Is there an easier way ?? Installing new tubing.

[TerryEspo]

First time doing real lines with mainline, laterals and drops. Working alone.

Well, I started with my mainline (1/2") stretched nice and tight, yeehaa.

Grabbed a 500ft roll of 5/16 and fought with that to run my first lateral.
Cut that to rough length and now install the end hook.
Work back to the other end to the mainline and then install saddle.
Saddle end of lateral now connected to mainline.
With a marker, I marked where my "Tees" need to be on the lateral.
Undo the end hook to give slack in the line (no tubing tool). Cant install "tees" with the lateral's stretched tight.
With a thermos of hot water, install "tees" about 5 per lateral. Tees installed so pull tight again and get end hook back onto last tree.

Grab the thermos again, and the drops, visit each Tee and install each drop.

I walked through deep snow, raised and lowered each line, eyeballed my work, made adjustments, pants soaking wet from the snow etc.

In total, I ran 4 laterals, installed about 10 "tees" and have one lateral with drops attached.

I worked for hours and feel I did nothing, wow. It is taking me a lot more time than I thought.

Am I doing this tubing thing wrong ??:(

Thanks.

Terry

[Clinkis]

This story sounds familiar.....went through the exact same thing this week. My conclusion....buy a tubing tool! I tried various techniques and nothing worked very well. I also discovered that if you are using vacume if you don't have tubing seated all the way it leaks! Not as much of an issue with Gravity. I have fought it and am just going to suck it up and buy a tubing tool

[Maplesapper]

Terry- Are you on vacuum or trying natural vacuum with the 5/16" ?
Two of us ran similar to your setup last year if you are gravity based.
No easy way. Our laterals are 300' each. 20 taps.
We even have to run a 1" suspended secondary mainline to pump out to the road.

Just trying to pack down the trails to the trees here in Parry Sound.
Spent 30 minutes digging out the LT Tundra- and that sucker is never suppose to drop down in the white stuff.

[gmcooper]

Get yourself a tubing tool or make one. Tubing goes much better with one.

[1arch]

Tubing tool for sure
If you are handy you can make one with a couple small vise grips and a few pieces of steel.
I purchased one made by the Amish for a reasonable savings

[markct]

You need a tubing tool. When I tube a new bush I put up mainline then go thru and hook all my laterals to the mainline then out to the end tree. Then go back thru and put in my drop lines that I already have made up when I was warm and cozy by the woodstove. Goes pretty darn quick, usualy takes longer to decide where the lines gota run than to actualy install them

[TerryEspo]

I agree that a tubing tool would be a great hep. I should look here for the easiest plans to make one. I am not the best welder but could do it. Anyone have an easy tubing tool plan for me to follow ?

The good news is next year I will have all lines made and only need to put new spiles on, that seems pretty easy compared to this year.

Tomorrow afternoon, I hope to work at it again, it sure will be nice when I get my Shurflo pump connected and see the fruits of my labour !!

Thanks for the replies.

Terry

[Clinkis]

Like I mentioned before....make sure you have your tubing joints seated all the way or you will have a lot of leaks and it will minimize the effectiveness of your surflow pump......been there ....done that. Had to redo a bunch of my lines this year because of this

[Russell Lampron]

One thing that you could do is make up your drops before you head out to the woods.

Build or buy the 2 handed tool first. You can do all of the stuff that you can with a one handed tool with it but you can't do two handed tool stuff very easily with a one handed tool.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Running tubing in deep snow is fun!! Don't get discouraged. As everyone has said, the process will go 20 times faster with a tool. As well, running lines in the spring and fall are much easier too. Good luck.

[lpakiz]

Anyone near you have a tool they might loan you? As said here, a tool makes the job go so much better.

[maple flats]

I made some "wonder Bar" tap pullers. Just get an el cheapo version and use a dremel tool with a round sanding fitting to cut the right size groove in the short end of the bar. I used $1.88 bars (several years ago price) from Big Lots and I only got 1 slot made with each sanding drum, but it was well worth it and the puller works well.
To spool out laterals, you can do it in at least 2 ways. Some just pull it off their arm and reverse the coil every 4 or 5 loops but I made a spooler out of 3/8" plywood. The bottom was about 16" diameter (maybe 18") and a top disc was about 7" diameter. I used all thread (1/4" x 12) to make the uprights and put a 1/2" cpvc pipe over each at 10" long. Under the base spool I put a nut and peaned the end enough to keep the nut from backing off, on top I double nutted the all thread after tightening the nuts. Then I put a 1/4" piece of smoothe rod thru the center. On this I tapped the bottom to accept a double nut and on top of the nuts I placed 3 flat washers to help it spin. On top I welded a 5/16 nut to leave the rod slightly loose and I then bent a hook on the top of the rod to hang the spooler on my mainline. This worked very well for 4-5 years until I won a factory made spooler at a maple show as a door prize. I then gave the old spooler to a friend. As far as I know, he is still using it.
The last thing is a 2 handed tubing tool, homemade or bought, is almost essential. Some guys with very small operations pre heat a thermos and then put boiling water in and dip the end into the hot water just enough to allow you to push it on by hand. If heated too much or heated too far up the length it becomes very hard to push on. You only want to heat the first inch.

[DrTimPerkins]

Although many folks have suggested a tubing tube will help, I don't think anyone has mentioned one of the biggest advantages, which is that once your lateral lines are installed and snugged up tight, you don't need to disconnect them again. You start with your drops made up with a tee already installed. Then with a two handed tool, you simply find where you want to install the drop, attach the vice grips to each side (with the jaws close together) and cut the line (which is now held in place by the grips). You then open up the tool to get some space, put the tee into the space, and then close the tool to push both ends of the tee onto the ends of the cut lateral line. Very quick and no tugging or fussing necessary. The two-handed tool makes installing drops very fast.

