Long Laterals

[Amber Gold]

I have a situation where I'm not sure if I should run long laterals and run a branch mainline. There's 20+ taps that would require (2) 200+/- foot long laterals. Each lateral would have about 10 taps on it. I'll have vacuum. Should I run long laterals or run a short 100-150 of mainline up the hill? It's going right up a good slope so the laterals will have plenty of pitch to flow fast if that helps my situation at all.

Thanks

[NH Maplemaker]

Josh, that is a no brain er for me! I would go with the main line as there is always just one more tree. If not now in a few years as small trees will turn into tapers before you know it! Jim L.

NH Maplemaker

[dano2840]

i have a situation like that, i have a smaller bush behind my house where i taped our side last year the neighbor let me tap his to this year, but there are about 25-30 taps below on a bank but it would require running 200 ft of mainline, i didnt feel like i aught to bother w/ them this year because of lack of pipe and im gunna be in the hole financially all ready but should i be tapping them? is it worth running that 200 ft of pipe and the 30 ft laterals to go up the hill to all of these?

[NH Maplemaker]

dano2840,with the amoumt of syrup you will produce with 30 more taps you would more than pay for the 200 feet of pipe in one season. But if you don't have the money, than you don't have it!! Thats the nice thing about being young ,there is always next year.!!!

[Haynes Forest Products]

I took over woods that had 200-300 feet of 5/16 laterals and that was on gravity. Now that there on vacuum we are in the prosses of changing all we can to 3/4 branch lines and picking up alot more trees so as NH said spend the money on the mainlines and save on laterals I think its a trade off money wise.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I took over woods that had 200-300 feet of 5/16 laterals with 30 taps each and that was on gravity. Now that there on vacuum we are in the prosses of changing all we can to 3/4 branch lines and picking up alot more trees so as NH said spend the money on the mainlines and save on laterals I think its a trade off money wise and you will be alot better of down the road. Plus when it comes to repairs down the road and there will be some mainlines last alot longer than sap lines.

[dano2840]

i may not have the money but i have a mother who just sold our old house and is helping me out w/ the money part this year any way(will have her paid back by the end of the season) i can probably snag a few extra bucks!

[dano2840]

i asked for an evaporator last year for christmas "im not getting you an evaporator for christmas" she said. so this year she had a sugar house built for me instead!!!!!!!!

[maple flats]

I have attended more than 1 seminar on running tubing. Everyone stated that main lines should run straight up a hill if feasable, branch lines run parallel but upward enough to get needed grade and laterals run up straight. Think of a fish skeletin, the spine is the main, the ribs are laterals (fish is facing down hill) and then your 5/16 lines go uphill from the laterals. If you have a much smaller set up the mainline still goes up the steepest part but you might have no laterals and the 5/16 lines branch out and uphill. If you see a bigger setup at some time in the future with mains, laterals and then 5/16 lines try to incorporate as best you can. Gravity on a good slope can even have 20 taps if steep enough (some even say they have had 75 taps on a real steep gravity systen on 1-- 5/16 line) but the books say strive for 5 on vacuum and maybe 10-15 on gravity. I think I have interchanged the branch and laterals in places in this description but I think you get the picture.

[brookledge]

Josh
Spend the extra $ and put in main line. You will lose alot of vac over that 200' plus line with 5/16. So it will pay for itself in time by putting in the main line.
Keith

[Amber Gold]

If I remember correctly there isn't much room for expansion. I think it's the 20 trees that are tappable now and some stragglers that are 10+ years out. I think the trees that are tappable start about 150 out and stop about 200 feet so I'd be getting all the trees in about 50 feet of lateral.

There is a good pitch for most of it...at least 10%. The rest of my system as 5-7 taps per lateral, following the guidelines I've read on 'Trader.

Would this be a good application for 1/2" mainline? I have a 2-300 feet of use stuff I bought with the wire still attached to it.

[dano2840]

i would definatly use 1/2" i have 50 taps i put on 1/2" this year, they are on the nieghbors side of my littler bush and got premission to tap them this year nicely spaced, they should be just like the trees on my side, where on a good day they had my 200gal tank over flowing for i would gues 2 hrs before i got home from school

one day i got home and it had been over flowing for so long the dirt turned to mud and the whole tank slid down the hill, pulled the pipe right out of the fitting, all in 1 mornin g on 68 Taps!!!

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Amber Gold,
That is exactly what I am doing with some of the old 1/2 inch I have on hand. If I was buying new, I'd go with 3/4 but if you already have the 1/2 use it. It will carry more vacuum than the 5/16.

Danno,
Get a bigger tank (or skip school more:) ).
Doug

[dano2840]

i already have the 1/2" i have about 500ft but im using 3/4" for all my main lines unless there are small branch lines that wont carry more than 10-20 taps