Tapping in Puslinch

[randomseeker]

I put in 103 taps (buckets) today, 15 into sugars and 88 into reds. All the reds are in and about 30 more sugars to hang. All the sugars were flowing and about half the reds were flowing. My bush has good snow cover and the water levels in the wet areas are as high as I have seen them in the four years since we moved here. Thinking I might get good sap flow with the excellent winter we have been having but apprehensive with the talk about the drought last summer creating low sugar levels I was very pleased to measure between 3 and 3.5 brix on the red maples! Also getting about 3 on the sugars. I have attached (I hope) a picture of my ATV setup for hanging buckets.7046

[Maplesapper]

I put in 103 taps (buckets) today, 15 into sugars and 88 into reds. All the reds are in and about 30 more sugars to hang. All the sugars were flowing and about half the reds were flowing. My bush has good snow cover and the water levels in the wet areas are as high as I have seen them in the four years since we moved here. Thinking I might get good sap flow with the excellent winter we have been having but apprehensive with the talk about the drought last summer creating low sugar levels I was very pleased to measure between 3 and 3.5 brix on the red maples! Also getting about 3 on the sugars. I have attached (I hope) a picture of my ATV setup for hanging buckets.7046

Hey Random-
I see the snow is pretty packed down. What are the tracks like in deep deep loose snow up some fairly steep grades? We winch our ATV all over the place in the deep snow, hauling buckets is a gong show with the deep snow. Debating the tracks, cost seems fairly high, but wondered how well do they really work? Want to get feedback from an actual user vs the dealer sales rep propogada??
Thanks

[randomseeker]

Hi Maplesapper. Yes, the tracks pretty much work as advertised. I have Camoplast Tatou 4S. They are all season and I do leave them on all year. They cost me about $3500 installed and I did have them installed by the dealer. As 'simple' as the youtube installation video demonstrates, it was beyond me. The first two years I used the ATV with wheels I had problems getting up some hills and when the trails got really wet in the spring I did a lot of damage to the recreational trails we use all year in the bush. The tracks are much gentler on the trails (my primary concern) but in fact allow me to negotiate all the difficult inclines in the bush. I see you are in Toronto so got the same deep wet snow we got outside of Guelph. I went out today and had no problems anywhere. Another benefit for me is that much of my red bush is in wetland and when the warmer weather comes the snow melts on top of the ice creating several inches of water on ice. The tracks add enough weight to the ATV, and have no boyancy so they have no problems on the water/ice. And when the ice itself starts to break up, the tracks can break through the ice and not get stuck. I have attached a picture of the machine today in the bush. If you would like to come out and see the machine, you are most welcome. 7060

[Maplesapper]

Thanks Bob; I appreciate the feedback.
Key point in ruining the trails. As soon as the snow melts, our ravine bottom gets saturated and the ATV ruts it up something fierce. A real problem.
We tap in Parry Sound. Snow is now super wet, and two feet thick. We have received alot of snow in the past 3 weeks.
The Sportsman 500 I run, sinks as soon as the wheels power up a slope and the belly suspends on the snow- and thats without the trailer and 30 gallons in tow.
Digging out is such a pain; and the winch is useless when the machine is that far gone. I
'm concerned that atv might not be moved till spring if ever it got stuck with the tracks on.
Everyone else round here runs skidoos in the snow.
Did regular tires ever work? I mean, is your sugar bush only passable on tracks ?

[randomseeker]

I have two sections of bush separated by a creek. The section near to the house and sugar house (front section) has very wide trails and is fairly level. The back section has narrower trails and require a lot of turns to avoid trees. The first two years I had wheels and didn't take the ATV to the back section and hauled the sap out by hand (or at least my kids hands :) where the ATV would pick it up and carry it back (I wasn't tapping anything in the front section). With my son off to school in Vermont (ironic) the following year I realized I had to make this a one man operation and needed to take the ATV to the back section. It can navigate those trails with wheels in the summer/fall but makes a hell of a mess in the spring, and when I did try it, the load caused the vehicle to slip sideways on the snow when traversing a hill laterally. In addition, the ATV with wheels made a mess of my beautiful wide trails on the front section of the bush everywhere it needed to turn at all pushing up muck and digging trenches.

We have about a foot and a half of snow and it was really wet Wednesday and Thursday. The ATV had very little trouble as we hung some more buckets, the only issue being it is a little harder to turn the tracks in heavier snow. But it never got stuck. There is such a large surface area on the tracks they operate a bit like snow shoes and the vehicle doesn't sink more than a half a foot or so in the snow. Another nice thing about the tracks is that the front tracks are angled upward so I could roll right over snow laden cedar trees that had bent right onto the trail. The front tracks climb over the branches and pushes them low enough for the lower tracks to get over as well.

Bob

[Maplesapper]

Thanks Bob-
The 6" drop of the machine on the snow is very telling.
Seems similar to the drop by the skidoo.
I think you have pretty much sold me on the tracks.
Will try to get out to a dealer for a test ride before closing the deal

[randomseeker]

It may be tough to find a dealer with tracks installed. If you can't find one and want to drive down, you can take mine out for a test drive.

Bob

[whatever]

There isn't power steering on your bike is there?

[Maplesapper]

My bike is a 2002 Sportsman 500, no power steering.
The tracks cost more than my bike is worth, so I am hoping I can get a good package deal buying a new machine and get the tracks right from the get go.
I enjoy the Polaris automatic,
A Side by Side would be awesome, but too tippy on our wicked narrow and sidehill lie trails