[DoubleBrookMaple]

Terry, last year I went through what you are doing with a one-handed tool with lateral lines up, premade drop lines, and it was not easy!
Trust what everone is saying, I made my own two handed tool this year, and it is sooo much better in many ways. An additional factor is the orientation and position of the drop tee comes out perfect, and the laterals are not twisted, with drop tees pointing every which way.
I am all tapped, and just finishing today using my two handed tool to put in the drops, and it is still not an easy task. At 25-30 degrees the 30P tubing is stiff, but it does go on with effort. Last year I discovered semi-rigid LaPierre, and it made things easier, but I wanted gray, so I am using Leader 30P for everything, all new. I am using all gray mainlines also. for aesthetics.

[BreezyHill]

Hey Terry, I am in for lunch for a minute.
Two handed tubing tool for sure, tape the trees that are maples if you are in a bush and stretch the 5/16. I use a spinner for the tubing and hang it on the mainline if it has a wire support and carry if it doesn't.

Yesturday we got 2500' of laterals up in 4 hours and a little under 1000' of 1" main line. This am did 500' of 1" and only 500' of lateral, snowing pretty hard this morning then it stopped as we were coming in for lunch. Hope to get in another 1000 of lateral and start tapping in some of what we stretched.

Last night sat infront of the tv and made drops to cut in as son taps the trees and sets the spouts. We can do about 100-150 an hour cutting in and setting drops.

The more time you do this the faster you get.

I am sure when you are all done you will look back and saw: " that wasn't so bad."

Ben

[GeneralStark]

I developed a technique for installing tubing using just a one-handed tool and it has worked for me for years for thousands of drops. I did upgrade to a LOAC tobing tool this year which is awesome, but for a small operation a one handed tool will work fine.

The key is being able to tie a clove hitch. First I stretch the tubing from the end tree to main as others have described. To install the pre-made drops I then use a 3 ft. piece of cord and tie two clove hitches to the tubing, one on either side of the tree I am installing a drop for. Then I cut the tubing between the clove hitches and install the drop with the one-handed tool. The cord and clove hitches keeps the tension on the tubing and allows you to easily cut in the drop.

Certainly not for everyone but it worked well for me. I also developed a technique for tensioning mainline using prussik knots with a similar concept. I use this technique in place of a mainline tool.

[Sapcat]

I am also interested in building my own tubing tool. Would appreciate photos and dimensions of other self-built tools. Thanks very much.

[TerryEspo]

I did more lines yesterday.

The post from GeneralStark, was a miracle about tying clove hitches with string to hold the line as I cut them. It worked perfect. It freed my hands completely and no worries of the lines springing away 10 ft when I cut them.

I think I will tie two pieces of string to my belt, one on my left side and one on the right side, then I will always have the string ready and in easy reach when I need it.

The string thing works.

THANKS GENERAL.

I now have 35 taps on the line and will add more soon.

Soon the sap tsunami will begin.

Terry

[GeneralStark]

I'm glad it worked out!

[Sugarmaker]

I have done all my 600 drops with a single handed tool, I am stubborn. This was over a couple seasons, with the drops made up ahead. Wasn't easy but we got the job done. Beware that the hot water may soften the tubing and it may not grip as well as tubing put on cold with a tool. Or maybe I just heated it to much with the water?
Regards,
Chris

[sugarwoodacres]

I spent the $100 on a one hand tool this year, and I don't know how I did without one for years. No hot water to deal with and so much faster. Don't think about it , buy it

[RIFoster]

Cant you just cut the lines with a razor knife, and shove them onto the fitting barbs?

[Russell Lampron]

Cant you just cut the lines with a razor knife, and shove them onto the fitting barbs?

The tubing tools push the fittings into the tubing. The fit is too tight to just shove them on.

[Maplesapper]

Who suggested the Clove Hitch ??
Was that the General.
What a great idea.

Just laid a 400' lateral in very short order.
Gravity vacuum setup here.
Ran the lateral, zig zagged a few trees.
Tied one half of the clove hitch on the tubing; just about pulled the kidneys out of my back with the other hand and tied the rest of the hitch on the other end of the tubing
Lateral is like piano wire now...
Great solution.

[Ghs57]

I had a day like Terry did today. My home made tubing tool was crap, the tubing got tangled while spooling it out, my lateral plan went to hell in the face of the terrain, and the truck got stuck in the snow. The tubing tool looks like a good buy right about now. So does a tubing spooler. But, despite all that, the 3/16 line was running like mad. The 5/16 was slow, but it was also late in the day with falling temps.

My brother and I both agree that that right tool for the job (despite the price) is well worth it in the long run. Might try tying knots tomorrow though as I want to get some more laterals in this week. Can't get a tool that fast.

[RIFoster]

The tubing tools push the fittings into the tubing. The fit is too tight to just shove them on.

That's how I ran all of mine, shrug.

[TerryEspo]

Until I buy a tubing tool, the Clove Hitch with some rope is the way to go. Try two pieces of rope tied to your belt, one on each side. I carry my thermos in a little shoulder bag, MAN-purse thing and hangs it in front of me. Like a kangaroo pouch that hold my drill, snips and thermos.

I think all has gone well, don't hear or see leaks, just need decent weather now for a run of sap.

Good luck to everyone.

Terry

[S&STappers]

Go to Sugarbushinfo.com and look in the "home built maple equipment" forum for a post titled "my two handed tubing tool" posted February 28 by Dennis H. Really nice detailed set of plans.