sap hauling when you can't use the tractor

[ctjim]

what does everyone do when they can't haul sap w/ a tractor? this is going to be the big issue for me at the beginning of the season as we have too much snow in the woods. i have a couple 15 gal kegs that i plan to use and put them on a big plastic sled that i am borrowing from a friend who used it for ice fishing gear. thought about putting my 55 gal leg tank on the sled but once filled i don't think i could pull it by hand, should have kept that old snomobile i had. anyone have any other ideas?

[Brent]

Hard to guess about the lie of the land but it may be easier to lug pails uphill a few feet then pour them into a pipeline that will make a longer run down a gradual slope.

[adk1]

see if you can rent a snowmobile from someone

[morningstarfarm]

I use an old snowmobile I bought for cheap...I also found an old set of skis off a snowmobile caboose...buile a sled on it that fits a 55 gal drum and a few buckets in it..I can get to within 30' of most of my taps...makes collecting a joy..:)

[stoweski]

put on a good pair of snowshoes or crampons and get a couple of 5 gallon buckets. That's what I plan on doing. We have a nice snowpack so I may even throw the 5 gallon buckets on a sled and pull them back instead of carrying them...

of course my sap hauler will find the best alternative to using the tractor. I'll be in the shack boiling.:D

[3rdgen.maple]

If I didnt have a tractor I would not be tapping, well atleast not as much. When I was a younger lad and borrowed a pan and a tarp I had to do it on foot. I took a pair of cross country skis and build a plywood box and screwed the skis to the bottom. I put 4 big milk cans (20 gallons each I think) and pulled it around and filled the cans. Worked pretty good but would probably kill me if I tried it now. Still got the thing in the corner of the sugarhouse and the milk cans. Why do us sugarmakers hang onto everything maple related?

[Southtowns27]

A full 55 gal drum is going to be over 400 pounds. I also doubt you'll be able to drag that around. Check you local craigslist for a beater snowmobile for cheap. Now is the time of the year to buy one. I don't know how much snow you get there, but here our only option is to use this (20+ feet of snowfall):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/Southtowns27/Maple%20syrup/100_0860.jpg
(That's my fiance at the wheel)
We have over 400 taps out right now and there would honestly be no way to get to alot of them (unless we walked miles on snowshoes carrying hundreds of buckets) without the sno-cat.

[3rdgen.maple]

Oh it can be dragged around, its not dead weight like you are trying to pick up. Skis, snow slides easy did it with those milk cans when I was 15 to 18 years old.

[ctjim]

i had an old snowmobile but sold it because we don't ever see that much snow down here, this yr is not a normal snow season for us. everyone trying to sell snowmobiles these days around here think they're gold because of all the snow we have. supposed to be around 55 on fri and i may try to beat a path down w/ the soft snow so the tractor can get out to collect. for the mean time i will be using the sled.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

ctjim what kind of tractor you got? we have a JD 750 4x4, i have never gotten stuck in snow with it to date, of course the most we've had here is 24" but it rolls through like a tank, i hit a 4ft snow drift onetime and had to use the *rear diff lock* along with 4x4 right out it came.

[briansickler]

ctjim what kind of tractor you got? we have a JD 750 4x4, i have never gotten stuck in snow with it to date, of course the most we've had here is 24" but it rolls through like a tank, i hit a 4ft snow drift onetime and had to use the rear diff lock along with 4x4 right out it came.

We have a JD 970 4x4. I was very impressed with it and where it would go. The pulling power is amazing for the size of the tractor. I have a logging winch for it and you wouldn't believe how well it works getting firewood logs out.

Brian

[Dill]

Try expanding your search for sleds. For whatever reason I've noticed CT snowmobiles are wicked expensive, western mass is hit or miss. But get up to NH ME or VT and they get cheap. You can pick up something from the 70s or 80s for under 500, less if your good with a wrench. We have pile of them out behind the barn. Most everyone does.

[northwoods_forestry]

Where would one look for an affordable sno-cat? Seeing that picture of the Tucker in this thread got me all excited and I googled used Tuckers. The prices blew me away!

[ctjim]

We have a JD 970 4x4. I was very impressed with it and where it would go. The pulling power is amazing for the size of the tractor. I have a logging winch for it and you wouldn't believe how well it works getting firewood logs out.

Brian

i have a smaller jd 790 4x4 30hp, most of the time it will go anywhere, but the snowpack here is about 3ft not a big deal if it was powder, but we also have had a couple of ice storms which has made the top few inches very hard and crusty. i tried using the older jds from my familys farm and i got the old jd 50 stuck, had to get my cousins nht4030 to pull me out and that tractor barely made it through and its 65hp w/4x4. going to make a call to my wifes family in boonville/syracuse areas to keep an eye open for a cheap snowmobile.

