January Journal [Archive] - MapleTrader.com

red maples

01-01-2011, 06:34 PM

Happy new year everybody. Less than 2 months left now... got to get finished!!! You know when it starts to closer as the trader picks up more and more everytime I come on there are new posts.

Got All my new drops made, switching out T's but ran out about 50+ short. Ordering them tomorrow. I put together the all my saddles but I don't think I have enough so I'll add on a few more of those to my order. Hopefully thats it, maybe an extra roll of tubing just to have some on hand just in case a tree comes down over the winter. And a few clear seasonal spouts for the gravity tubing. Hopefully that will be all I need.

Tomorrow I'll start to get as saddles done and then start putting in drops. Gonna make a nice drop carrier out of a concrete tube I have left over just gonna put on a strap and cut a circle for the bottom. Once thats done well..... the list goes on. hopefully done in 2 weeks or so.

with all this warm weather I am sure the sap is flowing!!! the maple bug is diggin in ...watching maple videos on you tube!!!!:) and gettin excited.

3rdgen.maple

01-01-2011, 08:23 PM

I ended my 2010 year by fishing for Steelhead on the SR. Was a great day on the river. Landed several nice steelhead and fished in 50 degree weather cant beat that deal. Time to do some maple inventory and get some glass and jugs ordered up. Thinking about pulling the plug and buying a filter press. Hope everyone had a safe and happy 1st.

Farmboy

01-01-2011, 08:58 PM

My dad said he would finish welding up my one handed tubing tool tonight. Hopefuly it won't rain during the day so I can start hanging laterals tommorow.

maple flats

01-02-2011, 05:39 AM

I finished running a re routed run from my old gravity system to my vav tank, had to raise the lines at an anchor tree about 4.5' higher, now I get to the tank at 2% slope and no sap ladder needed on that run. I'll either need to tap 2 trees real high, skip them (3-4 taps) or tap low and have a single lateral as a sap ladder. Did anyone ever try that, lateral tapped below the main and climb about 4' to the main, seems like it should work (roadside trees)? Then I ran a new branch, 300', will be about 7' sap ladder.
I have not yet studied the types of sap ladder. I am familiar with the ones using star fittings, but any other type I do not know. Any input on which will be best to use, about 75-85 taps on this one. Today I will add another branch with another sap ladder needed, maybe 5-6' and another 50-60 taps. I had thought I could do these as 1 branch but as I routed the branch I decided 2 would be better because at one point the terrain rises too high and to go around would use about 75-100' more 3/4" branch and at 2% rise that would have made the rest harder to run. I also have a small section of less than 10 taps that would need another sap ladder. I'm not sure it would be cost effective, but one of the trees is about 18-20" at waist height, is a corner tree surrounded on about 2/3 by open field and has a huge canopy, the sap% could be the highest of any of my trees. Next I'll need to get enough 5/16 tubing for laterals and drops. Once I get these sections finished, hopefully by next weekend I will re route another branch, eliminating lots of long runs on laterals in another section and adding about another 25-30 taps along the way because of running thru a section that previously was not tapped.
Right now it is raining but is supposed to be dry after another hour or two. In the last few days we have lost a lot of snow, with temps in the mid to high 40's 2 of those days. Today it calls for mid 30's and it only dropped to 33 overnight, that and some rain during the night should have the snow down even more. Except where it is drifted most sections in the woods are either bare or only 3-4".

waysidemaple

01-02-2011, 07:54 AM

Headed out to the woods to run more lats today. Spent all day yesterday hanging mainline and finishing the siding on the sugar house. Nice weather yesterday, sunny so far today. Also planning to dig the footings for the evap. so we can pour that in the next few days. Might move the head tank into place today as well but not sure yet.

Thad Blaisdell

01-02-2011, 08:29 AM

Going out again after breakfast to do drops.... all I have left for fittings is enough to do 250 after that I will know how many more fittings to buy. I should have that done by noon and then on to putting in the meter box for my sap station.

bobsklarz

01-02-2011, 02:15 PM

Happy New Year Traders. Was driving by a recycling plant in Medina and saw a load of plastic buckets. Went in and inquired and found they were moving to Cleveland. Bought 215 five gal buckets w/ lids for fifty cents EACH!!!! They were from Smuckers and held strawberry juice! What a great start to the new year! :)

maple flats

01-02-2011, 06:27 PM

Great find! good for you, assuming you are on buckets. If you have enough extras you might be able to sell a few to get your cost to ZERO.

maple flats

01-02-2011, 06:45 PM

Today I finished 2 branch lines, strun a new l branch until I ran out of tubing. Then I came home and made up 50 drops. Wilol make 50 more tomorrow and again on Tuesday. Then I need to go buy 3 more 3/4 x 300' coils of 30P and several coils of 5/16 in 30P for my new laterals. Next weekend I want to finish my new branch, and then move on to adding a new branch to split a section I have had for 4 years. Most runs have 8-12 taps, I will split it with a new branch along the mid point and remove half from the old line. I really messed up the way I originally designed it. The old line went up road side picking up the trees there and then each line went across a section of thichk growth with no maples, and on the other side I hit good maple concentrations again. I sort of got where I was because I started with about 3 laterals thru there and thought that would be it. As I expanded to do more I just added more thru the jungle. Proper planning would have run another branch up the back side with all short laterals but with 5-6 taps each and good slope, but I never changed to make it more efficient til now. I must have spenti far more in 5/16 traversing the 100-120' wide non maple section than I would have with an extra branch line. Live and learn. Hopefully I can see these things during the planning stage in the future. This new branch will also run past an added 15-20 new tas as a bonus, ones that were too far to justify a line before. Now it will be just 100-150' from my vac tank, vac pump and my center of operation. I guess this demonstrates the saying that "we get too soon old and too late smart".

shane hickey

01-02-2011, 06:53 PM

mapleflats keep up the good work, Its been a very cold day in michigan, But I finally got started, working on my first woods. Deer tore threw alot of it. So I've been restreching and spicing back together. Tomarrow will be 1 woods done and 7 more to go.
shane

Farmboy

01-03-2011, 07:51 PM

I finaly got my dad to weld up a tubing tool today. I still need to clean it up and paint it but it works for now. Now if I get off the trader I can start making droplines.

waysidemaple

01-04-2011, 01:13 PM

Ran more tubing this morning. Dug the holes for the evaporator footings as well. In for lunch now then back out to put in some saddles. Once this spot is done ill be up to 230+ taps.

shane hickey

01-04-2011, 01:31 PM

started reparing another woods today, but a snow storm came and I had to quit early.
I guess Ill wait and see what tomarrow brings.

Thiems sugarshack

01-04-2011, 03:34 PM

I got the sides of the wood shed all framed up so tommarow I can nail the pine boards on.Hopefully get the rafters up thursday before the snow comes on friday.If we do get snow the weekend will be shot because I will be plowing all day.

whalems

01-04-2011, 05:24 PM

Made up another 150 drops today and tomorrow is the day. we are going to start running the laterals. shooting for 600 this year.

waysidemaple

01-04-2011, 06:00 PM

Out of mainline for now. My tap count right now is 171. Ill be able to hit 250 easy and could get to 300 with alittle more work. Not sure if ill get there because I still have to install the evap and head tank. Lots of little stuff needs to be finished now.

stoweski

01-04-2011, 06:11 PM

3 cord of wood all set to go with another 3 that could be used if necessary (and I don't need it for the house).

Went to Bascom's and got a few things for the new-to-me evaporator - pan gasket, blanket & thermometer. Along with a few filters a backup hydrometer and some pint bottles I think I should be all set.

Also thanks to Todd (THCPrecision) I have a base stack that works perfectly with the current stack in my sugarshack. Still need to connect it but the hard part is over.

I also was able to hook up my sap tank to the evaporator with 1-1/4" line.
Two things left to do... wire the blower for the evaporator. Have everything I need, just need time to get out there and do it. Hook up the gas finisher to the 100lb propane tank outside the shack. Cousin should be coming to do that sometime this month.

It's only January 4th and I'm nearly 100% ready for the season. How often does that happen???!!! :)

Hope everyone else is almost finished with their prep work!
Keith

PATheron

01-04-2011, 08:50 PM

shane hickey

01-04-2011, 09:21 PM

Shane- Just wondered what your taps and systems consist of. Are all the taps on tubing and vacuum and whatnot or do you have some buckets and that sort of thing? Hows the Ro research coming along? Theron

Theron, the ro I finally got it plumbed up and ran some water through it I still dont know how much fluid it will do an hour. I found out it doesnt need a recirculation pump. Thank you for the help. Ive been doing alot of trial by air. As far as the woods go I have 3 on vacume 4 on diaphram pumps and one on buckets around 1300 or so, I wish the land owner would let me put tubing in it but he likes to hunt and doesnt want to walk over it.

shane hickey

01-04-2011, 09:49 PM

Theron have you started looking over lines? Deer up here are terriable. Squarlls aren't as bad this year, but I think the hunters scared the crap out of the deer and tore alot of it down and snapped the 5/16 line in 2.

Randy Brutkoski

01-04-2011, 10:02 PM

Without an R.O. last year, on 10,000 taps. Alot of sleepless nights I would imagine.

shane hickey

01-04-2011, 10:09 PM

Last year I had 7000 taps but still not much sleep thats why I have 2 evaporators and 2 wood loaders. hooking the ro to the 6x20 cut down boiling, The 5x16 has a piggyback that does a lot of shivering when coal is in the arch.

Thad Blaisdell

01-05-2011, 04:52 AM

shane, how much time do you spend each day gathering? How many people are helping you?

PATheron

01-05-2011, 05:31 AM

Shane- Ive been over most of my lines and I have had a good bit of damage but I think Ive got the heavies taken care of. I think your operation sounds pretty cool. Your kind of doing things as you can afford to like everyone else. Your going to love an RO. If you were doing that kind of volume without one your going to be a force to reckon with with one. Down here I did 5000 taps last year, all on vacuum with a 3 by 10 evaperator. The RO changes everything. What is a diaphram pump? Theron

Maplewalnut

01-05-2011, 06:59 AM

I have lots of tubing damage this year including a bunch of laterals on the ground where something chewed straight through the tubing on the end tree and now have a lot of runs laying on the ground. Some end trees I used the end Y's with the solid barbs also so the darn tube never had sap in it , ever. Oh well, by the looks of some of them I am looking for a Porky as well as squirrels.

Picking up some cage tanks to be used for my filtrate water coming from RO. I know there a pain to clean but will have to make due for this year. It will only be water and not sap so they shouldnt slime up to quickly.

Need a few more rolls of tube at the show this weekend. 'Found' another grove of maples hiding in some pines in the corner of my property so they're getting drilled also.

mapleack

01-05-2011, 12:39 PM

Spent last weekend on working on tubing, except for rainy Saturday. Fixed a bunch, added some mainline and got our first real sap ladder up, several more to go.
And yes I put the wire ties on when it was at ground level, but a section of pipe rolled on top of the wire, so I had to lean the ladder up and fix it!

Dennis H.

