Leader Half Pint

[Jay]

Can anyone tell me the good and bad of the half pint? I had 11 taps this year and boiled on a 24x36 pan in my yard on cinder blocks, i was doing about 40 gallons start to finish in about 12 hrs. I was looking to go to about 30 taps next year and am looking to up-grade and to cut down on my boil time and maybe get a little lighter syrup. Thanks, Jay

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jay,

Why don't you send Chris with the Maple Guys who sponsor this website. They have a really nice backyard unit just like the half pint for just a little more and it is a touch bigger than the half pint. I am sure he would work out a good deal for you!

Here is the link to the unit I am talking about!

http://www.mapleguys.com/index.php?item=4&ret=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mapleguys.com%2Findex.php%3Fp age%3D1%26category%3D3

[Jay]

Thanks WVM! I will do that, when i said the leader Half Pint i dont have my heart set on that particular model, was just looking for somthing about that size. Lord only knows i will only use it one season before i up grade again,LoL. People are right about this syrup stuff, its not a Hobby its a SICKNESS, a good sickness but none the less a sickness. Thanks again,Jay

[mapleman3]

Jay, if your going to stay under 100 taps , thats the way to go, it's a great little rig, easy to use, makes great syrup and at the end of the season, you can move it aside. it's sectioned so you get the feel of a real evaporator and the syrup comes out better than the batch type pans.

[farmerEd]

I have the half-pint, bought it brand new this season and I think it works great (having stepped up from the kitchen stove last year!). Even if you plan on going bigger someday, unless you have someone to show you the ropes, using a little unit like this for a while probably makes sense. I have 75 taps up and so far have been able to keep up w/out a problem. I am aiming to make 15 gallons this year and should get pretty close to that.

In all likelihood I'll sell this unit and buy a bigger rig for next year, but don't regret starting on something small and relatively forgiving before making the plunge. I hope to put in 250-300 taps next year so the half-pint is out of the question....

It is a long day of boiling, for a gallon of syrup, but now that I have the hang of it I can keep it running while I do other chores around the farm and chec on it every 20-30 minutes....I also draw off early and finish on the stove.

[mapleman3]

Farmer Ed.. your right, you can do other things without too much worry, just keep wood in it !! I did 15 gals last year on the 1 I had, and still got what I paid for it when I sold it.

[MaineMapleDave]

I have been using a Half Pint for 9 years now. It's fun, but is a pretty slow boiler when compared to anything with a flue pan. I have 30 taps, manage to boil only on weekends.

With a lot of attention, you should be able to boil off about 5 gallons an hour, maybe a bit more, so keep that in mind when you are evaluating how much sap you have to play with versus how long it will take to boil. It takes a fair amount of attention the first hour to get everything (bricks, etc) heated up, but then I can pretty much leave it alone. I check on it every 10 minutes to add wood and possibly add a bit of sap.

I keep the sap level at about 1 inch.

It's fun, but I definitely plan on getting a 2x4 or maybe 2x6 in the next few years and increasing the number of taps.

[farmerEd]

As I mentioned above, I will be selling my half-pint after this season. (Bought it new in february). A few questions:

1. I paid $795 plus have about $150 of fire-bricks and valves added for a total cost of around $945...any idea what I might be able to get for it used?

2. What are the chances of moving it w/out taking out the firebricks? Anyone think 2-3 guys could lift it onto a truck? Seems it would be a great benefit to someone who doesn't want to do all the work to just plunk down a complete unit ready to go....woud it be to heavy? if not, would the firebricks likely crack and come apart during the transport?

3. If I do need to remove all the firebricks...how hard is this? can they generally be used again?

Thanks.

[mapleman3]

Ed You should be able to move that with 3 guys, When I bought my 2x6 from Mike, it was bricked, it took 4 of us to load it on a trailer...