Requesting ideas for hauling sap

[Eric in Kinburn]

Hi,

I'm a very small producer compared to most of you but I'm not getting any younger and I need to find a new way to carry sap from the back of my lot to my sugar shack (~700 feet). I've been carrying 6.5 gallon pails by hand in the past, but it's not getting any easier. I don't have the funds for anything motorized (ideally I would get an ATV with tracks). I just bough a cheap plastic sled that people use for ice fishing, but I'm not too sure how that's going to work. I have a feeling the sled will tip with the pails in it. The sled will only work when there is snow also.

Since I'm running out of ideas I thought I'd ask the other small producers here.

Thanks in advance!

Eric

[adk1]

we need to know more about your land layout. does it have grade? are you all on buckets Itake it. are all of your taps in one location and pretty confined? If nothing motorized then you either have to pull something or put tubing up and a dump tank.

[Eric in Kinburn]

Land is just over 4 acres and overall pretty flat with rocky outcrops. I can tap up to about 85 maples and I only use buckets (don't really want to deal with lines...cleaning, squirrel damage, ...). I either have to pull/push something (whatever that something is), make a yoke to carry 2 pails, or continue the way I have been doing. I'm looking for ideas for the first one if that even exist.

Thanks,
Eric

[StayinLowTech]

If you don't have the slope to use a 1/2" pipe to dump into, how about making the hauling easier with an over the shoulder yoke and 2 buckets like the old days?

[SeanD]

Don't give up on the sled idea too quickly. To avoid tipping, you can rig up some outriggers like a pontoon boat. If you find an old pair of skis at a yard sale, you can cut them down for the "feet" of each outrigger. If that doesn't work, try joining a second sled to the one you have, so you have a wider surface. If you loop some rope through an old backpack you can pull it with a homemade harness. Once you make the trip a couple of times you should have a pretty slick track to slide on.

If there is no snow, look for a light weight wagon with big wheels like those big garden carts. If you strap the collection buckets down, you should be okay if your land is a pretty flat.

I thought about this idea a lot, but had to ditch it because I had too many surfaces to deal with each trip - gullies, berms, snowbanks, driveways, trees. In the end, a lawn tractor with a cart and eventually tubing were the way to go for me.

Sean

[Eric in Kinburn]

Thanks Sean,

I will try the sled in the first couple of weeks when there will be snow, but once the snow is gone I have a feeling that nothing else will work other than me carrying the pails. Those garden carts won't work. The land is not really sloping, but there are many rock outcrops and unevenness and mud.

Cheers,
Eric

[maple flats]

Use the sled with snow and a wheel barrow when it's gone. get the widest tires you can. With the sled, you might want to make something to look like a dog sled and push it. Some EMT conduit is cheap and 3/4" is tough enough. Wrap the metal where you will hold it using elec. tape or such so damp gloves don't freeze to it. Then you could hold it upright. Make it strong enough but not too heavy. When the snow gets too deep for my ATV I use a couple of those ice fishing sleds to haul supplies, one for each crew.

[heus]

If you really cant haul buckets anymore, you need to seriously consider tubing. I understand about squirrel damage, etc but fixing squirrel chews is easier on the back than carrying buckets. Believe me I dont like the look of tubing in my woods but went to it anyways because my dad is getting up there in age and does alot of my collection when Im at work.

[Eric in Kinburn]

If you really cant haul buckets anymore, you need to seriously consider tubing. I understand about squirrel damage, etc but fixing squirrel chews is easier on the back than carrying buckets. Believe me I dont like the look of tubing in my woods but went to it anyways because my dad is getting up there in age and does alot of my collection when Im at work.

I'm not convinced laying out, maintaining, cleaning and storing tubing is worth it for 80 some trees. I don't think I have the slope either. I guess I want my cake and eat it too :cool:

[PARKER MAPLE]

I have a polaris ranger, with a 65gal tank in the back of it. what I do is I have a 5 gal pail I put on the ground where I will be garthering. In the pail is a Bilge pump, with a 1in hose on it. I dump my sap into this and then flip the switch on. works real well. It empties the 5gal pail in no time at all. Then move on to the next stop.

