So whats everyone adding on for the up coming season???

[red maples]

Didn't know exactly where to put this so moderators can put it in the right place.

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Mine has been busy. Can't wait for the cooler dryer weather to get here and stay looks it should be here by tomorrow.

Anyhow, my big hold up as of right now is financing... which should be aprooved by hopefully the end of next week we'll see. Farm Credit East.
Big plans at Willow Creek Sugarhouse.

RO (applied for an energy grant) gonna get the H2O 300gph. Have to go new for the grant.
have to build a room for it too.
Electric will be a must for the sugarhouse now no more extention cords for me. So have to get that done
filter press
bigger vac pump have been looking into the welsh 1397s they seem like they will get the job done and then some. they run about 17 cfm's which is head and shoulders above my BB2 with about what 3 cfms and with that will be upgrading to a real releaser mechanical for now someday maybe electrical.
a new approx. 500 gallon stainless tank.
enclose the tank platform into an actual room
adding on another 120+- taps to vacuum and about 20-30 buckets, to bring the total up to over 500 taps.

So lots of work to do!!! I will have an extremely busy fall and early winter and for that matter winter too. I can start on the little stuff, just need the MMOOONNEEEYYY!!!!!! for the bigger stuff it adds up quickly!!!!

[PerryFamily]

Adding an 8x12 heated room for the ro. Heat will be in the floor.
Also leased another 400 +/-, total should be at 1500 or so.
Found 2 vac pumps, hopefully going.to pick them uo next week.
Hopefully enough time to get it all done.

[Sullydog]

Big expansion for us this year.
5000-6000 more taps on vac.
2-4500 gallon sap tanks.
Electric releaser.
Expand R O to 2000 GPH.
New concentrate tank.
New leader reverse oil fired evaporator 4x14.
Another 7.5 hp vac pump.
Not enough time in the day..winter is fast approaching.
We use farm credit east as well and they are great.

[Sapboy]

Trading in my 7in. short bank filter press with a gear pump for a long bank with a diaphrapm pump and replacing a 500gal. zero tank for a releaser.

[GeneralStark]

Lots going on here. Since closing on our new 13 acre property we have secured all necessary permits, cleared and stumped the building lot and log landing, buried 3-160' runs of conduit and prepped for slabs for our 24' Yurt and 14'x24' sugarhouse. The utility company was supposed to hook up the power today but they canceled due to thunderstorms yesterday that knocked out power east of here. Next week looks clear so they should get it done and then I can start running power tools. 200 amp service to the sugarhouse and 100 amps to the Yurt and future house site with an extra conduit run for more conductor if we need it. The next priority is to build forms for the slabs and then bring in the cement truck and start cutting the frame for the sugarhouse. The timbers are on site and the sawmill is coming tomorrow to mill out the rest of the material. Been working on sugarwood and yurt wood is done and dry.

As for sugaring this spring, I am waiting on FSA funding for a 2.5x8 intens o fire, two new sap tanks, and a few other random items. I'll be boiling from 500 taps this year between the new woods and the leased woods. NRCS will be doing an energy audit in hopes of getting funding for the RO for 2015 when I will be up to 1000 taps which is where I will likely stay for a bit.

We need to do the inventory and management plan for the new woods and start thinning as it is way overstocked. Lots of good building material and so much fire wood. Also need to set up pipe and tubing for 150-200 on the new site. Lots of other details too many to mention, but we're having tons of fun and living the dream.

[Super Sapper]

I'm looking at making an hood and preheater and adding AUF. I have also bought a wine press and hand pump and will try that this fall with some syrup I put in 1/2 gallon jars when I run out of quarts and pints. I picked up a 10 lb. box of DE to try in it also.

