February Journal THE COUNTDOWN!!! [Archive]

caseyssugarshack93

01-31-2010, 07:04 PM

Its deffinly a countdown, im scambling now, i got to get into the woods and fix some things in the woods and get vac pumps ready and buy a other vac pump for back up, should be tapping in 3 weeks if all goes well, feb is a short month, looks like 3rdgen.maple missed out on beginning the post for the feb journal:o o well theres a next time. hope everything is well with everone and hope for big sap, Hope to get the r.o all hooked up this week and get some things done in sugarhouse too.

ehausinfrats

01-31-2010, 07:44 PM

I finally found a use for the dead popular trees in the woods. I always wanted to used them for a log cabin. Never happened. so I cut them up and split them for wood for the evaporator. At least they were utilized instead of rottening in the woods. I am ready to go. Only thing holding me back is the weather.

MapleChaser

01-31-2010, 07:58 PM

Countdown, did not think of it that way puts it in high gear now to be ready.

Lets see Mon - Tues finish the remote pump house
Wed install new head tank
The rest of the week move evaporator into sugar house / start plumbing / install 3 roof jacks
Next week install power to remote pump house / hang another 1000 feet of wet/dry line to pump house tie up few loose ends in the woods
week 3 build a filter press tank / get barrells
week 4 hopefully start tapping / And try not to get STRESSED :confused:
Now enjoy the fun is coming MC

red maples

01-31-2010, 08:03 PM

get the list start checking things off!!!

Good luck to everyone and start saying Your prayers to the maple gods to please bring us all big sap!!!! and especially me!!!:D

3rdgen.maple

01-31-2010, 08:06 PM

Well Gator you can't get mad at me about Febuary:lol:

KenWP

01-31-2010, 08:06 PM

I am in a panic right now as I am not as done as I hoped to be. I used a old bed frame for angle iron for my improvements and it has to be spring steel or something. Took me for ever to drill holes in it for some reason.
Got it together no and just have to insulate it and seal the top off and fix the fire box and I am ready. of course the weather out look says it will be June before it's warm enough to tap anyways. Sort of like Xmas in another month.

super sappy

01-31-2010, 10:36 PM

Nate that is a good looking hand in that picture if I do say so myself. That will be a good reminder for you to pull your taps at the end of the year . DidYou get the power thing figured out at that bush yet ?- Ss

gator330

01-31-2010, 11:48 PM

Well Gator you can't get mad at me about Febuary:lol:

I'm here waiting just went through a few post and this is what I find:evil: Sence it was the "MAN" himself I guess I'll forgive it this time. I'm going to bed Now!!!!!

vtsnowedin

02-01-2010, 07:03 AM

The test boil/pan cleanning went very well.The rig as I set it up four inches above the floor came out just the right height for me to rest my elboes on the rim of the flue pan. No chance of anyone falling in. The gasket under the pans holds them up higher then I expected so the gap over the baffles is larger then I planned. I may push some more sand between them to cut the gap down. More then enough draft. I may not need the fan at all. Of course I was working with just a small fire but it steamed away an inch of water from the flue pan in the hour I was scrubbing inside the flues. I have the cupola plasticed over as I havent built the side doors as yet. I had to open one set of gable end doors plus one other door to let the steam out. Hope that cupola works when I pull the poly off, If not I'll be rigging up a steam hood pdq.Time to set up tanks and mainlines as what this rig needs now is some sap.

caseyssugarshack93

02-01-2010, 07:37 AM

Supppperrrr sapppppyyy, i must say that is one nice looking hand :lol: Anyways, Looks like im just going to run Gas for this season, then talk to the owner, and i dont know if you remeber or not but befor we got to the bush coming up the hill the barn on the right side of the road before th feilds?, well i plan on asking him= the owner which owns that if theres electric in there and and if there is i know the guy will have no problem with me hook my pump there, only problem is that it will be like 1500 from the barn to the releaser if not more, but i dont think ill loose that much vac having it trasfer that far, but thats the second option if the guy right next to the bush with the sugarhouse dont let me use there electric and it didnt look to good, the guy seemed kinda mad that we got the sugarbush, but i dont see a problem the guy didnt sugar it for like 20 years and left all the taps in the trees? and he wasnt planning on sugaring it again anyways so i dont see the issue, but if he dont let me us electric looks like ill be running a big vac line next season hopfulyly anyway

Dill

02-01-2010, 09:35 AM

I burned poplar in the arch last year, its about the one use for it I can come up with. Worked pretty well since it rots before it dries enough for house wood. It just sounds like the arch is going to explode when it starts popping.

My plan is coming along. I'm shooting for tapping in 2 weeks. Next weekend is the final sh weekend at least that's the plan.

Jim Brown

02-01-2010, 10:18 AM

Well we repaired a few down lateral lines in our main bush on Saturday,Only about half dozen,not bad for 1000 taps. Moved the vacuum pumps and generator in and both collection tanks. Need to plumb up the vac pumps,set releasers,and plumb tranfer pumps I can do that while the crew taps .Small bush needs to have pumps and gen moved in,(i have them mounted on trailers so no big job) releaser set,again I will get that done while the crew finishes tapping. Need to clean one more SS tank in sugar hose for concentrate and put on float boxes.We should be ready by tapping time(Valentines day). I HOPE I'm Ready

Jim

Amber Gold

02-01-2010, 12:45 PM

Things are coming together. I got my LR pump working yesterday. Fortunately my friend's works was instrumentation because I never would've figured out how to program the VFD. The pump still requires some tweeking and will hopefully have it ironed out this weekend.

Russ came over yesterday and helped me to layout and build the sap ladder.

There's still plenty to do, but at this point, I'm almost ready to tap if needed. I'm planning on waiting until the end of February.

DanE.

02-01-2010, 01:18 PM

I have the arch in the sugar house. A week ago I cemented the fire bricks in while it was in the shop. This way I could keep it warm while the cement cured. This is not a large arch, how heavy could it be? Well with all the bricks in it, it was more than one man could lift or should lift. End up dragging it to the trailer and tilting it on and sliding it back. Anyways the chimney is on. It is taking shape. It will be a lot better boiling inside than using the driveway like last year. I spent Sunday marking out the woods for tubing. Thanks to Dennis and MapleSyrupStove for the ideas for the tubing tool. Last night I made up 30 drops in no time flat. Still too much to do: need a cupala, maybe just slide back a sheet of the metal roofing. Make a stand for the bulk tank. Clean the 55 gallon storage drums, these had sesame seed oil in them not like the one I got last year that had a vinegar base sauce that cleanup real nice, these new one will take more work. Get some more tubing laid out, wait, order more supplies……..

Dane.

wnybassman

02-01-2010, 01:23 PM

maple flats

02-01-2010, 01:28 PM

I've been fixing lines, loads of limbs down. I am not allowed to cut anything, not even dead so this will be an annual problem. I did however push a few over by hand to help the future situation. This rented bush has lots of good trees but there are also many dead one, mainly mid and under story, from natural dieback. The landowner did have some logging done the year before I set up and the canopy was opened up a little better, most if not all of the dead is from before the logging/thinning. I still have about 150 taps to walk the line on which will take a little longer than it should because I am redesigning the layout and adding a new branch line along one side of the woods where it will make much more sense.

farmall h

02-01-2010, 06:08 PM

Well, went to the woods @ 3:30 today after work. It is staying lighter out. Hung 30 new taps in the far reaches of the bush. Gawsh...don't those pale blue lines look lovely as the sun shines upon them...ok now I'm getting too poetic and wierd.:rolleyes:

brookledge

02-01-2010, 06:20 PM

My to do list is bigger than the did list. But some how it all seems to work out each year. Definately the pressure is on.
Keith

farmall h

02-01-2010, 06:22 PM

Mapleflats, it is too bad the landowner won't allow you to "spruce-up" there woods. It only benefits them in the long run.

dano2840

02-01-2010, 08:58 PM

haha now ive got 2 girls that want to help in the sugar house this spring! gaining progress! saw isnt doing so hot she runs great for 10 min then when it goes to an idle for 10 sec it dies and you cant get it started again, let it sit for 30 min it fires right up and you get another 10 min out of it, idk what is wrong with it never had this happen, maybe ice in the fuel that thaws when she warms up?

3rdgen.maple

02-01-2010, 09:07 PM

Danno try cleaning the air filter and slapping a new food grade spark plug in it. Plugs can be funny things and cause what you are describing.

sapman

02-01-2010, 09:08 PM

My saw was doing this last summer. Took it in, ended up being a bad vacuum line, I think they said.

farmall h

02-01-2010, 09:15 PM

dano try a new tank of food grade gas/oil mix. If the saw has sat for weeks it could be condensation. Hope the 268xp is not ill. Nice saw. Got one.

jdj

02-02-2010, 01:14 AM

[QUOTE=dano2840;95034]haha now ive got 2 girls that want to help in the sugar house this spring!

Dano,
2 Girls in the sugarhouse, I forsee some burnt pans!!!!!!!!!!:lol:

whalems

02-02-2010, 06:32 AM

I had that problem w/ my saw an it was the coil. Once engine was warm would not stay running. once it cooled off 45 mins latter it would start back up and run untill it got warm again.

KenWP

02-02-2010, 06:54 AM

Whats with the food grade gas and spark plugs. Try a new spark plug. They sometimes get a glaze on them and heat up and won't work untill they cool down. Had a John Deere SM that did that. You had to change spark plugs and use another one and keep changeing them. That and pull the gas filter and clean . My Jonsered you need forceps to change the filter as the hose is so short.

Dill

02-02-2010, 08:40 AM

Dan, besides the old air filter and plug. I'd say you could also have an issue with the fuel filter and pickup line. Ethanol really eats plastic fuel lines. Its a sham that we have to put up with since the corn lobby is more powerful than the biodiesel lobby.

3rdgen.maple

02-02-2010, 11:28 AM

I hear you on the ethonal deal. Some engines just don't run good on it. A small engine mechanic I know recomended draining the tanks in my saws if was not using them for awhile but also mentioned it would dry out the gas lines quicker. So either way it is a pain.

PerryW

02-02-2010, 01:07 PM

I just had to replace the fuel line on my old Stihl 028. The ethanol had turned the rubber lines and the rubber filter into a spongy mess. Luckily I was able to get food grade rubber lines for the saw as I use it to cut sugaring wood.

lpakiz

02-02-2010, 10:25 PM

I thought I read somewhere that Premium gas didn't have any ethanol in it.
Any one else heard this? For the few gallons i burn in my saw, it wouldn't break the bank to buy Premium.

3rdgen.maple

02-02-2010, 10:45 PM

Ipakiz just check the pumps at the gas station they have to have a sticker on it to tell you the ethonal content. Here all the grades say 10 or 15% ethonal.

Placed my jug and bottle orders today at Bascom's. Feel sorry for the delivery guy cause he has quite a few boxes to unload while I am at work tomarrow. I shopped the order around today and as far as the glass goes Bascoms was by far the cheapest for the same glass. 6 bucks a case cheaper. Not to mention ground is only a 1 day delivery to me. Time to pull the etching equipment out and get the glass etched up. Went to TS and got some new plumbing supplies for the sugarhouse to empty the gathering tanks. I have pipe plumbed up in the rafters and then to a flexible hose connected to a pump that I drop in the gathering tanks. Made a couple mistakes setting it up last year. The end of the pipe drops into the holding tank about a foot and the first time that tank was full and I shut the pump and took it out of the gathering tank it siphoned that foot on the ground. So a check valve will solve that. Plus I picked up a flex hose that is self coiling so no more tripping over it. I hope everyone it at the bottom of their to do list cause it is gonna be go time soon.

dano2840

02-03-2010, 11:03 AM

i just put a new food grade filter on it before this happened and it had a new food grade plug later this summer, talked to the old man and he said when he had it rebuilt he had it bored out to a 372xp, but i put this fuel additive into the gas can that my dealer said to try, he has a feeling it might be the coil or the gas lines, i have 149 in my bank account and still need to plumb up 2 tanks buy 4 boxes of clamps and 300 feet of half inch so i cant afford a 70 dollar coil right now, ive got my gutless 61 huskey but its just not the same! :cry: :cry: :cry:

dano2840

02-03-2010, 11:09 AM

[QUOTE=dano2840;95034]haha now ive got 2 girls that want to help in the sugar house this spring!

Dano,
2 Girls in the sugarhouse, I forsee some burnt pans!!!!!!!!!!:lol:

DAHHHHH theyre tin pans any way

DanE.

