draw off pail $

[blackstrapking]

Just ordered a 13qt stainless pail for draw offs, from an off the "theme" web site. Seems like a pretty good price, compared to what i've seen in some M. supply catalogs. Web site is : www.drfostersmith.com, price was around $25 plus shipping. This paticular product was listed under "feeders and waterers", Yeah it's a pet supply site, I've got way too many pets and way too much free time this time of year.

Jason

[Russell Lampron]

When sugaring season gets here you may see some posts from Race Foster who is the Foster from Drs Foster and Smith. It is a small world isn't it!

Russ

[blackstrapking]

that is soo cool russ!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Tractor supply has the 13 quart stainless buckets for around $ 17 unless they have gone up for anyone who needs one. :)

[hard maple]

Jason
have you checked out races sugarhouse pics on mapleman3's website??
Amazing sugarhouse and a top notch evaporator too!!

[brookledge]

I would recomend that anyone looking for draw off pails look for old milk pails like DeLaval pails and a few other makes.
These pails are about 18" on the bottom and 10" on the top the nice thing about them is that they are very stable and you don't have to worry about them tipping over. Whereas most other pails are narrow at the bottom and wider at the top.
If you look around alittle you can usually find a few at a good price.
They are good for collecting sap also since they are so stable.
Keith

[hard maple]

the milk pails are really nice, but you'll be hard pressed to find one in the 20 $ range. The pails in the maple catalogs are way over priced and the qaulity is not even close to a delaval milk pail.

[royalmaple]

Another good point about the milking pails is the handle on the bottom. :lol:

[blackstrapking]

hard maple,

Just looked at the pics, that sure is one sharp outfit!!

Jason

[hard maple]

Royal
That handle on the delaval eliminates the need to wear gloves too. I took my automotive creeper stool and removed the foam padding and the milk pail fits perfect on the metal base. It's height adjustable plus it's got wheels.

[royalmaple]

Yup, good idea. I sure do like those pails. THey are hard to beat, I buy them when I get the chance. Very sturdy.

I've also got one of the old style Stainless transportation dump tanks on wheels, with the tubing that went around them and you can then hook up the bottom to the vacuum line in the milk room to transfer out. I'm thinking this will make a nice draw off bucket too / filter tank combo.

[maplehound]

I just love to go to those Dairy auctions. I have bought several ss milk pails for $5 - $10. I try to keep several on hand for draining the pans, catching syrup and filtering syrup. They sure come in handy.
I also keep my eyes out for cheap milk tanks and vacuum pumps. I do feel bad for the farmers who are ussually going out of business. In our area we have these auctions almost every day.

[brookledge]

I know what you mean. You feel like a vulture waiting for the animal to go down then move in and look for a steal. And for the most part there is no one looking to go into the business so there is not a big demand for used dairy equipment.
Keith

[maplehound]

yea,
I went to one auction couple years ago that was just a household auction that a farmer consigned in several pieces including a 300 gal vacuume tank, 3 vacuume pumps ( 1 hp and 10 hp) as well as several milk pails. He never brought anything to the place of the auction just auctioned it off sight unseen unless you wasnted to drive 10 miles to go see the items. I bought the tank for $50 the 1 hp pump for $10 and 2 milk pails for $20. Sold one milk pail to another sugar maker. I left the auction real happy but the farmer tried to renegotate the price of the tank or to help take it out of the milk house for another $100. I just got several guys to help and we carried it out of the door ourselves.
WHAT A STEAL

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I like a good deal, but wouldn't want to feel I was stealing off of someone. When I bought the 625 gallon milk tank a couple of years ago, it had just went bad and I tracked it down indirectly from some info from the trader and after further tracking, I was able to get hold of the guy. He told me he could get $ 200 scrap for it, and I told him if he would hold it for me 2 or 3 months, I would give him $ 400. He was a poorer farmer and needed the money I found out when I got there, so I didn't mind paying that for it. I always like helping those who help themselves. I get tired of going to work every day to support all the scum of the earth.

I would have felt bad paying him $ 200 for it, but the going price seems higher in PA than maybe in OH or other places. Here in WV, I found a 300 gallon and the guy wanted $ 800 for it. They are very rare down here, so people think they have a gold mine and sooner or later they get that price out of them. Of course, $ 800 is really a good price for that type of tank if you thought of what it would cost to have one made. Mine looks about like new other than the dent we put in it loading or unloading it.

[sbmaple]

The best deal i've be able to come across,a 3000 gal bulk tank $400,fire damaged the outside shell and one big dent.It was only six months old the farmer told me he paid 30,000 for it.they were insured.Felt bad about someone losing there livelyhood overnight.
But Ive also paid top dollar for lot of other equipment.

[royalmaple]

When "you" go to sell your bulk syrup, the buyer doesn't look at you and say. I know you didn't have an ro this year, the runs were small this year, I remember seeing you cutting wood all summer, boy your woods really took a beating during the muddy spring, and I am sorry you had to repair a ton of tubing that was damaged in the wind storm. So I'll give you 2.25/lb for your commercial syrup. :?