[tuckermtn]

CDL 2.5 x 8 pellet arch with Smokey Lake raised flu/cross flow pans.
5 ton bulk silo
new to us Lapierre 600 RO
new 6x8 1200 gal. Lap. round bottom raw sap tank
8x16 extension on the sugarhouse for silo and day bin room
enclose 6x12 section of former wood shed for RO room
and finally bringing real 200amp service to the sugarhouse...
in the woods, reconfiguring one bush to get tank closer to roadside - will require D+G sap lift

[BreezyHill]

Rebuilding the 2x6 air tight arch with AUF to accommodate stack AOF preheater
remembraning the Memtek RO for more capacity( it doesn't think fast enough now) LOL
remodeling the sugar house to better accommodate tours to watch the new all glass releaser and plumbing system of the sap in the s house
retubing up to 800 taps in an effort to break the .5g/t barrier
adding a Chicago fan on a VDT to the steam hood to test boiling efficiency increases from pressurized sugar house to steam under vacuum.
Already installed waste gate in hood to prevent pan collapse.
Adding 7 more ladders to capture another 200 taps provided there is time.

Simply need to make more to reduce amount of syrup that will have to be bought to meet sales; while not adding more capital expense than necessary.

Increase efficiency and sit back and stock the fire;

" I can sleep when I'm dead"

Ben

[sjdoyon]

Removed a 1,000 feet of dryline which was undersized, replaced with 2" piping. Converted most of the connections to the wet/dry lines with the WHIP. Grabbing another 300-400 trees on our main sugarbush and neighbor's leased land. Hoping to start a 2,500-3,000 tap expansion next month and upgrade vacuum pump if all goes according to plan in the next few weeks.

[maple flats]

I ordered a second front pan (clean one while using the other), bought a new tractor (can now carry a pallet load at a time on forks, less wood handling), only adding about 100-150 more taps before 2014, ordered a second finisher, I'll now have 2 16x34 finishers, set up with one facing each other with one draw pot between them. I decided I like drawing off very slightly thin and then finish in the finisher. With these 2 I can have enough ready to fill a 40 gal SS bbl all at once. Holding another year on my addition (new tractor), then I hope to expand the sugarhouse, now 16x24 by adding a 12x30 addition on one side. I sawed the rafters today, will build my own 1/2 trusses, as I also built my own trusses on the 16x24 main part. Still looking for a small vacuum unit, likely a diaphram type so no releaser needed, to run up to a max. of 300 taps (160 sugars, bal. mostly reds). I also bought 5 new 40 gal SS bbls., might need more.

[heus]

Deer Run 375 electric ro
7" full bank filter press
16x34 finish pan/canner
Preheater for my 30x10 evaporator
Steam stacks through roof instead of into cupola
500+ taps on vac
1000 gal round bottom holding tank (borrowed)
Built addition for ro room, utility room, 2 sap/permeate storage rooms
Concreted sugarhouse floor finally
New to me Marcland Auto Drawoff

[Limitpusher]

Doubling tap count to a bit over 2000! Also doing so work to the shack.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

adding third tower to home made RO, modifying my airtight 2x6 with air in door, fixing lights and power in sugar house, time to get rid of temp wiring.

wish list
Add high vac to bush

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Wow a lot of money being spent and a lot of hard work getting ready for next year. There just isn't ever enough time to do it all is there.
Just moved new to me 6*16 w/ steam away into sugarhouse last weekend. Need to set up stack, cut in roof jack, build beams to support steam away and hoods. A lot to do
Adding 1,000 taps, more, less, all depending on time and money.
Added new busch 3 hp pump w/ vfd and auto shut off moisture trap. High vac for the first time. I'm excited.
Still need to split wood and put into sugarhouse.
built 4' wood splitter w/ 18 hp honda v-twin so the splitting part should work out ok.
Wish list is long, time and money is short. I'm starting to think cloning isn't such a bad idea. I'll take 3 of me please.

[DrTimPerkins]

adding a Chicago fan on a VDT to the steam hood to test boiling efficiency increases from pressurized sugar house to steam under vacuum. Already installed waste gate in hood to prevent pan collapse.

