the collection!
The Salt Lake fabricator started making the XL (the only stove larger than Grandpa by Fisher) back in 1978. They had the one piece wrap around box, Fireplace Legs, and Arched top "Sun" door. This was unheard of since all Fishers had flat top doors with angle iron corners. When I first found the ads in the Deseret News, I wasn't sure if it was the same Fisher since the western letters on the doors didn't match any Fisher product either. That was the only stove that used that lettering and rising sun with mountain motif) The style slowly caught on and by 1980 became the body style made until production ceased in 1988.
Like the XL, yours was a forerunner of things to come.

ponderosa77 · Nov 25, 2015

Well, you basically hit the ball out of the stadium with that reply. Can't thank you enough for the information. I was hoping to get the answers and I believe you've answered them all.

Thanks for all the helpful tips regarding moving it downstairs, also. I had considered a stair-climbing dolly as well (a local business that sells gun safes has one, and you rent a team of guys to do the work) but the combined total weight on the stairs would worry me (I've considered temporarily reinforcing with studs between stairs and concrete slab). With a proper winch setup, only the weight of the stove is on the stairs, and it should be evenly distributed. I have a frame/drywall banister on one side of the stairs and a wall/door on the other side of the top of the stairs. If the banister side can support the weight, this idea could work very well.

It was suggested to me by a contractor that because I have large window wells, I could cut around the glue between one of the windows and the window sill and remove the window. I could literally use a Kubota to lift the stove out of the truck and into the window well, where it would rest on a reinforced ramp, where it could slide right down in. He says he could have the window out in minutes and glue it back in...

Both methods have pros and cons and both have some technical challenges but I am going to see what I can find in terms of the correct winch. If you are aware of any types/designs I should look at, feel free to make a suggestion.

I'll have to do a search on adding the baffle. Not knowledgeable about that at all, yet.

The journey is just beginning. I have a bare space for it on a concrete basement floor. Will have to get it properly and safely installed and will have to run the piping up and out as well. Pretty sure it will easily roast me out if I don't move the air around. I have a nice furnace for the upstairs but I expect this will easily heat the basement and should make my upstairs floors feel nice. Also love the idea of an old stove as a primary or backup heat/cooking source and of course, there is nothing like coming out of the cold and standing around a Fisher.

I find it very intriguing that you also mention the XL stove, since my father in-law has that exact stove! He's had it since the beginning and has used it as a primary heat source for over 30 years. Indeed, it does have the sun on the door and that beast can run through the night and does a great job in around ~1500sq ft+ of space. I've yet to see the XL model anywhere other than at his place.

I grew up with a fireplace with a Ponderosa stove insert and we put a lot of fuel through that thing. It had a blower and when stoked, could really blast some heat.

I can attach pics of the XL stove if interested. It is in fantastic condition.

BTW, if you have a free minute, I wouldn't mind getting a PM from you regarding what you might pay for a Grandpa III as pictured. I could see if I got a good deal.

Thanks again.

ponderosa77 · Nov 25, 2015

Do you know if the listed weight included fire bricks? I was guessing that removing 26 fire bricks would reduce stove weight by 100lbs and took a guess that the doors might weigh 15lbs each. Would it really be possible (and/or worth doing) to reduce total weight by 130lbs down to 324?

coaly · Nov 25, 2015

That is total weight with bricks. If bricks are in need of replacement, yes remove them. If not, it's not worth destroying some of them to get them all out. A 4 X 4 under center of stairs as support and planks on them distribute the weight fine. Here's what I use to winch;
http://www.amazon.com/i-Lift-Equipm...4?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1448457367&sr=1-14
You will use it for steering trees down, pulling logs........ handy for stretching garage door springs....... I have a couple I use all the time. They ratchet and pull faster toward you or up hill than reverse to lower things. There is a switch for reversing so it only allows it to lower one click (tooth) at a time.
I've picked many stoves up alone and am only 160 lbs, never needing to lift an entire stove with help. Boilers out of basements are much worse and I winched them the same way. They are twice as heavy and taller. I'm retired from the propane service business so had to remove some really big old furnaces and boilers out of older homes.
New XL pictured below;

There aren't too many known, and there is usually a stainless tag under rear left leg with stove number starting with UT. They were available with Fir tree doors as well in top or rear vented configurations. They were only made a few years.

Not sure if ALL, but my rear vented XL has a removable ash fender that slides on with two pins to get through doorways. That is unique to the XL.

