How to Cut Plastic Drum...

[C.Wilcox]

Looking for ideas on how to cut a fill port on my plastic drums. I should clarify that I'm not asking what tool/saw to use to cut the hole, but in what fashion/orientation the port should be cut. I plan to strap the drums onto a trailer behind my tractor and haul them around in the woods. I initially thought I would just stand them on end and cut the tops out, but wondered if anyone had come up with a better way to go about it. Ideally I would like to have a sealable cover to prevent the sap from sloshing out as drive around and to keep rain from getting in as they'll be sitting outside. Any thoughts?

[Haynes Forest Products]

I would leave them intact and get a big funnel like you get from the big plastic suppliers that screw into drum bungs. make a suction tube that fits in the big port and suck clean. I would rinse out every other day. Soon you will replace with bigger sap hauler and will need the barrels for your bulk syrup:D

[Fred Henderson]

That is what I started with. I laid mine down and cut a very tight hole for a 5 gallon plastic pail. I drill 3/16" holes it the pail bottom. If the hole is good and tight the pail will not fall out. If you put the bung down you can buy a fitting( if its not pipe thread) to adapt to pipe thread and pipe several barrels together using Fernco couplers. I wish you were closer I would give you the ones that I have. I need the storage space.

[maple maniac65]

The 1" quick couplers in the maple supply catologs will accept a piece of
1/2" black tubing inside. By doing this you can pump a plastic barrel out.
One year I hauled sap from 50 taps with two 55 gallon barrells in the back of a Dodge Caravan. My truck at that time was not road worthy even with AG plates on it. By using the 1/2" black pipe I could empty the barrlles out completly that were laid on the side in back of the van.

[darkmachine]

We used a similar method but it had it's problems. We used six steel barrels, on a trailer. we strapped them down with the open end up. This did create a huge amount of sloshing going over un-even terrain. We ended up putting a large piece of fabric/filter over all six tanks and using a bungie to hold it down, this limited the loss of sap to sloshing, and kept out some of the nasties. Also we had to bail out the sap with buckets, a pump or a drain would be a great addition. If you are in the market for a poly tank, you might check a local rental outlet, sometimes they replace their stock from time to time and they sell off their older items. That is where we hope to get our tanks this season.

[HHM-07]

I put a 5 gal pail on top and trace around it then cut the hole just a little larger , then just set the pail in the hole for transport and you get a good seal ---( no sloping out of the sap) and your gathering pail is there when you need it..

Dick

[C.Wilcox]

Exactly the kind of ideas I was looking for! Thanks everybody!

[twobears1224]

i,de go with fred's idea.i,ve done that before and it works well.
FRED:i might be intrested in taking those barrels off your hands..how many do you have??

delbert

[Greg Morin]

where do you guys get your plastic drums I need a couple?

[KenWP]

I found a barrel it came with a tap that screws into the bung. I might use it sideways for transfer of sap or I might just screw a tap of somekind into the bottom but I am trying to figure out how to do that and have it hold tight enough to have the pressure of 50 gallons of water against it. I have another barrel the top comes off of it so I can put a tap in it and put a plastic fitting on the back of the tap to hold it secure . I might also try and turn the barrel sideways and use a 1 1/2 inch plug and a big funnel and make a cradle for it to hold it secure. Lot's of ideas a guy can use.

[KenWP]

Found a souce for food safe barrels. Bigger killing plants use this lubricant on the cutting tables and such comes in white 50 gallon barrels. Check that out.

[stoweski]

where do you guys get your plastic drums I need a couple?

Greg,

As soon as you find some that are clean and odorless please let me know! I'd be interested in a few also. I have six barrels now but they had sesame oil in them. I cleaned one today and, well, it still smells. Not sure what I'm going to do with the other five.

I hear that they have barrels down at the Port of Albany. Not sure what they were used for though.
Keith

[monktonmaple]

I bought a barrel that someone had setup for collection. They had made a wooden hatch on the side for filling the barrel. But the best part was the pipe that is attached to the top. It swings up and down with a movable fitting. I strap the barrel into the bucket of my tractor horizontally. Drive through the woods making sap collection then drive to sugar shack and swing arm down dispensing sap into a bucket with a pump in it, which pumps to the storage tank. With the barrel being in the tractor bucket you can bring it down to ground level for easy filling. This has vastly improved sap collection efficiency for us.

[maplesyrupstove]

I used my pump to pump out the half barrel and 5 gallons buckets on small pipe lines.I used the 4 inch hole to empty my little sap pail right in the barrel. Darrell