June journal

[maple flats]

Another month. Believe it or not, we are rapidly moving to the next maple season, here we are in June already. I'm looking for a medium size storage pole barn for near my sugarhouse. Will likely put a walk in cooler in one corner for storage.

[RC Maple]

There are days a walk in cooler would be great to have. I would have to have other uses for it though other than the days where the runs are good. It seemed like the good runs this year all started about Sunday and warmed into the 60's by early in the week making it impossible to keep sap cold until the weekend when I would love to spend all day boiling it. As far as anything new for 2017 I don't know yet what it would be. I like being as busy as I am during the season and doing more sounds like fun but "more" for me means a lot more work. I will be thinking of areas where I can do a better job over the next few months and maybe get a few ideas for down the road too. It's always good to see what others are doing on the posts on the site.

[Maple Man 85]

Breaking ground here in Merrill, WI June 16th. Rented an excavator and will start moving dirt to prep for the cement slab as well as running water and electric for our new sugar house! Everything's starting to fall into place! Should also be starting to mark trees for our timber harvest to clean out our property!

Maple Man 85
Northwoods Maple Farm LLC

[Biz]

On the geeky side, I have been working on a new version of my programmable vacuum pump controller unit, which can be used with a battery operated diaphragm pump like Shurflo. Allows unattended or remote operation without worrying about freezups and low battery. This year's model worked well on my short 3/16 and 5/16" lines, next years will be better. Prototype hardware is built, working on the software, should have pictures and more details later this summer.

After that, on to build my 8x12 timber framed sugarhouse annex. No off-season this year :)

Dave

[PerryFamily]

New Thor pans are just about finished. Ended up going with the cross flow with the optional plumbing to reverse the entire rig. Should be pretty sweet. So I'm getting a complete pan set up with reversing capability and 2 spare syrup pans for $1500 less than leader wanted for just a flue pan. Thinking about having Thor build some small 50-100 gallon tanks with wheels for draining pans during the season. Now I have to get an enhanced drivers license so I can pick them up as my passport has expired.

Still planning on adding some taps, probably only a couple hundred of my own, as well as a new atlas copco pump. If time and money allows possibly adding on to the sugar house just for added room.

It never ends....

[heus]

Put a peak on what was originally a shed roof off the front of the sugarhouse.

[maple flats]

New Thor pans are just about finished. Ended up going with the cross flow with the optional plumbing to reverse the entire rig. Should be pretty sweet. So I'm getting a complete pan set up with reversing capability and 2 spare syrup pans for $1500 less than leader wanted for just a flue pan. Thinking about having Thor build some small 50-100 gallon tanks with wheels for draining pans during the season. Now I have to get an enhanced drivers license so I can pick them up as my passport has expired.


It never ends....
I had Thor make a custom draw off tank on wheels a few years ago, after I bought a set of custom pans from them, same side draw. Beautiful workmanship and they beat Leader's price by $150 for a 35 gal tank, with lid. Leader's higher price was for a stock size tank. Thor is a top notch company to do business with. You won't be disappointed, price or workmanship.

[PerryFamily]

I had Thor make a custom draw off tank on wheels a few years ago, after I bought a set of custom pans from them, same side draw. Beautiful workmanship and they beat Leader's price by $150 for a 35 gal tank, with lid. Leader's higher price was for a stock size tank. Thor is a top notch company to do business with. You won't be disappointed, price or workmanship.

Dave so far I'm super happy with them. The only thing I wish was that Arnold had an email address that I could send the diagram of how I wanted the evaporator built versus over the phone. Sometimes I can draw it out easier than explain it. Otherwise Arnold has always gotten back to me when he has said he would. I asked him about building a water jacketed canner and he said if you can draw it up we can build it. He then said they were building a big one for Thad Blaisdell that is heated off of a hot water heater. That's pretty sweet. I'm going to see how it comes out and might go that route.

[Brian]

I think the email is info@thorinc.ca The address 115 Rue Dean Cowansville Quebec cell Arnold 1-450-263-8863 I was up there this past wednesday and picked up my pans,they changed a few things for me. Thad ordered his canner and Dan Bassard ordered a front pan. A good day. They do nice work!!

[PerryFamily]

I think the email is info@thorinc.ca The address 115 Rue Dean Cowansville Quebec cell Arnold 1-450-263-8863 I was up there this past wednesday and picked up my pans,they changed a few things for me. Thad ordered his canner and Dan Bassard ordered a front pan. A good day. They do nice work!!

That's great info Brian!
I have radiant heat in my RO room floor run off a oil fired hot water heater. I'm thinking that type of canner would work pretty slick! I talked to Thad a month ago regarding Thor and so far everyone has had nothing but good things to say! I'm pretty excited to go pick the pans up and price out some other shiny goodies!

[lyford]

PerryFamily had you purchased an American made product you wouldn't have to worry about that enhanced license. Just saying there are domestic producers making quality products at comparable prices.

[maple flats]

Thad was the first one who steered me to Thor.

[PerryFamily]

PerryFamily had you purchased an American made product you wouldn't have to worry about that enhanced license. Just saying there are domestic producers making quality products at comparable prices.

You are 100% correct on both accounts .
However I shopped on price, quality and accessibility.
I couldn't afford to go leader regardless of the quality but accessibility is good
I honestly didn't price CDL or Lapierre
Smokey lake was a little bit more money than Thor but not much. I'm sure the quality is excellent. But on top of the price I had shipping to pay for too.
Everyone I've talked to about Thor raves about both the quality and price and they are almost as accessible as leader as they are 4-1/2?hrs from me which is very manageable. I guess you could argue that driving there chews up a half a day and that's a cost as well, which is true as well.
Honestly I was really thinking smokey lake but was turned off by the ordering/info process. I called several times to be greeted by a answering machine asking me to email my questions, which I did. It then turned into an email only conversation which is very impersonal.
I think I made a good decision

[mudr]

That's weird. My experiences with thor and smoky have been the opposite. Thor did not reply to my inquiries. I was able to communicate via phone and email with smoky. Once I finally did get a quote from thor (from a dealer), their added shipping put them over smoky whose shipping was included. I live ~7 hr away from thor in the states, I wasn't about to go pick it up.

I'm sure your decision was a good one too. Just weird how our experiences were different.

[Parker]

Got a small start on sugarwood today,,i have 40? Cords of pine pulp stacked by the hood 2400 yardcrane by the sugarhouse that i cut last fall and there is no pine, hemlock pulp market at the moment so looks like i will have plenty to work with......if it rains hard this week i will be right after it......might be able to get ray for a day and make some real progress,,,,,,,,,,going for over 5000 taps this year and would like to have extra wood,,,just in case

[PerryFamily]

That's weird. My experiences with thor and smoky have been the opposite. Thor did not reply to my inquiries. I was able to communicate via phone and email with smoky. Once I finally did get a quote from thor (from a dealer), their added shipping put them over smoky whose shipping was included. I live ~7 hr away from thor in the states, I wasn't about to go pick it up.

I'm sure your decision was a good one too. Just weird how our experiences were different.

Yes for sure. I'm thinking the price difference was the exchange rate as well as the spring 20% discount which Smokey lake didn't offer. Or at least I wasn't aware of. Thor has emailed me a invoice as well as diagrams for plumbing but way after my conversations with Raymond So they are a little slow in that department. Time will tell if a good decision was made!


I have been looking at my wood pile too. Business has been really good and the time hasn't been there to tackle it yet!

[n8hutch]

Yes for sure. I'm thinking the price difference was the exchange rate as well as the spring 20% discount which Smokey lake didn't offer. Or at least I wasn't aware of. Thor has emailed me a invoice as well as diagrams for plumbing but way after my conversations with Raymond So they are a little slow in that department. Time will tell if a good decision was made!


I have been looking at my wood pile too. Business has been really good and the time hasn't been there to tackle it yet!

There's nothing like a New set of Pans. I'm sure you will love them. I'd like to check them out sometime when you get those beauty's. I go to Charlestown quite frequently and I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of my mother in laws house for a few hours.

I'm still kicking around getting An R.O. got to decide soon. I know that I won't regret getting one but I'm just trying to stretch Funds. Everyone's playing the same game.

On a side note I just spent 4 Days in the North Maine Woods, stayed at the Wadleigh pond camp site. It's just a little west of Allagash lake. Chased the Brook trout and Salmon did some Exploring . Saw A few nice sized sugaring Opperations.

I've got to say this is the second year in a row we have seen more Black Bears than moose. Very troubling , used to be you could see a moose seemed like on every corner. Maybe 20 a day. We saw 5 in 4 days. The Deer population seems to be healthy though saw plenty of those.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Not a whole lot going here. The garden is doing well though. It doesn't currently look like I will be upgrading my evaporator for the 2017 season due to other demands on funds. Oh well, there's always 2018. On the plus side, I will be doing some mods to my RO and one of my locations will be on 3/16" tubing instead of buckets for 2017. I'm hoping to have 100 on tubing and 50 or so on buckets at the other bush. I think I should be able to swing a small filter press too. If I can't swing a new rig for next season I figured I could spend a few dollars on improving my process. A head tank and float box are must haves for next season too. I'm also looking at replacing my vehicle with a truck. Not just for maple, but for other stuff I do. Four wheel drive will be nice too.

