Pump Preference

[Maple Man 85]

There a bunch of different kinds of pump to achieve vacuum in the woods but by laying out my circumstances it may help in this quest for knowledge...

The woods in question has power on two sides so running an electric pump is my best option from a power source perspective what type and brand of pump has everyone had the best luck with in terms of minimal maintenance and longevity?

Maple Man 85

[unc23win]

Everyone raves about atlas copco from MES small pumps big cfms high vacuum little maintenance Great prices. My next one will be on for sure.

[Maple Man 85]

Everyone raves about atlas copco from MES small pumps big cfms high vacuum little maintenance Great prices. My next one will be on for sure.
Would an oil cooled rotary or liquid ring pump in your option be better?

[tuckermtn]

indiana vacuum if I had enough taps in one place to justify the cost

[Maplewalnut]

If your looking for an entry level model, try and find a old Surge SP-22. No one is going to beat them in longevity and you can probably find one for around $500 still. Change the oil routinely and it will pull 22+ inches on a tight 800 tap bush no problem

[WestfordSugarworks]

Atlas copco

[Maple Man 85]

If your looking for an entry level model, try and find a old Surge SP-22. No one is going to beat them in longevity and you can probably find one for around $500 still. Change the oil routinely and it will pull 22+ inches on a tight 800 tap bush no problem

I'll have roughly 2,000 taps on the pump over 40 acres.

[BreezyHill]

It all depends on your budget. 2000 taps is do able on a dairy pump but you are now looking at an M5, Delaval 76, 777, or an 84, Surge 2100 or a 2300 should pull plenty of cfs for you; or you can go to the higher priced commercial pumps.

All pumps need TLC, change the oil, watch the temp, and keep the sap out and they all do pretty darn well.

The other option is to piggy back two smaller pumps. Done it successfully for a few years now.

[WestfordSugarworks]

Get a boss hog pump that will run high cfm while pulling high vacuum. You want a vacuum pump that will achieve highest possible vacuum. From what I understand you get 5% more sap for every inch of mercury at the tap. We were able to pull 28.4 inches for a lot of last season on our Atlas Copco at the 10,000 tap bush and we got 34 gallons of sap per tap there. Of course last season was a banner year. The point is that an appropriately sized and high performance pump will be key to high yields, paired with a tight system.

[Maple Man 85]

Get a boss hog pump that will run high cfm while pulling high vacuum. You want a vacuum pump that will achieve highest possible vacuum. From what I understand you get 5% more sap for every inch of mercury at the tap. We were able to pull 28.4 inches for a lot of last season on our Atlas Copco at the 10,000 tap bush and we got 34 gallons of sap per tap there. Of course last season was a banner year. The point is that an appropriately sized and high performance pump will be key to high yields, paired with a tight system.

Increased sap yield justifies a higher performing pump as well as a tight system as you mentioned. I am willing to spend the money in the woods as this is where the money comes from. I would rather buy a used evaporator or even sell the sap to my neighbor before I'd cheap out in the woods. Westford, those are impressive numbers!!!

[BreezyHill]

Cheap out is a matter of thinking.

It is never how much you spend but how wisely it is spent. I bought a pump for $50 spend a couple hours cleaning and modifying it and it pulls 29+" .

I know another that sold off a liquid ring pump after seeing what a $300 dairy pump could do.

For me it is simple: One must spend within budget and maximize every dollar spent to make a profit. Thowing money at anything is not way of maximizing profits.

New pumps are a necessity for some people,, while for others they are a waste of assets.

The best investment in the woods is an electric releaser that will make vacuum.

3-5% per inch of vacuum over 15" is the published study results.

Keep the system in good repair and spouts new for the best results.

[n8hutch]

I am going to get a small atlas copco pump myself this year.
Sure enough some people have great success with old dairy pumps but they definitely require more attention than a new pump with a sealed cooling and lubrication system. Add in that they are better for the environment because the exhaust doesn't push any oil particulate into the environment it's a win win in my book.

I don't have time to tinker with a pump , I just want one that works all the time. Also at some point you have to figure out how much your time is worth when you run all over the place getting parts for this and that to rebuild something, the gas you burned , the time you wasted, what you lost out on because you were trying to make something work. Pretty soon you've spent as much or more than if you just bought what you wanted originally.

[PerryFamily]

I am going to get a small atlas copco pump myself this year.
Sure enough some people have great success with old dairy pumps but they definitely require more attention than a new pump with a sealed cooling and lubrication system. Add in that they are better for the environment because the exhaust doesn't push any oil particulate into the environment it's a win win in my book.

I don't have time to tinker with a pump , I just want one that works all the time. Also at some point you have to figure out how much your time is worth when you run all over the place getting parts for this and that to rebuild something, the gas you burned , the time you wasted, what you lost out on because you were trying to make something work. Pretty soon you've spent as much or more than if you just bought what you wanted originally.

Couldn't agree more!

Last season I had an Atlas Copco pump and a dairy pump at 2 equally sized bushes
The atlas copco ran 24/7 , never shut it off. The heat kept my tank and releaser from having any freeze ups what so ever. Never missed a drop. And super quiet at 27"

The dairy pump I would shut off if it cold to save It from over heating. Even with a reclaimer I had to add oil every couple days. it ran about 23-24" at the releaser. You could tell a huge difference in sap yield. For the most part it is a good pump but like you said, when something goes its a huge pain in the ***.

I'm hoping to get another Atlas pump this year but I'm not going to get rid of the dairy pump. It will be a great backup pump.

Call clayton at MES, you cant go wrong with Atlas copco

If your ever over this way and want to check it out let me know

[S.S.S]

Atlas copco for sure.