2-Handed tool

[Maplewalnut]

After reading old posts I have come to the conclusion to buy a two handed tubing tool. I looked at the picture Matt has but still am unsure of what I am looking at in the major supply house catalogs. Anyone buy one recently that can point me in the right direction as far as a part number. I don't see anything that resembles it on Maple Guys pages, Bascoms -maybe TFM2 for $195 or Leader 'Deluxe' model for $340 OUCH!

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Call the maple guys, I bet they have them... It is the TFM2 on bascoms site, and 47705 on leaders site..

[Amber Gold]

I think I had asked Chris about it last season and I'm pretty sure he said they don't carry it and recommended that I contact Bascom's. Not sure if this is still the case.

[mapleack]

Tubing tools with automatic tensioners like the one you mentioned from Leader are VERY nice. We have one with auto and one manual, my brother and I fight over who gets to the auto one first. The question would be whether or not you're going to be using it enough to justify the extra cost. These things have skyrocketed rediculously like all maple equipment. Shop around, all the big companies sell the same tool.

[Haynes Forest Products]

MAPLEWALNUT

195.00 WILL BUY ALOT OF TUBING. IF YOU PUT UP YOUR LINES IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE TUBING IS SOFT IT WILL SLIDE ON THE BARBS. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT REAL EASY BRING ALONG A LITTLE VEGGY OIL AND PUT IT ON THE BARBS AND THEY WILL SLIDE ON HOT OR COLD WEATHER. i DO ALL MY REPAIRS AS WE GO IN THE SPRING. WE QUIT USING HOT WATER I CARY A SMALL SQUEZZE BOTTLE OF VEGGY OIL AND ONE DROP ON THE BARBS OR TUBE AND IT SLIDES RIGHT ON AND WONT PULL OFF.

[3% Solution]

Hi all,
Here's my story about the two-handed tool.
I thought, I don't need one of those, I can grind on the tubing with my teeth, yeah right.
Well let's see, the filling cost me $210 and if I had bought the tool I would have been $15 ahead!!!!!!
Just my two cents.

Dave

[jrthe3]

i ordered the one handed tool from leader #47700 it works great but was a little upset to see a payed $125 for a worked over pair of pliers i showed it a friend that also makes syrup he took it to a local fab shop they made one just like it works just as good and only cost him $40 to have made

[Maplewalnut]

Haynes,

I hear you about the price and I read a whole lot of discussion from the past few years before I decided to get one. Hopefully my sons will continue syruping and 50 years from now it will seem like a bargain. Either that or they'll sell it on ebay for $19.99 when I die!

[maplecrest]

two pieces of flat stock with hole drill in center, X,ed two small vice grips and two nuts sawed in half, all welded togather you have a tool. to cut the pipe carry a set of clippers

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

If I get the time in the next few weeks I can draw a print of mine on autocad so you guys can take one to a fabricator and have one made..

Andy

[sapman]

I've been shopping around for a tool myself. My polling has led me to want a set of Prunos. They seem to be $200-250, from CDL or LaPierre, I think LaPierre being the lower price. I need to get some ordered soon. Chamberland seems to be the other option, which some have told me work fine for them. But the deluxe Pruno is supposed to work real smooth.

Tim

[Jeff E]

How about Main line tools?

What do most of you use for connecting 3/4" or 1" mainline to couplings/connections?

By the way, I did buy the high priced Leader one handed and 2 handed tools. When I got them I set the kids to putting together drop lines, and the end tree drops. I left them after the tutorial, and when returning about an hour later I had a surprise to see them in production and had already made about 120 drops!

That was worth $50 just to see them going at it! Right tools for the right job!

[Maplewalnut]

Got my two handed tool. I assume the center arm that swings up between the handles is to flare ends of tubing. When would you use that?

[brookledge]

In most cases I never use that part to flare the tubing. But in some instances when dealing with stretched out tubing the diameter is smaller so you need to flare it out before you can get a fitting in it. In most cases the type of tubing that requires that is the old vinyl stuff that is basicly junk anyways.
Keith

[maplecrest]

when cutting in drops, use it. for if you look real close you will see a tighter clean fitting. if you dont you will see wrinkles on the fitting that will leak vac.my two cents

[royalmaple]

I do the same as jeff, just cut, flip the center anvil up, clamp together it flares both ends, put the drop or whatever connector in the middle and clamp again and it's on there really good. After making up your first 100 drops and you'll be able to do it watching tv or after 1000 drops you can do it while you sleep.

If you are just attaching the tool to an end of 5/16 just grab about 1/2 inch into the pipe, so leave about 1/2 inch in the middle of the tool. You'll find pretty quickly that too much tube will bend when you apply force to the tool when clamping and too little will require you to get another bite on the 5/16 and reclamp it on to get it all the way.