[The Sweet Spot]

I know a young man that was 500' from his shack. Set up a dump station on a raised post about 6' off the ground. Three steps up, and you could easily dump the buckets. 700' is alot to put away but worth considering.

[325abn]

Tubing is the way to go even with "only" 80 tress. You can put the far tap 10 feet up to gain some slope.

[Eric in Kinburn]

I have a polaris ranger, with a 65gal tank in the back of it. what I do is I have a 5 gal pail I put on the ground where I will be garthering. In the pail is a Bilge pump, with a 1in hose on it. I dump my sap into this and then flip the switch on. works real well. It empties the 5gal pail in no time at all. Then move on to the next stop.

Just curious. How did you secure your 65gal tanks to your Ranger? Do you have pictures?

[PARKER MAPLE]

In the bed of the ranger it has factory supplied anchor points in all four corners. ratchet strap it in and away you go
MR

[heus]

Two seasons ago I hauled sap with a 65 gal leg tank strapped to the rear rack of my 650 Prairie 4 wheeler. I also had a 26 gal tank strapped to the front. It hauled great but definitely superceded the weight rating on my machine.

[Tweegs]

What I might be tempted to do in your situation is set a 65 gallon stock tank close to and central to your buckets. Use a small gas powered pump and tubing to pump it where you need. Just roll the hose out over the ground.

Pump some bleach water followed by a couple of clear water rinses through the pump and hose at the end of the season.

Edit in: On second thought, you’d need to rig that hose up so that it would drain, else it will freeze.

[maple maniac65]

time to introduce some young kids to the joy of hauling sap out of the bush. There is nothing more fun than hauling full five gallon buckets over rocky uneven ground.

[Leadft]

80 trees can be way more than 80 taps... If the tubing can stay stay in the woods it would be worth it in the long run to run it to a barrel or tote then pump it to the shack as needed..
The Harbor Freight Store has some small 12 volt transfer pumps that have garden hose connections... I use them for tons of stuff.. I have a fitting with a straightened piece of 1/2" main line that I use for pumping out some road side barrel setups and even use it to pump out my 275 gallon tote when I started.. I've pumped sap 300' easy with it and I'm sure you can do the same with 700'..
The bilge pump is another great idea if you can make a collection point for more conveyance and then just take the hose and pick up the in the air to get it to drain towards the sugar shack. I have a bilge pump with a auto float in a collection box on a trailer I haul behind my truck to do roadside pick up and it works great pumping into some 250 gallon totes for transport...
Either pump can be run of a small lightweight 12 volt jump pack that can be recharged in between uses..
The older I get the more I look at running tubing to minimize the buckets too !!!

[Dennis H.]

So it sounds like not much of your land is open yard.
If I had this same situation I would place somewhere central to your taps a tank that I could carry all the sap to. Then string up a line, 3/4" should be plenty big enough, nd pump it to a tank near where you will be boiling. You could route this line in a way to be out of the way. You could also roll you the portion that may cross a yard at the end of the season.

You have made some very tight restrictions on what you won't allow. I think that you may have to loosen those restriction or you may be hauling sap by buckets again.

[Eric in Kinburn]

You have made some very tight restrictions on what you won't allow. I think that you may have to loosen those restriction or you may be hauling sap by buckets again.

Agreed, I may have to reconsider a few things until I can afford an ATV with tracks or be willing to haul pails by hand. Thanks for the tips.

[rookie]

time to introduce some young kids to the joy of hauling sap out of the bush. .

I agree, you can probably find some local kids that will work for candy. Just don't pick them up in a van, or give them free puppies than you might have a bigger problem on your hands.

P.S. I have 3 sections of tubing, for 30 taps, 80 taps is not to small.

[Big_Eddy]

Eric
Don't give up.

For snow - we used a standard wide wooden toboggan. Strapped 5 Gal camping water jugs to it and used funnels to fill them. Cap them when they are full. Can pull 2-3 jugs easy enough even though fresh snow. And we got free rides down the hill. If it tipped, the capped jugs wouldn't dump.

For no snow - we used the same camping jugs in a wheelbarrow. 2 was about the limit.

We now use a tank-trailer behind the tractor, but we still use the camping jugs and funnels for collecting. Work great with the kids collecting. They are a bit slower than 5gal pails, but they don't slosh and if you tip one over you don't lose the sap.

