same main line question???

[red maples]

So I just looked around for prices for mainline and I am going with 3/4 inch as recommended by many for a future upgarde to vac. but the question is the type of which to buy. the black seems to be the most common but and I have found it for .22 a foot. and lamb tubbing at .29 and I am buying 1000 ft. is it worth it to spend the extra $70 for the lamb tubbing. and is there anyplace cheaper (these are through bascom's web site. cheapest I could find. ) I know this question seems to be asked again and again and I think it comes down to preference vs. price, vs useability, vs etc, etc. What do ya think.

[caseyssugarshack93]

try tractorsupply, they have black pipe pretty cheap, thats where i bought most of mine

[PerryW]

My 3/4 black mainlines are 21 years old and still works great.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Preferences for mainline pipe color seem to be individual...black pipe heats up faster which helps in the early season to thaw out but in the late season it spoils sap quicker. It is usually cheaper. I bought about 30,000 feet last year. Went to the local plumbing supply place and told them how much I needed and what was the best they could do for me. Saved about 30%. Of course if I had waited until this year with the price of oil and therefore plastic down, I could have saved more. If you decide on the black, shop around a little. It is worth a half hour on the phone.

[ennismaple]

The counter-argument is that translucent blue pipe allows sunlight to come in direct contact with the frozen sap in the pipe and it will thaw faster than heating up a black pipe which then thaws the sap.

[Randy Brutkoski]

The cheapest place that i have found black 3/4 inch is at f.w. webbs. 400 ft. roll for $75. Thats not bad. But i really would like to buy the 30p. it is so easy to work with (flexible). but so much more expensive. I have a big decision to make because i need at least 6000 ft of 1 1/4 inch main, and i dont know if i am going to go black or blue. It is a 2700 to 3200 tap bush, going to be all on vac.(big trees) might just bite the bullet and buy the blue, and then tell my wife where all of the money went when she balances the check book.

[chipa]

Try John Deere Landscape in Manchester. Good price on pipe and fittings.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Ennis has worked with both and, I believe, is in the process or has already changed away from the black when he updated his bush. Maybe his experience says something to us.....

[MapleChaser]

So I just looked around for prices for mainline and I am going with 3/4 inch as recommended by many for a future upgarde to vac. but the question is the type of which to buy. the black seems to be the most common but and I have found it for .22 a foot. and lamb tubbing at .29 and I am buying 1000 ft. is it worth it to spend the extra $70 for the lamb tubbing. and is there anyplace cheaper (these are through bascom's web site. cheapest I could find. ) I know this question seems to be asked again and again and I think it comes down to preference vs. price, vs useability, vs etc, etc. What do ya think.

I see you are from N.H. I buy 1 inch black, class 160 from E.J. Prescott for .21 cent per foot. Try calling E.J. in your area.

[vermaple]

Talked w/ a rep from F.W. Webb at maplerama in Bennington, VT this past weekend. Webb in the process of getting into the playing field for mainline pipe in the maple industry and will be announcing prices soon for maple discounts. Check with your local Webb's store. The rep I talked with is from the Rutland store.

I, after many years cannot totally make up my mind between black and blue pipe. Blue is cooler, but a quick coat of white paint on the black cools the black down. I use the cheapest white paint I can find and a glove and you can paint almost as fast as you can walk.

One other point is if you check around 100 psi pipe is as good as 160 or 200 psi pipe for mainlines and somewhat cheaper if you can find it.

[Homestead Maple]

Call Goodrich's Maple Farm in Cabot, Vt. They are West of St. Johnsbury by about 15-20 mins. and his black 3/4 tubing is around 15 - 16 cents a foot.
They're toll free number is 1-800-639-1854

[sapman]

I can say that I am very glad I spent the extra for the 30P. Most of my line went up last winter, and that stuff went right up nice and straight. Very little memory and recoil effect. I work with black all the time at work (200psi), but even 100psi can be a pain. But, a LOT of (most?) sap is still collected in black, so I can't knock it too much.

Tim

[Randy Brutkoski]

I went down to f.w.webbs today in Rutland and talked to the guys there about black main. And they are really serious about getting into the sugaring scene. They pretty much told me that there prices will not be beat. You get the discounts if you have an account with them. This only qualifies strictly for sugar makers.

[vermaple]

I think I need to open an account.

[Gary R]

Around here, if you buy from a plumbing supply store, they are always cheaper than any big box store. If you have an account it is cheaper yet. If you do not have an account, try this. Ask any friend that has an account if you can purchase on it paying cash. This way he doesn't get a bill, you get the discount and his account stays more active.