02-03-2010, 01:03 PM

[QUOTE=jdj;95102]

DAHHHHH theyre tin pans any way

DanO, It sounds like you have a plan here to get some new SS pans. Dane.

Farmboy

02-03-2010, 07:01 PM

Got two dozen more taps clean today. Im up to around 90 taps cleaned. hopefully i will have 100 taps out this season. Next weekend I plan on going up to Red Bucket Sugar Shack to get supplies for this season then tap around the 21st.

3rdgen.maple

02-03-2010, 09:19 PM

I sold 4 cases of syrup today. Guy wants the bottles custom etched with the name of his estate on them. Going all the way to Martha's Vineyard. Have not even tapped yet and I got to fill orders. Sure wish the weather would break so we can get on with it already.
Danno2840 sometimes it just does not matter when you replaced the plug especially with a 2 stroke engine. There are quite a few things that can kill a plug in a hurry. Running lean or rich, which is affected by weather, Could be you ran her to hard on a hot summer day and weakened the plug. It is a pretty cheap quick test.
Just got word that I have to run up to Portland Maine to work on some equipment in the next 10 days. 14 hours round trip for 2 hours of work. Anybody in the Portland area looking for a visitor?

Farmboy

02-03-2010, 10:40 PM

I'm officialy in the OMG the seasons almost here mode. I started adding up the prices of the supplies I need and what needs to be done I'm starting to go crazy and this is only my second year making syrup. Hopefully friday night my dad will baring me and the evaporator to the shop and we can get that all welded up. Also I need to get a yard or two of sand from the gravel pit to make my preheated/ concentrating evaporator setup on a block arch. Next Saturday I'm going to pick up supplies. Tomorrow I'm going to put my old quad on craigslist caz ideally need to sell it to help with my maple addiction. If I sell that I can get a bigger evaporator. We are finaly in the countdown 17 days till tapping.

vtsnowedin

02-03-2010, 11:42 PM

I'm not as bad as Farmboy but it is acoming. I had to go to Berlin today to get my computer back from a viris cleaning. Stopped in at "Farm and country" in Williamstown and picked up another 400 feet of black main line and a bagtie twister handle. I spent some time with a pop level and flagging marking out where the lowest run of main line needs to go. Still looking at dead wood from the ice storm ,what was it ten years ago? About fourty good taps below where I can get mainline to them without a tub and pump set up. Get whats up hill for this year and work on that in the future.

red maples

02-04-2010, 08:53 AM

It been 395 days (Ithink)since I last boiled sap. I hope I can wait it out.

went to buy all the plumbing stuff for the little vacuum. now that I have that I will definity need more wood!!!! working on that too. still got a few weeks but but should have the vacuum in place and plumbed by next week. I will split some more wood today and tomorrow and sat. and .... see ya.

Wanabe1972

02-04-2010, 09:09 AM

Sat in front of the TV this morning watching the news and made up another 50 drops. Hope I can get in the woods today. The big white dial out on the tree still says 15 degrees so i think ill wait a little bit. Im pretty much ready here other than cleaning the head tank, cleaning a few buckets and taking my tanks to the bush and setting up my seasonal lines and tying in a few more laterals in to the main line, plug in the fridge in the shack buying propane for the stove. :o OMG gotta go good thing Im on vacation.:rolleyes:

dano2840

02-04-2010, 10:11 AM

well i will throw a "food grade" plug in her and see what she doesn going to need in on sunday, going to get 2 1/2 cord of slab, we will see if that solves the problem, its just slabs so the 61 will work fine if it comes down to having to use that old girl. I just miss all that power of the 268XP (really a bored out 372XP) the 61 is a gutless wonder with over 2000 hours on her from what i was told by the previous owner probably could stand to be rebuilt or at least tuned i know the jets need to be tweeqed and tuned, but its reliable and works when no other will so i keep it around and keep her running.

gator330

02-04-2010, 10:17 AM

We're in a good cold spell here. Can't do much more then wait. I don't see much chance of taping before march. Last year it was Feb 26. Didn't get sap till the next week. Got more bacon to slice and package. Best yet Red maples!!!!!

red maples

02-04-2010, 10:28 AM

it gets better the more you do it. takes practice.. my first ribs were just ok really not that good, but now its easy figured out the perfect rub time and temp and they come great. We don't even go to the local BBQ places anymore because they are a let down...spoiled the family on another thing.:rolleyes:

vtsnowedin

02-04-2010, 08:23 PM

I hung eight hundred feet of mainline today. All wired up except the side ties. I think I'll let it set for a day or two to work the kinks out. In the last two days I have managed to cut myself twice. Once reaching down to pick up the two handed tool and ran a finger nail onto the tube cutter blade and today cutting a plastic pipe with my jack knife I managed to fold it's non locking blade onto my middle finger and cut to the meat. Bandaids on both hands and using a pair of pruning shears for all tube cutting. I don't know what to do about the two handed tool. The blade is looking at you at all times and very close to your fingers when you close the vise grips. Working in a foot of snow on steep slopes the unexpected can be expected.

farmall h

02-04-2010, 08:47 PM

vtsnowedin

02-04-2010, 09:47 PM

Sounds like the VTer's way of doing things. I cut myself on the two handed tool last Saturday. I went to squeeze on a drop and misalligned the tube to the barb. Of course this was a tight one against the bark of the tree and my fingers were in there trying to reposition things when the blade became exposed 'cause I twisted the tool just enough to push the blade handle back. Fingers were froze so it didn't hurt...bled like a stuck pig though!
It's not the hurt right then that bothers. A very sharp knife and I hardly felt it. It's the throbbing that night thats the bear. The two handed tool I have has the blade exposed at all times. I suppose thats the difference between the $135.00 tool and the $210.00 one.

danno

02-04-2010, 10:16 PM

I have the blade on my two handed tool wired back. Don't use that blade. Usually clamp both ends of the tube in the open position and use a pair of shears and cut the couple inches of tube out between the clamps.

Figure on an 8 tap lateral, I'm cutting about 15" of lateral out. Can't have those laterals too tight:)

caseyssugarshack93

02-04-2010, 10:34 PM

i do the same as danno=for as cutting sections out of the tube when cutting drops in= open tool all the way put the jaws on the pipe cut one end with the cutter built on my tool with CUTTER GUARD then take the cutter i have in my pocket and cut the other side take that shove in my pocket and line up the drop and BAM on to the next one:D

lpakiz

02-04-2010, 10:41 PM

My home-made tool has a scalpel blade for the cutter. That is sharp! I have a piece of 3/8 hose that I remove and re-install over the blade each time I cut with it..
Yes, it's not the initial injury that's bad but knocking off the scab and bleeding all over everything for 5 days.

maplwrks

02-05-2010, 06:28 AM

I removed the cutter on my tubing tool for the exact reason you're talking about. Took a dremel tool and cut the entire cutter/spreader assembly right off.

PATheron

02-05-2010, 06:57 AM

I did the same thing. Hated the blade too. Cut it all off with bolt sheers. Theron

Dave Y

02-05-2010, 07:11 AM

I Like the cutter on my tubing tool, and use it all the time. I have even sharpened it also. As for cutting pipe with a knife ,that is an accident waiting to happen. I use PVC cutters, and a hack saw for the pipe that is too big for the cutters.

Dennis H.

02-05-2010, 08:38 AM

OUCH!! Man that does sound like it would hurt, but not at 1st, once your fingers warm up.

When I made my tubing tool I didn't even think twice about not put it on. I am accident pron. I just use a pair of hose cutters to cut the lat to put in fitting.

ennismaple

02-05-2010, 12:14 PM

The cutter needs to be respected but we still use it. Without sharpening the blade we've probably put in 3000 droplines.

The blade did attack me once! My brother fell down in deep snow and I jokingly jumped on him like a WWE wrassler coming off the top rope - just as he lifted the 2-handed tool out of the snow. That cutter in the chin makes for a lot of red snow!

Maplewalnut

02-05-2010, 12:17 PM

Ennis- you know better...leave those types of moves to the 'professionals'

KenWP

02-05-2010, 07:40 PM

Somebody tackled me in the snow they would get something alright. I hate cold wet snow.
Weekend is upon us and of course the temp goes down in the basement again. And warms up Monday again. Somebody hates me out there. Finally got my insulation for the arch today with out dealing with D&G.

3rdgen.maple

02-05-2010, 08:09 PM

Ken did you get the pans all done? Glad to hear you got the insulation. D&G seems awfull pricey to me but maybe it is the currency exchange thing. I did get out he big saw today and clear a pine that blew down on one of the tractor paths. Tractor drove right on top of this hardpack so I am thinking it is time to get across the narrow swamp and haul some logs out from that side before she thaws. Pretty much looking for things to do. There is no warm weather in sight. But we don't usually tap till last week in February. Heres hoping for a good year.

farmall h

02-05-2010, 08:21 PM

KenWP

02-05-2010, 08:58 PM

The pans seem to be water proof. Now have to insulated and then try it out. I am hopeing for something good. Who knows if it will work or not untill it's put to work.

farmall h

02-05-2010, 09:01 PM

LOOKS LIKE WINTER IS HITTING PENN. STATE TONIGHT. That is what the weather station is saying. Big snow of 2" per/hr.:o

Dill

02-05-2010, 09:26 PM

And maybe a whole inch up in NH.
Just made a wicked score on 3 sections of used 10 inch stainless stack with a top cover. Spent the day at the Farm and Forest expo. Now I can barely talk and I'm all out of business cards. Made a few appointments but told people, if you want evenings or weekends its right now or in april cause I'm tapping on president's day.
So the weekend plan is to get the stack up, figure out a feed tank, arch board, brick and plumb the evap. And then? Hibernate for 2 weeks?

Dennis H.

02-05-2010, 10:45 PM

Yes we are getting snow!!

We are getting about 2" of that white stuff an hour looked out the back door and looks like we have around 5" since supper time. It will be interesting to see what we get by morning. I know it doesn't sound like much to you guys but for us here around Harrisburg, this here is a big deal.

I am hoping that the snow will help insulate the ground from the cold spell that we are to get this coming week. It is not to get above freezing for at least 7 days. Oh Yeah!!!

vtsnowedin

02-06-2010, 01:05 AM

vts, I have the $210 one, actually it was $185 when I bought it 3 years ago. This one has a flat piece of steel that the blade rests against. Some protection...until you pull back on the handle by accident. I am almost healed. Hung more drops today and noticed all the blood stains on my tapping vest.:)
So we have identified a problem. Now if we can get the guys down in engineering to work on it maybe we can come up with a new improved model. I have one idea that might work out.
Of course there is no hope for a Vermont woodchuck that will try to cut a plastic pipe with a folding pocket knife when its seven degrees outside.

Jim Brown

02-06-2010, 07:20 AM

Hey Guys We in NW PA have about 8 inches on the ground at 7;00am at it's still snowing real steady. Looks like about 1plus inches per hour right now.
Glad we moved tanks and Gena into the woods LAst week end!

Jim

Gary R

02-06-2010, 07:59 AM

I'm getting a little worried. Not a day above freezing in the 10 day forecast. Could be nothing for a mid March warm spell and end it for us down here. I did buy 50 plastic tubing taps. Also got a few hundred feet of 5/16. Don't know what I'll do with it yet. May have to make up for a possible short season.

Dave Y, do you have any tapping dates set yet? Let me know. I probably should attend a forestry seminar in Fryburg on the 20th.

Dave Y

02-06-2010, 08:06 AM

GaryR,
I hope to tap the tubing Presidents day weekend and the buckets the following weekend. I know there wont be any sap but would like to have them in. I am going out this AM to install electric at my tanks. I hope to get my vacuum set up this week. This looks like it will be an all March season. Which is OK with me as I am still trying to get things done.

farmall h

02-06-2010, 09:23 AM

vts, in my opinion these tools are crudely made considering the cost of them. Probably don't even have $25 worth of material in it.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-06-2010, 03:43 PM

vts, in my opinion these tools are crudely made considering the cost of them. Probably don't even have $25 worth of material in it.

Crudely made or not, they work great and are worth it to me. You guys need to spend $ 20 and get one of these tools, they are awesome. Something new Craftsman just came out with and they are awesome for cutting tubing, small branches and they change the blades themselves in about 2 seconds, you just drop the new one in place and it does the rest. Also, you carry 4 new blades inside a storage compartment in the handle.