My helper team is getting depleted as they go off to school so I'm tapping trees closer to the trails now.

[lastwoodsman]

On the old Ford 8N and now on the massey is a 100 gallon tank on a carryall. Gets around the woods well.
Woodsman
6328

[Dave Y]

Eric,
I looked at your website. It is very nice! But if that is you in the pic of a guy dumping buckets, you are a young man! Grab your sled and put lids on your 5 gal buckets and haul that sap out out the woods. After you are done with that split some wood for the house and the take the Mrs dancing. Here is a link to a picture of what i did to haul sap out of a field 300yards long. this photo was taken at the street end of the field.https://picasaweb.google.com/107850837908574768942/MapleSyrup05#5043719045529079010

[Eric in Kinburn]

Eric,
I looked at your website. It is very nice! But if that is you in the pic of a guy dumping buckets, you are a young man! Grab your sled and put lids on your 5 gal buckets and haul that sap out out the woods. After you are done with that split some wood for the house and the take the Mrs dancing. Here is a link to a picture of what i did to haul sap out of a field 300yards long. this photo was taken at the street end of the field.https://picasaweb.google.com/107850837908574768942/MapleSyrup05#5043719045529079010

Thanks Dave. Well I guess I'm not that old. I'll be turning 40 this March, and maybe the new decade number is scaring me :lol:
More importantly, I'm lazy :cool:

Eric

[Eric in Kinburn]

On the old Ford 8N and now on the massey is a 100 gallon tank on a carryall. Gets around the woods well.
Woodsman
6328

Yeah, that would be helpful, but I don't have the funds for something motorized just yet.

[Eric in Kinburn]

Eric
Don't give up.

For snow - we used a standard wide wooden toboggan. Strapped 5 Gal camping water jugs to it and used funnels to fill them. Cap them when they are full. Can pull 2-3 jugs easy enough even though fresh snow. And we got free rides down the hill. If it tipped, the capped jugs wouldn't dump.

For no snow - we used the same camping jugs in a wheelbarrow. 2 was about the limit.

We now use a tank-trailer behind the tractor, but we still use the camping jugs and funnels for collecting. Work great with the kids collecting. They are a bit slower than 5gal pails, but they don't slosh and if you tip one over you don't lose the sap.

My helper team is getting depleted as they go off to school so I'm tapping trees closer to the trails now.

Thanks Big_Eddy. I may use your capped water jugs idea. Thanks for keeping my morale up!

[Dave Y]

Eric,
lazy and maple syrup don't go together. try your sled i think it will work ok. you must be willing to do what ever it takes to get the job done.

[Fishgill]

Eric,
lazy and maple syrup don't go together.
I couldn't agree more. This isn't a hobby for someone who's lazy.

[bowtie]

reading this thread i understand where eric could be worried but then i read he is turning 40 in march, well i have you beat i turn 40 on jan 23rd, i still act like a kid sometimes but then act like my dad others, would rather watch cartoons than reality shows, but still want to watch the news whenever possible? all kidding aside it is not being lazy by trying to work smarter. not sure this would help but if do not want to carry 2 buckets why not just bring 1 and make more but easier trips. it won't take much longer and will be easier on you. i have bad knees,ankles and one shoulder that ache after hauling sap but i look at it a supplement to my workouts and beside it is labor of love. i bet most of us are in better shape after maple season than before. hey what the heck would most of us be doing this time of year if we did not make syrup!!
as for using tubing, i would agree there is no minimun to the number of taps you need, i even throw the idea around a little but i am kind of caught up in the nostalgic side of sugaring, buckets and wood fired evaps, so for me at least for awhile i will stay with buckets,wood evaps and sap hauling by hand.
ps have you thought about a winch with cable hooked to a cart that can handle some weight, you would need a battery,winch and synthetic cable(rope). you could set a line and leave it place all season and just bring battery in to charge, not the fastest but might save you in deep snow or no snow.

[Dave Y]

I am 56 and i can work a 30 yr old or 21yr old in to the ground.

