Plastic buckets

[cheesegenie]

Does anyone use or know anything about plastic sap buckets.
They are supposed to be UV treated , but are they tough enough
to take the weight and handling that metal does?

[brookledge]

I use plastic buckets and they do get brittle as they age. When they get old they will crack where the hole is for the hook. It helps with any plastic to keep it out of the sunlight as much as possible. If you take care of metal buckets they will outlast plastic easily. Also most of the plastic buckets that everybody uses, where used for food grade products that are intended to basicly be used once. So the manufactuer probably isn't to concerned if they will hold up to other uses. But if you can get them for free or a reasonable price, then if you have to throw a few away each yr. so what.
Keith

[cheesegenie]

Thanks, I kind of thought they might crack at the hole. The ones
I was looking at are made as sap buckets , but still I better try
and find some more aluminum ones.

[VA maple guy]

Hi cheesegenie, check ebay for your aluminum buckets, There is a guy
( bertgagne) who has ben selling aluminun buckets on ebay for some time now. I bought 30 buckets from him a short time ago and All the buckets are in almost new condition.
Gerry

[Mike]

Cheesegenie, The second year I sugared I used 5 gal plastic pails. I'd set them on the ground and run some 5/16 tubbing into them..They worked great. I put a 2" hole on the top of the bucket and had small holes for the lines to go into. They come with covers. You can probally get them at a cheese plant or a dunkin donuts....The good thing is there usually free....