Best $ 20 tool you will spend for syrup.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00937309000P?keyword=craftsman+edge+ razor+cutter

maplekid

02-06-2010, 03:58 PM

well im running on reserves now... had a big snow storm last night dropping 20 inches of snow on the ground. had 6 calls lastnight and just as i fell asleep a salt truck flipped over. so it was back to the station. havent done to much with maple. been at the fire station more than ive been in the sugar house. being a cadet is tiring especially when im the one carrieng the tools haha. well its not work if you enjoy it.

smitty76

02-06-2010, 04:14 PM

Just for the fun of telling you guys, my wife just got off the computer from her most enjoyible past time(face book) and says to me" maple people are on face book"( as if I did not know). So I reply to her "yeah, I know". so then she gets pissy and I tell here" Its the maple guys, right". With a disepiontment in her breath she says"yes" and that is when I tell her that there are more of us(maple people) than there are of her kind( nieve fools that think that I am the only one sufferring from this desease(maple bug). Totally blow her mind that we have now migrated to facebook now.:cool: :cool: . And I am just smiling from ear to ear.

Smitty76

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-06-2010, 05:30 PM

caseyssugarshack93

02-06-2010, 05:30 PM

Im on Face book So is maple crest, Dano, And Jim the aministator

Farmboy

02-06-2010, 05:49 PM

This world would be a much better place if all the kids were like you!
Yes there are only a few kids left that work for anything. I've seen way to many drug heads in middle school. Kids complain about the stupidest things. Most kids need to get paid to do any thing including take out the trash. It makes me sick sometimes what some kids get paid for doing nothing.
Back on maple. I split some more pine and wooed on my sugar shack today

vtsnowedin

02-06-2010, 05:52 PM

Soon to be son-inlaw and I ran 700 feet of half inch mainline down the hollow on Daughter'sland. Minus 2 this AM but got up to fourteen and was getting a bit stuffy down in the hollow. Nice break to walk up to the saddle and catch that fresh breeze direct from the pole. We should get 80 to a 100 taps on that line but have to run it to a tub and fetch it with the JD tractor. Got to rig up two 55gal. blue barrels for fore and aft tanks on it. Now I have to run out what 5/16 tubing I have and see how much more I will need to get to 300. I'm glad that snow stayed south (sorry you southern guys). It was easy walking on the well frozen base 9" with just four inches of loose on top of it.

danno

02-06-2010, 06:14 PM

As I was running mainline in my new toasty carharts today with temps struggling to make low teens, I remembered that I wanted to let you guys know that Tractor Supply has all their winter carharts (tops, bottoms, combined) at 30% off. Good prices.

My wife was sick of seeing me in my 10 yr. old Artic Carhart - man did that thing wear well. Picked up new tops and bottoms for under a $100.

3rdgen.maple

02-06-2010, 06:38 PM

Geez Danno wish you would of posted that earlier..... I got back from taking my daughter to her competition horse rifding lesson and drove right by one. Was looking at them in the Ace store a few days ago and they wanted 150 just for the bibs. Good to know. Wole up this morning feeling about 20%. Sinuses hurt, head hurts and my eyes are on fire. If I am feeling better tomarow I will make a drive back their.

maplekid

02-06-2010, 07:05 PM

thanks guys for the kind words. just maybe starting a tradition. hopefully when i have kids they love maple and the sound of the tones as much as i do. ive noticed on here that alot of the sugarmakers are fireighters haha. can never be to safe

Turtlecreek

02-06-2010, 09:22 PM

Yeah, we had a couple of calls last night too. All low budget, but I'm not complaining. Spent tidy shoveling out here and got called to work to shovel and plow some more. Tommrow I think I'll be on the trail snowmobiling this may be it for the year. Maple season is in the air, I keep looking out at the bush and seeing my ribbon in the trees, thinking Am I ready? I guess I'm as ready as I can be just need to get a little more storage and we are good to go!!

Gary R

02-07-2010, 07:56 AM

Western PA guy's. We get a free classified paper called the "Area Shopper" in it Friday was an add for buckets, spiles, tubing, gathering tanks and evaporator. I called Sat. morning just to see. An older woman answered the phone and said it was all sold. I asked about the evaporator. She didn't know what size it was. She said it was new and in 3 seperate boxes. Anybody know what I missed?

Father & Son

02-07-2010, 09:03 AM

Gary,
In the same boat as you, everything was sold when I called.

Jim

KenWP

02-07-2010, 09:18 AM

Somebody made a killing on the stuff. Whats the evaporator worth. Might tell you what the other stuff went for.

red maples

02-07-2010, 09:18 AM

worked on plumming the vacuum pump and and get all the stuff in the line. showed the wife she said what the hell is that????

finish that up today and ry to get the tanks lowered enough to get the releaser in there. so I don't have to move my main line. but its windy and cold...but I gotta get r done. want to finish everything by Wednesday!!!

Buffalo Creek Sugar Camp

02-07-2010, 09:26 AM

Father & Son

02-07-2010, 09:27 AM

Got the rest of the wood in the woodshed and repaired some tubing. Pieces and parts are cleaned to put the evaporator back together. Need to rinse a couple of tanks and put some tubing up in a small piece of woods and that should do it for prep work. If time permits I have a man door to put in toward the woodshed but that may wait till the end of the season.

Jim

red maples

02-07-2010, 09:30 AM

I was wondering how many of you northern producers have to tap on snowshoes? We have 32" of new snow on the ground and I have 6500 holes to drill in the next few weeks. No warm up in site either. How well do snowshoes work? Is there any particular brand that may be better then the other? I see some of the maple supply catalogs have them.

don't need it here this year going out in regular work boots. what ever snow is left in the woods is frozen solid.

But I got mine in sam's club for $69.00 with a bag and poles. used them twice this year:( once you get used to them they are easy just take wide turns or you'll fall.

Dill

02-07-2010, 10:11 AM

I'm thinking its too windy to do the stack setup this morning.
So moving house wood into the wood shed. That needs to be filled before the season. My wife operates on the "magic woodshed principle". It just needs to magically have wood in there when she needs it. No idea how it happens.
Maybe haul a couple more pickup loads of slabs. Don't know why I've been using the small saw, but the last load yesterday I brought the 372 and just cut all the way through the pile. Dropped loading time to 15 minutes or so.

jmbinventions

02-07-2010, 11:44 AM

I had a person dump my buckets of sap and pull out all of my spiles today, I am considering electrifying aluminum buckets at this point. I have had this happen at least three times this year and it's only february! Anybody have a suggestion to deter anymore destructive people, this is just getting ridiculous. Thanks if you have any ideas, I need them.

Rhino

02-07-2010, 11:58 AM

Jeremy, Tried a bunch of diff. snowshoes through the past sugaring seasons and the best that I would suggest are the army/marine surplus ones. They are magnesium with cable webbing. very tough in the brush. The other ones I tried never held up.

3rdgen.maple

02-07-2010, 12:04 PM

jmb setup a trail camera high in a tree aimed at your buckets. When you get the picture of the person notify the police and show them the picture.
Sounds like you got a tree hugger on your hands.

red maples

02-07-2010, 12:14 PM

Mark-NH

02-07-2010, 03:05 PM

Why do you think they are dumping buckets and pulling taps? Are they kids being stupid or could it be more calculated than that?

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-07-2010, 05:02 PM

I was wondering how many of you northern producers have to tap on snowshoes? We have 32" of new snow on the ground and I have 6500 holes to drill in the next few weeks. No warm up in site either. How well do snowshoes work? Is there any particular brand that may be better then the other? I see some of the maple supply catalogs have them.

I just ordered a set today off of ebay. Hopefully I will have them by next weekend so I can start tapping. I am well south of you, but in the same boat as you and more snow on the way this week and no warmup in sight.

super sappy

02-07-2010, 05:16 PM

You can get an inexpensive pair of snowshoes from Campmor.com. They have red feather that are not the best but will work for under 100 dollars. If you order they ship in like less than 24 hours -I have used this company for 20 years and never a problem -SS

red maples

02-07-2010, 05:19 PM

just came in from re-adjusting the main line...had to move it up about 1 foot. What a suck job that was. it was plumbed for gravity tubing but now the relaser sits a bit higher so I had raise it all up. but its done...vacuum is all plumbed to releaser and and the pump is mounted just have to run the wires tomorrow pick some oil and hopefully do a little test run!!! :) want ot be done with everything by wednesday (I hope). then I can relax a bit maybe get in a little more ice fishing before the season starts.

gotta run to get food for the game (getting junk food from applebees this year) just me the wife and kids. last year I had some folks over and did the BBQ galore...smoked brisket(smoked it for 10 hours best I ever made) ribs, pulled pork. smoked sweet potaoes, green beens with chorizo sausage. and lots and lots of beer!!!

the year before was south of the border. enchilada, nachos, mini burritos, tacos.

this year I am having a year off.

Amber Gold

02-07-2010, 07:16 PM

Made some progress this weekend...things are looking up for the season. Yesterday I replaced the used mainline from last year and ran a 3/4" mainline to the releaser.

Today I finished my sap ladder (photos coming soon in my photobucket page)and got my 2 mainlines hooked to the releaser. I also got the LR vac. pump running, which for the most part was a success, minus a minor issue.

Next weekend I just need to get last years mainline/tubing system back up to snuff and I can start running more mainline and tubing.

Revi

02-07-2010, 07:50 PM

We usually tap in snowshoes. We find the tap holes are about 2 or 3 feet higher up when we go to untap them. The snow helps with those taps that are really high so you don't need a ladder. It's a lot harder to get around with them, but it adds to the adventure.

We had a lot of problems with vandalism last year. I reccomend a game camera. Hide it some place they can't see it and see if you can catch them in the act.

We have two camera systems, lexan on the windows, plate steel on the door and a bulletproof box in front to protect the evaporator now.

I told the cops who it was, but without proof they can't do anything.

We'll see if we can get some proof. If we get anything we're prosecuting.

HobbitMannor

02-07-2010, 08:26 PM

Well my sister and I went out in the woods to check on the lines and see what kind of damage we had to deal with. I must say it wasn't that bad. We have to cut three trees off the lines and make some adjustments to the lines but I think we are in really good shape! Can't wait to get things done and start tapping!!:)

markct

02-07-2010, 08:34 PM

I removed the cutter on my tubing tool for the exact reason you're talking about. Took a dremel tool and cut the entire cutter/spreader assembly right off.

glad to see im not alone in this thinking, i had borrowed a tubing tool a few years back and when using it wasnt thrilled with the blade and its sharp edge near my fingers, so when i copied the tool to make my own i left off the blade and use a pair of battery cable cutters that cut the tube clean and easy, i like that much better!

Sugarmaker

02-07-2010, 10:06 PM

Folks,
I hung some tubing while the sun was shining. Nice to get out and do a little light work. These tubing runs ( about 25 taps) are rolled up and hung in the sugar house for the summer. Generally I can hang about 100 taps in a hour. I should have all the tubing up by the weekend. so if the weather breaks we can tap. Did find one week spot from a fitting that was not formed all the way during molding. I replaced that tee and should be good to go.

Hope things are good to all traders out there!

Regards,
Chris C.

danno

02-07-2010, 10:27 PM

vtsnowedin

02-08-2010, 12:47 AM

I'm thinking its too windy to do the stack setup this morning.
So moving house wood into the wood shed. That needs to be filled before the season. My wife operates on the "magic woodshed principle". It just needs to magically have wood in there when she needs it. No idea how it happens.Maybe haul a couple more pickup loads of slabs. Don't know why I've been using the small saw, but the last load yesterday I brought the 372 and just cut all the way through the pile. Dropped loading time to 15 minutes or so.
What are you doing messin around with my wife? Got to be her . Can't be two just alike.

DanE.

02-08-2010, 09:10 AM

I got the new tubing installed yesterday. 100 feet of main line and 500 feet of 5/16. I have another run of 5/16 line (10 taps) to be added to the end of the main line. I thought I would be done by noon but I spent from 8am to 5 pm putting this all in. This is my first year doing tubing, well doing it so it can stay up year round. anyways here is a picture of some of the new tubing. It is a work of art......

1246

I did mess up one of the main wire connections that will need to be fixed, I think it will have to wait until next year.

Dane.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-08-2010, 10:10 AM

Dan,

Looks like your on the right track!

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-08-2010, 10:12 AM

With or without snowshoes - nothing more exhausting than tapping in 2-3' of soft snow. Did that a few seasons ago - that was a workout. Hope that you get some warm/sun and tap the next cold morning when everything is firmed up.