01-05-2011, 02:36 PM

Isn't that awesome to be leaning a ladder against the wire?? Add a little breeze and it gives you this nice funny feeling in your gut that soemthing you are doing is just not right!

I had to run a mainline over a driveway to the neighbors and had no way to "Safely" do it so I just leaned the ladder against the wire. 15' in the air.

Before the mainline was up it looked like the ladder was standing up all by it self!

mapleack

01-05-2011, 02:54 PM

Dennis, instead of attaching the pipe in the air, I pulled the wire out between the trees, cut it, put a loop in one end, chained it to the tree. Then I attached the strainer to the other end and cinched the wire up with a ratchet strap. Next I started tying the pipe on, put a chinese finger on it and pulled it tight with another ratchet strap. Finished tying the pipe on, with all this being done about 4ft off the ground. Next I let it all loose and hoisted up the fixed end, then the strainer/ ratchet end and tightened it up. The only reason I had to use the ladder precariously was because a bit of the pipe rolled over the wire, creating a potential high spot for sap.

Thiems sugarshack

01-05-2011, 04:20 PM

Got up some pine boards on the woodshed today should be done tommarow still plenty to do before tapping around 40 days left to get everything together lets hope for a good year and some good luck

Dennis H.

01-05-2011, 06:25 PM

I got my 2 gal pails today for storing syrup in. Cleaned up the filter press, I can say that thing will be the cats meow for filtering syrup.

I got the sp22 back into its vac shed. I pulled it out to see how my little bb2 worked, not as good as I thought. With the Bender milk receiver the little bb2 just couldn't keep the vac much above 17" of vac.
While I was putting the Sp22 back I couldn't get the motor to get up to speed. It just didn't have the torque. It was the original Surge 1.65HP motor. So I ordered a new 2 HP Dayton. Now we are back in business.
I was thinking about getting the Surge motor rebuild but the guy where I got the Dayton from told me that by the time I get it rebuilt with new windings and slip rings and what not that I could buy a new 2 HP Dayton again. So it may be off to the recycle pile.

So right now I am sitting pretty good with stuff being ready.

Revi

01-05-2011, 06:48 PM

We've been cleaning up the trails, and the snow is a perfect hard styrofoam consistency. Makes it great for walking around. All the puddles are frozen too. Lots of deer tracks and poop. They were scarce during the season, but it looks like a lot of them made it through just fine. It is nice to get out there and walk around. I think the sun is staying up just a little later already. I noticed that it went down at 4 just before Christmas and it's setting about 5 minutes later now.

PATheron

01-05-2011, 07:09 PM

Dennis- You might want to try a new start capacitor on the old motor. Thats what sounds like is wrong. Theyre probly 15 bucks. Very common to go bad. Theron

Sugarmaker

01-05-2011, 08:06 PM

Glued up some fittings on the AOF system. I replaced some screws in the arch rails.
Darn work thing is really cutting in to the maple hobby.
Chris

3rdgen.maple

01-05-2011, 10:28 PM

Dennis the guy that told you it would be better to buy a new motor is correct. A single phase motor is more expensive to tear down and rewind in comparisson to a 3 phase motor. Rule of thumb single burns up replace it 3 phase burns up rewind it. Also a motor start capacitor is just that. It starts the motor turning in the right direction on a single phase. If its limping its the windings and or bearing freeze.

Played around with the new welder this morning and made a stand to hold my drawoff pan up close to the spigot. Sure was fun and got to mess around with something maple related. Need to get the argon tank filled and then I might just play around with some tig welding. I will say this welding is not as easy as it looks and gonna take some time to master this hobby.

Dennis H.

01-06-2011, 07:34 AM

Thats what I thought 3rdgen. I did at 1st think about the cap needing replaced but with the motors thatwe have at work when the cap goes we could turn them on and at the same time "kick" start them and they would run.

I mean this is a nice old motor but when I had to put a longer power cord on when I got it and the insulation on the motor leads were so brittle that I had to slide shrink tubing over them so that they wouldn't short to the motor housing.
You figure that 50-60 years ago they did not make rubber that would stand up to constant ozone that was being generated my the motor itself. So if the insulation on the leads are that bad I figured that the lacqure on the winds are probably breaking down also.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

01-06-2011, 07:43 AM

shane hickey

01-06-2011, 09:16 AM

Dennis H.

01-06-2011, 03:03 PM

Since I started making syrup I have always wanted to know if coal would work in the evap.
We have a coal stoaker boiler here at in the house and I can get stove coal very easily. Maybe next year I will have to give it a try.

Thiems sugarshack

01-06-2011, 05:57 PM

well today I got all the rafters up so tommarow i can put the metal roofing on the wood shed if I dont finish tommarow it will be sunday

Thad Blaisdell

01-06-2011, 06:21 PM

PARKER MAPLE

01-06-2011, 07:06 PM

I was able to get all (3) of my new tanks upstairs in my sugar house. I hired a local lumber company to come with a boom truck. The tanks are 4' w 5' h and 16' L. I am now set I have 6-2100 gallon tanks upstairs waiting for sap, water and concentrate.

Man Thad thats awesome cant wait to see pictures. next time im up your way maybe i can stop in for some show and tell. Good luck this year, when are you tapping? I think im shooting for the second week in feb for me

Maple rookie

Thad Blaisdell

01-06-2011, 08:10 PM

I will update my photobucket pretty soon. I designed my sugarhouse for this purpose. I just couldnt afford it last year. I will start tapping on February 7th give or take the weather conditions.

Anytime you want to come and take a peek come on up. I love to show it off.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

01-06-2011, 08:40 PM

100% coal burns the hottest yet you'll spend most of the rest of the day cleaning the flus coal bakes on, I burn 2/3 barn boards and pallets, 1/3 coal.
coal has a lot of btus and hottest fire you'll ever see come out of an evaporator, Do not use a blower when using coal you'll have a melt done. Mix wood and coal together is a good combinantion. Just my opion.shane

Shane,

How long have you been burning coal?? Have heard it would damage the pans and wondered how long you had burned it under your pans. I know it burns hot, parents heated house with it for 25+ years.

shane hickey

01-06-2011, 08:47 PM

This will be my fourth year making syrup, So I have burned coal for 3 years. I think it would burn cleaner if you could filter the coal like they do in nuclear plants but I have no way indoing that. So it burns a little black heres a picture shane2229

mapleack

01-06-2011, 08:48 PM

I was able to get all (3) of my new tanks upstairs in my sugar house. I hired a local lumber company to come with a boom truck. The tanks are 4' w 5' h and 16' L. I am now set I have 6-2100 gallon tanks upstairs waiting for sap, water and concentrate.

Wow, 12,600 gal of storage would take some really serious structual support to put in the second floor!

shane hickey

01-06-2011, 08:52 PM

Wow, 12,600 gal of storage would take some really serious structual support to put in the second floor!

yeah thats just under 100000 lbs or near 50 tons hopfully it made out of 20'' I beams.

shane hickey

01-06-2011, 08:53 PM

I meant 50 thousand pounds 25 tons
shane

Randy Brutkoski

01-06-2011, 09:08 PM

Shane, you were right the first ntime. More like 46 ton. wow.I just put an 8 inch pad with rebar to hold 2, 3200 gallon tanks which is 24 ton.

Bucket Head

01-06-2011, 09:10 PM

I don't know why, but when we throw some Elm wood in the arch, we get black smoke out the pipe. A good, hot fire is almost smokeless, but when we fire it with elm it resembles the coal fire smoke in Shanes photo. Not quite as much as above, but a lot for bone dry firewood. Any ideas as to why elm does that?

Steve

tuckermtn

01-07-2011, 05:37 AM

I've had a lot blacker smoke from my stack burning pallet scraps...my neighbor thought I was burning tires...

Thad Blaisdell

01-07-2011, 05:53 AM

I consulted a structural engineer when building the sugarhouse. I have 3 beams carrying the load 7.5 feet apart these are 8x10 and I doubled the joists underneath I was told that one every 16" was fine.... what I did was I used an 8' on the ends and 2-16' in the middle, making a sandwich out of the end of the 8'. There is now 3 tanks on each end, the outside two each have one side that sits directly on top of one beam and the middle one is centered on the middle beam. Last year I only had two on one side and at the beginning of the season I had them both full-(running over full) and the bulding didnt even groan. no sag. no nothin. Very happy with it. My photobucket has a few pictures that show it somewhat. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/thadiferous/Sugaring/27berlinsugarhouse123-Copy.jpg

jrthe3

01-07-2011, 05:25 PM

hey any of you guys useing CVs if you want to sell some of your old ones from last year let me know

waysidemaple

01-07-2011, 05:32 PM

Footers for the evap. are poured. Hopefully monday it will be ready to move the evap into its new home. After the concrete was do I ran some more laterals and added 25 taps to the mainline. Tomorrow Ill run more tubing and hopfully use up the last of the mainline. Can't do to much in the sugar shack till the concrete has hardend up. Lots going on and only a week left of break.

steam maker

01-07-2011, 06:06 PM

thad i dont think these guys relize what ur little shack is. last year when we came up to get syrup my jaw dropped. can only imagine this year:D

Thad Blaisdell

01-07-2011, 06:34 PM

My little shack was built specifically to be run by one person. I now have 6 tanks upstairs, and new pans coming in 12 days.....

steam maker

01-07-2011, 06:58 PM

ill have to come up and visit again ,, maybe bring my dad up this time,. hopefully i dont need to call u for ro advice . just bought a new cdl 600 expandable. hope they run as easy as i was told:D oh well god hates a coward

Thad Blaisdell

01-07-2011, 07:40 PM

I found them to be bullet proof to operate. The directions are printed right on the front and they are exactly what you do.

steam maker

01-07-2011, 07:54 PM

we will c. remember im just a flatlanda;)

Paddymountain

01-08-2011, 02:56 PM

Finished installing stainless steel counter top, and platform for head tank today. need to run pipe from tank to evaporater, it can wait until it's a little warmer out. Finally have a picture of the front of my sugarshack

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

01-08-2011, 07:46 PM

Paddy,

Very nice looking sugarhouse and setup!!!

Paddymountain

01-08-2011, 08:13 PM

Thanks WV, It's been a real treat building my new sugarshack, I bought the SS
countertop for $30. from a neighbor!! I can't wait to start boiling this year, after 2 yrs of working under an open leanto, it's going to be great. We'll
even be able to filter and bottle there. Better than dragging the mess up to the kitchen.

3rdgen.maple

01-08-2011, 08:28 PM

Paddy very nice work enjoy that building... Picked up mainline today and wire to start hanging the mainline tomarrow. should have tubing and all fittings tuesday. Skipped the verona show this year, been working alot and decided it was alot more important to me to see the boys play hockey and my daughters dance class. On another note seems I have to cut more wood for the sugarhouse. What I had cut and the neighbors cut suddenly is disappearing seems my dad decided to come over and take some for his house. Said his wood is wet and not heating the house good so he decided he would use some of my sugarwood to mix in with his wet crap. Not happy but I guess I understand. Cutting more wood at this point was not in the plans and now the season is knocking on the door I got to lay back on work and get stuff done on the maple side of things.