Interested in hearing the results of your testing next spring. Good luck.

Sounds like a real lot of busy folks out there in the woods. Best wishes to you all with your changes.

[Pibster]

Sold my old flat pan and just waiting for my new 2'x4' Smoky Lake Hybrid pan to arrive.

[Revi]

We're going to add about 50 new taps. I already have the mainline in, but we just got swamped last season. If we put in 50 more taps we may have more than we can boil, so maybe some more storage is in order also...

[whalems]

I added new set of smoky lake pans with reverse flow. new auto draw! new (to me) 650 gallon milk tank. covered wood storage!! New kitchen on the shack. and am adding 200 more taps. and will have all 1000 on vac this season:cool:

[sg5054]

Bought a 2x3 Smokey Lake hybrid. Need to raise the 300 gallon storage tank high enough to get a gravity feed to the pan. Build a preheater. Get the bucket situation sorted out. Going out to a bang on a few doors to see if I can tap their trees. I found about 20 2-3 ft in diameter trees all on one stretch of road about 15 minutes from the house. If I could get most or all of them it could be worth the drive. I'm hoping to get them piped and draining to barrels so I can go every other day or so. Buckets won't cut it for them. A little more electrical work in the shack. Picked up a large coffee urn to test.
Also just started a complete cab swap and minor restoration on my 98 dodge 2500 diesel. Oh yeah, I have been frantically splitting a monstrous pile of wood a scrounged this spring and early summer, all hardwood. Then of course I will need to sort it and stack it......


So not much, just a few things.........:o:o
And I'm working alone.

[DaveB]

I'm not sure what kind of season I'm going to have. I had to sell my arch & pans a few months ago to pay some unexpected bills and I keep hoping I'll have enough money one of these months put something together to make some syrup but I haven't been able to just yet. Well see...

I'm doing what I can but I'm not doing anything that costs money!

[Yellzee]

Hoping to build new 2X6ish evaporator and make up some new pans for it with Big Eddy's help of course. Also hoping to run pipeline right to the house from the bush to prevent me from having to drive out to get sap. I figure if I do the 2nd item it will be in January with 2 feet of snow at -20... just wouldn't feel right doing it now with nice weather and no mosquitos...

[maple2]

have to finish 5/16 lines on new 1000 tap bush, set tank and put in power service there. build 2 vac. sheds. find 1000gal. tank for new 1977 chevy c60 and get it running. find bigger storage tank for sugarhouse. build better septic system at sugarhouse. replace 400 taps on our small bush.cut sugarwood. thats enough to keep us busy till snow flies

[unc23win]

Right now I am building a new sugarhouse 30'x36'. I already got a 3.5'x14' evaporator and 600 GPH RO and new vacuum pump. I am looking to get some bigger tanks. Still have to get a filter press and some other items for the sugarhouse.

As far as the lines and taps go I am planning on changing some mainline in order to reach the wet dry further into the bush for about 800 existing taps to get more CFMs to the tap and change the taps to CV2s. My other 600 taps are good to go all new mainline last year. Then I am going to start adding on taps my goal is to add on as many taps as possible by Feb 1. I would like to hit 2000 for this coming season.

[ennismaple]

- bought 2 new cross flow pans so we can use permeate to wash yesterday's syrup pan while we boil today
- bought 3000 gallon sap tank for more storage in the sugar camp. Lots of re-plumbing needed to get it hooked up to the RO.
- replace bearings in DeLaval 76 vacuum pump.
- replace (insert 4-letter word here)-ing moisture trap and vacuum line that failed, damaging bearings in pump.
- add several hundred new taps
- dozens of other things on the To Do List that have been ignored since April

[Revi]

Sorry to hear this. I may have to sell my share of the sugarhouse if my health doesn't improve, so I know how it is.