At this point, I don't have a choice. Between 2 and 3 feet on the ground and a bunch more forecasted for tomorrow and Wed. I had already made syrup at this point last year and this year, not even sure when we will be able to tap. We so much snow and all my tanks are in remote locations in the woods, will have to plow out the roads/trails to even get to them and get the tanks set too. Crazy weather and next 10 days is not showing above freezing and mostly well below freezing.

dano2840

02-08-2010, 11:05 AM

dano2840

02-08-2010, 11:09 AM

well we went after some slab wood way up on the mountin, the road wasnt plowed but my moms bf tried it with the truck and barried it in the ice crystal snow so i went and drove the tractor 5 miles and plowed out the road all the way to the pile, we managed 2 4 wheel wagon loads before it got dark, and a load in the pick up, driving the tractor home in the dark i got frost bite on my fingers, forgoten just how much that hurts when your hands start to warm back up OUCH! missed first half of the super bowl, i was told the half time show wasnt that good any way, still about 3 more loads of slab all red pine, deffinetly enough to completely fill the wood shed. just gotta get it hope it dont snow too much im not in the mood to drive a tractor back up there!

danno

02-08-2010, 12:33 PM

"missed first half of the super bowl, i was told the half time show wasnt that good any way,"

How dare you - I would say this may be an over/under 40 thing. Those over 40 loved it, those under 40 would rather have had Fergie. Maybe over/under 30? One can only hope. 40 is in my rear view mirror

vtsnowedin

02-08-2010, 12:37 PM

on mine the blade swings down out of the way against a a gaurd, who maid your tool?
I bought it at Leader in Swanton. Page 7 in their catalog item 4791. The deluxe model 47705 does have a guard and costs $295 vs $134 for mine.

sapman

02-08-2010, 07:25 PM

Lapierre or D&G have the same tool for $240 or $250. But Leader did drop their price considerably.

farmall h

02-08-2010, 07:34 PM

Guys, I have the deluxe model and it was $175 three years ago.

caseyssugarshack93

02-08-2010, 10:03 PM

Been real busy with the sap hauler, i think im going to have to work on it on nights and sugaring stuff during the say, im kinda getting behind on things i gotta do/ get and hopfully when i go to get supplies in town they have eveything so i get all the stuff at one shot, but im sure once i get eveything iTHINK i need ill forget something and have to go back and get it, but anyways, im going to work on getting the stuff i need done first then if theres time add more taps to the bush and over my vacation i would like to get all the woods ready for the tanks, = still gotta fix lines and stuff, the sugarhouse is a disater, have to clean that real soon to, good sweep job goes along ways, then put the stack up on the arch and then the sugarhouse will be done and ready will just have to clean and set tanks,

well hopfully everone is doing good and ready for sugaring season

NATE

Dennis H.

02-09-2010, 08:26 AM

Well here we go again, more snow.

We got hit hard on Friday night with 18" of snow and now we are to get about 12-14" tonight and Wed. Oh yeah!!

The temps have been way below normal for us down here. We are normally in the high 30's right now and the next 7 days don't look like we are to get much above freezing.

I did re bottle the last gal of syrup from last year and sold some yeaterday.
I made some really like syrup from the run that I had in Jan. I am going to save that and maybe enter that at local county fair this year and maybe at the PA Farm Show next Jan, I think it would look good in glass.

Other than that just waiting!

dano2840

02-09-2010, 10:44 AM

KenWP

02-09-2010, 05:52 PM

I am a Madonna fan or who knows who as I listen to old old stuff.
So who else has cabine fever. Everybody at school keeps asking when I start the cabana d'sucre. They are starting to get on my nerves. Not that i am near ready yet. But what's left isn't too bad. A lot of washing and such.

danno

02-09-2010, 05:58 PM

Well fergie is ALOT hotter than the who :lol:

You got me there.

sapman

02-09-2010, 08:07 PM

I liked last year's (or year before) with Tom Petty.

Tim

Sugarmaker

02-09-2010, 10:16 PM

OK I bit the bullet and put the preheater. drip tray system on the 3 x 10 and mounted the hoods drains and the stacks. A good scrub and rinse and we will be ready to make syrup! Also built a couple more pieces for th WRU which I will move out from in front of the arch as soon as the weather breaks.
Man everything costs so much no days!

Good luck as the season opens up for 2010. It should not be that far away!

Jim Bortles, Do you have all that new tubing up?
GaryR lets rock the BAT mobile! I love that machine. Yes folks doors are a option:)
Jim Brown are you moving in to the "new" sugar house next door.
Dave Y, How many coats of wax do you have on the Force 5?
Brandon just buy the steamaway you know you want one! Much easier than building one too. That's the voice of experience speaking:)
Boyd, I know you out there. Do you have a float system that you want to sell?
Tappin and Sappin get Greg going on that pan, it syrup time! How many taps on tubing this year? Should save on the back!

OK so I am a little wound up tonight. See YAaaaaaa!

Regards,

Chris

jrthe3

02-09-2010, 10:35 PM

chris not right off hand one for sale yet
tappin and sappin would that be greg at edin indu i just droped my pan off there to day to get a few leaks fixed up
chris so does that mean your done with the wru for this year i looked at the 15 day and it not warming up anytime soon

Father & Son

02-10-2010, 05:36 AM

Chris,
I replaced the 3/4" line from the driveway to the sugar house with 1", finished up the wood last week, and a few things to tweek the next couple of evenings. Saturday I'm going to start tubing that piece of woods. See how far I get.

Jim

Dave Y

02-10-2010, 06:55 AM

Chris ,
No wax. just a spit shine.
Just checked the 15 day forecast.!0 days with snow and no above freezing temps. I guess I have time to finsh everything I still have to do.

KenWP

02-10-2010, 06:59 AM

Must have a dry mouth by now. Do you have a old evaporator hanging around to use so it dosn't get dirty.

Jim Brown

02-10-2010, 08:09 AM

Chris; We have moved vac pumps,generators, drums,barrels,buckets and rolls of tubing into the garage.(cut a hole in the fence)We have yet to do anything with the building.Since we have everything but the rig moved out of the sugarhouse we have enough room to move around good in there now .Darlene wants to look at making a retail area over there now that we have cut trees and bush and opened up the front so you can see it well. We plan on tapping this saturday. Doug is coming in from dayton Friday evening and the crew is due to arrive at 8:00am to start.

Good luck
Jim

Father & Son

02-10-2010, 08:43 AM

Jim Brown,
Sounds like you have been busy. Last year I was able to make syrup on my birthday (Feb 27) but by the looks of the accuweather forcast it might not happen this year. Almost go time!

Jim

jrthe3

02-10-2010, 09:07 AM

last year i taped on presidents day and boiled the nexted day but that is monday and i don't even have pans

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-10-2010, 09:49 AM

Chris,

If I get a steamaway, it will be bought. Don't have to worry about me making one. I love to make things and can do about anything but weld. My dad taught me about everything except welding and electrical. I am learning a little electrical as I go but have only welded one time. Besides, with my work schedule, I wouldn't have time to build one anyway.

Will have to wait and see how this season goes. I am running 625 taps on a 2x8 which isn't a problem but all my boiling help is getting older and won't be around for how much longer?? I tapped my biggest bush Jan 31st last year and this year, it doesn't look like I will tap before Feb 20th. This weather is completely crazy. More snow this week on top of what we already have. At 9 this morning, it was 10 degrees and well below 0 wind chill and at the same time, I was watching weather channel and it is 40 degrees in Vancouver. Something is bad wrong with that as they are trying to haul in snow just to have enough for the olympics and we are up to our ears in it. Usually never even snow on the ground when I tap. I can only remember it a couple of times in last 10 years and this year I am going to need snowshoes. Not supposed to get out of 20's for next 10 days and the 9th and 10th day in low 30's. Crazy cold, but we'll see what happens. Hopefully we can get 4 good weeks from Feb 20th to March 20th. One thing for sure, the ground is super saturated and 24 to 30 inches of snow on it now and snow every day for next 7 days.

mapleack

02-10-2010, 10:07 AM

Snow, snow, snow. The stuff looks nice but is a real PITA. I was planning on tapping this weekend, but with the snow and the forecast calling for more cold I think i'm going to push it back until next weekend instead. I've got plenty of other things to do to occupy this weekend. Still need to hook up the vacuum pump, wade snow to fix more lines, etc. After plowing last saturday we got in the woods in the afternoon and again sunday. Slightly funny, after the fact, was replacing my mailbox post saturday morning, after my dad backed over it while plowing my driveway! Got some lines fixed and some new ones put in. Got 45 new taps online, should put us at about 915 taps right now, I hope to make it to 1,000 by early season. Focus now will be on fixing, tapping, then trying to add a few more.

gator330

02-10-2010, 11:11 AM

This is starting to look like it will be one of those true to the book seasons. The ones that start in March and end in mid April. With great temps for huge sap flow.:) If not when this cold goes out and the warm comes in and stays you may want to be ready for a short season.:cry: Hate to say it but this might be the case for you guys in the south. Still ready to get to it no matter how it turns out. One thing for shure it won't be this week. I'm going to hitch the team Saturday and drive some folks around the fields drink coffee eat fritters and have some good old winter fun. Little pulling will do my girls some good for when the tractor won't start and the sap needs picking up. I'm also going to try them on a few trips to the woods for a down tree or two. Want to start pulling wood with them this spring and summer. I'm not shure but I think being ready to go in January was a big mistake. Next year I have to put it all off till it's only a week away. All this waiting is starting to really suck!!!

Sugarmaker

02-10-2010, 12:35 PM

OK I see I got some jucies flowing in NWPA!
Boyd,
Yes Greg as in Edinboro industries. You know Greg taught me how to solder. We really should have a class on soldering for those of us not fortunate to have welded pans. Its really not that tough to do.

BTW I really need to resolder my front pan in the middle partitions at the rear. Lots of heat there. but will try to get through the 2010 season as is.
I thought you had your pans???

The WRU will be worked on as time and funds permit. If it comes together this year that would be great ( seems to be up to how fast I work:)) I can usually get a lot done if I have the materials available. Running out of stanless to fab and need to start shelling out the old green stuff. Which doesnt seem as plentifull these days:)

Jim Bortles let me know if you need a hand with tubing. I could at least hold one end:)
Jim Brown,
That property will be like a pocket in a shirt (real handy)

Brandon, Yikes your getting dumped on. Gota love the global warming! Adam in Pittsburgh and Stacy in Columbus are struggling with the unusual snow too.

Chris

jrthe3

02-10-2010, 01:50 PM

yes i know greg when i droped off my pan yesterday he had another one out there that must of been t&s

red maples

02-10-2010, 04:29 PM

been busy the last couple of days trying to get everything set. still afew things to get done. beautiful day out yesterday. couldn't ask for better weather to outside at this time of year. Vacuum is all set plumbed and wired and ready to go. releaser is all set. all mainline is adjusted and spoed and ready. Went though al the laterals pulled off limbs and a few small dead trees rechecked all the slope. shortened up a few and added in more saddles. installed the take down lines from my neighbor's place. gettng there.

sugarhouse is a bit of a mess:( from the going in and out trying find fittings and stuff. but it'll be cleaned by the end of the week!!!
There must be tapping weather coming soon. I know I have at least 10 days left then it will BE TIME!!!

Dan W

02-10-2010, 06:28 PM

WHAT IS UP WITH THIS WINTER WEATHER? I am about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh and last year on this date I tapped my trees and made more syrup in February than in March. Today I spent 7 hours plowing snow at my place and a couple of neighbors and helped clear a fallen 30 inch white pine that fell across the next door driveway (my son). If I can talk him into splitting it up rather than leave it in the wwods, I can get a jump on the firewood for next year!!. Cleared out a big spot around the sugar house with the plow/sap hauler. Tomorrow I will finish opening a path by hand around the doors and firewood. We have had close to 30 inches of snow from friday afternoon to today on the ground with a few more due tonight. Maybe for all the work we will be blessed with run after run after run. We'll see?

Dennis H.

02-10-2010, 07:32 PM

We got another 8" of snow with the other 18" and it is now blowing!!

I walked the lines today, I had to clear snow from around a few trees that my wonderful neighbor powed in while doing his drive. I had to be sure he didn't damage the tubing.

I believe it will be a very short season this year when it gets warm enough. Still seven day forecast below freezing. This has been a very cold year for us down here.

Revi

02-10-2010, 07:46 PM

There is only about a foot of hardened snow here, and it was in the 40's yesterday.

