Who's Still tapping ALL buckets?

[PFHII]

Just curious how many of us are still using ONLY buckets? and how many and what is your method for pick up?

[Big_Eddy]

100-200 buckets only
4 boys for collectors (only 2 left at home now - but there used to be 4)
5 gallon camping jugs to collect into dumping into a 100gal tank behind a compact tractor.
Snowblow a trail among the trees to drive along.

[Pibster]

100 buckets this year. A trail made thru the woods so I can drive my ATV past each bucket. 200 litre tank in the trailer behind the bike. It takes under 25 minutes to collect them all.

[jmayerl]

I use all bags if that counts. Buckets take way to much storage room( 42 bag Holders fit in the space of 1 bucket.) a pain to clean. I ran 1100 last year and would never go back to buckets

[Sugarmaker]

Left the bucket world about 6 years ago and never looked back. But if someone needs buckets there are about 500 for sale in NE Ohio for I think $7 per bucket and lid not sure if spile comes with that. If interested contact Mrs Benson 440-645-3732
Regards,
Chris

[Biz]

I use an old fashioned sap yoke to collect! Only have 30 buckets (wooden and metal) and it's good exercise. The yoke makes it much much easier to haul the sap versus just lifting pails. For this spring I will have another 30-40 taps, set out 1/2 mile down the road so I will use my truck and a gathering tub for them. Bought some new plastic buckets to try since metal ones are in short supply.

[Flat Rock Farmers]

We had 176 buckets last year. We gather with five gallon food grade buckets and dump into a thirty-five gallon tank on the back of our four wheeler.
Mostly my wife and I gather and sometimes have help from our niece who likes to stay with us during sugaring.

[Bob 262626]

I have 155 taps and use 1-gallon Arizona Ice Tea containers to collect the sap. In Maine we have the bottle bill; 5 cents on all returnable. I give the person at the redemption center 8 cent apiece so 8 dollars a hundred, when one breaks I return it for a nickel. (Broke five in three years) To attached them to the tree, I drill a half-inch hole about 1 inch from the cap opposite the handle, place a tie-wrap through the hole of the tap and around the cap of the bottle; very secure, in three years I never had one fall off a tree. Down side to this method is when ice builds up it won’t come through the cap opening.. I place three 55-gallon drums in the woods and use a five-gallon bucket to collect sap from the one-gallon containers; the 55-gallon drums are removed from the woods using my tractor. Once at the sugar house I pump the containers into a 240-gallon container that is used to gravity feel the evaporator. The process allows for some good healthy work.

[Dan W]

Last year I hung 350 buckets. This year probably about 275 because I lost a property. I collect by myself with two 5 gallon buckets then dump into a 50 gallon drum on the back of the Kawasaki Mule and haul to a 500 gallon milk tank for storage. On the best (or maybe the worst) day last year it took me almost 4 hours to collect. I really wish I could do tubing, but the woods I tap are not mine and the rest are pretty spread out yard trees. It is still pretty good exercise though.

[maplerookie]

I am gonna put out 25 buckets this year...I just walk through the woods and dump into five gallon buckets...all is within a couple hundrred yards so it isn't too bad. I am just a back yarder.... hope to make at least 3 gallons this year. any extra sap goes to a big processor down the street. I get plastic food grade buckets from the grocery store bakery. 3.5 gallon size with lids for each they even have square ones so they sit against the tree nicely.

[CampHamp]

The 2 guys I know who have no sap tubes also have no Internet pipes. :)

[lyford]

Bob 262626, sounds like a good idea, any way you could post a pic of the jugs tied to the tap, thanks

[RileySugarbush]

Not buckets, but all sap sacks.

[Paul VT]

Only buckets. 270+ helpers include wife, son, and daughter. Dump station on the back of the truck.

[Pumpkin Village Maple]

Here in Fairfield we have 190 buckets. Gather into a 275 gallon square tote. We do have some sacks too,

[eustis22]

I use buckets spread around the yahd...but I'm getting weary climbing up to dump 5 gals into the 275 tote so I'm planning on a marine pump to lift that last load for me.

[Brad W Wi]

400 pails. My wife and I can handle it on our own but usually get help from other retired friends. We use a 4 wheeler pulling a trailer with a 210 poly tank. We try not to fill tank unless we'll be going down hill. If the snow would be to deep we have a tractor. Other wise it's 5 gal pails to the trees and to the trailer.

[Maplesapper]

I may be trending in reverse.
So this year we will have 1400 BUCKETS YIKES !!