[DuncanFTGC/SS]

I washed out and put away my pan, just have to pack away all the rest of the stuff and 2016 will be officially over!!! :cool:

[PerryFamily]

There's nothing like a New set of Pans. I'm sure you will love them. I'd like to check them out sometime when you get those beauty's. I go to Charlestown quite frequently and I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of my mother in laws house for a few hours.

I'm still kicking around getting An R.O. got to decide soon. I know that I won't regret getting one but I'm just trying to stretch Funds. Everyone's playing the same game.

On a side note I just spent 4 Days in the North Maine Woods, stayed at the Wadleigh pond camp site. It's just a little west of Allagash lake. Chased the Brook trout and Salmon did some Exploring . Saw A few nice sized sugaring Opperations.

I've got to say this is the second year in a row we have seen more Black Bears than moose. Very troubling , used to be you could see a moose seemed like on every corner. Maybe 20 a day. We saw 5 in 4 days. The Deer population seems to be healthy though saw plenty of those.


Ha ha I hear you there. Your welcome to come look anytime once I pick them up .

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

PerryFamily had you purchased an American made product you wouldn't have to worry about that enhanced license. Just saying there are domestic producers making quality products at comparable prices.
not even close to comparable, now customer service to get something fixed would be something to look at.
When Thad went up last month he got me prices on pans only and I can pick up a 2.5x10 hoods and preheater for almost same price as a leader 2x6.
Enhanced driver licenses are only thing you can get in VT now I think.

Thads canner will have four fill points and he might be adding a fifth.

[lyford]

Flatlander, I just purchased a 2x4 hybrid from Jim Schumacher after doing alot of price research on the various manufacturers. I dont know if prices vary more when you're looking at larger rigs, but I found similar pricing from the various producers in the size I was looking at. Ultimately we are all free to spend our money as we see fit. We should all do what we are most comfortable with, and for me that means buying American as often as possible.

[wiam]

Leader quote I got for 3x12 pans was more than double what I paid Thor. Ended paying less for pans, hoods, and stack than leader wanted for pans.

[Brian]

I went to leader first. I wanted some customization done to my pans, they told me it would never work and they wouldn't do any such thing. I wanted to make so my flue pan was reversible and have a revolution pan on the front, they wouldn't have any part of it so Thad told me to go to Thor and they built exactly what I wanted. They are a great company to deal with. It is easy to get across the border as long as you own the equipment and its for a farm, make sure you carry your receipts both ways. If you're bringing anything up to Canada, stop at American customs first then they will tell you what to do to continue on. You'll get a different answer every time you go up! Just say, Yes Sir or Yes Mam.

[Parker]

Been workin in the woodpile......

[Maple Man 85]

Got the dirt work mostly done last weekend for the new sugar house. 68 yards of sand/gravel, trenched 120' for the water line/installed in floor drain system, got the dump truck stuck only once and managed to cut the power to the garage with the excavator... Successful weekend!!! 1435514356

Maple Man 85

[BAP]

Looking good. How big is your sugarhouse going to be? I am in the process of building a new sugarhouse. I have the old one al torn down. Time to start building.

[MT Pockets Producer]

We had some pretty significant storms and high winds roll trough our area Monday evening. It brought much needed rain but we did not need the downed maple and main line. I'm just glad it was only one tree and one main. Time to add to the wood pile.

[Maple Man 85]

30x45 which I already know is too small but it is what I can afford.
Looking good. How big is your sugarhouse going to be? I am in the process of building a new sugarhouse. I have the old one al torn down. Time to start building.

[BAP]

How many taps do you have? As far as size, just make sure it is designed so you can easily add on to it in the future as finances allow.

[n8hutch]

My logger started yesterday cutting the spot for my new shack . I think it's going to be 20x32. With a 8'shed off the front for wood storage. Hoping to end up with about 6 thousand feet of Hemlock to have milled out this month so I can start framing in August. Going to cut out as much pulp wood as I can around the Maples on my lot & the neighbors lot so hopefully I will get more out of these trees in the future. Going to leave the oak & ash & yellow birch that's good, taking out most of the pinew, Hemlock beech and white birch.

Sure is nice to see some saw logs on the ground.

[Maple Man 85]

In my design I left the south wall open to expansion and planned for 18,000 gallons of storage at the sugar house with just the bulk heads sticking into the building to save space. The initial plan is for 4,000 but will ramp up to 10,000 in the next 5 years.

Maple Man 85