No snow today at all. It was sunny for most of the day.

We're thinking of tapping at the end of next week, as the temps are supposed to be in the mid thirties and forties by then.

Did somebody mix up the weather maps up there?

We have your weather, and you have our three feet of snow!

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-10-2010, 07:51 PM

It has been a winter for the ages in WV. I can't count on one hand how many days of lake effect snow we have had. I live several hundred miles from lake Michigan, but it has been coming straight down at us a bunch this year. Unbelievable would be the best way to describe it. Never seen anything like that this far south. I would guess we are at about 100" at the sugarhouse in less than 2 months and probably about 80" where I live. Today's forecast was showing snow every day for next 7 days and not out of the 20's. Amazing! LOL!

Oh well, it will end sometime and we will definitely enjoy spring and summer more this year. Opening ceremonies at the olympics tomorrow and it is supposed to be 48 degrees and rain and 10 to 15 here at the same time and below 0 wind chills. Guess we can blame it all on Al Gore, he ask for all this!!

Dennis H.

02-10-2010, 08:57 PM

My brother lives just south of DC and he was telling me this evening that at BWI airport they have recorded 76" of snow so far for the year and the normal is 12" for the entire winter!!!

It just seems like this year every wave of winter weather has a bullseye for southern PA maryland and Northern VA.

I do have to say that I am getting a workout walking around in this stuff. when it is 2'+ it takes quite a bit of effort to get around in this stuff.

Revi

02-10-2010, 09:38 PM

You guys down south would love getting around on snowshoes. It may harden up a bit in the next few days and become really great snowshoeing.

We don't seem to need them this year for some reason. I walked to the top of our woodlot today and back and only crunched in once.

This is a wierd turn of events.

It must be close to tapping time down your way.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-10-2010, 10:23 PM

Revi,

I guess I will get my first turn at using snowshoes next week. I ordered a pair off of ebay Sunday and the are supposed to be here next Monday. I hope to put them to work tapping soon.

3rdgen.maple

02-10-2010, 10:44 PM

No disrespect but it is funny reading these post. 80 to 100 inches is small potatoes in my area. It is about time I got a break from it this year. You guys can keep it all. Sure will be nice taping treeswith only a foot of snow pack for once.

Hauled out some logs today, and managed to make a muddy mess. Ground is definately not fozen. Been playing around with the etching equipment for the glass bottles. Nothing is as easy as it seems. Manged to burn through a case of glass before I got it to my likings. Now the fun starts of etching the good ones. Also got to print up the hanging tags and Will be done with that until a few businesses get their logos to me to put on their glass. Getting closer by the minute till tapping time. Never tapped with snowshoes kinda hard getting on and off the tractor with them. Just gotta man up and sink in:)

jrthe3

02-10-2010, 11:39 PM

had a surprise in the mail today i bought a gas power sap pump from tsc a few years back well when i was getting everything ready i tried to get it running it would not run so i called the warinty company seeing how i bought the exstanded warentiy they could not find any one to work on it in my area so they sent me a check refunding the full purchase price

Buffalo Creek Sugar Camp

02-11-2010, 06:35 AM

I too ordered a set of snowshoes from a military surplus website and they arrived yesterday. I never had the need for them before but this year is different. The snow is so fluffy here that even with the snowshoes, you still sink in 6 inches or so and although thats better then sinking in 3 feet, its still a workout. The wide gradual turns and no backing up is going to be a little hard to get used to. Should make for an interesting and tiresome time getting things tapped this year!

mapleack

02-11-2010, 08:40 AM

It looks like snowshoes will be a necessity here, there's around 24" on the ground. buffalocreek, I hope your army surplus shoes are better than the ones i've used! My experience is that decent modern ones can't be beat.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-11-2010, 11:30 AM

I got a pair of these and cost me about $ 43 with shipping. Don't know how good they are, but hopefully will at least last for mapling season.

They do have a big screw in stainless spike on the bottom for traction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-MTN-25-Snowshoes-up-to-200-lbs-Free-Bag-OPBK_W0QQitemZ180467903388QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item2a04b9ab9c

Jim Brown

02-11-2010, 12:46 PM

Does anyone have a Dunnam(spelling) sports store near them? Wife and I each bought a set at Christmas from our local store and they were,with tax and Etc. about $75.00 Work great and we intend to us them over the weekend to tap.

Jim

ennismaple

02-11-2010, 01:18 PM

We've tapped a few years in snow shoes and it's not fun. The real benefit to them is if you need to follow the same trail twice because it will harden. If you're breaking trail it beats a trip to the gym for a workout!

Some advice - If you find the heel strap keeps slipping off try tying it up around your ankle with a piece of string or bailer twine. I've taken more than a few spills when one shoe came off and down you go!

smitty76

02-11-2010, 06:21 PM

We are right in to the big ginning of the season and there are still 67 of us on right now.

jrthe3

02-11-2010, 10:00 PM

the thing i don't like about tapping in snow shoes is you have to carry a step ladder around the woods to reach your taps to pull them

RickinFarmington

02-12-2010, 06:17 AM

Snowshoes are a way of life here in Maine for anyone who needs to be outdoors in the winter. You think using them to tap is tough? Wait till you have to start carrying two five gallon buckets of sap uphill to the shack. Fell backwards one time and the snow was so deep, I could't reach the ground to push myself back up. Flopped around like a fish out of the water for ten minutes. No gym needed here. Can't wait though!!

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-12-2010, 10:06 PM

According to paper today, we have gotten 101.4 inches of snow so far this winter where I live and about all of it in less than 2 months. I would guess they are around 120 to 125 inches at the sugarhouse so far in the same period of time.

One thing is for sure, if we can get a couple of good weeks of weather, there is plenty of moisture and the sap should run like there's no tomorrow. Snowshoes should be here on Monday and hopefully start tapping sometime next week.

3rdgen.maple

02-12-2010, 10:53 PM

It might run like there is no tomarrow Brandon but I wonder how it will affect the sugar content. I now here at my place that is not alot of snow and on normal years it does not seem to provide us with anymore sap. I will have a better aspect on that thought this year as mother nature has spared us for once. I cannot remember a winter where there was this little amount of snow here.
Had a real fun day today. Started the truck up and heard a weird noise under the hood and quickly figured out the water pump was on its way out. Got a new one and put it in along with hoses. Got that done and decided the day was wasted and figured mine as well work on getting a better splash guard made for the evaporator. While in the process of that I was drilling through the sheetmetal and just as the drill broke through my dog decided to run into me and I put the bit clear through my finger. The fun part was putting the drill in reverse and backing it out. Manned up and did a self doctor job and finished the guard. I think I will take the weekend off and watch the big race.

danno

02-12-2010, 11:21 PM

Carhartt's now 40% off at Tractor Supply, wool socks too. Apparently I spend too much time at TS.

Finished the two new short main lines, lats and drops today. Picked up another 100 taps. Deciding whether to add another for this season. Glad I picked up the RO, my wood pile looks a bit smaller than usual. I've run out of wood every year - I assume I will this year as well.

KenWP

02-12-2010, 11:34 PM

I finally got to go glissade today for the first time in my life. I grew up with no hills so we didn't even own a tobaggon. I went up and down until I was tired. Then we had a tug a war and they found out this old man isn't as whimpy as they thought. Why I never had a coronary today lord only knows.
I am getting someplace with maple finally. Tomorrow should put a good hole in most of the work except washing which I need a bit warmer weather to do in. Found a place with cheap SS so I bought what I needed instead of trying to cut cornors.
Just have to figure out just how high to make the splash guards for my drop flue pans. I am hopeing 6 inchs extra will help. If I go to high she who has to be obeyed is only 4ft11 so she won't be able to reach over the top. With a test boil I should know better sort of as water dosn't spit as much as hot sap does.

RickinFarmington

02-13-2010, 06:41 AM

I added 4 inch splash shields to my drop tube sap pan, but after yesterdays test, I found that was not enough. Will try some aluminum screenover the top and if that works, will look for some SS screen.
Man do those drop tubes boil.

vtsnowedin

02-13-2010, 07:55 AM

I leveled up the mainline where it crosses the sugarhouse yard on it's way to the main storage tank. I wired it off the end rafter of the sugar house so I can drive the tractor under it on the way to the wood shed to be. I cleanned out the local Leader dealer of 5/16 tubing and have all but one roll strung out. The dealer is expecting their main shipment of supplies next tuesday. Good thing to as they dont have a single T to their name or any filter liners.
It's 5 degreesF here right now but sunny so when it warms up I'll go run out that last roll of blue then work on wood,tanks etc. until tuesday. Hopefully I can be already to go by this time next week.

jrthe3

02-13-2010, 04:16 PM

after much thought and talking i think i going to tap in my tubing this week will see what happens i keeping my fingures crossed

caseyssugarshack93

02-13-2010, 06:33 PM

today, i went up to the woods and put some saddles in, tomorow i plan to run some mainline wire for a other line to pick up a other 100 or so taps, then off to the other bush to fix lines and add some more if possible and then off to the two other bushes to get them ready and then i have to clean the sugarhouse and clean tanks get everything set in the sugarhouse and then ill tap, probably 2 weeks, then ill probably start drilling holes if the weather looks good,

Dill

02-13-2010, 07:28 PM

Today was a get ready day. Spent the morning at Amber Gold's. Supposed to be helping. But most of the time, I spent holding a ruler and looking confused. He was trying to get the grade on vac line back to the sugar house. A little different scope of technical know how. After all I was trying to figure out how to a hang a bucket so "buddy the steer" couldn't lick it yesterday. Never figured I'd have a "buddy" problem in February. Checking the line that I tapped yesterday, I got probably 20 gallons or so in the tank, which isn't back for feb 12.
Then Josh came over to my humble shack and we got the evap just about ready. The arch board is in, the pans are leveled, the blower works, the hood fits. All that's needed now is tomorrow's trash can roof jack and a stand made for the head tank. I'm shooting for a boil on wensday.
Also noticed some trees next door to one of my new tubing runs that I'm going to ask about in the morning.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-13-2010, 07:29 PM

More snow on the way Sun night thru Tues and no warmup in sight next 10 days. Kinda crazy as I had made decent amount of syrup by this time last year. Looks like we could easily go over 150 inches of snow this year, its quite unbelievable.

Dill

02-13-2010, 07:36 PM

What's crazier is our forecast is calling for high 30s maybe 40s for a week. And the woods are bare ground. Just a bit of granular/icey snow. Sugar snow.

Farmboy

02-13-2010, 08:40 PM

Today I went and got jugs another hydrometer just to have a second one and a hydrometer cup. I also got prefilters. They didn't have filters in stock but they were coming in later in the day so there shipping them out to me Monday. I still need to replace the back of my halfpint evaporator. I'll get it done this week. My pump should be here Monday or tuesday. Yesterday my grandpa set up a woodstove in my sugar shack. It stays nice and warm now. I got some stuff cleaned up yesterday. I got a load of slabwood today. It's about a cord and a half I'll cut it up this week. The rush is on. Maple seasons almost here.

KenWP

02-13-2010, 09:04 PM

I am tired reading your post. I worked in the shop all day abusing a beer keg. It least its nice thick metal and easy to weld on. Got it made into a filtering container for the orlon filters. Just have to fit a tap on the bottom and its done. Would have been easyier if it hadn't a hole in the side for the wooden plug and one in the bottom for the drain or what ever the hell that valve was for.
Now to finish the evaporator and wait for good weather . That will be about April me thinks. The little old lady at the library tells me to not get excited it will get here.
Now to figure out the preheater before I need it. The head tank i used last year was only 5 or 6 gallons and I am hopeing this year to triple my boil rate which makes it a bit small. Have to go shopping again me thinks.

Sugarmaker

02-13-2010, 09:05 PM

Today I worked and visited with Jim Bortles (Father and Son) hang some high tension wire for a main line down 100 yards of creek bottom. I learned some things about tightening and adjusting wire. This is going to make a nice addition to Jim's sugar bush and syrup operation. LOTS of nice maples that look like they have never been tapped. Thanks for the basic training Jim:) I should sleep well tonight!

It was kind of weird walking up on the head stone of the guy that used to own the property Jim was tapping, and when I asked I realized knew the gentleman very well when I was a kid. I had not been on the farm for 40 years. Small world!

This p.m. Daughter Kelly and her family came to visit with Addison the new granddaughter and we had a great dinner and family visiting.