Thiems sugarshack

01-08-2011, 08:35 PM

Got the metal roof on the wood shed today not much more to do until that project is done then all I have to do is fix the arch and make the ash pit and the new sugar house will be all set to go.It will be nice using my own house this year.Time is ticking until Tapping

twobears1224

01-09-2011, 09:58 AM

the weather has been kinda crappy and i,ve been really busy so,i,ve been sitting in the house mostly ordering supplys aand doing some planning.yesterday,i desided to go to a auction.i got a bunch of new hose clamps..around 100 for $10.00.i also got a hand cart that will work great for bringing firewood to the arch.i have a wooden floor in my sugarhouse so i don,t wanta be throwing wood around.
i have my head tank all in place and i got my whole house filters a couple days ago.i got a package deal on ebay...three filters for $40.00 i,ll use one to filter sap coming into the head tank.one as a moisture trap and the other one ?? for now.
i need to go buy some fittings,pipe ect and get my head tank plumbed up this week.i have some 5/16's fittings coming from the maple guys and once i get thoses i,ll start putting up tubing..weather permitting.

delbert

Sugarmaker

01-09-2011, 03:25 PM

Not maple related except that I am always looking at maples as I walk by them.
Just a brief update on the status of the deer hunting in NWPA.

Chris (the ugly one with no gun)
Gerry
Brent
Phil
Notice the only thing they are dragging is their butts:)

We have a lot of fun getting them up (deer) and clicking at them with the smoke poles.
It was snowing so hard I was making snow angels standing up!:)
Jim Bortles: You should have been there!

One more week! Then its time to get serious about maple!

Chris

Farmboy

01-09-2011, 03:30 PM

I was going to hang some laterals today but discovered lapiere had shipped me the wrong size saddels. I called the local dealer who I bought them from and there going to talk to lapiere tomorrow and have the right ones shipped and let me give the old ones back at the state meeting in a few weeks. Its nice dealing with local people when you buy things.

peacemaker

01-09-2011, 03:35 PM

boy today just sucked ........ evap is de bricked .... and no where to go ....

Thiems sugarshack

01-09-2011, 04:56 PM

I got the wood shed done today only thing left to do is some trim but not that important.Next I will tackle the arch and smoke pipe then its just tidying things up and I will be good to go.

waysidemaple

01-09-2011, 07:24 PM

Tried to move the head tank into its spot today but we have just enough snow to make it to slick to get up the hill, plus im only working with a loader on an old to-20 we rebuilt a few years ago. Tomorrow is the day the evaporator gets moved into its new home. It will be nice to finally see the king in the castle.

Randy Brutkoski

01-09-2011, 08:26 PM

peacemaker, I take it you are going through a divorce. I hope you will find a place to put your evap.

maple flats

01-09-2011, 08:48 PM

After going to the Winter Maple Conference Friday evening and all day Saturday I returned to the sugarbush today. I finished stringing a new branch line, that will have my first ever sap ladder. I ran about 52 taps on laterals off this branch. Then I started adding laterals to a second new branch, also designed to get a sap ladder but dark ended the day with just 3 laterals and about 17 drops in. The next time I get up there I will resume putting laterals onto this branch. After I finish this branch I will build the 2 sap ladders. From there I need to run 2 more branches, deviding 2 hills into upper and lower branches. The new upper branch will get some new drops as well, in a section previously not feasable to tap because of lateral length. This new branch will run right past them and flow directly to my vacuum tank.
At the maple conference I learned how and got a diagram for pumping out of my vacuum tank without ever shutting the vacuum down. Things are starting to take shape. Still shooting for a ready to tap date in mid Feb. or as soon as the forcast is right after that. Next year I might shoot to be ready to tap Feb 1st.

3rdgen.maple

01-09-2011, 09:16 PM

Today was a cold windy day but had alot of fun aside from that. Got the sleds out and went trail riding with my daughter in the morning then ran a 400foot mainline in one sugarbush. Just need to side tie and put in the laterals. Excited about this, will get me 150-200 taps on vac and is in a section that I could not get the tractor in so it was always a long haul carrying sap back to the gathering tank. Best running trees I have as well. So at this point Im thinking I will put out 800 taps 600 on buckets 200 on vac. Possible I might just drop to 500 on buckets and start a mainline in another section and just start it with 100 on gravity but next year I can expand that alot and run vac there as well. I have a personal deal that I dont spend anymore many than I made the previous years syrup sales so I never have any out of pocket expenses so if that cash box doesnt run out I will get that section going. Funny how we think or atleast I do. Adding taps with tubing but I still have to put out all my buckets. Plenty of trees to hang them. I think If this year is any good I might be a little overwhelmed but overwhelmed is how I like it. Times running out.

maple flats

01-10-2011, 03:48 AM

hey any of you guys useing CVs if you want to sell some of your old ones from last year let me know

I'm using them again.I had about 150 left from last year, but am using them this year, along with 400 of the "new and improved version". I was on gravity last year and don't think they helped. This year I am using them only on my vacuum bush.

maple flats

01-10-2011, 04:00 AM

I got a similar SS sink, counter unit. The sink is one std bowl and one shaped with a 20-25 degree tilt towards the other and a opening into the other. I have no idea why it's shaped this way. The overall length is about just over 11 feet. I'll be installing it in my addition/kitchen/with ro room when I build it. I got it included in the package deal when I bought my 3x8 grimm evaporator with one season's use on it for $4500 a few years back.

Amber Gold

01-10-2011, 08:08 AM

Things are coming together for maple season. The RO room is built and mostly done. Big thing left to do is plumb the RO. The LR pump is plumbed and its enclosure is mostly built. Should have that wrapped up and on-site this weekend. I'll also get the releaser plumbed and test the pump out. Bill's working on my new hood w/ preheater and it should be done soon. It's looking I'll be ready to go Feb. 1st. The next two weekends are busy with maple seminars in Middlebury and Bellows Falls and the NHMPA annual meeting.

ennismaple

01-10-2011, 01:50 PM

We got all our tubing finished on the weekend. All the laterals are done, droplines cut in and saddle manifolds installed. All 4,000 taps have now been switched over to semi-rigid! No more old green and purple PVC tubing for us anymore!!! Blue semi-rigid looks so pretty against new snow...

Had to fix 4 sections of mainline where limbs took the line down. The beauty of the 1/4" guy steel we use is it never breaks. It pulls out of the end tree or a drive hook on a side tie first. All we had to do was cut off the limb, re-tension and side tie and we're back in business.

We also got half our main bush converted over to stubbies so we can use CV's this year. We cut off old 5/16" spouts and added stubbies to 625+ taps and culled an additional 110 taps from trees that had 3 or 4 taps each (about a 15% reduction in taps). The goal is to have no more than 2 taps per tree by the time we've got only stubbies out in the bush. We went with the rule of thumb that if you can get your arms around it it only gets 1 tap. That works out to roughly a 24" dia tree before we use a 2nd tap. Hopefully, this pays off in the long run - when my grandchildren are tapping the same trees.

peacemaker

01-10-2011, 02:24 PM

no we rent and the landlord switched insurance companys and the inspector found the sugar house in the garage and has made us remove it

Randy Brutkoski

01-10-2011, 03:22 PM

That blows.

red maples

01-10-2011, 04:08 PM

Sorry peace maker that does blow.

Finally got all the tubing redone. all the T's are replaced most laterals are 5 taps or less still have one with 7 and 1 with a bunch on it but that one runs behind the house and I aint puttin up bucket there I will still get more sap from vac on those.

Still need to put in 3 more saddles and finish putting about 125 or so more drops. and that project will be done. lost a few taps (ash thought they were red maples oops!!) and lost a few to the wind storm. Also picked up a few more that I didn't get last year. so hopefully even out.

I'll finish those up tomorrow, and should be able to finish my star sap ladder and get my 2 pipe ladder at least hung up. we'll see. Gettin there times runnin out!!! :)

waysidemaple

01-10-2011, 04:48 PM

The Evaporator is in the new sugar shack. The standard door is hung and the sliding door is built, picking up the rail for that tomorrow. Ordered the roof jack today...should be here next week. That should mean ill be ready for a test boil by the first week in february. Still need to plumb the head tank in but other than that I think ill have it all ready for when its time to tap. Fingers crossed:D Ill have 250 taps this year unless I feel the need to string more tubing haha

twobears1224

01-10-2011, 07:16 PM

Revi

01-10-2011, 08:40 PM

Parker

01-11-2011, 06:29 AM

Got another 2000 feet of wire and mainline up in Hill,,Starting to stress a littel about being ready!!!

Jim Brown

01-11-2011, 09:20 AM

Well the 2x6 is stripped down to angle and tin. Taking it over to GaryR';s this weekend and re-doing everything in Stainless.Vacuumed out the sand and numbered the brick,took pictures so as to know were everything went at a later time. Every thing in remakable shape for as hard a we fire with forced draft! No holes or thin places in the arch just a little rust outside. Should last until we upgrade at some point.

Jim

maple flats

01-11-2011, 12:03 PM

I'm in the best shape I've been since 2003. Should have new branch lines finished before 2/1 and all of the added laterals. Still need to make a motor mount to put the snow blower motor on the vacuum pump. Then a little plumbing to complete. I also need to do a few days work at the sugarhouse. Need to finish solar connections as well as clean it to be ready. I also need to re-arrange things for bottling. I bought a second canner so I can finish and have up to 30 gal hot at one time to pack some 30 gal bbls for the first time. I'll also have some 5's, SS rebuilt soda kegs. I have a welder friend reworking then by making SS tops with a 2" and a 3/4" bung and SS weld it to the keg top. I'll have 20 of those. The original fittings will be welded shut.
I'm thinking I want to have over 300 gal SS syrup storage, We'll see if I get there. Really what I want is to use my last bbl as I pack the last of the season, but I can't see the future clearly enough. I figure a banner year this season with vac on 550 and hopefully another 350 gravity would be about 400 gal, but I will not predict it by any means.
I think I just found another sugarbush for 2012. The owner says they have 89 acres with some steep hills, some gentle slope and some nearly flat. We are going to set a walk around this summer to explore and dream. This bush is about 10 miles from my sugarhouse. Then I'll need a bigger haul truck for sure.

Rhino

01-11-2011, 03:41 PM

Been busy the last week and a half, cleaned up the syrup shed and made some order in there, it got so cluttered since last spring. Made up 500 drop lines and mounted a sp-11 vac pump to a base with a new electric motor. Today since the weather was in the mid 20's i went and strung out 4 rolls of laterals. I also fired up the old john deere 420 crawler that i bought last summer and plowed some trails to get good at doing that job with it. Very happy with it. Also made a sap trailer to pull behind it. Cleaned out the bottling room, I think i will be the most ready that i ever was? Thursday I will go and put the drop lines on the new laterals i put out today. Winter is going by fast!

