How tight to pull 3/16

[bairdswift]

We are replacing some of our 10 year old 5/16 lines with 3/16 lines and drops this season to make a hyrbrid system. How tight are you pulling the 3/16 lines. I just don't want to pull so hard the lines stretches and gets smaller. The 3/16 dose not span long stretches as well as the 3/16 so we are going around a few extra saplings on long stretches that we did not have to do before.

[Woodsrover]

The stuff is surprisingly strong. The CDL semi-rigid seems to stretch more than the Leader rigid line but both can be pulled tigher that you'd think before they will deform.

I have one spot where I need to 100' or so between trees and had to prop it up a bit with a couple of branches. It does like to droop over long distances and even more so when full of sap.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

You have vacuum with 3/16" tubing so some sags are OK. I don't understand this nailing to trees some guys are talking about. You want some slack in your line so you can move lines up and down to find good wood for tapping over time. Get it tight but no need to overdo it.

[Cody]

^^What he said,and it is nice when you pull taps you can lift higher on tree so deer don't run into it.

[palmer4th]

I was using leader ridged this year and had one line that I was pulling tight and it kept popping off the t's. and I was using a two handed tool? why do the t's only have one barb?????

[Chris_In_Vermont]

When we first started using the leader 30p 3\16, we tried to run it as tight as we do 5\16, and you just can't. It will pull apart. You have to slack off the tension some, and it really doesn't need to be banjo string tight, it's not as heavy as 5\16 and won't sag as badly over spans.

There are also a few 2 barb T fittings coming onto the market.
If you're still having trouble with T's coming apart, try to not run tubing as tight, and be careful not to flare the tubing too much while using a 2 handed dropline tool.
The softer tubing grips fittings better, but man, the 800ft rolls are really nice.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have miles of CDL 3/16 semi-rigid up and have never had any of it pull apart even with the original one barb fittings. I think the problem with it coming apart is the rigid tubing it won't grip and sink behind barbs.

[Chris_In_Vermont]

I agree, it's surely the tubing. We have some of the semi rigid dark blue D&G tubing as lateral line as well (before we got the 30p) and that grips the fittings very well. It will stretch itself thin before pulling apart. If using rigid, you just have to not run tubing as tight.

We also tried some of the new leader max flow grip 3\16 and did not like it at all. Fittings went in way too hard....

[CharlieVT]

I'm not sure but I think mixing up CDL and Leader 3/16ths tubing and fittings may be part of the problem.

I had been very casual picking up tubing and fitting at Bascom's, not really paying attention to whose fittings and tubing I was getting.
I have noticed some fittings were really hard to get into the tubing; the tubing really had to be flaired with with the tubing tool to get the fitting started.
Sorry, can't tell you whose fitting or tubing was involved there...

It occurs to me that the opposite situation could result in a fitting that isn't really tight in the tubing resulting in pull-aparts, but I haven't had that problem.

I am able to pull my 3/16ths really tight. I use the black hollow core braided rope (chinese finger trap type) to tension the tubing.

Maybe the answer to pull-parts is making sure you're not mixing up brands.

HTH

[Snowmad]

I used CDL T's and spouts on Leader 3/16 tubing. I haven't had one pull apart, except when I had a tree limb fall on it and then it ripped at the spout. The T's did go together somewhat difficult using the two handed tool and it worked much better to have someone help steady and line up the T to the hose when I was putting it together. I have some Lapiere tubing and CDL to try this year. Not that I disliked the Leader tubing, just wanted to try some different stuff.
I was at Leaders open house a couple weeks ago. It was amazing to see the tubing being made. About 125' per minute, 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. That's a lot of tubing, just from one company. They told me it was enough to go from Maine to California, back to Maine, and half way back to Cali. Impressive!