I did get 20 taps hung but the tubing was shrunk so much from the cold weather that I will have to wait for it to stretch before I can fasten the ends around the bottom tree:)
I also picked up the 20 feet of 3/4 copper tubing and several fittings for the WUR air tubes at Kennedy's hardware. Nice to have a small hardware near by that has what you need. No crowds or lines either.

Regards,
Chris

JuniperHillSugar

02-13-2010, 09:25 PM

New sugarhouse is now ready. Wired, plumbed, built, cleaned and stocked. Had a test firing to see how the system was working. I got the idea here for a tipping holding tank to get the last sap, and with two old garage door springs, it worked great, less than 1/2 gallon left when it is done.

Looking forward to boiling soon.

farmall h

02-13-2010, 09:27 PM

Ever notice that it is colder IN the sugar house than outside. Today I lifted the mainline into the sugarhse and retightened in order to raise the level of the stock tanks. Hopefully get faster flow into the back float. Going to plumb the tanks with 1" copper and ball valves. If it freezes it will only freeze at the inlet to the float box. Slab pile is still patiently waiting to be cut. Have about 200 more new taps to install. Other than that I think we're getting close.:)

sugarstone

02-13-2010, 10:16 PM

Close to getting 2600ft. of wet/dry line done in an existing set-up. Can't wait for the day I can rip the old stuff down. Bush needs a good thinning anyways, so maybe next winter. Tubing and mains are shoddy.
Spent the morning changing the lateral mains where they will intersect the wet/dry. Afternoon was spent pulling out pipe and fixing bear bites. Wife and kids sleighed out to check on me. Son just wanted to use the tubing cutter and cut, cut, cut...Took it away when he wanted to snip a dropline in half.
2400ft pump line is next to go. Hopefully will have time to get it tied back before the season is in full swing.
Been waiting for the SIHI pump to come in from ordering. Pump house work still has to be done.
Equipment is in the new shanty. That will get plumbed at night. Should have done that before the Olympics started...or another reason to get a flat screen in there.
Tomorrow...going fishing.

Tweegs

02-14-2010, 02:22 PM

Getting close…
Mains and lats are all up, the arch is built, buckets, holding, collection and pick-up tanks clean and ready to go. I soldered up a couple of minor leaks in the pan, scrubbed it out and it’s ready to rock, too.

Finished re-decking the sap hauler trailer today, need to build a mount for the pump…as soon as I pick up the new head.

A couple of hours work left on the arch…stack and door… and then I just cut wood until tap time. The wood pile is looking a little thin, but the weather man says I’ve got at least 10 days to top it off.

I say: Let’s Go!
If I slow down now it’ll be tough getting the pedal to the metal again. :D

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-14-2010, 02:49 PM

Looks like it may be the first February I have never made syrup. Last year I started tapping on Jan 31st and today the 10 day forecast thru Feb 23rd is not showing it getting out of 20's. It is amazing how insaley cold it has been all month. Hopefully March will be kind to us and not warm up and be done around 21st as it usually is. Never seen a season as short as this one appears it is going to be. Hard to get any freezing nights after around March 20th here and a lot of temps in 60's and sometimes 70's. Amazing every day the season is getting shorter and we haven't even tapped. LOL!

Sugarmaker

02-14-2010, 04:30 PM

LITTLE SAP UPDATE!
Just wanted to see if you were paying attention!

I did get the rest of the short run tubing systems up. (about 500 taps total).
It doesn't sound like much compared to you guys putting up thousands of feet of tubing! But it will keep me and Cheryl busy for a month or so if the weather ever breaks:)
I did stop at a house in Cranesville and ask about the four big crowned sugar maples in there yard. They look like good ones, might get them for next year.
Also spotted another 20 taps on old Albion road the are on the same property that I started tapping last year. Close to the road and nice healthy young trees about 18 inches in dia. again probably for next year.

I agree with Brandon that this could drastically shorten the syrup season if the cold weather continues. I tapped Jan 22 10 years ago and made some nice syrup on Jan 24.
I think Brandon in Beckely has about the same snow fall as Albion. We are at least 2 hours north of him.

Delivered a quart of honey to a good customer while out finishing the tubing. Older folks, and they did not need to get out in this weather.

Regards,
Chris

mapleack

02-14-2010, 07:11 PM

Best friend and I spent the day out on snowshoes fixing tubing again today, only about 60 taps worth haven't been checked and I think we'll just fix them as we tap. I'm planning on taking thursday and friday off work to start tapping, hopefully have them all in by Sunday, looking at about 920 taps right now, unless we get time to add more. Still lots of work to do to boil, headtank needs washed, releasers need hooked up, flue pan needs washed, yikes! I do think that we may be getting set for a big season though, thanks to this pain in the butt snow. Its insulated the ground enough that it's mud underneith now, no frost at all. The maple roots are all thawed out and ready to help supply some BIGSAP!!!! I hope everyone is getting ready to go and ready to make some syrup!

farmall h

02-14-2010, 07:24 PM

Evening all, I must say I don't miss the snow shoes. We only have maybe 10" in the woods. No problem getting around with the 4x. Fix damaged drops today...lots of deer-chew, squirrel damage. Mighty cold & windy though. Put slab wood into the sugarhse before noon. Started to plumb copper to the tanks. Ran out of lamb tubing today...gotta go spend some more$.:)

Amber Gold

02-14-2010, 07:49 PM

Got most of last years tubing system ready to go. Just a few more laterals to take care of. I was considering tapping this weekend based on the 10 day forecast looking favorable, but I'm not quite ready to yet. Next weekend will be the day.

My homemade mainline tubing tool is binding up for some reason, which is bad timing because I was hoping to use it tomorrow. The mainline had a twist in it last year, and when I rerouted the line the twist came out and a saddle is now on the bottom.

red maples

02-14-2010, 08:59 PM

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-15-2010, 09:04 AM

Another 6 to 12 inches predicted here by tomorrow evening and appears another storm on the way for this Saturday and Sunday. To say this is unbelievable is an understatement. I made 50% crop last year in Feb and 50% in March which is about normal for us and no sap weather in sight thru Feb 24th which is as far as 10 days show. Basically just shows snow every day. Snow is already deeper than my tractor can handle so I am waiting to get a big tractor to try to plow out the roads.

dano2840

02-15-2010, 10:15 AM

well im almost there, just have to finish putting the other half of the laterals up on the 114 im adding, move the tank in the sugar house, run the vacuum line, plumb the tank to the pump, get the gathering tank and clean it/ tie down to the trailer, and cut as much of the slabs i got as possable before sap comes in, hoping to start tapping on friday, i dont know yet temps are only forcasted for mid 20s and snow showers, i would like to see 34 and sunny when i drill holes but it doesnt make sense to tap when its 20, its not like i have 9000 taps or any thing, but on the other hand it would be nice to be getting sap in the tank on that first run!

dano2840

02-15-2010, 10:18 AM

saw some trees tapped today one tree is very lucky to have not 3, not 4, not5 but 6 buckets hanging from it geez talk about bleeding it out!!! and a feww trees with just tubing sticking into some holes down into a bucket no spouts.

ha thats terrable, almost as bad as the tubing system i saw last year where there was 4" trees with 7/16 spouts in them, i was like WTF some one doesnt have any idea what they are doing, and they were roadside trees to, so the are slow to heal, looks like that guy will have some fire wood in a few years shhheeessshhh

Dill

02-15-2010, 10:19 AM

Got the trash can up through the roof yesterday. I spent some time trying to remember gemotery and used a compass to scribe a perfect circle in the roof. Then cut it carefully with a sawzmost. Just to find out that I didn't take the 7 pitch of the roof into the equation. So we just started cutting till we could jam it up there. Either the shack will be burn down the first time the evap is lit or I'm good for 10 years.
I've got some sap so far from Lee. So Wednesday is still the plan for boil number one. Probably tap up in Northwood next sunday (the 21st).
All that's left is building a head tank stand, and picking up some olive barrels and getting them cleaned out.

PerryW

02-15-2010, 10:19 AM

My rule of thumb is to NOT open the sugarhouse door until at least March 1. The 10 day forecast (until Feb 25) says nothing predicted above 32 deg, so I see no reason (so far) to get excited for my area anyway.

Dill

02-15-2010, 10:37 AM

Your quite a ways farther north. I'm looking at 40s for the end of this week.

Dennis H.

02-15-2010, 02:24 PM

Took the snowblower out and finished cleaning around the tanks and vac-shed. I even climbed up on the roof of the sugarshack and cleaned off the snow around the cupola so as the doors open freely. I dup out the wood pile and walked the lines to make sure the snow is off some low sections.

I now should be ready for the warm up that we are to get this week.

farmall h

02-15-2010, 05:48 PM

It was a nice day today...to bad I had to go to work. Dennis have you tried your Bender releasers out? Are they set up side by side working in unison or are they on separate lines. Just a tip....if you find that when your pulling sap and the float rattles up and prematurely releases you might have to add more weight on the float ball. I experienced that when it wasn't getting a full charge of sap. Try running them and letting a little air suck in to see if you get alot of float turbulence. Just a note.

Bob

Dan W

02-15-2010, 06:37 PM

I picked up a propane stove to use for bottling over the weekend. Got it all piped in and set up today. Sure will beat using the kitchen and being in you know who's way. All I have to do is pick up my bottles and filter press and I am good to go. Just saw it might get up to 34 on sunday WHOO HOO!! It's only a matter of time now. Supposed to get another 4-8 inches of snow by tommorrow noonish. I don't care; my snowshoes will be here by friday! Can't wait to get in the full swing!!!!

Gary R

02-15-2010, 07:39 PM

Yesterday I put both of my stacks up. I also plowed out all of my roads to collect. Planning on tapping regardless of temps this weekend. It will be only 5 1/2 weeks until April. Whats really weird is guys in Maine and NH are talking about tapping because of good weather.

jrthe3

02-15-2010, 10:07 PM

gary i with ya i tapping friday weather permitting

Farmboy

02-15-2010, 10:20 PM

Today I finished putting up the metal roofing on the sugar shack. I still need to put up some flashing. This snow coming isn't going to help me. Hopefully I will be able to take my tractor through the woods tomorrow and set up trails for gathering. I still need 2 weld my evaporator. I want to get some slab wood cut up too.

Dennis H.

02-16-2010, 03:59 AM

Bob- my 2 benders are located in different places. The way the land falls here 1/2 my trees flow down to the sugarshack to one Bender and the rest flow down to the 2nd Bender into a 50gal tote which I will pump out daily.

They are working quite well so far. I had to make a few adjustments to them to make them work better but nothing major.

I was going to pick up a few SS nuts large ones as weights if needed. Thnaks for the tips.

red maples

02-16-2010, 09:28 AM

Planning to tap about 100 today and the remainding tomorrow! 40's for wed, thurs, fri, and mid to upper 30's from there on out after snow today. OOHHH MMAAANNN:D

mapleman3

02-16-2010, 09:30 AM

The Wife and I put up 4000 ft of 5/16ths yesterday in out leased woods, about 1000 feet left to do then do some repairs... we should be tapping last weekend of feb unless the weather forces us to tap early.

still some things to do int the sugarhouse too... finish up with the new draw off, run the evap and do a good final cleaning... some plumbing beacause I moved the feed tank again! seems like I am never happy with where it is, but I thinks it found its permanent spot.

Oh and just went through 275 new registrations and happy to say about 40% were good ones, Welcome new members, sorry I took so long but it's crunch time and signing up new members not the top of my list right now!

dano2840

02-16-2010, 10:12 AM

gator330

02-16-2010, 10:21 AM

The past two days it was above freezing, still not enough for this area. Went right back to being cold again. One more weekend to condition the team. Big sleigh ride this weekend maybe 20 friends and kids. To bad I don't have a few thousand pal out to pick up with that kind of help. Only thing is there only here for the one day. Getting snow again today last year it was the 26th when we tapped, shooting for the 27th this year. If the forcast is faverable if not the next weekend is in March. Not that I can't tap during the week if I need to. Ready when the weather is!!!

ennismaple

02-16-2010, 11:13 AM

We got a bunch of work done over the long weekend and have only about 1 day's more work to be ready to tap.