SeanD

01-11-2011, 05:06 PM

sunday afternoon i ran to the city/lowes and picked up some pipe and fittings and tonight i,ve been out in the sugarhouse plumbing the head tank.
i,ve desided to use whats called a thur hull fitting to drain my head tank..there used on boats.it won,t drain the tank 100% but it,ll be close enough.

delbert

Hey Twobears,

I couldn't find a bulkhead fitting (thru wall) at Lowe's for my collection tank so I had to go to Grainger. It's no big deal, but I have to order things there because they don't keep a lot in stock - or at least the stuff I've been looking for - and have to make two trips. Where in the store did you find it. I scoured the PVC section.

Sean

twobears1224

01-11-2011, 05:33 PM

opp's sorry about that sean.i got the thur hull fitting from a marine store right acrossed the road from the lowes store.. it,s called west marine.do a web search for them..you might have one close by.
i have my tank all plumbed.i used the thur hull fitting for the drain and line going to my preheater it worked great.on the feed line to the tank i used a slip to thred 3/4 inch male fitting.i took a 1 inch spade bit and drilled a hole thur the tank then screwed the fitting it..they thred right in.i then took a female tread/slip fitting and screwed it on the other fitting.for the overflow line i took a 1 1/4 inch hole saw and drilled a hole thur the tank then i took my dermal tool and sanded the hole just enough to get a 1 inch slip/female fitting into it.i then used pvc glue to glue it in..it seemed to work good.
i,ll take some pic,s tomorrow and post them..it got dark before i could get pic,s

delbert

SeanD

01-11-2011, 06:19 PM

That's alright. I'd be mad at myself if was right under my nose and missed it.

I used PVC glue last year when I toyed with the idea of a testing cup made out of PVC. It came out alright and it withstood the heat of boiling water fine, but after multiple rinses, I couldn't shake the glue smell. In the end I just wasn't comfortable enough with it, so I opted to go with a stainless thermos I forgot I had. I came across it this past summer and there was no trace of the smell.

I know PVC is used a ton for maple stuff. Is the adhesive smell not an issue because it's on the sap end of things?

Sean

stoweski

01-11-2011, 07:06 PM

My Mason finisher/canner arrived today! Getting ready to go out tomorrow and hook it all up in the shack. Should have the day off due to school being closed from the storm - yahoo. Who says kids are the only people who love snowdays??? Can't wait to play in the shack and then go for a snowshoe and/or cross country ski!

Anyway, the finisher is very, very nice. It's a 16x20 and should do the job nicely this season. Hoping for some nice runs so I can break it in!

Enjoy the snow fellow northeasters!

Keith

waysidemaple

01-11-2011, 07:34 PM

Calling for 2 to 4 inches here tonight maybe another inch tomorrow. Its snowing hard now but will see what it looks like in the morning. Had the lights and heater on in the new sugar shack tonight, it was nice to be inside and see the snow falling outside. Can't wait to fire up the evaporator. Planning to brick it tomorrow, and tackle the roof jack sometime next week.

Sugarmaker

01-11-2011, 07:45 PM

Talked to the electrician tonight and I can get him to wire in the AOF blower when I get it. Will put in a dimmer and mount the controls next to the air under fire blower switch. (Nice to have a 20 year old grandson that is an electrican:))
Not much maple happening.
Except thinking about those guys in KY making syrup! Weather will be up here before we know it and every one will be busy.

Jim Brown,
Better get going on that arch rebuild, or Gary may have to boil all your sap!
Don't forget to post some pictures too.

Regards,
Chris

Randy Brutkoski

01-12-2011, 06:18 AM

Close to a foot of snow has fallen here since like 1:00 am. And it is only 7 o clock. I think we are going to get pounded today. We were way over due. Our area has been dodging bullets all winter. Oh well. Heading up into the woods to run lats. and drops, and to get wet.

Jim Brown

01-12-2011, 11:20 AM

Chris; I have some pic's of the naked 2x6 just angles and tin! looking forward to getting it re-tinned with S/S. GaryR was over Monday evening and said should not be a problem. He has a brake(he made) and a plasma cutter. Should put a lot of life in it as well ' I'll see you at the meeting and let you know how we made out!

Jim

Revi

01-12-2011, 11:29 AM

Snowing like mad here. We're supposed to get 6-9 inches, with more on the coast. We haven't had much snow here, so this is okay by me. I went up to check the sugarhouse and we probably have a couple of inches already. Gave me a chance to use the 4 wheel drive. Nice. If I'm going to be guzzling gas I may as well have 4wd. My little truck got totaled last Thursday, and I'm in a Jeep Cherokee borrowed from my father.

Farmboy

01-12-2011, 05:27 PM

We got 2' of snow dumped in the woods today. So much that the S185 bobcat with a regular bucket had a hard time with all the snow so I only used it on the blacktop. Then I got to break out the JD450. No amount of snow can stop that. Hopefully some of this will melt so I can get into the woods and hang tubing.

maple flats

01-12-2011, 08:07 PM

We only got about 8-10", real fluffy. Should settle in a day or 2. You guys farther east sure got hit harder and you can't handle it like we can. We have locations within 50 miles of here that can get 24-36" lake effect and 12 hrs later they have everything opened up and might even get hit like that again. I'm glad we don't get hit like that only rarely.

tuckermtn

01-12-2011, 08:30 PM

we got 17" here in central NH. not much maple today except bought another honda wx15 transfer pump off craigslist. give me some BIGSAP to pump...

twobears1224

01-12-2011, 08:32 PM

what a day..i,am wore out.i have two sick parents i,ve been babysitting today (tummy bug) plus,i,ve been on the go all day long in this crappy weather.i drove a school bus and i guess we can,t have snow days anymore..we just go nomatter the weather.
the roads where total crap today from 4pm to 8 pm i saw two tractor trailers go by the house on the hook..both smashed up.
the only good thing about today was a good report from my doctor and a package from the maple guys came today.i bought some fittings from them.

delbert

Randy Brutkoski

01-12-2011, 08:35 PM

Also ended up with 17 inches of snow here. It just got that much harder to work in the woods.

waysidemaple

01-12-2011, 09:04 PM

Not much maple today only got 4 maybe 5 inches from the storm. Really windy all day, got everything plowed out easily but it just blows back in, owell it was fun too plow some snow again. Picked up some of the tools laying around the sugar house. Hoping to get into the woods tomorrow to cut some brush but will see how the weather is. Waiting on the roof jack now. Once that is here the evap will be ready to go. I can't wait to fire it up for the first time.

TapME

01-12-2011, 09:10 PM

Hope everyone is ok from the truck getting smashed up Revi....Them cherokees are a great ride and easy on the gas if it's a 4 cylinder. 4x4 is not a bad thing here in Maine.

Yellzee

01-12-2011, 09:37 PM

You can imagine the swearing here as I just found out I'm gone 2 weeks in feb and 2 weeks in march for work (ok, one week is down south for pleasure)... add in the week in Jan I already knew about and it looks like my season isn't going to amount to much..... still needed to finish shack addition and run a new mainline... not sure it's worth the investment if I'm going to miss at least 2 good weeks of the season.

First year I finally had enough wood ready ahead of time.....

Father in law would be happy to boil... but there is no way he's going to cross the swamp and do the collecting.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

01-12-2011, 10:14 PM

We're working on trails. They are really nice now. The season could be within a month and a half if it warms up like it did last year. We'll see... It has been a pretty nice winter so far. Not much snow here, and not much cold yet either. We have some on the ground, but there are lots of bare patches too. I think Wednesday's storm may take care of that.

That's amazing and a lot like last winter. I am probably 1,000 miles south of you and all it has done is snow here for 6 weeks and snowed the majority of the days in 6 weeks. Last year we got close to 150" of snow in 2.5 months and it was not the fluffy lake effect snow like they get north of us, it was the real nice stuff that you wouldn't blow with a blower.

PATheron

01-13-2011, 05:17 AM

Brandon- How much longer till you guys down there start tapping? I think were on schedule here at Pierce and Sons. Ive been working steady in the woods and lucky for me I have a great Dad thats done a lot to help me in the sugarhouse. He closed it all in and it really turned out nice. Were going to be out of the weather after all. Still a list but its getting to be easier stuff. Got our first batch of oil and should be firing up the evaperator in a week or two. Should be done in the woods in next two weeks hopefully to where Im ready to just put out releasers and tanks and things. Going to end up with a new 400 tap bush on an sp 22 but lucky for me the neighbor is going to let me run it off his electric. Booy bush is still going to have a gas pump so that will be the only taps on gas, about 400 there too. Just about have my neighbors 1250 done and then only thing down there is hook up the ring pump and releaser. So I think things are going to be done on time and done pretty well but have had to work pretty steady to get there. Im really looking foreward to boiling this year for the first time. I think Im going to make some pretty great syrup. Now I dont have to recirculate very much at all and not at all if I dont want too. I think what Ill do is if Im around during the day Ill put both RO's on recirc and I should be able to get rid of a thousand gallons of water an hour. I think Ill do that a couple hours and just bring the sugar up just a scosh and then when Im ready to start boiling Im going to just send both RO's to the head tank, set the concentrate to match the rig and go. Im not going to even fill the headtank or nothing. Should be nice clear stuff for sap and it will be in the barrell almost instantaneaously. Id say if I get rid of a couple thousand gallons of water out of six Ill probly be able to do a 55 gallon drum of syrup an hour. Have to be on my toes with the filter press, no goofin around. Cant wait for season. With all the new stuff everyone is doing its going to be a fun one. Theron

ejmaple

01-13-2011, 10:08 AM

nice to finally get some snow out here, got about 2' of powder. just got in from plowing my sap roads and clearing off my tanks. still got to run some more lats on a new bush down the street, looking at 100+ taps there. can't wait to tap:D

maple flats

01-13-2011, 11:20 AM

I just got in from plowing my sugarhouse out, about 12", all light stuff. Would be good to have a plow truck, I've been using my old excavator that only goes 1.1 mph, a slow push when the sugarhouse is about 400 off the road and the parking extends another 120' past there. Someday I'll get a plow truck again.

Thiems sugarshack

01-13-2011, 02:56 PM

18 hours of plowing roads yesterday and all people stopped me for was to tell me the roads arnt wide enough well thats what happens when you get 20 inches of snow.This weekend going to start and hopefully finish the arch

waysidemaple

01-14-2011, 05:45 PM

Got the head tank set today. The smoke stack is in along with the roof jack and rain collar. Pans are on the arch. All thats left to do is plumb in the head tank and I'll be ready to boil. Moved the rest on the sap buckets up today as well as the other collection tanks. I think...and I may regret saying this...I'll be ready by go time this year.

farmall h

01-14-2011, 05:48 PM

Ooooh, bought the sugarhouse a be-lated Christmas present. A new Double Bernard mechanical releaser. No more dubbi'n around trying to make a home made releaser! Need to buzz up to Swanton to pick it up and look around....maybe something else up there that I may need.;)

gator330

01-15-2011, 02:41 PM

Farmboy

01-15-2011, 05:10 PM

I know I have not been on much in some time and making syrup this year is going to be a real bust sence I have not a thing ready at all! No wood, evaporator or any thing close to working. But can someone tell me were the used equipment section went? I was hopeing that something close by would fall in my lap by looking in here today and was amazed that I can't find it????