[red maples]

so now with the tubing question out of the way!!!( I am going with 3/4 in. the black poly 100 psi water line. And I am looking for the best price.

What size cable do I need to attach it to???

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

For 3/4 inch, the 12 and 1/2 gauge Hi-Tensile will work well. Available from Tractor supply or the like. Side tie with 14 ga. Again, shop around for the best price. If you need it or might in the future, It is cheaper in the 4000 foot roll than in the 2000.

[Haynes Forest Products]

And now for the fun part about high strenth steel wire. If you can get a wire coil holder/spinner buy it. You will get some good tips on this site about how they do and did it. But I will tell you this much if you think you can uncoil only what you need as you go along in the woods you will be proven wrong. You will spend more time (trying) to keep it nice and neat but you will be wrong. Trying to keep a spool of wire neat and untangled is like taking 10 cats in the wood during a thunder storm and keeping them all in a nice line as you heard them home.......................get the spinner

[KenWP]

I found a coil of the high tensile wire at the dump that somebody had lost the end of. It was worse then a twisted up slinky I used it for fixing farrowing crates in the hog barn after I cut it into little peices. The only thing more fun to work with is razor wire and concertina and your supposed to let that twist up. Dad took some and tried to build a cattle fence with it and the end got away on him on one strand. It wraped around trees and everything.

[red maples]

I love the stories. I need to ask more questions just so I can get more stories...this is way more entertaining than reading the north american maple syrup producers manual!!!!! although good reading it is.:lol:

[sapman]

I tried running wire off a spool that was sized for a different brand. Used to work fine with one brand, but the newer stuff had a smaller coil diameter. It seemed to work taking one of the guides off, leaving three. We got about 3-400' feet off, and it turned to a bird's nest! Still haven't done anything with the wire (4000' roll), but I drilled new holes in the unspooler before using another roll. Lesson learned.

Tim

[3rdgen.maple]

I know this has nothng to do with mainline wire but Red Maples wanted a story.
Any of you guys been in a big hurry to gather sap and take a corner too fast with the tractor and watch a 200 gallon gathering tank half full pass you sliding across the snow? NAW ME EITHER.:lol:
Any of you guys ever try to get a 200 gallon gathering tank half full back on the 3 point hitch platform? NAW ME EITHER.:lol:
Any of you guys ever leave the valve open on the holding tank after you got a 200 gallon gathering tank half full back on the platform that went sliding by you on the tractor? NAW ME EITHER.:lol:

[vermaple]

I've had plenty of things happen through the years that I wanted to forget and I'll be * I can't remember any of them this morning.

[red maples]

you guys are great...do you think 14 gauge aluminum electric fence wire will work??? I just happened to see some at agway this morning. same price just more maliable think I spelled that right. not a springy!!! nothing to do with maple syrup.

ever use an old oil burning furnace!!! I used to work in a machine shop and and we rebuilt motors and burned the old oil in i. well you had to light it by hand so you take a piece of shop rag and dip it in mineral sririts the turn on the fan and oil and throw it in. ever have it not light right away and look inside!! and light up just as you look in...POOF poof no more eyebrows and mustache trim all in one!! naw me either, who would look in there..stupid!!!!::confused: :lol:

[KenWP]

I had the oil furnace not light period and fill the stupid thing full of fuel. Clean that mess up.
I have burnt my eybrows off a couple of times and the only thing saved my eyes is that fact I am blind anyways. Eye protection is important.
The aluminium wire is hard to keep tight I beleive as it changes with the temp so bad. That's why houses with alumnium wire had so many shorts and recepticales not work from the wire moving so much.

[vermaple]

14 ga aluminum is flat out not strong enough for mainline wire. Stick with 121/2 ga high tensile or 9 ga low carbon wire or you will be sorry. It's not the weight of the pipe, it's the tensile strength from tightening it that matters. If you tighten it enough, you will break the aluminium wire before you get any pipe on it.

[red maples]

ok I'll stick with the 12 1/2 gauge, just figured I'd ask!!

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have a fence wire puller and I have broken the steel wire pulling it as stright as possible so aluminun would streach and break well before you would be happy.

[Randy Brutkoski]

F.W.Webb's got back to me on there new prices for black mainline, and i was impressed. 3/4 inch in a 1000ft spool is $131, .13cents a ft. also 11/4 inch was only $324 for 1000 ft roll. I am not sure what 1 inch is because i only need the other 2 sizes for my next project. Just set up an account for maple sugarmaker and you are good to go. Also really good pricing on fittings too.

[PerryW]

All my 3/4 inch mainline is on 9 GA steel wire w/ 12 ga side pulls.