There really is no set value. They are worth what buyer and seller agree upon.
That said, I have gotten them from a free Grandma to an XL never fired shipped from CA for $1025. (the most I've paid for any Fisher Stove) Price varies with season and area. WA, OR, and CA no longer allow any appliance not EPA Certified for smoke particulate. Most jurisdictions now require at least UL approval. So local laws and insurance company requirement affect the use and price as well. It's a shame since the construction is heavier than current stoves produced, obviously they are very safe.

Check out this thread for baffle information. Your chimney is the most important with any stove and dictates the baffle and damper operation, not the stove. I adapted the Smoke Shelf Baffle design tested to reduce smoke used in the later double door stoves to install simply into the single door stoves that were never equipped with baffles.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...d-fisher-more-heat-less-smoke-under-25.74710/

Depending on insulation, air circulation and square footage you may heat downstairs AND upstairs with this stove. My neighbor heats his entire home with uninsulated basement with a Papa Bear. They are 6 inch and more efficient, but he has 1500 up and down. His gas furnace has not been needed for years. I got him that stove locally for $200 and baffled it, so good deals do exist. just have to be patient. Took me 2 years to find it for him.

coaly · Nov 25, 2015

I found ONE page from the '79 manual in my literature files. It was a manual pictured with stove selling on eBay Feb. 2013.

Updated weights with and without bricks in post #2 above.

ponderosa77 · Nov 25, 2015

Fantastic. So much to talk about.

Utah has also been fiercely debating the wood stove issue, especially on the Wasatch Front where in the winter, you'll find very poor air quality. I read something last night that mentioned any non-compliant wood stoves in stores are to be liquidated prior to 2016 and any further sales must be EPA-certified only. I don't live in a ban (or red/green burn day) area and hope the ban never extends into my area.

Thanks for the updated info. I've seen bricks for variable prices but $3 each might be about the best around here. Not sure how much the doors weigh but the weight savings from removing the bricks and doors is looking quite significant.

Regarding moving logistics, if I use the winch method, I will have to get the stove up one or two cement steps (ramp or lift with helpers) at the front door and roll it over to the head of the stairway. That's where it gets tricky. Doesn't the stove have to first make it down a few steps before the winch can be used? The cable / straps could be attached while it is at the top of the stairs but whereas the post would sit on the floor at the head of the steps, it would then block the stove from being able to slide down the stairs, right?

coaly · Nov 25, 2015

I put a piece of plywood or scrap paneling on the floor to protect flooring. Lay it on its side at top of steps and "walk" it corner to corner until starting on ramp boards. Safety it with winch cable connected as close as possible to stove top and "walk" it down ramp until it wants to slide. Then unwind winch as it slides down. Sometimes they stick and have to be rocked to move - others want to slide easy. If you run out of cable, winch it up a bit and safety with chain or cable to hold in place while you disconnect winch, wind cable in and reconnect with cable or chain added to winch to your anchor point. The landing size and layout of the house walls and hallways help or hinder you the most. I've put carpet around boards across doorways to protect trim and walls. I load into the back of a Land Rover Discovery with planks. I have a super strong roof rack (Hannibal Safari Equipment from South Africa) that will support 2000 lbs, so I open the front sunroof and connect winch to it to pull up ramp. Just take your time and don't get under it.

ponderosa77 · Nov 25, 2015

.... I think I can place the 4x4 block on the floor inside the closet door at the top of the stairs. This would give me room to do it.

Your tips are amazingly helpful. It sounds like you've moved many, many stoves...

sauto1985 · Nov 25, 2015

coaly said:
That is total weight with bricks. If bricks are in need of replacement, yes remove them. If not, it's not worth destroying some of them to get them all out. A 4 X 4 under center of stairs as support and planks on them distribute the weight fine. Here's what I use to winch;
http://www.amazon.com/i-Lift-Equipm...4?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1448457367&sr=1-14
You will use it for steering trees down, pulling logs........ handy for stretching garage door springs....... I have a couple I use all the time. They ratchet and pull faster toward you or up hill than reverse to lower things. There is a switch for reversing so it only allows it to lower one click (tooth) at a time.
I've picked many stoves up alone and am only 160 lbs, never needing to lift an entire stove with help. Boilers out of basements are much worse and I winched them the same way. They are twice as heavy and taller. I'm retired from the propane service business so had to remove some really big old furnaces and boilers out of older homes.
New XL pictured below;

View attachment 167900 View attachment 167901

There aren't too many known, and there is usually a stainless tag under rear left leg with stove number starting with UT. They were available with Fir tree doors as well in top or rear vented configurations. They were only made a few years.

View attachment 167903

Not sure if ALL, but my rear vented XL has a removable ash fender that slides on with two pins to get through doorways. That is unique to the XL.

