Trouble Installing CV Adapters

[Bruce L]

Started tapping late today,have one tank ready to tap when it warms up again.I decided to get a "feel" for tapping with the CV Adapters,couldn't get 2 stubbies to get on the adapters,then I noticed the "fingers" were busted inside,figured it was from using a finishing hammer,too small a head.I came home,grabbed the rubber mallet and finished tapping the lateral I was on in the dark.Am I right in assuming I had too small of a hammer to use and I damaged the fingers?Thanks in advance for the help,next warm day will be tapping on a much larger scale.
Bruce

[maple flats]

Do you have 2010 CV's or 2011? There was a change made. On the HAMMER, you do not need a hammer. I just use the side face of a small pair of lineman's pliers, and then just tap gently. This is true when using any type, CV, health spout, health spout adapters and so on. Do not drive them in hard, that just risks splitting the bark and losing the seal. In fact I sometimes tap in the CV and then just push and turn by hand the stubby to seal it.

[gmcooper]

Bruce I used 1000 cv last year and use the 20 oz hammer I use everyday building. Hitting square on the cv will help for sure. My guess is when connecting the stubby to the cv if they are not lined up you can crush the fingers. With a 1000 last year i crushed one cv by way over driving it(not paying attention at all) and crushed the fingers on a couple(again not looking at what I was doing).

[Jec]

Yeah your right. I used a normal hammer to put them in. They leak so they have to be pretty far in the hole. When you put in the stubby spouts, turn it left a quarter turn then, tap it once with a hammer. (Thats what I did, it seems to work well.)

[collinsmapleman2012]

i do the same thing jec does, with a rubber mallet. makes it easy because the fingers have no chance of breaking.

[chrisnjake9]

what were the changes made and how do i know what ones i just bought

[Randy Brutkoski]

the fingers are stronger so the ball has less of a chance of getting sucked down the lateral line. I think they acctually changed the plastic a little bit. Last year they were thrown together fast because leader was so far behind on filling the orders. The cv wasnt cured the right way .

[Bruce L]

The adapters are 2010 models I am sure,as I bought them at Leader's open house last year,back to winter here today so I won't be tapping the rest in just yet.

[Brent]

If you're smashing the fingers it is because you are not in good alignment when you first push the stubby on the spout. I did that several times last year. There was less tollerance for misalignment on the first years production of CVs. This year there is a bigger bevel on the inside to help avoid this.

[sugarstone]

we mashed a few fingers because we were not checking for ice in the stubby before putting onto the spile.
Many from last year we noticed were mashed up probably from making this mistake.

[Bruce L]

Brent,you may be right as I am used to the 7/16" spiles that I could stretch around the tree when I drilled,may have been a little overzealous in stretching the cv adapters around the trees.

[red maples]

I found a nice little 8 oz rubber mallet at ace hardware in town cost me $3.75 I think. couple3-4-5-6 little wrist taps until you hear the thunk then its seated. put in the stubby on 1/4 turn 1 or 2 little wrist taps again an its done.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

This is the best little hammer for tapping I have ever found. It is very lightweight and compact and fits in your pocket and works great!!

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-oz-stubby-claw-hammer-95929.html

[delta757and767pilot]

what would your sap delivery system be? lol me? jk joey how do you get your ingot on the bottom like 55 taps 15 on buckets...etc...