Homemade evaporater on wheels

[elm creek guy]

Just fininshed this bad boy thanks to all who post here for making this fairly easy. Had to try it out yesterday and it worked great. The pan is 25x67x4 and very thin got it from a old sapper who hasnt used it in 20 yrs. built the arch out of 3/16" plate. The only thing I thought I might have went to small on the stacks. A friend of mine and myself are gonna share this thing so we put it on wheels and put on dual 4" stacks 13' tall. It couldnt have worked better boiled of 15 gallons in a hour and a half including start up. All i gotta do is finish the preheater and wait for it to warm up. Will tap around 80 trees I think this thing will handle it! I also have the ability to modify this pan if any changes need to be made, but I think I will make it through this yr and see how it goes maybe order a custom pan in the of season. Thanx again and let me know what you guys think.

[Big_Eddy]

Looks great - would be perfect for doing demonstrations at local schools, or at winter fairs.

[Mio1]

That is a great idea I'm sure the guys that go inside the sugar sack wouldn't understand but I;m building one this summer thanks for the idea

[MilesTeg]

It looks great and I like the idea of it my one question is leveling it.

[Ausable]

Hey - elm creek guy --- What a great idea -- If You can't bring the sap to the evaporator ---- Bring the evaporator to the sap (trees). Would be good for demonstrations or say to a Pals that does maple. My Oldest Son started hauling sap up to me - from 85 miles away. Would be easier to haul an evaporator like yours down to him. Great idea with a lot of possibilities ----- Mike

[elm creek guy]

The back has a tongue jack on it it will sit in my wood shed on concrete if the front isn't straight let some air out of 1 tire

[buck3m]

Very nice. I like the idea of wheels. One thing to consider if you haven't already is we found it made a huge difference to protect the operation from wind. The sides of our pan are higher, which likely makes a difference, but a cold wind really sucked the heat away. But with the wheels, you can roll it out of the wind.

Good job. Those clever Minnesotans.

[whalems]

Looks great!! Does it have a ash pan or something? Just wondering how you keep the heat away from the tires? Good Luck this season, Mike

[elm creek guy]

we put heat shields on it but probably didnt need to, there is a pan that goes in the lower air vent. Had temps on the lower stack area around 700 and the side was 140 near the fire. I see why people use firebrick that stuff is incredible.

[whalems]

Did you put ceramic blanket or archboard behind the bricks? I just rebuilt an old arch and added the blanket 1" thick and on a test boil after an hour of a rip-roaring fire I could still hold my hand on the side of the arch:) That stuff is worth its wait in gold. Happy boiling, Mike

[elm creek guy]

I just put bricks in it I almost wish I would have left some out. It was 20 degrees yesterday and it was not warm to stand next to. But I put my finger in the water and touched the pan above the fire before it boiled and wow was that hot not to smart.

[afretired]

That is great. My son is needing an evaporator but he isn't going to have a sugar house. So the arch on wheels is a great idea, never even thought about it. Looks like time to start making another cooker.

David

[Brian Ledoux]

Very impressed with this evaporator! This thing kicks butt. Had I been as creative and handy, I would have done the same thing. Hope it works well for you!

[NH Maplemaker]

Very nice evaporator! I think a nice addition to your already great idea would be a small bottle jack or something like that added to each corner for quick leveling. Because if your ever going to get into trouble, the level will do it to you in a heart beat!! Again great Job. JimL.

[70 Buick]

Wow looks great
the people on this site never cease to amaze me !!

[Logan Cabin]

Fantastic idea & execution!

How will the firebrick take movement, once they've been put in place with the refractory cement?

[Mac_Muz]

I need some help. I see red x's for the pics and can't figure out why that is. :(

[elm creek guy]

That may be the one thing I overlooked is the fire brick. If it loosens up may have to figure a way to keep it in place.

[Mac_Muz]

I may not get help to see the pics in the red x's, but want to say my stove is mounted on skis. I find it easier to drag the stove to the wood piles that way.

The skis are adjustable up and down to level the stove, which levels the pan.

on edit: I found a way to see the pics by refreshing the page. Cool rig.

[Treetapper]

Wish I had that idea when I used to cook outside. Looks really good. If you run out of wood you could use the tires to finish off the day! lol