- picked up and installed steam hood for front pans, including installing roof jack
- my cousin finished building our new feed tank building. It looks like a really cool 8x8 tree house! It still needs to be plumbed and connected to the Force 5 but that won't take too long.
- connected the new releaser to the mainlines and put the flood oil pump back together. All that's left is to hook up the vacuum line from the humidity trap to the releaser and put the valve and quick connect on the tank.
- connected the relocated 800 gallon Zero tank to the SP-22 and the mainline in our Upper Bush
- replaced the old 5/16 spouts on the Old Camp Hill with stubbies so we can try out the check valve adapters. We removed about 50 droplines from that bush because it was too heavily tapped when the lines were put up 8 years ago. This should help the health of the trees.
- cut firewood for Mom's house

We've done so much since last season that it's nice to be almost ready with a few weeks left until we tap.

3rdgen.maple

02-16-2010, 06:57 PM

I suddenly am feeling like I am not going to be able to fill all the preorders this year. The B&B next door uses it for their breakfast and alot of their guest have requested orders to take home this year. Seems they all want a gallon or more. After a long visit with them we walked their woods and I quit counting potential taps after 300 and did not even cover a 3rd of their property. So a deal has been made and they will tap 200 in trade for syrup to feed the guest and the rest will be sold. They refused to take any of the profits they just want a few gallons for to feed their clients. Bonus part is they are gonna collect and deliver that and also offerd to collect the 300 taps that I am putting out that borders their land. I warned them of the maple bug and they are all for it. Just gotta keep them from buying a evaporator now. So my tap count just went from 600 to 800 on a 2x6. Bring it on I am ready.

Farmboy

02-16-2010, 07:18 PM

Started tapping today. Not sure how many. Meand my brother put up all the taps on my land and all the ones on one of my neibors land. Tommorow I will tap my other neibors land and report back with a tap count. My guess is Between 80 and 100. Moved tanks around today. Also welded my evaporator. Nothing like last minute. Tomorow ill brick it and level it. Hope to make some syrup soon. My pump came today all im waiting for is filters they were shipped out yesterday.

PerryW

02-16-2010, 11:08 PM

So my tap count just went from 600 to 800 on a 2x6.

Your gonna be busy. I tried 275 gravity taps on a 2x6 in 1989 and that was too many. Bought my 3x10 the next year and now have about 800 on it.

KenWP

02-16-2010, 11:58 PM

Only 800 on a 2x6. Thats not bad. Hope you like to boil that much. My buddy is really on my case to tap his trees this year. Hes got thousands of them to tap in places. I have to go over this weekend and see what I can do about it. The biggest problem is what to use for storage over there until I can pick the sap up. that and it can only be done after the 15th of march as my truck can't be legally droven till then.
I have to find more pint bottles as I have a order for a bunch more again. Mine are all quarts left and gallons so I have to break a few down again to sell. have to keep the coustomers happy.
Really getting close to go time and not ready to go yet. Owell Theron taught me every thing I know.

Revi

02-17-2010, 07:55 AM

We have 300 on a 2x6, and it seems like the perfect number. Now we're thinking of adding vacuum, but that will have to wait until next year.

We have tapped a few test buckets, but still nothing in them.

We're thinking of tapping this weekend, but the weather will have to warm up a little to get the sap flowing first.

PerryW

02-17-2010, 10:56 AM

Just make it through one year of round the clock boiling and invest the money back into an RO system.

With RO and a 2x6, you can handle 1000 taps.

DanE.

02-17-2010, 10:57 AM

I added another 30 tap on Saturday, I was short 6 tees and about 100 feet of tubing to finish the job. I only have a few stragglers that need to be after this set. Mostly trees I plan on culling next year. I might just use my old 7/16 taps on those. Sunday I built a sap tower to hold the 55 gallon head tank and spent the rest of the time figuring out how to plum it. More pluming supplies needed. I took Monday off to get caught up on things. I started working on the tractor to convert it over to 12 volts to run the sap pump. I spent more time on the road getting parts than I did rewiring everything. The tractor has a new 12 volt 60amp alternator to run the sap pump and 3 55 watt driving lights. You know, the lights are need to track down my wild maple trees at night, they are tough to spot compared to the domesticated maples that most people tap.:lol: .. It all works with the exception of missing one relay for the lights. I also stop by my welder to have him touch up some pin hole that I could not get with my mig welder (the same work I paid him fix a few weeks ago and I got them back with the same pin holes), and he blew me off, told me he was out of ss rod and take the pans somewhere else. The owner is on vacation this week so, I'm not sure what is going on, but I did take the pans to another machine shop (C&C).

Dane.

vtsnowedin

02-17-2010, 12:31 PM

I went to the barrel guy (Charlie Hall West Topsham VT. 802-439-5519) and bought 5 plastic drums. Three blue juice/syrup barrels and two black pickel barrels with wide screw on lids. $18.00 a piece plus tax. He had a lot of other sizes there all food grade including 55 gal steel epoxy coated maple syrup drums and cage totes.
Then I went down to So. Royalton to Welches and picked up five rolls of 5/16 and some fittings. They still don't have any end rings or any plain Ts and had only one type of 5/16. It makes choosing a lot easier:rolleyes:
When I get all this washed and set up in place I should be set to go. Have to be as the checkbook getting mighty thin.

Sugarmaker

02-17-2010, 12:36 PM

Oops,

I just realized that the NWPA Maple Taste and Tour is MARCH 20 and 21. I may have mentioned in another post/s that is was the weekend prior. I was wrong!

Have a great day,
Chris

3rdgen.maple

02-17-2010, 01:36 PM

Just make it through one year of round the clock boiling and invest the money back into an RO system.

With RO and a 2x6, you can handle 1000 taps.

Perry I had 400 on it last year and wanted more. :D You know what really sucked last year was that my dad was able to boil thursdays and fridays and all last year I think there was only one day he had sap to boil. He kept saying the trees hate him. There was basically 3 really good runs that had me up round the clock so it was not too bad. I also reinvest every dime back into it to keep it growing. Next year on the upgrade list was a 3x8 but now I am thinking maybe a 3x8 with a steamaway. We will see what this year brings in profits maybe have to hold it and wait till 2012 profits gets me there or get the 3x8 in 2011 then the steamaway in 2012. No offense to annyone at all but an RO is not for me. Call me old fashion but I have no desire to have one at this point in my life. I will not be gathering this year so it will save me a few hours a day for boiling. She who must be obeyed tells me keep adding taps so we can make enough money for her to quit her job. Still trying to figure that one out. Work harder so she can work less hmmmm.

C.Wilcox

02-17-2010, 03:10 PM

She who must be obeyed tells me keep adding taps so we can make enough money for her to quit her job. Still trying to figure that one out. Work harder so she can work less hmmmm.

She knows that you're addicted to this "hobby" and you're going to work harder whether she works or not so why not go for the gold? Sounds like a pretty smart woman. :) Given the likelihood that you're going to keep on growing until you've tapped every tree between you and KenWP she's nearly guaranteed to retire early.

Farmboy

02-17-2010, 09:54 PM

I got my evaporator in position and level. Tomorrow I will brick it and finish tapping. Hopefully I will boil for the first time Friday. I want the BIGSAP to hold off till then. I still need to set up a block arch for my other pan outside to help with the BIGSAP runs.

KenWP

02-17-2010, 10:11 PM

I finally got time to talk to my freind with all the trees. He wants to tap 200 of them he hopes and have me boil down the syrup. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I have to figure out how to haul the sap home for one thing. If by chance we had a good day thats like 4000 lbs of sap a guy would have to haul. I am going to have to think this one thru a bit better.
The weather here is finally warming up a bit. I started to gather everything up so I can wash it. Thats a chore in its self as I haven't got runing water out side untill late spring. Then I can actually have hot water from the water tempering system for the green house. So its got to be hauled from inside to wash things. owell so be it.

vtsnowedin

02-17-2010, 10:57 PM

I spent the afternoon running some laterals. The end forks I bought today(DGYEF from Leader) are supposed to have one side with a hole through the barbs so you can add a double tap if the end tree is big enough but these look like there is a hole there but if you check by blowing on the end it doesn't go all the way through. I'll have to check when I'm tapping to make sure I don't have any taps dead ended. P.I.T.A. Now I'm guessing as to weather the ones I was using before are all right. Quess I'll have to check all double tap end trees. Not a big number in my case but I've got enough left to do and what about someone that just ran out a new thousand taps or so.

Acer

02-18-2010, 07:21 AM

20/40 for the next 5 days.
looks like go time.

Dan W

02-18-2010, 08:42 AM

How can you guys in New England possibly have sap before us in southern PA? Doesn't look like anything for the next 10 days here anyway. Wierd weather this year and I will probalby be collecting with snowshoes at the beginning. I am jealous!!

jrthe3

02-18-2010, 08:57 AM

we all know what the weather down here is doing what is it looking like up north of the border after watching the olympics it not looking good in canada how is it up there

dano2840

02-18-2010, 10:28 AM

tapping tomorrow! should be tapped by sunday, still alot to do,

Dill

02-18-2010, 01:12 PM

This is sucks, its 43 degrees and sunny, and I'm stuck in the office doing nothing. Everyone else is skiing. I still haven't got the head tank hooked up for a test boil. My father did just call and tell me that the sap is really flowing, he just gathered all the buckets, probably 100 gallons of sap so far waiting down at his place, maybe friday evening I can boil.

mapleack

02-18-2010, 05:00 PM

I just came in from tapping, got 316 in today. The snow is a real PITA for tapping. I'll have help tomorrow so it should go faster. Still 600 to go. Also have to hook up releasers, finish plumbing vacuum pump, wash tanks, put up stack, wash pans, etc. NOT ENOUGH TIME! BIGSAP will be here soon!

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-18-2010, 07:09 PM

Farmboy

02-19-2010, 06:50 PM

I sweetened the pans on my half pint today. I am goig to set up a 3X5 pan on a block arch outside to help with bigsap. I hope to get my neibors trees tapped tommorow or sunday.

wally

02-19-2010, 08:09 PM

tapped today in west-central nh. running decent, and the forecast appears favorable for a week or so.

farmall h

02-19-2010, 09:15 PM

Dropped some more $ on mainline tubing, 5/16 tubing , gonna set up the last 250 or so this weekend. Should be at the golden 1200 taps. Been checking all the lines for damage. Preliminary "leak" check. Real easy getting around in the woods. Maybe 10" snow max. Should be tapping 1st week of march.

Father & Son

02-20-2010, 09:20 AM

The small piece of woods I'm tubing this year is almost done. The mainline and laterals are all in place. Some of the drops are installed about 50 or 60 to go. Still have to set the tank and install the pump line. Two handed tubing tools are just the ticket. Makes installing the drops real easy.

Jim

3rdgen.maple

02-20-2010, 09:53 AM

I think it is official my dad has lost his marbles. He was bored yesterday and asked what he could do to help. After rattling of a short list he decided he did not want to do any of that so he said he would get the tractor out and plow the paths on the sugar bushes. Now let me remind you guys I have 3 seperate ones that I am tapping and the path to the new one I have marked it and drove the tractor through it all winter so it is easy to see. Well he spent the whole day friday plowing out tractor paths and not one of the paths in the sugarbushes. He called this morning and was all proud until I asked why did you plow every path but the ones you were suppose too. Im getting a little worried about leaving him alone to run the evaporator. Last year I just caught him from burning up a pan when I got home. Year before he did burn one up. Im getting a little nervous.

farmall h

02-20-2010, 06:05 PM

3rdgen.maple, oh what you described sounds all too familiar.

wally

02-20-2010, 06:49 PM

finished the "upper" bush today. total for the two about 250 taps. running decent for mid/late february in central nh.

might have to boil by tuesday.

vtsnowedin

02-20-2010, 07:25 PM

Those are made by D&G I believe and I use them and Lapierre and have never seen any that had a hole except in the center. I love these things and use them on all my lines where I bring lateral into the mainline.
I have two types on hand. One is quite narrow and has two solid barbs for the loop around the tree but has no plug for the last tap. The others are D&G as you say and have the left barb solid and the right with a hole that goes almost but not all the way through. If you don't want it to go through why mold in any hole at all?

PARKER MAPLE

02-20-2010, 07:45 PM

well help on my grandfarthers lots today. me and 5 others. man it went slow seams like everytime you touched this old stuff it broke. so we tapped and repaired and tapped some more. i think we got apprx 500 or so done and ready, but cant see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. 1200 more to go.
i really hope it goes fast then the first 500 did. anyways couldnt pick a better day to be outside that sun sure ways nice. and sap was running a little not hard by any means.

KenWP

02-20-2010, 07:53 PM

Well 3rgen your discribing getting old. I can drive to town to buy grocerys and buy everything but what I needed in the first place unless she who must be obeyed makes me a detailed list. Its unfortunate but a fact of life. Ask Hanyes.