When the trader was upgraded the classifieds no longer woork so they created a temporary clasiffieds section. http://mapletrader.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=74

waysidemaple

01-15-2011, 05:35 PM

The head tank is now connected to the evap. all I need now is Sap. Feels good to have everything hooked up and ready to go.

tuckermtn

01-15-2011, 07:33 PM

not maple related but it will have a trickle down effect- had the planetary drive/final drive on my feller-buncher fail today. probably a $5k fix. ouch.

twobears1224

01-15-2011, 07:38 PM

no anything here...i,ve been in bed with the flu bug..figures,i get a three day weekend and i get sick.

delbert

Thompson's Tree Farm

01-15-2011, 07:49 PM

Eric,
Want to borrow my extra team? One harness needs a backstrap repaired, probably a $7.50 fix.
That is tough luck. One of the times that reminds you that you didn't realize how good things had been going until something bad happens.
Doug

Thad Blaisdell

01-15-2011, 08:11 PM

The bigger you are the more $ it takes. Some days you look at the guy with the simple 40 hour a week job and say "man is that the way to go no headaches"

3rdgen.maple

01-15-2011, 08:46 PM

Man you guys are so right. It amazes me at all the people who work their 40 hrs a week and all I hear them do is whine and while they sit there reading the paper and getting paid for it I get comments man you got a sweet deal setup and the whole time in back of my mind Im thinking wrong. Grass is always greener on the other side till you get there. LOL

Delbert felt your pain this past week came down with the crap on my bday and was torn between which room I wanted to be in more the bedroom or bathroom. Awful stuff after the bathroom visits where over I slept for 36 hours. Think I woke up once and checked the trader though.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

01-16-2011, 01:38 PM

Theron,

I would guess I am about 2 to 4 weeks until I start tapping. Anything from Feb 1 forward is fair game. I usually stage tap which is I tap the biggest south bush first(40% of taps), then 1 to 2 weeks later, the other south bush(20% of taps) and then 1 to 2 weeks later, the north bush which has about 40% of my taps on it. This kinda helps stretch out the season, work out all the bugs and the north side stays really cold and runs great, but doesn't do much early due to snow pack and frozen ground.

red maples

01-16-2011, 02:03 PM

Getting there. thankfully I got all my tubing 95% done before we got 18" of snow on wed. I still have to put in 1 ball valve and finish up my star sap ladder for a branch of about 40 taps.

Today I got the upper line to the sugar house tied on and installed the 2 pipe sap ladder. it went up easy!!! kinda just had to cut and paste it in I bought it from amber gold!!!! thanks again josh it saved me a bunch of time!!! I just have to switch out the one ball valve for a 90* elbow I took your advise and put the intake to the center apposed to in line.

tomorrow I can finish that up then start on replumbing the vac line to the releaser. that shouldn't take long. then re plumb my head tank into the float box with a separate small line into the syrup pan for that "just in case moment we have all had". and then replumb my sap pump and see if I can find a float valve so I don't have to worry about it running down.

PATheron

01-16-2011, 04:14 PM

Brandon- I think Im going to tap around the same time as you. I normally start in January but Im not ready this year and it looks like its going to be cold like a real winter here so I think its going to work out good. Ive just got to be ready 100% by the third week in Feb. Thats when it really starts to go here depending on weather. I got my last sugarbush hooked up today and its looking like Ill have my lines pretty good shape by the end of next weekend Im hoping. Getting close. Theron

Maplewalnut

01-17-2011, 08:33 AM

Looks like cold in the long range forecast through end of January. Good for me to clean up any last minute jobs. Got my permeate tanks set and plumbed yesterday, pans taken off, flues brushed, arch regasketed and pans set back. Rig leveled and floats put in place. Added another 50 taps or so and repaired a couple lines that needed some help. Looking good so far.

whalems

01-17-2011, 05:50 PM

Picked up ceramic blanket and firebrick today. now its time to get busy on finishing ALL of the projects left before tapping.

log cabin luke

01-17-2011, 07:41 PM

heading up to the sugar camp in the maine wilderness this week. had 900 taps for my first season, hoping to add another 300 this season. its not easy lugging everything over a 60 foot wide rapid mountain stream in the summer time with no bridge, but it freezes up in winter perfect for the tundra 300. I would guess that my sugar camp is the hardest to get too out of just about anybodies on here, but that makes it more fun in some aspects, no body bugs me there, and the log cabin is comfortable to stay in for a few weeks.

Gary R

01-17-2011, 08:02 PM

It was a busy maple weekend. We got Jim Brown's arch re-tinned. All stainless, hopefully he'll be able to post some pictures. Also got my shack parked in place and stack up.

Thompson's Tree Farm

01-18-2011, 04:36 AM

Been a long slog here in the North Country. Had high hopes of a major expansion after last season but life got in the way. I have been chief caregiver to the "old sugarmaker", here at TTF (my 89 year old father) who fell and broke his hip last summer. Been making some headway but not as much as hoped. Have a second 600 gallon Ro set up and almost ready to go. Added 1200 feet of dry lines to my front bush for improved vacuum transfer. Added 1000 new drops and stubbies so the front bush (oldest taps) will be entirely CV's this year. Added several thousand feet of mainline to said front bush so most laterals are under 50 feet and most have 3 or less drops. In the process dropped 3rd tap from largest trees and added some additional taps for a net gain of approx. 100. In the backbush I have laid out a new line that should increase taps by about 600. It will tie into existing vacuum pump via a remote releaser and pump line. Hope to have some help over the next 3 weeks to get this nailed down. 20 below yesterday morning made me think I might still have a bit of time before it starts...also made plastic handle hard:)

tuckermtn

01-18-2011, 06:02 AM

Doug- hope your Dad can join you in the sugarhouse this spring. Good luck with the season. The coldest it ever got when I used to live in Canton was -38. Hasn't been anywhere close to that down here in balmy NH.

Thompson's Tree Farm

01-18-2011, 06:12 AM

Eric,
He's planning on it. When I suggested storing an extra walker, he suggested we put it in the sugar house to use:)

Jim Brown

01-18-2011, 06:38 AM

Arch rebuild pictures are under an album in my profile .Thanks many times over GaryR Looks great with the pans on!

Jim and Doug

Sugarmaker

01-18-2011, 11:37 AM

Jim, and Doug, and Gary
Looks like doug did most of the work:) Some one had to take the pictures right Jim?
Hey that Arch retinning really looks good!
And I didnt know you could put pictures on albums on here. Was I sleeping when you guys sis traing on that feature?:)
Anyway very nice job on refreshining the rig. Did you use stainless hardware? I didnt and wished I would have, after 10 years is pretty rusty.
Regards,
Chris

Jim Brown

01-18-2011, 11:44 AM

Chris; Every thing is stainless except the the top angle,the front casting and the rear stack casting.All holes were pre drilled and stainless self tappers put in.

Jim

Sugarmaker

01-18-2011, 11:47 AM

Jim,
Very nice!
Have to get back at the work thing! Lunch break is over.
Chris

waysidemaple

01-18-2011, 12:45 PM

Well I'm back at school now....Didn't even make it through the first class without getting on the droid phone and checking the trader. Owell I guess thats what it's for haha. Good thing the evap is mostly ready to go.

Jim - the arch looks good!

Sugarmaker

01-18-2011, 08:57 PM

Just picked up another 25 taps and retained some taps that I thought I might lose to property changing hands. Good fresh taps along a creek that really run good. So I will be moving some lines from a less productive site to those new trees. Also getting some new 5/16 stainless spouts for buckets and may hang the 30 buckets on good trees along the route this year. instead of around the house on reds that just produce a drop more than nothing. Still have a string of maples that I would like to tap but just cant convince the folks to allow it. Need to stop and ask again.
Hope folks are ready. This rain today made it feel like syrup season is just around the corner.
Chris

Amber Gold

01-19-2011, 11:36 AM

Things are coming together. RO room is about done, RO is wired and I kicked the feed pump over so all should be good there. SH is a mess and really needs to be picked up. There's still a 1/2 days worth of woods work to do, but now there's 18" of snow on the ground. It can wait until closer to the season. I hope to have the RO plumbed and vac. pump set up on site this weekend. Saturday is the NHMPA annual meeting so we'll see if I get it all done.

I still have the neighbor's property to get online which is a days worth of work for 60 taps on gravity. This will be the last thing I do and those won't be getting tapped in until March 1st the earliest.

Brian Ryther

01-19-2011, 02:42 PM

In order to be ready on time I have stoped adding to "the list" and am concentrating on wraping up all of the little thing that need to be done before taping. LR pump is finaly fixed and back in service. All tanks are set and level. Evap is plumbed. To do = pick up and install RO, Plumb new tanks to ro, build pump skid for new LR pump, set new pump skid, run power to new pump. That about does it. When those things are finished I will allow my self to set more lines and taps. My prediction ... Feb 17th first boil.

PATheron

01-19-2011, 04:30 PM

Brian- I have two things I need to make you aware of. I hope you make a ton of syrup this year and I say that becouse your my pal and I hope you well but the other thing I need to tell you is YOUR GOING DOWN AND YOUR GOING DOWN HARRRRRRD!!! I intend to destroy your averages on more taps, probly warmer weather and without checkvalves. Im just going to do whatever it takes to do it, compromise my health, spend less time with my family, or even neglect my elderly parents, WHATEVER!!! Bring on the sap Im countin taps this year Im not drawing candy off my syrup pans anymore, and Im not rounding off the closest 55 gallon drum. Were going tap for syrup, full and accurate records. Three weeks to operation TAPOFF at Pierce and video gaming, boob tube watchin, phone textin wondering what theyre good for Sons.

PATheron

01-19-2011, 04:51 PM

Were going to burp that six by thunderbolt weekend after this one with about a months worth of salary in fuel oil and see what that thing does. If Im not satisfied were putting two more guns in it.

Brian Ryther

01-19-2011, 05:20 PM

Thompson's Tree Farm

01-19-2011, 06:22 PM

Brian,
Those numbers on the last 600 are sounding like most of my bush. If I ever get them all, there will be about 5500 but it sure takes a lot of tube to reach them all.
Doug

Randy Brutkoski

01-19-2011, 06:34 PM

Have you done sap yield test comparing 1/4 spouts to 5/16 under vacuum? If so is there a big difference? thanks

Yellzee

01-19-2011, 06:48 PM

Nearly froze to death but I finally got started on the shack addition. Spent twice as much time on it over the weekened and only got about 1/2 of what I expected done. Can anyone relate?
Got 1/2 the roof on and the walls up and wrapped in the house wrap... but thats it. So now it is nicely filling up with snow and I'll have to shovel it out when I'm done.

I was going to tap a new section of woods.. but gonna be travelling so much next month not sure if I should just retap same old section. I wanted to give that section a year off.

