best vs worst?

[John Burton]

I am wondering ,if you looked back through all of your purchases/experiments ,successes/failures what piece of equipment has worked out the best and what just never lived up to the hype. this could be anything from tapping to finishing.I know at this point for me it would be finnally buying my own equipment.not that working with my friends wasant fun but its just not the same.also if you could have that one peice of equipment that you wish for what would it be.

[syrupmaker]

I think the best project was the addition of tubbing or ????, Yea vacuum hands down. :twisted: Not that the blower, bubbler,and steam hood were not the wiskers off the kitty, but the addition of the vac. system really was a back saver. Not to mention the pump and dairy releaser were priced pretty resonable. :wink: (traded the vac. pump for an electric motor repair job and the releaser cost 4 qts of syrup for the boys at the farm) Who says the barter system can't work? :roll:

Know in a couple of weeks if my newly desighned releaser pans out or not.Makeing it out of a SS milker or a SS washing canister, haven't decided which one to use yet. :idea:

Rick

[powerdub]

I will have to go with Rick on the vacuum. It did, however create a problem and that was too much sap for the size evaporator. That leads me to my next best purchase of an RO machine. Best experiment is the preheater hood I made. Biggest flop would have to be the arch I built before the one I have now. I could not insulate that thing enough. You had to sit behind a piece of plywood to pour off it was so hot. I tried triple insulating it and for some reason it just wouldn't work. I made my own tool for putting two pieces of main line together also. You know how hard it is to get some of that stuff together. Well, it is in the crap pile now, turned out it was much harder to use the tool.

[mapleman3]

Hmm lets see, a flop for me would be a whole bush that I tapped last year didn't run for crap which I attribute to too long of 5/16ths runs and just a cold section with many pines. Vacuum and shorter lines next year hopefully there...

a good thing is also the vacuum here at the house bush, I wouldn't have sap at all being how flat it is... helped 100%

I too made a tubing tool that was crap.

[WF MASON]

I remember a few years back (12-15) Grimm/Leader had a steam/vaperizing hood , it was a steamhood , but had.. (I'm trying to remember).. spray nozzles inside that would spray the sap into a mist onto some slanted trays inhopes to evaporatorate the water in the sap and make concentrated sap. At the time , with the pump hooked up to it and the other crap , it was high tec. I'm not sure how many were ever sold , but any idea is better then none at all.

[Parker]

Without a doubt,,,Vacume was the best and investing too much time in a 3x10 that would not be big enough(too much time in the sugar house, dont like the idea of an RO ) was the worst,,,,,,,,,,,,if your going to invest time and effort in somthing make sure its worth the price/time

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited.

[gmcooper]

The best thing we did was go to vacuum and drop most of our small 35-150 tap pickup locations. Worst thing we used was about 10 rolls green small Brothers 5/16 tubing in early 90's. the crap sagged faster than you could string it. looked like old clothes lines hanging every 3 days. It's free in the woods to any one who wants it.
Mark