I'm not sure what kind of season I'm going to have. I had to sell my arch & pans a few months ago to pay some unexpected bills and I keep hoping I'll have enough money one of these months put something together to make some syrup but I haven't been able to just yet. Well see...

I'm doing what I can but I'm not doing anything that costs money!

[red maples]

yeah Sorry to hear that Dave B. hope it was nothing too serious!!! hope things work out and you will be able to boil this season!!!

[DaveB]

Sorry to hear this. I may have to sell my share of the sugarhouse if my health doesn't improve, so I know how it is.


yeah Sorry to hear that Dave B. hope it was nothing too serious!!! hope things work out and you will be able to boil this season!!!

Thanks guys. It was heart breaking but we needed the money and have my priorities. I still have everything else and I'm hopeful that I'll find something later this year. Even if I don't, I'll make some syrup somehow. My families been making it here since the 40s and I'd like to see that tradition continue.

[nymapleguy607]

Relocating the woods tank, rerouting the wet and dry line, adding more taps, switching to high vac, and swaping blower motors on the evaporator. Might extend the wet dry line out a bit to get some better vac transfer, we'll see how far I get

[Birddog]

Bought a new 2x3 Mason evaporator (it was delivered today!) having to cut and split firewood for the first time so ended up getting a wood splitter, bought a plow for my truck since the township decided to stop plowing my stretch of road and it was a long walk carrying 7 gallon jugs full of sap last spring. Hoping to have 50 taps this spring, oh and picked up a sap hydrometer so I can check what my trees are running this year. My wife thinks I've lost my mind but my dog is really enjoying all the time in the woods with me! Oh and adding two more grandkids in a few months (future sap haulers:-|).

[Tweegs]

Just picked up a vacuum pump, will be plumbing that in shortly.
Got about half of the trench dug today for water and electricity to the shack.
Concrete going in the shack within the next couple of weeks.
Parking area around the shack completed 2 weeks ago.
Moving the head tank to outside of the shack from inside (methinks the sap gets too warm).
Pre heater is in the design phase, should have it done in time.
Releaser is also in the design phase, but at least I have some parts in hand.
And if I can carve out enough time, I’d like to get a deck built off the front of the shack…keeps the mud down and adds curb appeal.

Wood…holy cow…I gotta cut wood!

[southfork]

Hired a professional maple tubing contractor to set up three collection/pump stations and about 2,500 taps on high vac as the initial stage of a potential 10,000 + tap operation. This phase is about complete, just some indoor plumbing to go. Also drilled 6 inch well and ran power 1.5 miles to operate R/O and pumps.

[CaseysSugarHouse]

Hello, Hows everyone beem, Havent been on the trader in a long time. The snow is here and its time to b in the woods, I added around 500 taps so far in one woods added an hoping for 1800 more in a other to make me to the 5000 tap count. Been running alot of mainline and now the next thing on the list is to thin out 1000 + taps in a new woods and get that installed. Hoping for some BIGGG SAPPP

[maple flats]

I just put in a 2x6 finisher and had to cut back about 2' of counter to fit it. Next I will change my transfer line from 1" to 1.5" to pump faster from the woods tank to the road (about 900'). After that I'm only adding about 150-200 new taps. We won't start in the woods until 12/18, the day after deer hunting season ends. My 2 helpers will be out of college for Christmas break then, until about 1/15/14. I plan to start tapping the last week they are out.

[PATheron]

Been working on my stuff since pulling taps last season. Added a new woods that's mostly reds and kind of looking foreward to see how it does. Theres roughly 1500 reds hooked up in there, a lot of clump trees and 500 sugar maple taps. Also added some taps on my own property to a small extent. Thinking Im somewhere between 9500 and 10000 taps to date. Also inclosed all my lines from my tanker trailer to ro room to stop freezeups during season Im hoping. Bought another used ro 900 gph and added to my fleet. Still got to finish that up and get electric to my new woods and hook up the releaser there. Other than some minor work in woods got the lines mostly ready to date. Most all of my older lines Ive already had the vac on to fix leaks. Thinking Im in pretty good shape for season and hoping to start tapping January first but Ill have to see if Im ready. Also need to finish up a pump line Im putting in one woods to pump that sap back to the sugarhouse. Im installing a line and a deep well pump to pump it 4000 ft back to the shed to hopefully cut down on trucking. Cant wait till first run. Hoping for BIGGGGG SAPPPPPP!!!!!!!!