So at Yells and "when will they be big enough to really help" sons we are WAAAYYY behind as I like it.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

01-19-2011, 08:12 PM

They are probably going to say the 1/4" run as much or more so they can sell them. About like the micro spouts and some of the other things that have came out in the past few years that were the newest and greatest.

twobears1224

01-19-2011, 09:48 PM

i,am back at it..:D...tonight,after work i was cutting up tubing for drops.
i also got my bascoms catalog today and i made up a list!!

delbert

PATheron

01-20-2011, 12:18 AM

Thad Blaisdell

01-20-2011, 03:55 AM

Were going to burp that six by thunderbolt weekend after this one with about a months worth of salary in fuel oil and see what that thing does. If Im not satisfied were putting two more guns in it.

How much oil are you planning on burning through that bad boy? What nozzles are you going to use?

maple flats

01-20-2011, 05:10 AM

Brian- Yes, If it kills me it is worth it, Im taking no prisoners, Im giving it everything Ive got. Im running my vac just short of callapsing all my tubing and Im looking for a controlled nuclear reaction in the evaperator and thats just how its going to have to be. Good luck. Theron

If you do you won't need to refuel all season!!! You also can't run out of sap or the whole world will know how you make syrup.

mapleack

01-20-2011, 07:33 AM

Three weeks to operation TAPOFF at Pierce and video gaming, boob tube watchin, phone textin wondering what theyre good for Sons.

LMAO. Great one Theron.

Dennis H.

01-20-2011, 07:37 AM

I got 1st dibbs on one of his RO's and one of his milk tanks if he kicks the bucket!!:lol:

ennismaple

01-20-2011, 02:30 PM

I'm wondering if Theron's wife can be cloned!

It's doubtful we'll hit Theron-esque #s/tap this year but my math says we'll have a record year with only average weather. Should be fun!!!

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

01-20-2011, 02:36 PM

If he still has a wife or maybe she is waiting until he gets the 6 figure check this year that he has promised her! :)

PATheron

01-20-2011, 04:11 PM

Thad- I dont know anything about the nozzle size or any of that. Ive been so busy in the woods the evaperator has been mostly back burnered. Jerry is going to fire it up in another week and make sure everything is Ok for me. It has two 801 carlin burners I think and they said each one will use 12 gallons per hour or 24 gallons per hour total. Im fine with that considering what it will probly do. The thunderbolt arch is supposed to be pretty high performance from what everyone is telling me. Marty- My averages are nothing special but Im proud of them. I think all things considered we do real well for where we live. I kind of wish I could sugar up your guy's way for the freezes but Ive got to say I wouldnt want to deal with the snow. I usually do most of my sugaring with no snow. I run my mainlines knee level. Mom is a great girl to put up with my crap. Couple more weeks and Im tapping in then all Im going to do is walk woods and tweek till it starts runnin. CANT WAIT FOR MY BIGSAPP!!!!!

Thad Blaisdell

01-20-2011, 05:01 PM

Theroooooon, you will find that you have 2 nozzles per gun, probably 6 gallons each making 12, but I would bet the pressure on the gun is turned up also. That will make the total more like 29 per hour. That is what I am shooting now. I am contemplating turning that down a little and RO heavier. But have not made that decision yet.

You will have a low fire and high fire. Start the rig on low fire and get everything hot, then kick on the nuclear explosion. At that level it is quite amazing. I have sight tubes above each gun....... it is bright white in the chamber.

802maple

01-20-2011, 05:41 PM

If I go down, then I hope I do not get back up. The last 600 new taps have used up 300 multi fittings, 4 miles of main line, and 8 weeks to put together. I am ready to put in a Jerry bush just to see if 7/16, 30 taps per lat, and no vac has a better return on the $. Theron, You may have some tricks up your sleve, and I hope they work for you, but if it ends up killing you then was it worth it?

Remember Brian you have to keep track of the time that is involved in maintaining the vacuum system verses the "jerry system" verses how much is made and then your total hours times your going welding rate and then let me know which loses the least money. LOL

PATheron

01-20-2011, 05:52 PM

Thad- I was just talking to my buddy Andy and he says its not like I was thinking. I thougtht the way it was explained to me there were two large guns but he claims theres only one somehow. Whats the deal Jerry?

PATheron

01-20-2011, 05:55 PM

Brian- You dont have to figure your labor becouse your not working your just having fun. I think that its a lot easier working for a company and making money that way thats why Im driving to town everyday but I dream of making syrup full time too. Theron

802maple

01-20-2011, 06:03 PM

If it is a true "Thunderbolt" it has one Gordon Peiate (excuse the spelling) oil burner in the rear which pushes air and oil to the front and ignites it in the front.

802maple

01-20-2011, 06:05 PM

I hope you guys know I am just pushing your buttons.

PATheron

01-20-2011, 06:25 PM

Jerry- Thats exactly what it looks like it is to look at it. I thought the people said it had two guns and you can see the one in the back and it looks like more than just a gun and then in the front there isnt an exposed gun so I thought it was inside or something. Is having the one gun in the back and pushing heat and air all around the magic thats supposed to make it high performance? We know your just pushing buttons about the money end, Ive thougth the same thing myself the way Ive spent money on things. The thought is always next year I wont expand and Ill make big money and then you always buy stuff till your broke again. Seems like its just the culture. Theron

802maple

01-20-2011, 06:41 PM

That and massive amounts of oil, make big heat, and little profit. hehehe

PATheron

01-20-2011, 06:46 PM

What are we considering massive? Am I going to have to have the arabs bring the barges up the susquehanna river and have them just keep bringing it till I tell them to stop?

PATheron

01-20-2011, 06:49 PM

Ill just go back to ro'ing it to 20 % and boil for 15 minutes a day. Bet dad will learn how that filter press works.

802maple

01-20-2011, 06:56 PM

Barges won't be fast enough, you will have to have a pipeline system from Alaska just for you. Drill Baby drill

PATheron

01-20-2011, 07:06 PM

That will be fine, its still better than me cutting 20 cords of wood a year. Whats the output of that thing if you say ran 16% into it right from the head tank and using the piggy back and everything? Be like a 100 gallons per hour?

802maple

01-20-2011, 07:09 PM

Thats about right and it will be pure Pennsylvannia fancy.

PATheron

01-20-2011, 07:14 PM

You know all these rules your talking about. I think the mold and stuff is more sanitary than my finished product on that Pa fancy. Think they ban the mersh? Im a large producer of that stuff, its basically my specialty. This is not looking good at all.

802maple

01-20-2011, 07:19 PM

First of all nothing like mold could grow on PA fancy, hell that stuff glows in the dark. And these are basically Vermont rules, you know so that we can still make better syrup

waysidemaple

01-20-2011, 07:23 PM

Well I got board tonight here at school so I decided to make up an excel spreadsheet that will calculate my syrup sales and all that jazz for me. That only took an hours so I decided to make another that calculates: Total Monthly sap collected, Average monthly Brixs, Estimated monthly syrup using the rule of 86, Yearly sap collected, Average yearly brixs, and Estimated yearly syrup using the rule of 86. All I have to do is put in the gallons I collected and what it tested at for that day and It calculates all that. Works pretty good. I put in some fake numbers just to check for errors, none so far.
Can't wait to get into the woods tomorrow.

waysidemaple

01-20-2011, 07:37 PM

Theron - would it be okay to swing by this saturday?

PATheron

01-20-2011, 07:42 PM

That will be fine might be the best for you if you came at the end of the day if thats ok becouse Ill be in the woods all day but if you come then I can kind of show you around?

waysidemaple

01-20-2011, 07:46 PM

Im flexible. Let me know what time would be best for you. I'll be out most of the day saturday too. Thanks alot!

PATheron

01-20-2011, 07:49 PM

You can just come over anytime around the end of the day. By then Im tired out anyway. Im just going to try to get a ton of work done this weekend. I want to come down and see your setup. Next year your going to be on vac. Well get your dad trained on it. It wont be a big deal. Ill have to look at your woods and figure out something easy for you.

waysidemaple

01-20-2011, 07:54 PM

Sounds good to me. I already think I know where I will put in one sap ladder eventually. I think so far im doing it all right haha. Looks good to me anyway. About how far up 549 are you from route 6? Im not exactly sure where your at.

Brian Ryther

01-20-2011, 08:02 PM

Remember Brian you have to keep track of the time that is involved in maintaining the vacuum system verses the "jerry system" verses how much is made and then your total hours times your going welding rate and then let me know which loses the least money. LOL

Jerry, The time thing is a very sticky / trickey thing. I could spend 60hrs week welding and make more money then I need, but give up one big thing FAMILY. I am fully aware that my sugaring time is worth 1/10th of my welding rate. But 1) The side effects arent known to cause cancer in California, 2) I don't have to work with miserable whine a** "they dont pay enough" people, I wont be blind when I am 50, I could go on and on. And Jerry If you did not love sugaring as much as me and everybody else on the trader you wouldn't be on hear trying to egg us all on.

mapleack

01-20-2011, 08:28 PM

Just got home from the sugarhouse, working on plumbing in the new bottling room. About two inches of new snow between going in and quiting for the night. Still snowing steady dry powder. Wish I was in Vermont skiing!

Farmboy

01-20-2011, 08:52 PM

I hung some more laterals today. It's slow going walking through 2 feet of snow with a crust on it hanging laterals by yourself. Going to mass maple producers annual meeting satuday and getting a two handed tubing tool so I can put in my drop lines. Next week my buddy is going to help me finish up tubing after school. Hopefully the snow we have will give me some more time till the season starts. Biter don't need any more.

802maple

01-21-2011, 07:25 AM

Jerry, The time thing is a very sticky / trickey thing. I could spend 60hrs week welding and make more money then I need, but give up one big thing FAMILY. I am fully aware that my sugaring time is worth 1/10th of my welding rate. But 1) The side effects arent known to cause cancer in California, 2) I don't have to work with miserable whine a** "they dont pay enough" people, I wont be blind when I am 50, I could go on and on. And Jerry If you did not love sugaring as much as me and everybody else on the trader you wouldn't be on hear trying to egg us all on.

Brian
Too many on here had their blood presure to low so I decided to wind it up. I now understand why I can't see, sparky did it to me. Don't forget "OLD SCHOOL" all the way

Maplewalnut

01-21-2011, 09:24 AM

Brian
Don't forget "OLD SCHOOL" all the way

Agreed. As my signature suggests, NEVER under estimate the power of the almighty BUCKET (and 7/16ths spout). Can't bring myself to get rid of the roadside trees even though they are a pain to collect. Its my gambling fix, walk up to the bucket and pop the lid. Never know what you are going to find. Even better when your walking up and a 16qt bucket is over flowing even though you emptied it yesterday!!!!!!!!!

collinsmapleman2012

01-21-2011, 11:58 AM

got out of school early today, snowin pretty good. hoping to get my speech done, its about sap collection innovations in the past 100 years. this makes a great reference site!!!

802maple

01-21-2011, 05:37 PM

got out of school early today, snowin pretty good. hoping to get my speech done, its about sap collection innovations in the past 100 years. this makes a great reference site!!!

I would be glad to help if you need some quotes, I have gathered with horses to high vacuum tubing systems

Dennis H.

01-21-2011, 05:44 PM

Man the Trader is picking up the past few weeks, I think I am starting to smell sweetness in the air.

Colder than I blues blazes here. The few days are top be down right cold.

