mobile sugar shack

[Brent]

Anyone got any feedback about putting a sugar shack on a trailer, sled or hay wagon. We'd love to have it close to the house while boiling, then move it away for the other 10 - 11 months.

We've got a Deere 4040 tractor to haul it with.

Any pictures ????

Is this idea nuts ???

[royalmaple]

Someone on here built one for a school project last year and I thought it was on a trailer. Try searching the past posts and I think you'll find it. I'm sure whoever did it would share the info with you.

[maplehound]

I seen a sugar house once that was just a portable building on skids. It was kind of small and even with just a 2 x 6 evaporator he could barly get along side of it and had to stand outside to fire it. But I am sure you could bput something like that on a trailer. Or you could build a small pavilion in your back yard with a cupula in the roof. Then put your evaporator on a frame that you can put wheels on. Then just hang tarps during the season and take them down and store your evaporator in another building in the off season. That is what I did for several years. Till I upgraded to a 3x8 and then it bacme to much to move the evaporator every year so we put wooden sides on the pavilion and now I have a sugarhouse year round.

[Sugarmaker]

Ask Gary R new maple trader. Sounds like he is in the process of setting one up now.

Chris

[tappin&sappin]

Brent,

Cool pictures. Your house looks very nice as do the views. Since it looks like you are into farming, maybe you could use an old hay wagon to build a mobile sugarhouse? If you used metal for the sides instead of rough cut, it should save you some in the weight department.

- Jake

[PATheron]

Brent- We had someone in our area set up an evaperator in a old schoolbus. Im not sure if its still around or not. Ill ask around today and see. I think you can buy them cheap becouse the farmers buy them and cut the top off except where the drivers part is and haul round bales. If I can find it Ill get some pics for you but I dont know if its still around. Youd be inside nice and dry. Make a steam hood and run that and the stack through the roof youd have a heck of a fix. Just drive it to wherever you want to boil in the summer and park it. Put a bulk tank right in it and park it so you can run a line right into it and your set. Be a darn nice setup. If you do that you really should find an awning off a motor home to store your wood under. Plus that would be a nice lounge area for visitors and customers. Theron

[ibby458]

Not a bad concept at all for a small operationn. I'd suggest building it on 6x6 skids to lessen the amount of climbing in and out you gotta do. (Be sure to pull it up onto a couple blocks of wood so the sids don't rot too fast)

Metal siding would be lighter, but better yet might be cedar clapboards or thin board & batten.

[maple flats]

Look for pics from Johnny Cuervo's set up, he has one on wheels. You would have to be able to level the evap and hold it there during the season.

[PATheron]

Id leave the bus operational and then you can take your friends and drive around and boil sap on the road. That be impressive. Just keep the stack short so you dont hit on any overpasses. Might have to run the flue pan a little deeper and be kinda carefull drawing off. Just kidding, I couldnt find anybody that could remember it so I guess no pics. Sorry Theron

[Sugarmaker]

Brent,
Great pictures thanks for sharing them with us. Nice farm! Hope your maple hobby is growing. Sounds like you are going to have a sugarhouse soon.:)
Regards,
Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I think there is one in the maple news for sale for $ 52,000. Just buy it and you are ready to go!

[Gary R]

Brent,
I have yet to boil any sap. This will be my first year. I have built a 275 gal. oil tank rig. I put it in job site trailer I got for some firewood. Those trailer are empty inside but have lights and recepticles. My thoughts for doing this was that I could pull this close to the house for the season. That way I have electricity and water. Out of season I will just pull it in the woods so it's out of the way. The only thing I have left to do is run the smoke and steam stacks. They would be easy to remove for transportation. Know that hunting season is over. I can get this thing done and test fired. Good luck on your project.

Gary