[wwright]

Installed a 800 gallon stainless collection tank in woods at releaser Adding more tubing and taps,and a new filter press from Leader. I can't help but think that the dealers get exited when they read these post. Maple is good for the economy!

[ennismaple]

Jeepers Theron - I get tired just reading your posts! Good work setting up such a substantial operation and always looking to improve your efficiency and total production.

Our new 3000 gallon sap tank and 150 additional taps seem pretty small by comparison. There's still lots to do but we'll be ready to tap by mid February!

[rayi]

OK Southfork I assume the 1.5 mile line you spoke of was electric. How was that done and about how much did it cost

[southfork]

Rayi,
This was a buried Public Service cable serving my sugarbush and going another half mile to neighboring sugarbush and camp. Total cost was about $110,000 not including hookups and panels. My cost was about $90,000, plus $8,000 for required Public Service easement survey. Line was set by North States Utilities for Wisconsin Public Service. I now have power for new sugarhouse, well, about 8 pump stations, R/O, and whatever else I need. Expanding from an 800 bucket operation to about 10-12000+/- taps on high vac.. 2,200 vacuum taps near ready for 2014, will add another 2-3,000 in early summer. May use some buckets on trees off the tubing grid.

[lpakiz]

All I can say is WOW!!
Can I come and snoop?
What town are you near?
IMPRESSIVE!

[sjdoyon]

Just went over the 3,500 tap count for our fall expansion, looks like we have another 500-600 taps to add before we're done this weekend/early next week. Installed 65,000 feet of lateral lines so far, added 17,000 feet of 1" mainlines and 14,000 feet of 2" wet/dry lines.
Expect to be around 10,000 taps for next spring.

[Randy Brutkoski]

I am setting up another bush across the rad fro my big sugarbush. Just about 1000 taps. Good trees on a steep hill between 2 fields. That will put me at 8000 taps roughly.

[red maples]

I finally am getting things rolling after a few dismal months of Electricians screwing with me making apointments then not showing up and not returning my phone calls. the small wiring I can do but running the big stuff it just needs to meet code which I don't know!!! So after 3 tries the forth was a winner..... Finally. Everything should be done by the 10th of dec. just have to wait for to do the finally hook up and and turn on the power!!! They ran 4/0 wire from the street today they wanted it in before the snow falls. and they will be back soon to put in the bigger transformer.

I should be able to get my RO in a few weeks. just need to finish the waver letter (hopefully tonight) and get that off to the NRCS. as soon as I get the OK then I can shoot out and pick it up!!! very exciting!!! :)

[Dave Y]

I am adding 1200-1500 new taps and a new busch pump. Sold all of the buckets.

[shane hickey]

New tubing and all new spiles everything else seems to be up to snuff

[DaveB]

A few months ago I had no hope for a season because I had to sell my evaporator due to financial issues and I didn't know what I was going to do but I was given some new hope last month that I might be able to salvage a season. I have a new evaporator from A&A on order and the owner Atlee thinks that I might be able to pick it up in February which would be awesome and help me save my season. Even if it's later and I only have a couple of weeks, that would be better than nothing. That's the first thing I'm adding this season.

I'm also adding vacuum to another 120 taps or so at a second bush and may be adding some additional taps to make up for an area in my regular bush that was damaged. I might also be adding a homemade auto drawoff, if I can get it working!

I've also been spending more time on here and that's helping me feel more positive about the upcoming season, if that counts as adding anything!

