Upcoming Winter Projects

[kirkhedding]

Ok Michiganders, What's everyone planning for the upcoming winter? We just had some of our woods logged off to make more room for maples and get rid of some trees that were just getting to big. In the next month, I have to go out and clean up the woods, have some trails repaired. And then start putting up tubing! That's right. We're putting up tubing with vacumm on the whole woods. Looks like we'll be between 300-350 taps. Can't wait. Looking forward to more sap and more syrup.

[Tweegs]

The kids getting married early next year really put a damper on my sugar house plans. Instead of concrete and vacuum, I get to pay for a cruise.

There is some room left in the budget, just ordered a hood yesterday and will build a pre-heater.
Picked up another 500’ of mainline to put out.

Got permission to tap my neighbor’s property, a cursory look has it at least 40 taps, probably more. It’s a matter of what I’m willing to go get because it will all have to be on bucket. Though they said I could clear a path for the tractor, I’m reluctant. Much of it is low and wet back there, tractor would dig things up right nice. A take- down system is in the works, but not for the ’13 season…did I mention I had a wedding to pay for?

20 yards of gravel are coming this week to drop around the shack, the mud and muck will be hip deep if I don’t. Bought what I needed to get the stack and roof jack on properly and create a double wall going up through the cupola. Still have to make the cupola doors. And then there is all the wood yet to cut.

Tore the rotator cuff in my right shoulder over Labor Day, get to chat with a surgeon Friday. That’s kept the work to a minimum. Feeling good right now, the trick is not to do anything stupid…which is going to take a miracle. Kiss deer and bird hunting goodbye for this season.

Said and done I should be in the neighborhood of 300 taps, but that includes some smaller cull trees…tap ‘em ‘til they croak. :lol:

[whalems]

Just poured the concrete for a kitchen addition to the shack. poured a pad fro the vacuum tank to set on. also poured an approach to the front of the shack. now to frame walls and roof insulate add water heater and triple sink. new entry d

oor sidding. and if time allows add 200 more taps.

[firetech]

Ya it's been along time since I've posted. Farmer Markets are kicking my butt. We have aquired (2) 1000 gal tanks and a 500 gal Zero tank and a delaval 76 vacumm pump, Kirk we are head for vac too but on a 1000-1200 tap wood lot with .2ft of slope in 10 acres. We will make it work. Spent some time last week with Glen Goodrich pulling in 16000ft wire for mains and conductor line. You can sure learn a lot just in conversation with that guy. Tweegs it was sure nice to visit with you at market Sat. Oh thought I would just mention that I have all my wood up for this year.

[Tweegs]

Yup, good to see you again Firetech, we missed you on the tour.
(Heh, farmer’s market kicking your butt, I’d say it was the other way around!)

Rub it in on the wood, will ya.

We’ve got one final race this Saturday and we’ll be looking to get the boat out of the water. Lake St. Clair is down about 3 feet. Just under 6 feet of water in the slip, we need 4.5. Need to get her out before it drops any more. Once that’s done I can concentrate on the wood.

Got about a dozen trees to fell, once they’re on the ground I’ve got 6 helpers to buck, cut, split and stack. Hate to drop trees with that many hanging around, afraid I might squish one. ..City boys, the lot of them. Chainsaws, log splitters and tractors make them feel kind of manly, and for the price of beer and pizza, who am I not to show them a “good time”?

Spent yesterday and part of today lowering the existing mains and running wire for the new stuff.

[DonMcJr]

I've been busy with a 20 x 23 Addition on our house. Just gutted the Kitchen and redid it and it's 98% Done. Made our Master Bedroom Bigger and that's done. Now it's onto the rest of the addition...

[Tweegs]

Too wet and windy yesterday for outside work, got the shack wired up instead.
Breaker panel, a couple of lights, switches, outlets. Will run on batteries + inverter, or, in a pinch, a generator.

The math suggests that the batteries will get me 14~16 hours run time out there. Saves a bunch on gas for the generator.

[kirkhedding]

Had Brad and Dave from Leader out a couple of weeks ago to mark the mainlines. A lot more mainlines than I thought, but we might be able to get closer to 400 taps. That would be nice. I picked up all the tubing from Sugarbush Supplies yesterday. Rick is coming out Tuesday to help get me started. Can't wait.

[Tweegs]

Decided it just wouldn’t be a bona-fide winter unless I was racing the clock trying to get ready for the season.

Was out this past weekend running wire for some new mainlines. Bought a new spool of the 12.5 ga high tensile for the project. Seems what I have out in the woods now is either old or isn’t high tensile (probably the latter), had issues with it breaking.

Ran 150’ of the new stuff with every intention of trying to break it and couldn’t. I had it side tied so tight that giving it a twang would produce a pitch only a dog could hear. This opens up the possibility of taking some of the slope out and reducing the number of trees I have to tap using a ladder.