Not much else needing done so I am lurking around here on the trader to past the time or playing the Wii with the daughter!

802maple

01-21-2011, 05:49 PM

You need to talk to the makers of Wii and have them make a Maple sugaring game for the offseason

PATheron

01-21-2011, 05:56 PM

Im starting to have dreams about BIGAP lately. Means its coming soon. I think were in for a good year here. Going to make pa fancy out the ying. Its been cold like a real winter. Im sensing some pretty big runs.

collinsmapleman2012

01-21-2011, 06:04 PM

You need to talk to the makers of Wii and have them make a Maple sugaring game for the offseason

that sounds like it would be a big seller... to us :D it sounds like a cool idea

Yellzee

01-21-2011, 09:24 PM

had to get the spot lights out but managed to get the rest of the roof on the shack tonight. Tomorrow I can shovel it out and then start putting on the siding....
I'm considering actually insulating this addition and adding a ceiling as with the small home made evaporator \i'm worried it might get cool.... critters will be able to get at the ceiling insulation though... any idea if the pink styrofoam insulation you see around foundations and in basements is prone to critters chewing on it? thinking about putting it up on the trusses and then screwing plywood over it so the ceiling has some insulation.

3rdgen.maple

01-22-2011, 12:51 AM

Patheron Im with you man. This just seems like one of those winters like the old days. No january warmups, snow, cold temps, no rain just a good old winter deep freeze like the days before Al Gore and Global warming lol. It is going to be a great year I can feel it. Im pumped and getting more and more ready everyday. Like the famous Patheron quote TSUNAMI SAP get ready we are going to drown in sap boys.

PATheron

01-22-2011, 05:20 AM

ThirdGen- Thats what Im thinking too. Our winters are usually screwed up with all these warm spells and not this year. Im gearing up for the big one. I think that this year were going to call it $#@!ASTROPHIE SAP!!!! Thats what were looking at this year.

Thad Blaisdell

01-22-2011, 05:29 AM

Heading to Hyde Park, "Lets see if they can learn me sumpin". (saying that with a very redneck twange)

PATheron

01-22-2011, 05:36 AM

Whats Hyde Park?

Brokermike

01-22-2011, 06:13 AM

I think it's in Connecticut

Dennis H.

01-22-2011, 07:22 AM

I think it has something to do with Dr. Jekyll right?

tuckermtn

01-22-2011, 09:57 AM

vermont maple school location

Monster Maples

01-22-2011, 11:10 AM

No january warmups, snow, cold temps, no rain just a good old winter deep freeze like the days before Al Gore and Global warming lol.

You and Patheron crack me up. :lol: It is way too cold here to do anything. Stay in the garage today and work on the sap trailer sounds good to me. I still have about 10 more lats to run, then put the drops in and we are ready for the BIGSAP. Can't come fast enough. Work called today and told me they had a couple jobs they want me to do in a couple of weeks, told them to let me know how that goes for them. I sure hope you are right about the big sap, I might be lookin for a job:o

maple flats

01-22-2011, 11:43 AM

Hyde Park is actually is actually in NY about 2 miles north of Poughkeepsie, a short ways east of the Hudson.

maple flats

01-22-2011, 11:49 AM

I went this morning and bought another 500' of 3/4 30P for branch line. That should be the end for this season on expanson. Too cold out with wind chill so I will just plow the sugarhouse out again, and try to make a quick, simple spooler for the tubing I bought. I have a rather simple idea I'm going to try. If it works I'll share the idea. Then I'm going to begin cleaning out the sugarhouse and getting it ready. Wow, I sure stash lots of STUFF in there in the off season. I need to build more storage building (s)

802maple

01-22-2011, 02:37 PM

Yet another Hyde Park is in Vermont between Morrisville and Johnson.

farmall h

01-22-2011, 03:09 PM

Don't they call us "woodchucks" up here? Not "red necks? (No offense Wdchuck):lol:

wdchuck

01-22-2011, 06:05 PM

No offense taken! I dont mind being called a woodchuck OR a redneck- hence the name.

Farmboy

01-22-2011, 06:07 PM

Wow maple trader has picked up lately 6 pages and its only the 22nd. THe monthly journals are usully 3 pages. I went to the MMPA annual meeting today. I bought a new 2 handed tubing tool. It is going to make my life easier. I tryed it out and put in a few drops using a flashlight tonite. I got some arch gasket so I can put m evaporator back together. There was a workshop on grading syrup and off flavors that was pretty neat. All the syrups with off flavors that we tasted was bought off store shelves or entered in a contest so it reminded us to check all our syrup because it just takes one bad jug to turn away a customer forever.

dano2840

01-22-2011, 06:54 PM

well its been awhile, been a busy guy at VTC. told every one no im not sugaring this year, cant swing it while im in school, but gues what, i couldnt stay away form it. going to boil on weekends and my uncles going to take the sap produced during the week. vtc's got a maple production class taught by glen goodrich, thats my favorite class at college! went to maple school with the ol man today, learned that having my mainlines go up into the releaser 8" probably was really limiting vac to getting out to the rest of the woods because that created a sag out side the releaser that filled up and gas cant be transfered easily threw that, gues i f'd up there! but thats why you go to maple school! moving back to waitsfield next weekend! going to be nice living 50 ft away from my sugar place again. got alot to do yet, moving the tank thats in front of the sugar house to the back, putting a wood floor in from the pad out to the wall of the sugar house, putting in a couch, got some tubing to fix, some logging to do, told my mom's boy friend to plug the ol JD in so she'll start for me tomorrow morning, going to try to cut and pull some timber, maybe take out a few squirrels with the .22 i borrowed from my ol man today at maple school. sold him 2, 5 gal drums he gave me 3.30 a pound, i rounded it to $350 for the both of them, the bulk price is 2.80 so i must say i like doing buisiness with my ol man! keep warm guys, im probably going to be warming my hands on the tractor stack more than i will be logging ha! thank god for woolies and carhartt coats!

whalems

01-22-2011, 07:07 PM

Got most of the AOF finished today. Need to weld in nozzles. then put in ceramic blanket and brick. Lots to do still but it is comming!!:) 10 more inches of snow today so I think I may have a little time yet.:D

Thompson's Tree Farm

01-22-2011, 07:08 PM

Dan O,
Can't keep a good man down,,,,or away from maple:D

CaseysSugarHouse

01-23-2011, 01:21 AM

been workin in the woods pretty steady getting ready for the 2011 season. added a good 75 taps today shootin for a other 75 tomorrow added 350 new taps so far. looks like ill add about 400 new taps and 250 got new drops. hopin for a good season

hope everyone is doing well and getting the woods work DONE!

Paddymountain

01-23-2011, 06:35 AM

Not maple related, but we butchered 2 pigs yesterday using our (food safe)
wooden butcher tables and cast iron kettles. just like the days gone past

maple flats

01-23-2011, 06:43 AM

Yesterday I just plowed out the sugarhouse AGAIN and started cleaning out the sugarhouse for the season. I had 2 rototillers stored in there, but now I put them in my shooting house deer blind until they are needed again. I also kept looking at my solar charge controller. Even on a totally overcast day it fully charged the battery bank. I can't wait to see how well it will run the sugarhouse this year. (new system, larger and far more efficient)

3rdgen.maple

01-23-2011, 08:22 AM

Dano did you take up Dr. Tim Perkins offer and lending a hand? Curious cause that would be a great opportunity for anyone. Spent the day yesterday plowing after all the new snow. Got to get to the woods yet though but seeing the thermometer is reading 2 degrees I think Im staying inside today. Tuesday temps are back up in the 20's. Almost go time just a few more weeks.

maple flats

01-23-2011, 12:28 PM

I'm going out in a few minutes, the temp is way up to 5 above!!!

Gary R

01-23-2011, 01:25 PM

We had our annual maple meeting yesterday. The turn out was excellent. Quite a few new backyarder's showed up. Hoping everyone has a great year.

A couple of guy's on here seem to be excited about this cold weather. Their expecting a great season. They must have already forgot about last year. Cold until the last week of February. One week of decent weather and then 60's and sunny for most of March. The guy's up north were making syrup before we were:o Only time will tell what mother nature will bring us. Hopefully by adding vacuum things won't be as bad whatever the weather.

TroutBrookSH

01-23-2011, 02:37 PM

Thanks to backyardsugarer, I've got a salamander running in the new syrup kitchen today. Putting in outlets, switches, and OSB walls.

Picked up an old Garland six-burner stove with 2' griddle over the past summer for finishing and an occasional pancake breakfast, for me and crew, during the season!

Stay warm.

Sugarmaker

01-23-2011, 03:36 PM

Gary,
Folks that were at our NWPA maple meeting seen me try to do a demo on making maple candy with our candy machine. I did good getting the light syrup cooked to 240 in the pig. Started cooling it, got to 200 degrees and hit the switch on the screw. Grunt, groan and very little movement. Had seven syrup makers attack the machine pulling, pushing, probing, prodding, twisting, nothing! Just seemed that the bearings were locked up in the motor.

So I brought the candy machine home and took the gear end off the motor. All the gearing was in good working order and had plenty of grease. This motor had a small magnet type attachment on the end opposite the drive shaft. This seems to be some type of a motor brake. Maybe to stop the motor as soon as the power is shut off? I took this end off the motor pulled out the entire armature and found the bearings to be in like new shape and all free.
Went back and looked at this magnetic motor brake. It had a fiber disc that the motor shaft had to engage and turn. The thing was not working so the brake was on all the time. I took this apart took out the fiber disc, tested the motor and it worked fine. The gear motor will function fine without this brake, so we are back in the candy business.

Morel: Try the equipment before the demo! Also a reminder things tend to go wrong when trying to show a group.
Regards,
Chris

tuckermtn

01-23-2011, 03:48 PM

been distracted from maple trying to get my machine back running.

But got back in the maple groove today and headed over to Maine to get my new syrup pan and 16 x 28 finisher that Bill Mason has been building.

Bill did an amazing job putting some custom touches on the finisher. Some we talked about, some he did of his own creation. Nice to have someone doing the fabricating who has sugaring experience as he can invision what improvements might mean...

He put a v-groove in the bottom of the pan and a bottom drain so it should all drain to the outlet. Then he put what I'm going to call a "kick-stand" for the pan so you can prop up one end of the pan with ease. Should make sure everything makes it out of the finisher...
final touch is the jug rack- he made it a tray and put some stainless mesh over the top so that if you drip out of the valve it drops in to the tray, not on the mesh or the shelf. All that I was hoping for, and more...

Bill also did an excellent job making a copy of the 2.5 x 2.5 syrup pan. All I need now is sap...

Cannot speak highly enough about the service and quality of Bill's work. Was done when he said it would be done, and for what he said it would cost- a heck of a lot cheaper than any evaporator company in Vermont...

stay warm everyone...

maple flats

01-23-2011, 04:11 PM

looks like I ought to talk to Bill. The pan looks great. It is nearly what I'd need but mine is 3x2, same style, Grimm raised flue. Is it soldered or welded? How much did the pan run if I might ask?

tuckermtn

01-23-2011, 04:22 PM

Dave- its welded out of 20 gauge. price was $600.

red maples

01-23-2011, 04:41 PM

Well got out a little today!!! Went out snow shoeing for an hour this morning it was only 10* so I figured I would throw on an extra layer ...MISTAKE!!! ooofff worked up a good sweat!!!