[CPlace]

We have added a lean-to on the side of the shack to keep the firewood out of the elements. Also, just buried (before the frost) 10-2 UF direct lay electrical wire to the shack so we can have real lights and power. Picked up tubing supplies and tools to covert some of the bucket taps to gravity feed lines. Finally, if all goes well, we'll set up a small sugar bush (150 taps) on a sap puller system.

[maplehick]

We picked up our new 2.5/8 raised flue rig just need to plumb in the head tank
Got the new to us 600gph ro finaly plumbed in
Plenty of wood cut almost ready. I think????

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

Hey all. Havent been on or posted in a long long time. New for me this year- 125 gph Ro from deer run maple. Oh and lets not forget my yearly upgrades-more and more taps :)

[Drew Pond Maple]

Adding a small vacuum pump and some new mainlines. Going to try some new clear checkvales this year. Also trying to figure out if I should add AUF to my 1.5x4 to increase my boiling rate. Been cutting all non maples this summer for fire wood. Hope that the remaing maples will grow crazy in the years to come. Next year a bigger evaporator.
Maybe a 2x8 or 2.5x8 if I can get enough taps.

[farmall h]

Maybe 100 new taps.

[schellmaple]

125 GPH expandable electric RO from Deer Run Maple. Picking it up in a week and a half. Hopefully not as many long nights at the evaporator.

[ennismaple]

We finished up our tubing expansion for the year - it came out to exactly 200 new, high producing, one tap trees! We went through a bag of 50 saddle manifolds (+1, grrrrr... you always run out far away from the ATV) so it works out to an average of 4 taps per lateral. We should get MONSOOOOOOON SAP from this section of woods next year. There may be upwards to 1,000 more taps we can get to when we have the energy to get at it.

All that's left is some plumbing work in the camp to get the new tank ready and re-run some RO discharge lines and we're good to tap whenever the weather dictates.

8220 8221

[PATheron]

Marty- Lines look great and the trees are nice too. Seems like that size tree is usually really solid too. When do you guys normally tap and have you ever had a year when you would have made a bunch of syrup by tapping early. I usually don't get a real lot early on but two years ago we actually made half our crop in February and it really paid off tapping early. Theron

[ennismaple]

Theron - We'll start tapping the 3rd weekend in February. A few people near us were ready for the last few days of February in 2013 and got some syrup - maybe 5-10% of a crop and all extra light. They had ice problems in tanks and lines for the next 2 weeks until it started to run again. We were a bit slow getting tapped but we were ready for the real start of the season and boiled on March 7th - which was the 3rd year in a row we had our first boil on the 7th.

That section of woods was thinned after the 1998 ice storm so it has had 15 years to grow and mature. The 8" to 10" trees will run well. The 18"+ trees with only one tap in them will run like crazy! the 400 taps we added for last season are just down the hill from this year's new taps. We've laid out the mainlines and laterals per the current "standards" and have mostly 3 or 4 taps per lateral. This section of woods has the same number of taps as our older, main bush but the new one will far exceed the new woods on a sap per tap basis. Part of that is tubing layout and part is the younger trees haven't been tapped for 50 years like the main bush! It is fun seeing the differences between sections of the woods and trying to figure out why one bush runs better than the others.

[PATheron]

That thinning pays off huge. I have woods right behind the house with hollow trees and they will do a lot with buckets but are tough with vac. I cant unhook them all but this year with my mantainance I unhooked the worst offenders and I think Ill probly even cut them down so the young can come in. I think those nice size one tappers are the best. Weather is up and down here. Its going to warm up next week then as soon as I see a week straight froze up Im tapping in as much as I can. I kind of wish I was tapped in right now because I think the holes would probly go but I never have vacation until first of year so I just cant. Theron

[stewardsdairy]

Adding another 600 or so taps on vacuum and hoping to do away with the buckets for this year!