Other than cleaning up the pans and building a pre-heater once the hood arrives, the shack is ready. Think I’ll spend the rest of the winter replacing all of that old wire. Won’t be too big of a job, I’ve only got about 1500 feet of main to worry about.

[Maplehobbyist]

...Just gutted the Kitchen and redid it and it's 98% Done...

(Doing Andy Rooney impersonation) Did you ever notice--how it's the 2% not done the significant other remembers?

Of course, it may help if that 2% didn't date from 5 years ago.

[Don(MI)]

Actually not much here to get done!!

Shack is ready to rock! After working on it the last 5 years, getting things done, not much to do!

Firewood lean-to, is LOADED! And LOTS of dead trees around, won't run out for 10 years! Heck, I am trying to THINK of things to do, so I stay busy before the end of feburary! Might be a LONG winter! LOL

[adk1]

Actually not much here to get done!!

Shack is ready to rock! After working on it the last 5 years, getting things done, not much to do!

Firewood lean-to, is LOADED! And LOTS of dead trees around, won't run out for 10 years! Heck, I am trying to THINK of things to do, so I stay busy before the end of feburary! Might be a LONG winter! LOL

I am in the same boat as Don(MI). LAst year being my first year I was super busy getting everything setup for my first season. Now this year I am looking for things to do and I seem bored. Now dont get me wrong, I do have some things to do, clean the sugarhouse/garage is #1 as after the summer it is very disorganized and basically a mess. I do have to change a few of my lateral runs from my learning curve last year. but nothing major.

[DonMcJr]

Got the new Laundry room and Bathroom almost done...just the new 2nd Family room left then preps for maple season! Have to put the new door on my half pint and clean the junk from having to store stuff from the addition in the Sugar Shack...

[shane hickey]

All new tubing and all on high vacume this year went all out and spent alot of money
Newer semi for a sap hauler. And another filter press.
Bring on the moisture.

[Butcher]

Not much new here,spent a bunch of money last year, trees wouldn't run and I lost. The only trees that ran decent were the giant roadside trees, we were able to make a 1/3 of a gpt on those which in an average year gives us 1/2 gpt. One woods with 700 taps on vacuum gave us a qt per tap which consists of mostly soft maples which wouldn't hardly run last year even with vacuum at 25 hg. So im a little hesitant to tube up another woods in fear of another tough year. But all in all this year we will have 4000 roadside and 4000 vacuum. Im crossing my fingers.

[PATheron]

Shane- Do you still have the old ro that you had or did you decide to get something different? Im just thinking if you put all those taps on high vac you might have some crazy amounts of sap. Whatever your doing best of luck to you. Butcher- Are the roadside trees just stuff you run around and gather along the road gravity? That must be something if they are all gravity. Is someone just nonstop running around with a truck picking the sap up? Theron

[Butcher]

Theron,yes the roadside are all gravity taps and yes we are constantly Running around picking it up. Its kinda a pain but they always put out 3-4%sugar so its hard to pass up, they always do better than vacuum believe it or not. If it were not for the smaller trees that are roadside too we would probably consistantly get 20 gal per tap on them but the smaller trees are right there with them so we might as well get it. We have some big yard trees that make over a gallon per tap as they put out 30 gallons plus. Wish they were all that way. I set up 2500 soft maples last year on 27hg tapped them at the end of feb and only got about 4 gal of sap per tap they put out 300 gal per hour a couple times and that was when the released kept hangin up go figure. After a couple days with no freeze they didn't give me squat. Shane how do u get away with driving a semi with frost laws.

[PATheron]

Butcher- Thats really cool with the roadside trees. Ive always thought about that but I wasnt sure how to approach the landowner becouse you wouldnt be able to give each person a lot becouse theres only a tree or two so to speak. Great idea though. I have a guy that does that and brings the sap to me off around 1000 I think basically roadside trees. He does pretty good like you say and gets quite a lot of sap. I have a spot Ive been tempted to tap that is basically a pole stand of reds that are small but thick as heck. Probly 3 thousand or so just guessing in 10-20 acres with probly a thousand sugars in there too. I think it would be fun to do becouse it would be so cheap on line. Think I just wouldnt get squat off all the small reds even with high vac? Put it out of my mind? Theron

[Butcher]

We give 2oz of syrup per tap. Most of what we do have at least 5 trees so its worth it to them. Its usually. Not hard to get permission although. You run into some aholes and wierdos . As far as small soft maples go they usually put out a good amount but last year was strange. The year before on our 700 tap woods we got around 20 gal per tap and flowed well even when it didn't freeze and also ran good at night, that woods has alot of small trees alot of 6 to 8 inchers.but those soft maples wont do #$&@ without vacuum.

[adk1]

Will start working in the sugarhouse getting it all cleaned up and organized. might even flip the pans right side up..need to add some more gasket material down along the rails..Will check and adjust for level for sure as well.

[DonMcJr]

This Summer I gotta build me a Sugar/Honey House...don't have enough room in the garage!