Then got lazy for a few hours

decised to go out a get the releaser plumbed into the mainline. 12* with wind is awe-some... I can do it no problem with out the wind....I hate WIND!!!

anyway thats done.

Brought the stuff into the basement to re plumb the head tank. I'll just do a dry fit and put it together outside. much nicer working by the woodstove.

Farmboy

01-23-2011, 05:59 PM

Put up laterals and used my new tubing tool to put up 45 drop lines. working in the woods sucks with all this snow. Cut up a cherry tree that was stuck in another tree. Hopefully Ill finish up my neibors woods in the next few days. Then on to the other neibors then I need to finish my evaporator. I have a lot to do before the season.

PATheron

01-23-2011, 06:01 PM

Feelin a little uneasy tonight. Pretty much have my lines down to a few hotspots then its going to be continuous tweeking from here to thaw time when I can. Seems weird to be about ready. This week Im in the sugarhouse preparing for next weekends "OPERATION BURN OFF". Then I should be about ready to tap in. Looking foreward to see and hear that big machine in action. Ive got to run duct work to the piggyback and a little finetune on level and hook up the headtank and should be about ready to try it out. Were bearing down on go time. One more month and its #@$!ASTROPHIE SAP! Theron

Thompson's Tree Farm

01-23-2011, 06:10 PM

Theron,
If you want to feel a little harried and pushed to be ready on time, you can come up here for a couple days. I had loads of fun wire tying at 5 below this PM:D

Sugarmaker

01-23-2011, 07:04 PM

Built 40 drops this afternoon, 30P Leader tees and health spouts, now need to find trees for those.
Quite cold out looks like it will go to 10 below.
Chris

PATheron

01-23-2011, 07:13 PM

Doug- Id love to come up. Ive got tons of stuff Im supposed to do every weekend but like you said If I want to feel up against it I could just skip a weekend. Ive been working in it everyday too. Its a killer. Ill work about an hour and a half and then come back and get warm. What all are you working on now Doug? Theron

twobears1224

01-23-2011, 07:35 PM

DOUG:wait till tomorrow morning..that minus 5 is going to feel balmy. :lol:

delbert

farmall h

01-23-2011, 07:53 PM

Already -16 below here! Supposed to drop to -25/-30 by morning.:o

Thompson's Tree Farm

01-23-2011, 08:04 PM

Yeah, that is what they are saying here too. Probably just cut and skid logs in the AM. That'll keep the horses warm and us too trying to keep up with them.

twobears1224

01-23-2011, 08:25 PM

it,s already minus 25 here at 9:20pm and still droppin.

delbert

red maples

01-23-2011, 09:42 PM

-25 Wow thats pretty cold. We are tropical -1 here in southern NH.

sapman

01-23-2011, 10:17 PM

-3 here right now. The snow is our worst problem. 3.5' on the level. Haven't been to the woods in a few weeks. Hope it's not as bad down there.

allgreenmaple

01-24-2011, 05:02 AM

-25 here this morning. Not a chance of pulling the last of the laterals on this 300 + tap bush I have been working on. Wait for another somewhat warmer day. This will push me up to 700-750 taps this year.

cpmaple

01-24-2011, 05:25 AM

Right now i have -29 and have been up since 3 because water line froze not working in sugar house today till water is unfrozen cpmaple crown point ny

twobears1224

01-24-2011, 06:57 AM

8am and minus 32... in alittle bit i have to head to work.. the school bus i drive has a air door to let the kids on..and it,s either closed or wide open..the guy that invented that sure didn,t live in the north country... :rolleyes:

delbert

Amber Gold

01-24-2011, 07:17 AM

Eric, Those are some nice touches on the finisher. I like the "kick stand" I prop the tank up with a stack...the kick stand would be nice. You've done some work to your arch with the air tight front. Did you add over fire air as well?

ennismaple

01-24-2011, 02:04 PM

We went to our local Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association meeting on Saturday. It was a good turnout and as usual we came away with all kinds of neat tips and other info. The most beneficial were 2 tips from Rejean L - the Force 5 combustion expert. The first was to keep the hatches on the steam hood partially open to speed up evaporation. He said that foam slows down evaporation and that by partially opening the sliding doors you get rid of the foam and allow the gas in the liquid to escape into the air faster. If you've got a pre-heater you need to figure out how much you can open up the hatches without compromising the pre-heater's performance.

Afterwards we asked Rejean about using our auto-runoff and got a great tip from him that should allow for more frequent draw-offs of syrup. For those of you who haven't met Rejean he's a wealth of technical knowledge.

Yesterday we decided to get some work done in the woods, despite the -25 C (-35 C with windchill) temperature. Once we got properly dressed and moving it was actually quite pleasant in the woods. We managed to get the rest of our main bush switched over to stubbies and made a few repairs here and there. In total, we reduced the number of taps in our main bush by over 16% by removing 3rd and 4th taps from trees that have been overtapped for decades. Only a few monster trees have a 3rd tap but the long-term benefit should be worth it.

We still have some work to get done around the sugar camp but we've pretty much finished our work in the woods and could tap tomorrow if we needed to. It won't be long until we're thinking about charging up the drills!

red maples

01-24-2011, 03:45 PM

Rejean was at the NH annual meeting last year. He sat with us and ate lunch the guy is pretty amazing. he really knows his stuff. When I talke dto him last year he had a bunch of things he was working on, Smaller more effiecient evaps2x6 2x8 drop flues, whole house wood boilers, amoung other other things.

Our NH annual meeting this year the hot topic was the changing of the grading system. Wow can of worms there!!! and the VT McDonalds dispute over the Oatmeal. We wanna get in on that too.

I wanted to work in the SH house today but ended up shoveling off the roof. there was a lot of snow packed up there!!! we could get 0-12 inches of snow on wed/thurs. so now I am almost ready I have a little more to go I'll do it tomorrow!!! :(

Dennis H.

01-24-2011, 07:44 PM

Sitting here watching Pawn Stars with nothing to do and thought when was the date that I tapped in last year so I pulled out my logbook.

I tap my trees 1/22/10 they ran for 1 week before the big freeze up in Feb. The BIG FREEZE lasted for about 3 weeks and I noted that I started getting sap again 2/19/10. The trees ran about 2 weeks and I pulled them 3/12/10.

So I had 4 weeks of sap flowing last year. The sap averaged about 1.25%, man that was terriable! If I included the 1 gal that I lost to the stove I made just over 5 gals! compared to the 10 gals in 2009 and they were all on buckets!

So I am thinking about the weather that we are having and how this Jan is like a real normal Jan. We have not had a single warm spell yet. And I have not had a single day that I have sat and wondered if I shouldn't be out tapping trees. So come Feb we should get our 1st warm up and I am hoping that it will be a sign of a normal year weather wise. For use down here a normal year weather wise we start getting above temps in the beginning of Feb and it sure looks like that I may just get them!!!

PATheron

01-24-2011, 08:20 PM

Worked in the sugarhouse tonight on my new to me evaperator. Taking a little break in the woods this week to get the evap up and going. Head tank very high but got a good fix on it. Figuring out the plumbing on the evap and think I have a handle on it now. Trying to run the numbers and cant remember what Jerry told me the whole rig will hold. Im thinking maybe 400 gallons total with the piggy maybe Im all wet on that but Im thinking something like that. Im running the numbers in my head and if I do a 6000 gallon first boil and run the ro's to 8% Ill have 1500 gallons of concentrate. but if theres the better part of 4 or 500 of liquid I boil for two hours. Wonder If Ill draw syrup off 6000 gallons. Seems like a guy would. Need some input from Big Jer I guess. Once the pans are sweet I should be all normall and just draw what a guy would think your should. Have to wait and see. If nothing else I should be sweet enough off one tanker trailer that all should stay fine in the evap. Evaperator very heavy. Leveled it tonight and it was a bear. Ready to plumb up head tank tomarrow night then Ive got to run the high pressure fan duct work to the piggy back and should be just about ready to try it. Think Im going to name my new Rig Little Chernoble after the nuclear Reactor in Russia. Seems appropriate. Gotta make syrup faster than the 3 by 10. If it doesnt Im going to bummed. Theron

danno

01-24-2011, 09:57 PM

[QUOTE=ennismaple;127636]
Afterwards we asked Rejean about using our auto-runoff and got a great tip from him that should allow for more frequent draw-offs of syrup. For those of you who haven't met Rejean he's a wealth of technical knowledge.

Ennismaple - well, now you have to share. How do we improve the performance of our auto draw?

Dill

01-25-2011, 09:17 AM

we could get 0-12 inches of snow on wed/thurs. so now I am almost ready I have a little more to go I'll do it tomorrow!!! :(

Ha we're at 0-22. Now that's a range.
Hopefully getting at least the frame of a woodshed tacked onto the SH today.

ennismaple

01-25-2011, 10:42 AM

Ennismaple - well, now you have to share. How do we improve the performance of our auto draw?

He said that we should be using the Microtherm Temperature Probe Holder (see page 25 of this year's Lapierre catalogue) instead of the pre-drilled hole for the probe that's in the side of the syrup pan. This should allow us to find the sweet spot on the pan where we can get multiple, small runoffs per minute instead of larger batches of syrup every 5 minutes. Rejean said that when he designed the auto draw-off the probe was supposed to be mounted vertically and that the fixed position of the probe hole in the pan is at a cold spot in the pan and allowed for little to no adjustment, meaning we lose control of the syrup density and run the risk of scorching the pan.

Thad Blaisdell

01-25-2011, 10:53 AM

802maple

01-25-2011, 01:07 PM

Theron, ole boy.

Just concentrate sap to 20%, boil on the evaporator, and if you make syrup you do and if you don't, you don't. I guarantee sometime syrup will come off the old nuclear reactivator. When I get done slapping you around this weekend, you will have it right. Then you and the Buxton buck killer can hash out what you will do next.

Fishgill

01-25-2011, 05:50 PM

Installed two more windows for more natural light. Tomorrow the stove goes in. I'm getting close to being ready.:D

PATheron

01-25-2011, 06:28 PM

Jerry- Got the feed lines plumbed up tonight. Looking good. 20% In Little Chernoble? Ill be fumbling with filter papers and syrup be running all over the floor. I cant make money less I get it in the barrells. You have me make 20% stuff dad will be slapping both of us. Now this is the question. Its 1.25 inch coming off the piggy back to the float box on the flue pan. I was going to reduce it to 3/4 becouse like you say only going to run a pencil stream then I got to thinking when my head tank is empty Im going to want to open up the output valve on the piggy back and run it into the float box on the flue pan to match the boil rate of the rig untill the piggy is empty. That will get the less sweet stuff up there boiled in every night. Will 3/4 feed the rig or do I put in the 1.25? Ill probly boil week stuff once and we'll be back to pushing the envelope. Things scary lookin. Theron