3rdgen.maple

02-20-2010, 08:40 PM

Actually Ken he had heart surgery a couple years ago and this medicine he is on is causing it. We had them switch the meds about 6 months ago and man within a few days he was smart as a whip again, very alert just like his ole self. Problem being the new meds were not working to the docs liking and switched him back. It was like a light switch turned back off. I feel real bad for him but I am not sure if he takes notice to it or not but we sure do. So i guess the getting old part affected his heart first and the meds his brain. Oh well we still love him just gotta keep a closer eye on him.

KenWP

02-20-2010, 08:58 PM

Thats why they call it practising medicine. Theres a guy at school whos a lawyer in Coloumbia and is trying to learn french. He's haveing problems but you should see the meds hes on. They are both ones that cause memory loss and stupor. Not that a lawyers ever been smart in the first place but hes just not doing as well as he should be. We both wrote the last test and got the same mark and I am 10 years older and senile.
My first wife had a seires of stokes before she was 40 and I had to spend almost full time trying to keep track of her. The vetrans affairs people even paid me to have to look after her so much.

dano2840

02-20-2010, 10:39 PM

put 3 taps in at 10:30 and then decided that on this beutiful perfect 37 degrees bright sunny day that i wanted 0 sags in any of my lats and i wanted those old lamb purple lats tight as a banjo and basically fixed almost every lat in the whole big bush, untill i was satisfied with the fact that you could pluck every one of them and watch it vibrate back and forth, by the time i got done there was 15 min of day light left so i grabed my new handy dandy tanaka tapper and lit up the world, shot it 21 taps before it got so dark i couldnt find the hole i just drilled, had to pull out the cell phone to find it then i called it quits, tomorrow im going to find a fitting for my 2 stroke pump, the **** thing is italian, and i cant find a fitting that will thread on the thing, the hardware store guy said he thought it might be fire hose thread so i went to the fire dept, and their hoses wanted to fit it but just wouldnt thread on, martin vontrapp, who is my farmer friend and my go to guy when i run into mechanical problems, right off the bat said, ohh its probably metric, and no one sells metric fittings round here, maybe TSC will, going to have to check because weathers looking good for sap, if i get the big bush all in tomorrow, then im going to need that pump in a hurry!

Wanabe1972

02-20-2010, 11:14 PM

Well Im pretty much ready to go, just waiting on the weather Just need to put the float box on and hang the command center. I installed a new on/off switch for the blower right at the evaporator this year so I can turn off while loading instead of loosing eyebrows. Got a new cooler for the sugarshack to replace my ailing fridge. This thing is going to be great it was a keg cooler from a bar and will hold about 10 5 gallon jugs plus refreshments!! Not to mention it has a 30 by 60 stainless top on it. I think ill tap next weekend cause we may have a bout of snow here the middle of the week. Hopfully we wont get much at this point because some of my main lines are only 18 inches of the ground.

jrthe3

02-22-2010, 09:30 PM

it looking like go time here in northwest PA going to start tapping thrusday hope it is all done and leak free be ready to turn on the vac pumps monday morning and start sucking sap

KenWP

02-22-2010, 10:27 PM

Weathers trying to warm up here but then we have cold forecast for a while again. I tried on test tap today on a tree out in the open. Will see what happens. I actually think that March 10-12 will be the dates to be tapped by.

Dennis H.

02-23-2010, 06:20 PM

Well we are to get another round of snow again Friday!! :o

One of those great North-Easter's OH YEAH!

Will it ever end. I am making syrup but slowly and with the low sugar content it takes a lot of sap to make syrup. Now I will have to wait even longer till the snow is melted out of the woods for the trees to really get going.

Snow Hill Farm

02-23-2010, 08:29 PM

Finally, after ripping out all my branch lines back in Dec. I finished replacing them all and am ready to tap this weekend. Best part is I went from 830 taps to over 900. I think I only have 5 or so branch lines with 6 taps, all the rest 3-5. Also added 40% more main line in the process. Should be a great year if the weather is normal! Hope I have enough sap storage!

3rdgen.maple

02-23-2010, 10:05 PM

Well Im sitting here in Maine in a Hotel. Got to break some equipment down tomarrow. Going to make the trip back through NH and stop at bascoms and fill the truck with some uneccesary maple stuff. Well some of it I need bottles etc. and Im sure after a visit the truck will be filled with stuff just cause it looks cool. The report from home said the sap was running today. I got the maybe a gallon a tap answer. Will put the last 600 in when I get home thursday.

mapleack

02-23-2010, 10:27 PM

Things not to do at the beginning of a maple season:
- Don't let your dad drop a brand new syrup pan off the endgate of his truck
- Don't believe that the releaser you bought used will work fine
- Don't expect that the natural gas burners you put in your arch and "tested" with water will boil sap at an acceptable rate.

Short story is, right now I'm screwed. Syrup pan is dented but will work. Releaser sticks have to post that under vac forum, and I can only boil at 45 gal an hour. I really really wish I'd cut wood for this year just to be safe.

3rdgen.maple

02-23-2010, 10:40 PM

Mapleack dont feel bad Im just dumb enought to put 800 on a 2x6 with a max of 40 gph. I think I just might understand your pain or atleast Im gonna. Good luck

jrthe3

02-23-2010, 11:25 PM

i ran into a big prob today two of my 300 gallon storage tanks are frosen in a pond of some kind i got to bring in the cat 315 trackhoe tomorow to bust them free it may be a little over kill but it is what we have at the shop

mapleack

02-24-2010, 07:57 AM

3rdgen, at least you'll have a hot enough fire to make syrup. Right now I dont.

vtsnowedin

02-24-2010, 10:23 AM

Well I'm snowedin for real today. Up to the top of the auger shield on the snow blower and still sifting down and 28 degrees f. It feels like sugar snow but on the wrong end of the season. I hope that doesn't portend anything.
Now I'll wish I had hustled more and got more things done while the walking was easy.

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

02-25-2010, 11:54 AM

PS If any of you are in WV and you see a male walking around with a big stupid sign on your back, it would be me. It was an absolute nightmare boiling yesterday that I hope to never repeat. I usually can have nearly all the evaporator boiling in about 5 minutes and for some reason yesterday(oh, yes, I am stupid, just about forgot), I couldn't even get the fire started. Before that, I coud not get any sap to flow thru the preheater and I am still baffled by why I can't get sap to flow thru it as it still only flows at 50%. After that, I reversed the flow about 7:30 and ran to store to get something to eat for the guy helping me and came back a few minutes later and the front pan was scorching from 1.5 inches of liquid to 1/4". Seems this idiot(me) that has the sign on his back forgot to pull the plug out of the other side of the syrup pan. Ending up blocking off the syrup pan and boiling for about 3 more hours with the flue pan only running and chasing the junk out of the syrup pan with condensate. For the last 1.5 hours, I scrubbed on the syrup pan while the flue pan was running full blast with well water running continually thru the pan. I always check the level in the evaporator every few minutes, but Roger was watching temps and not checking the level. Either way, managed to get the syrup pan scrubbed out clean while not slowing down the flue pan. Not the worst 1.5 gallons of syrup that came out of it, but not very tasty. LOL. Should be able to load it up with filter aide and blend it later in the season. Still got to figure out why the preheater won't flow. I was putting more ceramic blanket up in my attic area around the trusses this fall and somehow a small piece my have fell in the inlet pipe and partially blocked it off. I have sugarhouse all sealed off and in 5 years, never even had a mouse inside it, so I can't understand why the preheater won't flow as I normally keep it sealed off year around but may not have had it sealed off for part of this year.

Oh, well, hopefully that was all the screw ups for this year. Just watch out for me and don't get too close, I am dangerous.

PATheron

02-25-2010, 12:35 PM

Brandon- You guys are making me feel better about myself. I thought I was the only one that screwed up all the time. Theron

ebourassa

02-25-2010, 04:53 PM

There must be something in the sap this year, my first boil i too had a hard time getting the fire going, the water meter wasnt working, worked fine on the test boil though, then on my second boil, as i walked in the shack i see the floor is wet, i must of not shut the valve between the fron and back pan off completly, so the front pan was flooded and it was running out the inlet hole. so mine not be as bad as others but still stinks though.

Dill

02-25-2010, 10:54 PM

hmm flooded basement, hurricane force winds. All of the tarps on the sugar wood are scattered around the neighborhood. Man this is a nice feburary. I had to break out the big tractor to try and dig drainage around the house. Only succeed in tearing up the lawn.

Revi

02-26-2010, 09:38 AM

The great slush storm of 2010 has been a pain, but it isn't going to keep us from boiling tomorrow. We haven't been getting much sap, but we can still send some steam up to heaven.

HudsonHawk

02-26-2010, 10:59 AM

In Hudson NH where I live it quickly turned to rain...flooding everywhere the land is low...then came the wind....wow...sounded like freight trains coming in the night...50-60 mph gusts..pines snapped off 40 ft up where they were still 24" across.....lines down...no power. Could be a couple days, so says PSNH....on top of that looks like rain in my sap ( gotta get to Sunnyside and get a sap hydro...but phone call won't go through and its almost 50 miles away)....and I thought it was cool that the season looked like it was havin' an early start!! Ahhhhh...the joys of sugaring!! ( a play on my Dad's "The Joys of Motoring"...usually said as we waited for a tow on the side of the road!)

ennismaple

02-26-2010, 01:27 PM

The report from the farm is we got 12"+ of heavy wet snow yesterday. We need to get that off the sugar camp roof before if freezes rock hard! I was looking forward to tapping in running shoes before that dumping of snow!

Amber Gold

02-26-2010, 04:48 PM

I just spoke to Sunnyside. They're open every day from 8-4 through the season. The power is out so their phones aren't working.

1poorsap

02-26-2010, 07:13 PM

this storm just gives me another reason to hate pines. almost every tree that snapped is a pine, and they tokk out a few good and big maples. damage could have been alot worse though. i guess i wont be putting any new taps in for awhile.

Farmboy

02-27-2010, 08:37 PM

Made the first syrup of the season!!!!! I made almost 3/4 of a gallon today on a half pint. A half gallon is going to the guy I got my evaporator tommorow morning. I just dropped of a pint at my grandpas. He will be getting more (he helped build the sugar shack). And I kept a 12 ounce glass bottle for tomorrow mornings pancakes. Hopefully I'll make more syrup tommorow.

KenWP

02-27-2010, 10:26 PM

Well at least I got started washing buckets and such today. Seemed to take longer then last year did. Could be the extra hundred containers maybe.
I put out one test tap to see if anything happens. Not sure if its to warm or two cold. Hasn't froze for 3 days so I have no idea if tha's the problem ot it's not warm enough. Just about all the snows gone already in places. Time will tell.

orange county maple

02-28-2010, 06:51 AM

All trees are tapped we got a couple good runs since thursday. We have recieved about 24" of wet snow this week, high winds but no lines down very lucky. I will be starting vacum at about noon today after it gets above 32. Should be firing up monday about 500gals of sap as of yesterday.Everything is ready to go bring on the sap.:)

mapleman3

02-28-2010, 08:30 PM

This Sucks!!! So I'm installing new taps I used the clear disposable ones last year but got health spouts this year. I went up to the north bush had a little over 200 left to tap. got through the first bag then my wife opened the last bag and said... Jim these are different.. they are bigger! , oh CRAP THEY SENT ME A BAG OF OLD LARGE TUBING SPILES ... not 5/16ths NOW WHAT?????

so I have to get a 100 health spout somewhere tomorrow and finish the woods. everything else including buckets are tapped and running. no tanks on the truck... evap not final cleaned and test boiled, including testing my drawoff I built UGH... I'm so behind this year.

Hopefully I will boil to sweeten on Wed. most likely have 700-800+ gallons waiting if it runs I'll be swimming in sap. playing catch up the rest of the week I'm sure

Dennis H.

02-28-2010, 09:01 PM

I had a real nice run today, collect 30 gals around 3pm and started the evap and TRIED to finish it all but no luck. I probably got an additional 15 gals since I collect at 3!!
The good thing is the sugar content is starting to rise a bit. I tought I had water trees there for awhile, they were running right at 1%!!!!! :o
Now they are close to 1.5% not good but better. I should be able to finish this batch of syrup sometime mid week if I keep getting this volume of sap.

I have to make a run in the morning to Granger for a new blower for the forced draft on my evap. The leaf blowers are just to loud, even when they are outside.