How old is this baby bear?

[Fishing-addict]

Looking to purchase this baby bear heater this weekend.

 

[Todd67]

I'm going to guess around 1978. It has the bent handle and the 4 fin aluminum draft cap. I'm not sure when they switched to the bent handle, or the 5 fin draft cap.

@coaly is the best at determining the date of manufacture.

 

[coaly]

'78 is a good guess. 4 fin draft cap before that, so they can be left over, and bent handle around that time.
This one should have some numbers and initials on the bottom.

 

[Don H]

Interesting.
What year would that make mine pictured in my avatar? It had a straight handle and 5 fin knob.

 

[Todd67]

Interesting.
What year would that make mine pictured in my avatar? It had a straight handle and 5 fin knob.

Is your spring handle tight wound or more open wound? It looks tight. I would use the handle and spring to date the stove before using the draft cap. The 5 fin draft cap isn't a good indication of what year it was made because my 1974 Papa Bear came to me with 5 fin draft caps, which clearly replaced the original pipe caps.

I'm guessing your stove is a late 1977 or early 78 model based on the handle alone. But it's just a guess

Waiting to hear what @coaly thinks...

 

[Fishing-addict]

It's more open. I'm going to paint it up and put it online for trade. I'd like one that vents out the top and not the back.

 

[Todd67]

Sounds like a plan.

I prefer the side or rear vent stoves. Top vent gives less surface area for cooking, and I think it lets more heat escape up the stove pipe. But I don't have any science to support that

 

[coaly]

78 or 79 with older handle? Just depends on the quantity of the fabricators stock when changes were made. Some would be down to the last few handles or springs, others could have hundreds to thousands to use up.

 

[Don H]

Mine has the tight wound spring handle with a single bend.
Plus it has an unusual, square shaped ash self that makes it highly collectable. Maybe I'll put it on fleabay for $2,000

 

[Fishing-addict]

Do it don.....I saw one online today for 950....cant hurt to try.

 

[Todd67]

Mine has the tight wound spring handle with a single bend.
Plus it has an unusual, square shaped ash self that makes it highly collectable. Maybe I'll put it on fleabay for $2,000

That style of ash fender was a pre-EPA safety feature that reduced the possibility of hot coals falling out of the stove and landing on the floor, which reduces the fire hazzard

I better stop before someone actually believes this nonsense

 

[Don H]

It also has high performance fire brick and bearing hinge pins!

 

[Fishing-addict]

Mine has a Holley 4 barrel for a damper that's been installed