max taps for one man operation

[sapman]

Sorry to restart this thread. I couldn't seem to find the original one.

I'm considering expansion, but will probably always be a one man show, with help at times when really necessary. It seems like if I can devote full time to maple in winter, I should be able to at least double my current size of 2300
~ taps. But it's always easy to say in the off season. Just wondering if anybody's doing 4000+ all alone.

Thanks

[wiam]

Thad on here is doing 10,000 pretty much by himself

[Sullydog]

Hey Tim it's looks like your not to far from me. I learned a hard lesson this season. Are operation is pretty much me and my dad. We were at around 3000 taps last season and it was ok for the two of us to handle. I will say the tubing should have been maintained better we fell behind often and the vacuum would be 26-24 on a regular basis. Not perfect but not bad. We decided to add another 6000 taps this year and I lined up some extra help on weekends. Well your only as strong as your weakest link. One of the guys lined up to help tore his knee in February and was unable to help this year. That's was tough to deal with. As if that wasn't bad enough then I broke a bone in my foot in the beginning of March and couldn't walk in the woods. I was confined to the sugarhouse. That left my 60 yr old father to manage like 9000 taps. He did what he could but it was tough on him. The vacuum suffered tremendously generally being at about 21-24 for the entire season. We finished the season and I learned that I really need to have more help available. I never considered that I might not be available to work in the woods anything can happen and have a good back up plan. I know I am changing a few things for next season. Good luck

[Walling's Maple Syrup]

It all depends how much of this sap is hauled in to the sugarhouse. If you have to truck it, then you will not be able to handle nearly as much as if it came right in to the sugarhouse. We have 6400 taps. 6000 of those come right to the sugarhouse. That only leaves 400 to gather. Me and my wife handle these pretty efficiently. I am planning on getting to between 7000-8000 and leveling off about there. That is what I feel like I can handle efficiently. If you have to haul it and run everything by yourself, then I would say only about half of that.
Neil

[collinsmapleman2012]

I run by myself mostly, my father pitches in when I ave college work to do. once I'm graduated, the goal is to have at least 5,000 taps, and grow from there. all sap will be trucked in, but you have to be efficient in hauling. maximize your amount of sap per haul, keep sap close to the road for quick pumping, plus big pumps help. an inch pipe takes bout 45 mins to fill 1,000 gal, but a 2 inch takes 5-10. at the sugarhouse, get wood ready early so you can walk in and light the fire later, have tanks ready to be pumped into, and just think efficiency. what will get you the farthest in a short time so you can manage it yourself. RO is a big help, especially as taps grow. I'm looking at 2,000 next year with no ro, and im already wondering how long it will take, but the evaporator was only run at half speed this year, but its all a matter of efficiency. oh and when all else fails, be ready to have a backup. you never know if a pump will fail, something will freeze, your matches will get soaked, etc. learned some of those the hard way, but that's the best way to learn.

[Walling's Maple Syrup]

Another thing to consider is how many bushes you will have and how far apart they will be from each other. 4000 on one bush is pretty doable if you have a good way to haul it. The more sugarbushes, the more vac. pumps, releasers, maintenance, etc., which leads to more time.
Neil

[PerryFamily]

I agree with both walling and Collins.

I have to truck all of my sap in. Maybe in my next life it will run too me?!? The trucking is the bottle neck right now. Farthest taps are 20 minutes away and closest are less than 5. Efficiency is the key as Collins mentioned. I haul the farthest first, dump and start the ro recirculating, then get the closest. I found out I was most efficient on the big days to use my dump trailer and truck for a total of a thousand gallons. but I look pretty silly on short days dragging that trailer around.
Help is never there when needed. Only to drink beer and eat.
Although at 1100 now and pushing toward 2300 I hope it can be done alone cause that's all I got!!

[mountainvan]

I do.... 4,000 + taps,adding more this year. 4 main sugar bushes with 4 vacuum set ups, and several small gravity bushes, and then buckets close to the saphouse. It's hard work but I'm my own boss. No yes sir no sir or sitting in a cubicle.

[sapman]

I do truck all my sap, and finding another bush with as many taps as my current one is pretty impossible in my vicinity. So I'm probably looking at under 1000 tap bushes, which further limits my options for expansion. I know setting everything up right in the first place makes a big difference. And I agree, being your own boss is worth a lot!
I appreciate all the input.

[TheMapleMoose]

My father and I did 1500 this year. 500 in 3 separate bushes. One we were able to pump back this year and 2 we trucked. The trucking is the bottleneck because of having to pump to load, and pump to unload. When there is two of us it's ok, because we can split up. But I caught pneumonia the first of April, and my wife and I had baby number 2 the next week, as our older (15 mos) daughter also caught pneumonia. I was too sick to even get out of bed to help in the sugar house so it was truly a one man operation for 2.5 weeks.....Andy father had his hands full. He was starting at 430am and going to bed at 1130.
Like i said the trucking was the biggest bottleneck. It didn't help that our sap storage @ the sugar house being way undersized (600 gallons for 1500 taps) forcing him to do some juggling between leaving sap in the woods and loaded on the trucks until the Ro could run it.
We are getting a bigger RO, added 2 800 gallon tanks at the sugar house, and will pump another bush (2 total) back next year. The other 500 is 3 miles away so no pumping from that one. That should simplify it up so either one guy can do the work easier, or the two of us can keep our hours down. Two babies makes that a necessity for me. We also didn't have any woods issues this year which was good because it would have been impossible to handle it....just the worst scenario this year but you need to plan that way I think
Sorry to have told my life story here, but te simpler you can set up the better!

[brookledge]

I noticed that you said you would pretty much be able to commit full time to sugaring during the winter. So that being said will allow you to really increase as much as your equipment will allow. Can you commit more than 10-12hrs a day? Money is made in the woods not the sugar house. So if you can spend the days in the woods and nights boiling, that would make a difference. I myself have to work full time so that limits me quite a bit.
Keith

[sapman]

I have always had to juggle a full time job, as well (actually more like half time during season, but still a major liability). This would be the first time I could really concentrate on maple, assuming no drastic changes. Hence my thinking I can handle a lot more taps, maybe.

[Dave Y]

Sullydog, are you saying 60 is old? I am 58 and I have 3000 taps this year one other person helped we nearly made 1000gal of syrup. I sell almost all of my syrup retail, I make candy cream sugar mustard and anything else that will sell. I cut my own fire wood and to this point I dont own an RO. 95% of everything that gets done here is buy me. On a good day I bet your old man can work circles around you. I ts how bad do you want it

[Sullydog]

Dave, I'm sorry to hear that you are so sensitive about your age. I didn't mean to offend you or anyone else who is around the age of 60. I'm sorry that I did not include a medical history of my father in my post to explain why it was difficult for him to keep up. It sounds like you are in great health and shape. You are very fortunate, some people are not as well off. I will tell you that everyone is different in terms of ability due to lifestyle choices, health, physical disabilities, and mental disabilities. I work a full time job outside of maple. My father spends a great deal of time assisting my son who has special needs and thus we don't have as much time available to maintain the woods. It sounds to me like you are very successful in the maple industry, perhaps I could hire you to help maintain my woods here. I'm glad you had a good season.
Also please don't refer to my father as "Old man" that is disrespectful.

[palmer4th]

Aaaannnddd yup there it is thread killed..............

[mike z]

Dang! It was a good one too.