tubing equipment cost vs buckets

[hholt]

Hello folks, this is my first post and I was hoping you might be able to answer a couple of questions. My wife and I have a farm here in Southern Illinois and next year we want to start tapping mostly for personal use, and for something fun to do with our two boys. I don't have any sugar maples, just lots of box edlers and silver maples.

At first I was thinking of buying used metal pails/lids and used metal taps, and doing it the old fashioned way. From the reading I've been doing though, I'm starting to think it would be a lot less expensive and more efficient to use recycled food grade plastic containers set on the ground near a small clumps, and tap with plastic spouts connected with 5/16th tubing. I'm thinking along the lines of two or three large trees right next to each other, two taps in each tree, and connected with 5/16th tubing to a recycled 5 gallon (food grade plastic pail). I think I can set that up for about $8......whereas used metal pails, lids, and spouts would run about three times that much, am I missing something? I have lots of places where I have big trees right next to each other and could set up 5 gallon collection points.

I am planning on building a brick arch designed to fit a Leader Half Pint pan this summer and boiling out in the woods, and then finishing and canning in the house. It 's a fair bit of money for a pan, but it looks well made and looks like it will last a long time. Any opinions on the Half Pint pan? Should I start off with a good used SS pan that's a little bigger?

[Mike]

Hi, I used 5 gal food grade buckets my second year...I did it the way you described...I put out about 450 buckets that year...You can usually get buckets free....I got mine from a friend who worked for a plant that made dips...A roll of 5/16 tubing (500') cost around 45 bucks, less for the old style tubing...100 spouts cost around 23 bucks.... I had lids with mine...I used a 1.5" hole cutter and drilled a hole 1" below the cover, I would drill 1,2 or 3 holes in the back side for my drops....You can use Y's to make less drops.....You can buy spouts and Y's by the numbers you want....It is a lot of fun and the family will enjoy it....I wouldnt recomend finishing off in the house , the steam raises heck with the walls and ceiling...Hope this helps.........I bet you'll build a sugar house soon because you'll catch the BUG.......Mike

[Father & Son]

One other thing to think about when looking at pans or even an evaporator would be how many taps you are going the have when you start out or how many this "addiction" is going to turn into. With too small of a pan and lots of sap you are going to spend hours upon hours boiling. We started out with a used 2 x 6 last year and at best boiled 25 gallons of sap an hour. Sometimes you can pick up a used 2 x 6 for a pretty good price. It's all in what you want to do and how much you want to grow.

Jim

[maple flats]

You might also look at a used syrup pan that is bigger than the 24 x 36" approx the half pint is. You can often get good used pans for reasonable, especially if it is a brand that is not real popular where the dealer is who is selling the used pan. Maybe the MapleGuys.com might have something used, or try other sources. If you make a masonry arch you can go any size. Stainless welded is best but solder is ok if you have leadfree or do not clean the solder to make it bright on 50/50 you are ok but need to be careful on the cleaning. If you are thinking next year the best time to look is shortly after this season for used. I startewd with mini tubing set-ups using an oil jug from restaurants that were cleaned out and run the tubing into the cap thru a hole made by melting a hole with a hot rod, drilling cracks the plastic. These work good if you can keep them out of the sun. Bear in mind that one tap on a good day will give over 1 gal/day. In some cases I have gotten 2 gal/tap but it is rare. I started in the back yard tapping a few box elders and they made good syrup, never kept track of how many gal sap to get a qt of syrup but I think it will be down near or below 1% sugar but you are doing it to give the kids a sense of where it comes from so the % isn't real important.

[hholt]

thanks for the advice everyone I really appreciate it. Ill look out for a good used pan after this season.

[SUGARSMITH]

Right, for personal use, a hobby.

Remember 90% statred out as a hobby and now have buildings dedicated for the sole purpose of maple syrup !!!!!

[hholt]

I have a fryer and thought about using it, but it would make me nervous doing it my kids. They are little ruffian boys ages 2 and 7, and those fryers are top heavy and liable to tip over. Just not as safe as it could be.

I made syrup when I was a kid.....just haven't done it in 30 years, so I know I'll enjoy doing it for as long as I'm kicking on our farm here. Whereever possible I'd like to be able to expand with the equipment I buy, which is part of the reason I was lookng at a tubing type equipment instead of pails. I might use a 1/2 pint evaporator the first couple of years, or a 2x4 or thereabouts I can find one. Depends on what I can find used in good condition.