Removing Saddles

[Amber Gold]

I have a section on mainline I need to remove in the off-season. I'm going to tag and remove the laterals first and then roll up the mainline w/ wire. What's the best/quick way to remove the two strap saddles? I've been using a small flat head screwdriver in the past, but it works with mixed results. Sometimes it's quick and easy, other times I've fighting to get the strap released and end up damaging the teeth on the saddle. Thoughts?? I'll be taking this line down over the weekend.

Thanks

[ennismaple]

Why don't you leave the saddles on? We have one section of mainline that crosses a cottage road that gets taken down every year and I leave the saddles on it.

[Amber Gold]

How do you disconnect the laterals from the mainline so you can roll it up? It's probably 300' of 3/4" mainline with 10-15 laterals.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Josh,
Can you just cut the 5/16 off at the saddle? I'd think that next year when you stretch the laterals tight, there will be enough to reconnect.

[Amber Gold]

That'd be an option, but then you'd have to go back and remove the tubing remaining on the fitting and might score the fitting...possible vacuum leak if not replaced. I was thinking removing the saddle then electrical tape over it to seal it for the off-season.

[maplecrest]

you can buy the cleaning tool [sold by all dealers] too remove the tube from the saddle. or buy the little 5/16 quick connects that you take apart every year. sold by bascom. or you can very carefully cut the tube off the fitting with a sheetrock knife and not score the fitting. but!!! do not cut your self everyone that trys this ends up badly cut and need stiches. did it my self.but after a few trys and stiches you learn how to do it.

[ennismaple]

you can buy the cleaning tool [sold by all dealers] too remove the tube from the saddle. or buy the little 5/16 quick connects that you take apart every year. sold by bascom. or you can very carefully cut the tube off the fitting with a sheetrock knife and not score the fitting. but!!! do not cut your self everyone that trys this ends up badly cut and need stiches. did it my self.but after a few trys and stiches you learn how to do it.

Once you build up enough scar tissue on your right thumb it doesn't bleed much anymore! We used to take down all our tubing and cut off the droplines every year before we went to 4-seasons. Yes it would get 1" shorter every year and yes the barbs do get a bit scored but if you're careful it can be done.

The line we take down has the closest tree about 20 feet away so I just remove the tubing and tie it around the tree. In your case I would go with the 5/16 quick connects and then tie the lateral line off to the nearest tree.

[Amber Gold]

I have used a utility knife and it does work, but I tend to score the fitting just a bit some of the time. I also takes a while if you're trying to be careful. I hadn't heard of the quick disconnect fittings...may check those out.

Does the cleaning tool damage the tubing or fitting at all when it does it's thing? Can you put the tubing back on and still have it seal vacuum tight afterwards?

Everything has to come down, mainline and laterals. The trees are visible from my nieghbors house and he doesn't appreciate the sight of all the tubing as much as I do.

This is something I'll be doing every year so I want to find a quick, efficient way to do it.

[PerryW]

I use diagonal wire cutters to remove 5/16" tubing from the fittings. You can carefully grab the tubing with the cutters and nip of the plastic and usually not damage the tubing or your fingers. It definitely takes practice though.

[lpakiz]

I also had good luck with the side-cutter pliers--cut the tube as close as you dare to the fitting and kinda "pinch" the tube off the barbs..

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

One thing I will add to what maplecrest mentioned about the quick connects is that if you use them, tape them up good around the outside with electrical tape. If a limb falls on the tubing, something runs into it or over time with a lot of tension on it, they are the first thing to fail. Wrapping the outside several times with electrical tape will solve this problem and bend over about 1/2" tab on the end of the tape so you can grab it and unwrap it quickly whenever you need to take them apart. Just takes a few extra seconds and can save you some sap or bacteria entering you lines during the off season if they are still up and it would fail.

[brookledge]

I use hollow core nylon to keep the quick disconects from being pulled on to hard. just un tie it and then twist the disconect.
Keith

[Amber Gold]

I ended up removing the saddles, I found a smaller screwdriver and was able to work the clips out fairly easily. I put electrical tape over the mainline holes so they'll stay clean.

[PerryW]

I have never used the saddles. I was always too worried about having a hole in my mainline I couldn't find again.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Just mark the hole with a piece of orange flagging tape.

[michiganfarmer]

I use saddles with 2 spouts that swivel. I leave them on the mainline, and I leave the branch line hooked up. when I pull the mains out of the woods I swivel the saddles, lay the branch lines along the mains, and tape the branch lines to the main lines then coil it all up.