View attachment 167904

There really is no set value. They are worth what buyer and seller agree upon.
That said, I have gotten them from a free Grandma to an XL never fired shipped from CA for $1025. (the most I've paid for any Fisher Stove) Price varies with season and area. WA, OR, and CA no longer allow any appliance not EPA Certified for smoke particulate. Most jurisdictions now require at least UL approval. So local laws and insurance company requirement affect the use and price as well. It's a shame since the construction is heavier than current stoves produced, obviously they are very safe.

Check out this thread for baffle information. Your chimney is the most important with any stove and dictates the baffle and damper operation, not the stove. I adapted the Smoke Shelf Baffle design tested to reduce smoke used in the later double door stoves to install simply into the single door stoves that were never equipped with baffles.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...d-fisher-more-heat-less-smoke-under-25.74710/

Depending on insulation, air circulation and square footage you may heat downstairs AND upstairs with this stove. My neighbor heats his entire home with uninsulated basement with a Papa Bear. They are 6 inch and more efficient, but he has 1500 up and down. His gas furnace has not been needed for years. I got him that stove locally for $200 and baffled it, so good deals do exist. just have to be patient. Took me 2 years to find it for him.

That is a awesome fisher stove. I wouldnt be able to burn any logs in that either too nice!

coaly · Nov 26, 2015

Here's some good pics of one from a forum member in VA. They are huge full screen to show the detail.

UT 9428

10 inch outlet called "The Restaurant Model" heats up to 3000 square feet.

ponderosa77 · Nov 28, 2015

Ok, I got a little help and transported the stove. With 4 reasonably strong guys, we just picked it up and loaded it into the back of the truck. That will probably be the easiest part of the project....

There is no baffle, one of the ball legs is bent a little (just the ball/screw only), and it has some cracked bricks. There is also a little surface rust here or there but nothing that can't be addressed. I'm pondering whether or not to even paint it right now.

Anyway, I will have to work out getting it in the basement but we've discussed that. I will be contacting some contractors to get ideas for pipe installation, as there is none presently. The planned location has bare slab unfinished floor and concrete wall as well so there is plenty of flexibility. Biggest factors will be safety and to make sure everything is per guidelines and regulations. Off to search the forums for ideas.

ponderosa77 · Nov 29, 2015

ponderosa77 said:
I have been browsing through the various Fisher threads. I am trying to identify a Fisher wood stove that looks to me like a Fisher Grandpa Bear Stove. Here are the features I noted:

View attachment 167833 View attachment 167834.

Ok, I was able to get the stove and also measure it. It is 31 inches from floor to top plate; 21.5 inches wide across top plate; 25.5 inches deep across top plate; 28.5 inches deep (including front ash plate under doors). The box measures 22.5 inches deep, 27.5 inches wide, and 24 inches tall at the highest and 18 inches tall at the lowest. Door opening is 21 inches wide and 10.5 inches tall.

The letters UT followed by a number are on the tag plate under the rear leg.

coaly · Nov 29, 2015

I assume the tag is under the left rear leg viewed from front? Is the tag bright shiny stainless steel with only that number on it?
(I think you mean 29 1/2 inches across top plate) Grandma would be 25 1/2 and XL is 33 1/2.

If you're trying to make sense out of dimensions from Fisher literature, the depth includes ash fender plus what would stick out the back with rear vent collar and the height adds what would add to overall height for top vent collar. These are overall dimensions for doorways. Plus leg styles vary height.

ponderosa77 · Nov 30, 2015

coaly said:
I assume the tag is under the left rear leg viewed from front? Is the tag bright shiny stainless steel with only that number on it?
(I think you mean 29 1/2 inches across top plate) Grandma would be 25 1/2 and XL is 33 1/2.

If you're trying to make sense out of dimensions from Fisher literature, the depth includes ash fender plus what would stick out the back with rear vent collar and the height adds what would add to overall height for top vent collar. These are overall dimensions for doorways. Plus leg styles vary height.

Yes, meant 29.5w. Sorry about that. Also, yes, the shiney tag on the left rear leg is there. Great info again, thanks.

I also found the tag on my relative's stove also. It had a lower number but also began with letters UT.

Jhagg · Oct 21, 2016

ponderosa77 said:
Yes, meant 29.5w. Sorry about that. Also, yes, the shiney tag on the left rear leg is there. Great info again, thanks.

I also found the tag on my relative's stove also. It had a lower number but also began with letters UT.

Just curious about the relatives XL. I have one here in Ohio as well UT 4177, but the tag is not shiny stainless. Quite rusty actually. And the ash fender is welded on, and no provisions to suggest it was ever removable. Straight handles with spring knobs. Cathedral nickel plated sun doors with arched opening. Missing ball feet. 10 inch rear exit. No baffle. Upper course of firebrick.

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