[farmall h]

Eric, install a food grade drum at the center point of your tapped trees. Gather the sap in 5 gallon pail and dump into drum. Purchase an inexpensive gas pump and pump it through black water pipe directly to a tank in your well built sugarhouse. Back in the day...(early 80's) here on the farm we had 600 buckets..no electricity at the sugarhouse (which was located 1400 ft in the orchard) and we used to dump sap in an old 200 gallon (galvanized) tank then pump it to the head tank in the sugar house. Boiled by kerosene lanterns! Times have changed...thank god. Just remember to drain your pipe and put the pump in a warm place so as not to freeze. Just my 2-cents worth. Oh, by the way I'm 48...pushing 50.:)

[Eric in Kinburn]

Eric, install a food grade drum at the center point of your tapped trees. Gather the sap in 5 gallon pail and dump into drum. Purchase an inexpensive gas pump and pump it through black water pipe directly to a tank in your well built sugarhouse. Back in the day...(early 80's) here on the farm we had 600 buckets..no electricity at the sugarhouse (which was located 1400 ft in the orchard) and we used to dump sap in an old 200 gallon (galvanized) tank then pump it to the head tank in the sugar house. Boiled by kerosene lanterns! Times have changed...thank god. Just remember to drain your pipe and put the pump in a warm place so as not to freeze. Just my 2-cents worth. Oh, by the way I'm 48...pushing 50.:)

I may have to try that one day, but likely not this year. Thanks for the idea!

[sg5054]

You can use a sled and a poly tank used for water storage on a boat. There are sleds that snowmobilers and ice fisherman use called Jet Sleds. They are pretty rugged and are squared off as opposed a kids snow boat style. They come on a wide variety of shapes and sizes, typically a rectangle. Get a deck plate and cut a hole in the top for the deck plate. I have 2 at 23 gals each with a 5 inch deck plate installed. Sits perfect in a sled and has a low center of gravity. The deck plate makes it easy to clean and you can drop a bilge pump in or hook a pump up to one of the threaded fittings in the end of the tank.
Check west marine online to see the tanks.
6423
6424

[Eric in Kinburn]

You can use a sled and a poly tank used for water storage on a boat. There are sleds that snowmobilers and ice fisherman use called Jet Sleds. They are pretty rugged and are squared off as opposed a kids snow boat style. They come on a wide variety of shapes and sizes, typically a rectangle. Get a deck plate and cut a hole in the top for the deck plate. I have 2 at 23 gals each with a 5 inch deck plate installed. Sits perfect in a sled and has a low center of gravity. The deck plate makes it easy to clean and you can drop a bilge pump in or hook a pump up to one of the threaded fittings in the end of the tank.
Check west marine online to see the tanks.


Thanks for the idea. I bought a similar sled as the one in your picture. Can you explain what a deck plate is? Is it just a base for the jugs to sit on? How do you secure the jugs so that they don't move around? I had thought of using jugs similar as the ones you are showing, but the only ones I found online were too far away and were charging huge amounts for shipping. So you are saying that boat places should carry them? Very good to know.

Update - I did a bit of research and discovered what a deck plate is :lol: Not at all what I was expecting but very clever for making a bigger opening. Can you tell I'm not a boat person?

[sg5054]

Eric
I would drill holes in the lip of the sled and lash them down. Look up "trucker's hitch" . You could use some 2x4's and screw through the sides of the sled to frame them in. Use fender washers under the screw heads. Any boatyard can order them from one of their wholesale suppliers. Mine are made by a company called "Todd". There are other brands. Some may stock them but it's likely they will need to order it. Some of their suppliers deliver free freight.
Try "The Chandlery" in Ottawa. 367 Poulin Ave. 613-820-7642. They should be able to set you up.
Here's another option.
The Boat Warehouse
2157 Bath Rd, Kingston, ON
613-634-3416

Let me know if you have any other questions.
Good luck.

[cvmaple]

You are cerainly getting a lot of good ideas here. I like Bowtie's idea of the winch (thinking outside of the box ,so to speak). I wonder if you could use a wire or cable to make a kind of a zipline or clothesline which you could use to convey the sap to the sugar house (which looks great by the way!!). Somebody must have used this idea before. I have seen early manure removal systems (overhead rail with a dumping hopper) converted to carry firewood from the woodshed to the front of the evaporator. Somebody on here must have designed something similar to this. Best of luck.

[Big_Eddy]

This might work for some of you.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=67190&cat=2,2280,54307