[Greg Morin]

this link might be an option have seen snomobile clubs use them for grromers

http://www.mattracks.com/

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

these would probably work in deeper snow as well. bit costly though

http://troutmachinery.webkit.com/files/84/7fda843f-ffb2-22af-26a2-47506ada8984.jpg

ATV Tracks Tatou 4S Track Deep Snow System
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Artic-Cat-ATV-Tracks-Tatou-4S-Track-Deep-Snow-System-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a619dbe39QQitemZ25074 5830969QQptZMotorsQ5fATVQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[michiganfarmer2]

maybe put a large collection tank central to your stand of trees. Dunmp the buckets in THAT. Use a gas engine powered pump and a few hundred feet of tubiing, or however much yuo need to pump the sap to a place where yu can reach it with a pick up or whatever

[gmcooper]

Here in Maine there are plenty of used snowmobiles on craigslist and Uncle Henrys every week. My son just sold his 93 polaris 440 that ran great for $260. He bought a 700 Artic cat that he has spent most of the winter fixing instead of riding. I can see his $160,000 business degree is really paying off.

[NH Maplemaker]

We have been using a TATOU track system since 2003 and have nothing but good to say about them!! We have them mounted on a Honda foreman manual shift. Track and tires can be changed in about an hour. Under the right snow conditions it will go any were! If your ATV is set up with a winch the system is pretty much fool proof. In the spring when we clean the lines ,we can't be leave what we have been drive over! Great system!! Jim L.

[Tweegs]

More about the mud than the snow here…mud, who am I kidding? Wet, sticky, sloppy, nasty, clay. Gums up the tires on the tractor right quick.

I bought one of those portable winches some time ago to make sure I could get in and out of my favorite hunting spot. Never used it for that purpose, but I have an old 8N that I was constantly getting stuck, got plenty of use out of it there.:lol:

[Farmboy]

Ill use the T300 tracked skidsteer to collect with. It will go over snow and mud. Not much can stop it and it can lift 3000lbs. I will just put a 275 gallon tote pn the forks.

[Flat47]

Just saw a Tucker on eBay, but they're starting it at something like $10,000 and it's a sedan version. Still really cool, though.

Here you go:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-Tucker-Sno-Cat-1543-8-passenger-318-5-speed-snow-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4aa8a7f0aeQQitemZ32065 7158318QQptZOtherQ5fVehiclesQ5fEverythingQ5fElse

[3rdgen.maple]

these would probably work in deeper snow as well. bit costly though

http://troutmachinery.webkit.com/files/84/7fda843f-ffb2-22af-26a2-47506ada8984.jpg

ATV Tracks Tatou 4S Track Deep Snow System
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Artic-Cat-ATV-Tracks-Tatou-4S-Track-Deep-Snow-System-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a619dbe39QQitemZ25074 5830969QQptZMotorsQ5fATVQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I really dont think they have enough ground clearance to be hauling sap in snow. If that thing sank a few inches it done.

[Melody Bee Farms]

I really dont think they have enough ground clearance to be hauling sap in snow. If that thing sank a few inches it done.

I use a 450 ct Case tracked loader but the most snow we have on the ground is 2 feet

[Farmboy]

I really dont think they have enough ground clearance to be hauling sap in snow. If that thing sank a few inches it done.

I don't no about a cat but the bobcats we have with tracks go great in snow. It's light so it floats over the snow. I've taken it more than a 1/4 mile across feilds and threw the woods without getting stuck. And they workk great for plowing because you can ramp the snow up into a pile and I haven't found anything else that can do that.

[Southtowns27]

The Tuckers aren't cheap, but if you're patient deals can be found. My Tucker was $3500 and it only had 5400 miles on it, and came with a truckload of spare parts. I found my Thiokol for only $1700 in running condition. It needed a little TLC, but it wasn't a complete rehab project. They're out there, just have to keep looking.

[NH Maplemaker]

If I had something like that, I would want to tap every tree in the north country just so I could drive it all day!LOL JimL.

[maple flats]

I used my old Ford 4x4 with 9.5x24 tires rear and 5-14 tires front. I had chaine front and rear and I drove thru snow over 3' deep pulling firewood logs in the past. Rarely even had to use differential lock with the chains on. Now I run everything to convenient locations and keep the drives plowed with my bigger tractor or my excavator. To pull logs thru deep snow I use the excavator.

[maple flats]

Also, is a pump line an option? Pump it down to where you can drive. Even a 1" pump and 1" line will move lots of sap if that is your best choice. If longer try upsizing the transport line to 1.25" for less line loss. You need to weigh cost vs time to pump. My 2 cy 1" pump is less that 11# fully fueled.