I've sold pleanty of stuff at a loss. Just a business cycle that happens. Take the good with the bad I guess. I've never had anyone offer me more than I wanted and don't mind stealing it from me.

[maplehound]

Royal Maple, You are right. I do feel bad about the good deals I get at auction but they are the ones putting it up for auction. I was the high bidder and if I wasn't there to bid they wouldn't have gotten that for it. In the case of this tank the farmer didn't even bring the small items to the auction they just said if you want to see them they are at the farm 5 0r 10 miles away. NOt sure what he expected under those conditions. I was at another auction and bid $50 for a 300 galoon tank that was currently full of MIlk. ( Milk was reserved :) ) Nobody likes to take themout of the milk houses. At this auction I also bid on the milk pump , the vaccuum pump, and the pipe line. Each time I bid $50. It got to the point that the auctioner just looked at me and said $50. I just smiled and shook my head yes. If I was able to go to more I would buy up a bunch of these tanks and sell them to all of you. I would be rich :D :D :D

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

There are great deals on milk tanks out there. Just gotta look for them. I paid 27 cents a gallon for a tank I bought this summer which is a great price for around here. BUT had a hell of a time dealing with the farm owner on how to get the tank out of the milk house. We ended up getting it all squared away, BUT I'm just going to say...get more than just a verbal agreement with the owner's son. Talk to who ever is in charge and it might take some confusion out!!!!!!

[twigbender]

I've got some of those delaval buckets. Had to give $8.00 for a pair at an auction. Another company that made identical buckets was Universal. In fact, I believe that the covers are interchangeable. I got my 500 gallon bulk milk tank for $300 which I thought was ok, but due to a short lapse of attention and a bit too much jaw jacking at an auction, I missed a 300 gallon tank for $10!! I was not happy!! If you watch eBay under the Home and Garden section, you'll see the delaval and universals from time to time.

[Brent]

Don't beat yourself up too much about the miss.

You bid 15
he bids 20
you bid 25
etc
and suddenly you realize that you didn't miss it at $ 10.

[MR Electrician]

i watched the auction vultures auction off 3 businesses in the family.
we lost over 3 million in minutes.
i dont feel bad about bidding a dollar on a $1000.00 dollar item
since ive been on both sides of the fence
to me the victory is mine.sorry about yr luck.

the farmers in my area are retiring or have passed away theres no young blood coming into the business so its a free for all when the auction vultures come a callin.


when my business went under i sold machines and tools for 5 to 10 cents on the dollar of what they were worth just to stay alive this worked till the tax man dealt the decisive blow. and finished me off.
now im just another dumb elecaterician.

**** 6 months ago i couldnt even speel elecaterician now i are one.:eek:

[gmcooper]

Farm auctions are rare around here now. Guess everyone already went broke? Really seems like here now most of them sell the cows and just kind of let everything else rot into the ground. I know of several dairy farms that have been out of business for many years and everything is still sitting there.

I do have a followup to removing bulk tanks from an auction sale. One guy we knew bought a good size tank that was fairly new for about 10 cents on the $. The farmer was pissed off that it sold for so little that he made the buyer fully repair the milk house(they had to take out a wall same one they did to put it in) putting the wall back was ok with the buyer. Then they had to put new pine paneling on the inside and 3 coats of poly on it. They had to hire an electrician to remove all the wiring to the tank back to the panel, plug the knockouts in the panel. Repaint the outside of the milk house, not just the one wall. He also had to do some regrading of the driveway. After all the mess the auctioneer told the buyer "God I'm glad I stopped bidding against you, I'd have just left the tank right there if I knew thats what the seller wanted done""

[MR Electrician]

yea well we know how to fix those guys we just tell the auctioneer to fix the farmer or he can reefund the money for the tank.

the auctioneer usually just gets you a reefund and the farmer can sit and spin on his old rusting tank.
as i said most of the guys are old or dead so theres no hard feelings.
hell most of these guys are so happy to get rid of theyre junk theyll help you load it too.
i sawa farmer selling a tractor bidding was going good would have sold for 10k ,then he said i stripped the third gear out of it last month . it sold for $2500.00 bucks nice a/c deisel tractor 75 hp new tires loader .a steal at twice the price .
overheard the auctioneer saying under his breath shut up you idiot.
well thats the auction game i guess .



the only thing i can tell you is this when im at an auction if its worth 10 000 to me im still starting my biding at $1 that really makes the auctioneers happy
after a few auctions they just start looking at you and say got a spare buck?

my answer no i got a quarter.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

gmcooper, that's kinda the same deal I had to go through, but not quite. The farmer suggested that I take the roof off the building and pull the tank from the top. When I heard that, I told him right where to go. THen I did what MR Electrician said and told the auctioneer I want my money back. He gave me a line of BS and then told me that he couldn't do that. So then I told him that I need my money or the tank and that this problem was not mine and he had to settle it with the farmer. A couple days later we all met at the farm and I got my tank like I had planned from the start. But what brought it all on is that the farmer was mad about how cheap I got the tank. And after the bidding was over he went to the auctioneer and said he had another higher bid, and the auctioneer said that the bidding was done and it had already been sold.

