just starting

[raven]

Just going to start have about 15acres of hard maples wanting to try making syrup. Any help appreciated. Dont have any equipment yet any ideas. Thanks

[KenWP]

you have admitted you have maple trees thats the first step to addiction in maple. Now you have to go spend a bunch of cash on equipment and away you go to the full fledged addiction.
I would have to say we need to know what kind of operation you want to have first. A lot of people start out with buckets of some kind. Once you know how many buckets or taps you will have then you can figure out how to evaporate the sap to make syrup.
You can go with simple SS pots and boil in those and get frustrated pretty quick on the time it takes to boil any amount down or go with some kind of flat pan on a home made arch or go to a ready made evaporator that will handle a bunch of taps in a shorter time frame if it's matched to the amount of sap you get.

[brookledge]

Well first of all I'm not sure how many producers you have near you. If at all it would help alot to go to see someone else in operation and ask questions. I've been making syrup since 1974 and I think most anyone could make syrup.
The key thing is gaining experience. It is not hard to do it but if things are not done right you can ruin a set of pans in a heart beat.
There are some good publications like the North American Maple Syrup Producers manual and other guides like Backyard producers books to help you.
Also read and ask questions on the trader will help alot.
Keith

[The Birdman]

welcome. Raven I'm called The Birdman an I'm an addict. You will be also. How may we help ?

[swierczt]

Also, it depends on what direction you want to go. If you are a tinker...like me...most of my fun comes from building my own equipment and trying to make more syrup more efficently every year. Some people like to feed their maple-makin' habbit with a checkbook and buy the latest and greatest. Also, are you going to try and sell it? Make it for friends, family and self? If you are the tinkering type, there used to be a great book out called Backyard Sugaring. Not sure of the author, but it gives you ideas about how lots of people get started in sugaring. Good Luck!

[red maples]

thats back yard sugaring by Rick Mann. great book thats what I started on.
Read it like 7 times to make sure I was doin' it right.

Welcome Raven. don't worry your amoung friends.

Hi my name is Brad and I 'm a mapleholic.

Well it all depends on how big you want to go!!!! read as much as you can I would start with the back yard Sugaring lots of great advice in there. and graduate to the North american maple book because that one is a bit overwelming for the back yard hobbiest.

I recomend starting small get a few cement blocks they are about $1-2 a piece, get a few buckets, plasic milk jugs, what ever, you can do a tap into a tube into a bucket (or a drop line) tubing what ever. and find a restaurant supply srore. alota times they deal with used eqipment for Stainless hotel pans stainles pots what ever. last year my Evaporator cost me like $50. this year $3100 for a used all stainless 2x6. new would have been $5500. by the time you get stuff and build stuff and get even more stuff. and the realize you need even more stuff. All you talk about is maple this and maple that and your wife is looking at you like "What is wrong with you" then you know you've been bitten by the maple bug.

Ask away!!!

[3rdgen.maple]

Am I missing something here I am the 3rd generation maple man on this land and Im still starting:D. First off walk your woods and get a tree/tap count. Once you have that we can get you closer to where you need to be. Next is how much time you can invest in this new addicting hobby. These two things are gonna be key in your decisions.

[raven]

Thanks for all the replys need all the help i can get. Have a good friend that has a welding shop and have access to some heavy plate steel. Thinking of purchasing a evaporator pan and having my firebox fabricated. Any plans out there how to make on . Thanks Raven

[raven]

Are ther any used small evaporators out there for sale.

[3rdgen.maple]

Raven there are a few in the classified section. Do you have a tap count yet? That will help determine the size you are looking for. Or do you have a specific amount of syrup you are looking to make?

[red maples]

you can look at the maple guys web site they have a lot of evaporators to get some ideas.

look at how many taps are recommended for each one and that will give you some idea as to what size you need.

also as far as what size trees your looking for is 10-12 inch diameter minimum. I do have a few 9 inch and 8 inch depending on health, or culls. now is the perfect time to check them out because sugars are usually gold color and reds are yellow gold and red color both good for sugaring. Silvers are good too but I don't have of those.

good luck!

[red maples]

I just looked quick now this base models with no prehaters and stuff.

18"x48" 50-100 taps
18"x60" 50-150 taps
20"x66" 50-250 taps
2'x6' 100 - 450 taps

but definitly do some reasearch and check out the made sugaring equipment threads


and they just go bigger and bigger to those giant 5' x 16' thunderbolts and the new huricane force 5s. if you have lots and lots of trees to tap. and a spare 20+grand that wants to be spent. not including taps tubing and lines etc., etc. ,etc.,!!!!

[KenWP]

I know where there is a 6x 20 for sale also. It's rated at 1000USG per hour. I could collect for the whole season and boil once and be done. Can't imangine that much sap in buckets hanging around the yard.

[swierczt]

I always thought it was best to start small. I know a few folks that went out and spent lots of money and tapped lots of trees, only to get a few weeks into the season and realized they had no idea what they were in for and having the boys over to "burn wood, boil sap and drink beer" turned into a real job and gave it up soon after that. I would never want to discourage anyone from getting into the maple trade. I look forward to it every year. But I know I learned a whole lot starting with 5 taps, an old wood stove and a lasagna pan before I moved up to lots of tubing and an air injected firebox. You can learn lots here, and read all the books you want, but I am glad I cut my teeth on a small scale and moved up as I felt I was ready.