2 cents please!!!!!! 150 buckets......What pan and arch for a second year guy?

[Panheadguy]

Might grow but not looking to in the near future. What do you guy's think? Writing for a friend with little knowledge and no time to fabricate.
Thank you

[psparr]

I'd say a 2x6 with a flue pan.

[Gavin W. Hooks]

I'm a 3rd year guy and my 2 cents would be the same as psparr. 2x6 with a flew pan.

[Maplewalnut]

Agree, look for a used 2x6....should find on for around $3k

[Big_Eddy]

It all depends on how much time you want (are available) to boil.
I'm from the camp where too much sap is better than too much pan. (See thread http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?24023-Evaporator-Sizing-Math&p=260736#post260736 )

I'd recommend an 18"x60" evaporator with flue pan. With 150 trees and an evap rate of 15-18 gals/hr, over the season you will average about 20 hours boiling a week. On the BEST week of the next 3 seasons, you might have to boil 50 hours to process all the sap collected, but that will be the exception. Add a blower and a preheater and you can reduce those numbers by up to 30%.

Go too big and you don't have enough sap to sweeten the pans, or to boil off what was collected. You end up with sap spoilage and long waits between boils.

My two cents worth. (Although now that the Canadian government has eliminated the penny, we have to round down so it's actually worth nothing ;) )

[billyinvt]

I am set to tap about 150 myself and I went with a 2 x 5 combo pan. It has 3 ft of drop flues and 2 ft of finishing. If I had found a 2 x 6 for sale real cheap I probably would have gone that way, but I wanted to be sure I could boil even when I only had less than 100 gallons of sap. I am also quite certain that we'll be going bigger within a couple of years and I wanted to have a rig that I could re-sell fairly easily.

[WESTMAPLES]

2x6 with a 3 or 4 foot flue pan would be a easy place to start and work from there my second year I bought a nice used leader 2x6 with 4 foot flue plan and I don`t regret spending the money what so ever now its time to add a blower and preheater to boost it a bit more good luck there panheadguy

[jmayerl]

Depending where in wisco you are you are probably within a few hours of smoky lake maple in Hilbert. I believe he has combo beginner pans in stock that start out around $1500 for a 2x5.

https://www.smokylakemaple.com

[adk1]

A 2x6 with flue pan for sure will easily handle 150 taps. Throw in good insulation and forced air and it will be even better. I have 225 taps and get through it without much difficulty. I bought my used leader for $2000

[RIVERWINDS]

Not my post but here's one in WI.

http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/grd/4826093879.html