Which evaporator do you recommend?

[shoefly180]

Hello,
My name is Kent Shoemaker and this was my first year to make syrup. I used a homemade arch with two 9 X 18" pans and a turkey fryer to do my syrup. I tapped 20 trees this year made up of sugar and red maples. I ended up with about 3 gallons of syrup. I would like to make the move to an evaporator, but I want one that will handle 55 taps. Do you have any advice or direction for me?
Thanks. I'll check here, but my email address is: shoefly180@embarqmail.com Thanks. :)
Kent

[PerryW]

You could probably handle 55 on a flat pan 2x4 but I would get a 2x4 or 2x6 raised flue evaporator. A flue pan will really make some steam and will last a lifetime, so you will save countless hours of boiling with a flue pan vs. a flat pan. Get the 2x6 if you think you might expand. Once you get set up, you may have a few neighbors that get excited and want to tap a few more trees.

[bowhunter]

W.T. "Bill" Mason specializes in smaller evaporators and his prices are reasonable. I don't have one, but several people on this forum have his evaporators and I've only seen good reviews. I wish I had known about him before I bought mine last year. Here's the link www.wfmasonwelding.com.

Dave

[sg5054]

I moved from the barrel stove to a mason 2x3 this year. It fits my shack perfectly. Very happy with it and the quality/ workmanship. I put out 100 taps and certainly didn't expect to get the amount of sap that I have been getting. I have about 275 to boil right now! I am going to build a hood and manifold pre-heater for it this summer. I purchased a cover for it from Bill as well. I ran a test Monday night and propped up the hood on the pan with balls of aluminum foil. Made a noticeable difference so a hood is a must have along with a pre-heater. Should be a fun summer project.

[sbingham]

Kent,
Be sure to check out the evaporators from W.F. Mason.
His prices are very reasonable, excellent quality and a great guy to work with.
I bought a 2'x6' continuous flow unit from him 2 years ago, great unit, very happy with it.
Bill set up the shipping to NW Wisconsin from Maine, I can't remember the shipping costs, but felt they very fair.
I started out with a 2'x4' flat pan, kept expanding the number of taps, I am at 100 now and the 2'x6' handles it well.
Scott

[unc23win]

I didn't mapquest your location, but if you are in Pa you might want to check out A&A Metal in Ulysses, PA. Its an Amish shop that makes evaporators. Quite a few people on here have them. I believe there is a thread about them, which has the mailing address and someone might have uploaded a price sheet as well.

[fixin40]

I got a 2x4 Smoky Lake hybrid pan this year and can boil almost 20 gal/hr on cinder blocks! Very pleased with the pan, give Jim at Smoky Lake a call.

[rayi]

I agree Jim at Smoky Lake does a good job and is easy top work with.

[wiam]

Very happy with my W F Mason

[Eric in Kinburn]

I'm very happy with my 18"x48" D&G. I can tap up to about 85 trees on my property and that little beast does the job very well for that amount of sap. I also got a sap pre-heating pan last year and it helped a lot.

Good luck.
Eric

[maple flats]

I would also check out Thor Equipment in Quebec. Last year when I was looking for new pans I priced from Lapierre, Leader and Thor. Leader was the highest, then Lapierre and Thor was way lower in price. At the suggestion of Thad Blasdell (forum member with something like 10,000 taps) I chose the Thor. I got custom pans made to my specs, 10" tall flues, same side draw, higher sides and all perfectly welded. They are beautifully made and just for comparison, they charged me about 37% of what Leader quoted me. They were great to deal with too. However, you need to ask for Arnold Raymond unless you speak French, he speaks both. I went to the factory to pick up my new pans and saw what else they had made. They make all sizes from little to huge.

[bowhunter]

Eric

Anymore details on your rig. Is it a flat pan or something more exotic? How much sap can you boil? I have a Leader half pint which is 5.5 square ft and I can boil about 6.5 GPH without forced air. I think I could boil a little harder, but I'm about 1,100 above sea level and I can't keep it in the pan if I boil much harder. I'm thinking about getting a modified pan to fit the half pint to increase the boil rate.

Thanks,

Dave

[bowhunter]

Has anybody on this forum used Smoky Lake's modified Leader half pint pan? Jim says it will do 15-20 gallons per hour. It's a two section pan with flue sap preheater and front section drop pan.

http://www.sugarbush.info/forsale/showproduct.php?product=208&title=smoky-lake26quot-3bfull-pint-26quot-3b-high-output-replacement-pan&cat=9

[Russell Lampron]

Hello,
My name is Kent Shoemaker and this was my first year to make syrup. I used a homemade arch with two 9 X 18" pans and a turkey fryer to do my syrup. I tapped 20 trees this year made up of sugar and red maples. I ended up with about 3 gallons of syrup. I would like to make the move to an evaporator, but I want one that will handle 55 taps. Do you have any advice or direction for me?
Thanks. I'll check here, but my email address is: shoefly180@embarqmail.com Thanks. :)
Kent

An 18"x60" evaporator with flue pan would handle that many taps and give you a little room for expansion. When I bought my 2x6 I was planning on 200 taps and ended up with over 300 before I did my first boil with it. Are you sure that 55 will be your max?

[Winters Harvest]

For any one interested, my name is Keith and I am the New York dealer for Thor. I can be reached at 518-353-8728 or at wintershardwoods@yahoo.com

[sg5054]

Thumbs up to my Mason 2x3. :cool: