So what do you have planned new for this season????

[Buckeye mapler]

Well we are all always looking for new ideas and new expansions to our respective operations. So what do you have planned new this year? More taps, switching from bucket to tubing or maybe converting slowly? New evaporator or what? Just a post on what is going to be new at your place this year and maybe share some ideas or experiences with some of us that may be getting ready to make the same mistake you made.

Myself, I am making alot of changes this year, of course last year is when I was first exposed to this bug. This year I will have completed the transformation of my old lean to style barn into a completely enclosed sugar house including cupola. We are also going from the mere 20 but effectively addicting 20 taps to 120 taps. We are also going from a borrowed 2x3 flat pan over a 55 gallon drum arch to a home made 300+ gallon oil tank arch with a 27"x6' pan with dividers. We also made a "sap tower" to put our sap feeder tank on. we have made our own finishing unit and 2 filter tanks, and purchased a new canning unit. we are currently looking into making large pan to store finished syrup in until we can get around to bottling it too. Been busy, but still aren't done. I will post pics of the entire new season when we have it all organized and set up!!

[Thad Blaisdell]

New things.... well new for this year, lets see, first I was going to tap my own 1500-2000 taps in another 2 years. BUT my neighbor decided he was going to sell some land between us (21.7 acres) so I bought that, another 1500-2000 taps. So I decide to pick up the pace and start this year. So I call another lady that owns land that was connected to both my neighbors and mine and ask if I could lease that land, she was not to keen on that idea, but she would sell it to me. So, I bought that also another 29 acres with 1500+ taps. Now I am looking at 5000+/- taps to install and a sugar house to build. Today they are pouring my slab, a 30' x 60' building. Glenn Goodrich is almost done running main line and I have about 25% of the tubing up. I have a busy fall ahead of me. The nice thing is all of the sap will flow directly to the sugar house, so I do not have to gather one drop.

How is that for new!

[Bradenfish]

Well, I'm adding vacuum to 300 taps and buying an RO. One of my friends is putting 300 taps on vacuum and I'm gonna boil for him so I should be boilin around 1000 taps. I'm gettin excited but theres still too much work to do:D

[newman_maple]

I am not going bigger this year, but trying to improve a few things. I took some old gutters I got and put them up around my steam hood to collect distilled water.

I am almost finished working on a 2x3 barrel cooker Buckeye gave me. I put ceramic blanket inside and added rails for strength. I wanted to use it as a preheater, but I am not ready to be set up for that. I will use it on the big weekends to speed things up.

When the weather starts to cool down, the syrup bugs come out!

[Sugarmaker]

We will be staying with the 500 taps like last year. I would like to speed up the boiling a bit with the addition of a WRU on the flue pan. If I can get that done I would be real pleased.:)

Looking forward to making candy with a real candy machine that I finished building this summer. Also making sugar with the big Hobart mixer that we got right at the end of last season should be a nice addition to the kitchen too.

Just thought of something else I would like to get air bags on the truck to safely level out that ton and a half of sap gathered on some runs.

Chris

[gator330]

More taps, more sap, more wood all add up to more, more, more SYRUP!!! Need to start/finish a pre heater. Hope that will help with the more problem that I seem to have.

[Buckeye mapler]

We are all very busy it seems. I am waiting on a few things. I am buying a welder to use to build the rest of our new arch and also some stands for the finisher and canning unit. I would also like to make a a log rack to keep the wood inside the sugar house neat. Cupola is water tight now meaning no leaks from the outside. That baby is exit only now. Getting ready to pour the slab for our arch to sit on. Took a few days of to hunt the rut. Now it is back to prioritizing. Collecting as much metal as we can to scrap for stainless and angle iron. All kinds of things to do, but the outside things come first. Don't want to be messing around in the cold December air. It's coming. Saw alot of very "fat" does while in the stand. Keep us all posted on your progress.

[Grizz747]

Well I am finishing my make shift sugar house. Last year it was just a lean to roof off of my shed and this year I am finishing enclosing it as 10X20 weather tight addition. Still looking for a 2x4 pan with channels as last year it was steam table trays on a block arch. I am going to look at a 2x3 wf mason next week that Daryl has for sale. This is my second year and I am excited. Planning on 40-50 taps this year. What started as an experiment is growing.

[red maples]

Hi all,

went from 25 taps on back yard cement blocks and roasting pan to over 200 taps with a new to me Stainless 2x6 drop flue evap. and new sugar house that is already too small...looking to go another 100 sq/ft bigger for next year!!! all trees are on tubing. have 3+ cord of wood ready to go and more to cut if I need it!!! looking for big sappppp for bigggg syrupppp!!!! so hopefully I can make a little money back for load of money I spent this year and still keep some so I can add on a vac. and about 50 - 100 more taps!!!

[3rdgen.maple]

Hey red are those face cords or full cords? If they are face cords keep cutting I burnt up atleast 7 face cord last year on 300 taps.

[Buckeye mapler]

3rd gen. what is the difference? I am not familiar with the different terms.:confused:

[KenWP]

A face cord is usually 4foot x8foot by 16 inchs deep and a full cord is 4 ftx8 ft x 4 ft ot otherwards 128 cubic feet and a face cord is 42.666666 cubic feet. Face cords were designed by crooked wood dealers to trick people into thinking they got a deal on wood untill it's delivered and they find out its a puny pile of wood.

[MartinP]

A cord is 4' x 4' x 8' , a face cord is 16" x 4' x 8', 1/3 of a cord/ At least in my neck of the woods.

[MFarmall]

Looking to add 30-50 taps and more tubing, get the float box on, and put a hood and pre-heater on. Also add reverse flow to syrup pan. Putting up 4 more light fixtures around evaporator and have finished enclosing the "Sugar Crib" (thanks 3% Solution for the name). Adding a 75 gallon feed tank for the pre-heater. Figure see how these improvements work next year before go with many more taps.
Mel

[jason grossman]

we are doing good!, lots of new things in our bush! new 2" dry lines going in, probably 200+ new taps , a new 14x22 pumphouse/ tank building is about done. it will house the vaccum pump and workshop, a new electric releaser and 400 taps that will go in in 2011. and 2 800 gallon stainless round bottom tanks. then after sugar season in 2010 the basement will go in for or 24x24 sap storage/ processing building and commercial kitchen. 5lbs per tap is no longer good enough it will be 11lbs per tap from now on!!!!

[maplemat1]

well where do i start . bought a 3x10 max flue evaporater with steamaway ,a 600 gallon a hr ro and adding about 3000 taps . main line is done on about 2000 right now .evaporater is moved in and stack is cut in still busy thinking of how to set up ro . where are u located buckeye? i'm in chardon, ohio.

[Buckeye mapler]

I am by Wilmington, just a hop skip and a jump from you!;) JK. About 4 hours from you. You are getting set up for a good season it sounds like. Hope the sap is flowing heavy this year, that way we will know if we are where we want to be with the taps we have in. When do you all start tapping up there?