[maplecrest]

i learned a hard lesson this last fall removing a tank from a milk house with 22 stitches in one finger. the lesson was, when you have the tank chained to the loader of your tractor to load in my trailer then call me for pick up.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

With the price of milk close to double what it was 18 months ago, hopefully more of these dairy farmers will go back in business so we can keep up with China as we are shipping so much of the milk over there now.

[MR Electrician]

hey breezy the farmer signs a paper that he is accepting the bids as the auctioneer sells it.
if he dont like it too bad.


most of these tanks come right out of a window thats why they have a picture window in the milk house.

as for the farmers going into business .
in canada they all have milk quotas these contracts are worth a lot of money
both to buy and to have . it means that the dairy will buy a pre set amount from the farmer no more no less .
these quotas are worth in the million dollar range.
this is why when a farmer retires he can retire just from selling the quota, the rest is just gravy.

[maple flats]

Back to draw off pails. I have some of the milker pails to but I like the cheapo made in india (or other) discount store ss pots. I use 16qt and 20qt, they come with lids. I got mine at Big Lots, others have them too. I paid less than $10 each back in 04.

[tuckermtn]

we have been using the round style stainless pots they use to keep soup warm in steam tables...pretty cheap at resturant supply house...I think we get 3 quarts in a draw-off...

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Speaking of which, I happened to be flipping thru the D&G catalog and they had a little stainless pot in there, probably about a gallon. It looked like a deep saucepan and was about 10" in diamater the best I can remember and 5" high and it was $ 200+++. Guess it must be gold overlaid with stainless.LOL

[Brent]

Lee Valley has 3.2 US gallon SS pails for $ 27.10

See http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=44657&cat=2,2120,33278

[MR Electrician]

brent go to princess auto on dixie rd and courtney park they have the same ss pails for the same money sometimes they have them on sale for $20.00
we bought a bunch of cheap stainless there for under 50 bucks for the lot.

[jemsklein]

actually it wasent $20 it was $12

[maple flats]

And I was in a Tractor Supply Co store today. I looked in pet supplies. They had afew different sizes. They had a ss pail 16 qt for $23, but was rather thin SS. They had a real nice looking 9qt for $17, orwas it 13? The 9qt looked better quality than the larger, was sturdier and heavier. I thought it looked top notch, was made in India.

[Sugarmaker]

I was reading back thru this thread about auctions. I went to a auction that had a 400 gallon bulk tank. I was monkeying around drooling over the tank when some one came in the milk house and said that they were selling it out side. I was sicker than a dog with the flu and poked my head out and ask the auctioneer where he was at on the tank. He said 250. I said yes at 250 thinking I was now in the bidding and hoping it didnt go higher. He made one round and said sold at 250! Little did I know he was on his way down and did not have any bid, and I interrupted him and started the tank at 250. There wasn't another bid and I am sure folks thought I was nuts! But I got the tank and it was worth the money.
I prefer the old Dari-Kool brand (rectangular and low) and I have take three of them apart now stripping off all the outside and second skin of stainless. I have 4 of them 2-250 gal 1 350 gal and the 400 all very nice tanks for sap storage. (one of them is my dads 250 from his farm) I take them apart in the milk house by lifting out the milk liner, then taking apart the outer shell with a 4 inch grinder at the corners. Takes several hours but is a lot easier than trying to lift them.

Chris

[MR Electrician]

if its worth the $250 to you then dont get upset.
the tank cost the farmer a lot more when it was new.

[H. Walker]

Sugarmaker, I found that starting bidding before the Auctioneer hits rock bottom is a lot smarter, you don't get all the bottom feeders bidding. They know that you are serious and it's not going to be a steal. Another trick is to jump the bid more than what the Auctioneer is asking, it scares the tight wads out.

[maple maniac65]

ss stock pots at walmart are pretty decent to use as draw off buckets. ss steel pails are expensive. I would rather have a ss draw off pail but having more than one in the sugarhouse is a plus. Stock pots come in handy.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You can pick up 4 stainles stock pots on ebay for $ 20 to $ 30 or less + shipping. They are 2, 3, 4, and 5 gallon pots in a set!

[michiganfarmer]

Yup, good idea. I sure do like those pails. THey are hard to beat, I buy them when I get the chance. Very sturdy.

I've also got one of the old style Stainless transportation dump tanks on wheels, with the tubing that went around them and you can then hook up the bottom to the vacuum line in the milk room to transfer out. I'm thinking this will make a nice draw off bucket too / filter tank combo.

we called ours a vayer