Last year we ran 185 buckets.
This year I just bought the supplies from an old operation in one shot.
400 are galvanized so they wont get used, but will try to sell about 800 of 3 gal Aluminum with lids and wires.
Toronto, Ontario if anyone is interested.

[Run Forest Run!]

I use all buckets and recycled plastic jugs. I dump into 5 gallon pails and then carry them uphill (of course uphill *sigh*) to an awaiting big foodsafe plastic drum. Good exercise, but brutal when there is a lot of snow and ice on the ground.

[KV Sappers]

I use all buckets. I dump into a 30 gal. tank attached to a wagon that I pull with my little garden tractor.

[MapleLady]

All buckets here - but only 35ish... would love to have more!

[maple marc]

100 buckets, 55 gallon drum in the bed of a 6-wheel ATV. I try to tap trees very close to the trail, so I can jump out of the saddle, pour the 5-gallon buckets into the drum, then continue on. Spry 60-year-old, I make it a workout.

[jeffeich]

All buckets for me, will have 450 of them this season. Son and I have to hustle some days to get to them, but wouldn't change. Two John Deere gators with 120 gallon tank on each one.

[sshanny]

not trying to hijack the the thread but jeffeich which gator do you have. I have a gas 4x6 and am looking tire chains and was wondering if you use chains in the woods.

[Maple mass]

Hi I'm interested in about 400 3 gal aluminum, any left? Call me at (413) 374-7511
Thanks jerry

[Loch Muller]

120 buckets and 80 sap sacks for me. looking to start adding 3/16 tubing, but this works for me right now since I inherited the buckets and the sap sacs are affordable.

[Timberwolf]

200 Sap Sacks for me this year and hoping to go to tubing with a "Sap Puller" for next year and add a couple hundred taps. For now I collect with a 275 gallon IBC tote on the back of my 35HP tractor, which works pretty well as long as there is not too much snow or too wet. Normally in my part of Ohio snow is not too much of an issue by tapping time.

[Michael Greer]

I've hung 250 buckets this year. All of my trees are along the streets and in backyards in Potsdam NY. I carry two five gallon pails at a time and when they're full, snap lids onto them and put them in the truck. I can fit about 140 gallons into the truck bed before I head home. At the head of my driveway, I've got a dump station and pipeline that carries the sap 200 feet back to the shack. From there it's pumped up into the head tank. Next year, I'll have a 200 gallon truck tank, and a bigger head tank...and probably more buckets.
One thing to be said about buckets is that you get a true reading on the performance of each tap. When I find a full bucket, I look up to see exactly what a high performing tree looks like. When I find an empty bucket, I look up to see if it should become firewood.

[dblact38]

I tap with 5gal food buckets & 5gal water jugs, then collect the sap with 5gal water jugs on a sled with high walls that I pull, when the sap does flow, this way its easier for me to store the sap when I cant boil down right away

[Scott Ameigh]

i am also still using buckets. Have about 80 out now and the past 2 days was alot to keep up with but thinking of going with lines and 5 gallon buckets next year.

[cbhansen]

All buckets - 100 again this year; at least when the weather improves in northern Ontario. We had another 5-6 inches on the weekend. Empty the buckets into 5 gallon pails, snap the lid when full and carry them to the truck. Next year, I'm adding tubing to the mix as I have a 2x6 coming this summer. Hope to have 200-300 trees under tap.

[PFHII]

So far we have 2300 Buckets up with 200 left to put out. The last 2 days we have received 24" of the white stuff with the forecast of nothing over 25 degrees for the next 9 days so our sugaring season is on hold. I hope you all are having better luck then us in Vermont.....

[Mr Sugar Maple]

200 2 gallon food grade plastic pails with lids. on spouts. Sometimes wish they were larger but use what you have.

[Shirlsaw63]

20 five gallon buckets. Collect the sap in 5 gallon water jugs bungeed on an ice fishing sled.

[Shawn]

A hundred and something on buckets rest gravity feed pipeline

[Cougar4]

55 buckets for me this year. All mine are located on the side of the road near my house. I use 5 gallon pails to collect then dump them into a 55 gallon plastic drum in the back of my truck. when the drum fills up, I swap it for an empty one then start all over again.

[mike z]

Put up 250 aluminum buckets today. Slowly building to 400 hundred.

[Bruce L]

Neighbors tap just under 5000 buckets, use two teams of horses to gather with, many miles of roads they had to snowblow out this year for the horses to plow through.