Brandon??? Tapped??

[mapleman3]

Brandon you must tapped by now, whats happening???

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jim,

You're hilarious! LOL! 30" of snow on the ground at sugarhouse and hasn't been above freezing for about a month and 10 day forecast thru end of Feb looks like there won't be any syrup in Feb. Probably pushing 135" of snow at sugarhouse already this year and more snow on the way for next 7 days. Funny, looks like you will be making syrup before me and I am usually winding down when you are full bore.

Looks like a very short season this year as latest I have ever seen it go was March 25th but one thing for sure, holes are not drying up any since they haven't been drilled. Got new snowshoes on Monday, so hopefully will start tapping end of this week. Got to get all of the roads plowed out now and dig out huge holes in the snow to get the tanks down to the ground. LOL!

Global warming you know!!! LOL!

[mapleman3]

LOL I know you have been getting nailed with snow... its going to be a New England kind if season timewise for you.

[Smith's Maple]

I wish I only had 30" . There is 45" on the ground and more on the way. I have not seen my tubing or mainline for more than three weeks. In fifteen years i have never boiled paast march 29. Might try to start tapping the last week of the month so we are ready. If it ever warms up.

[Buffalo Creek Sugar Camp]

Smith's- I heard Sanners drilled 8500 two weeks ago before the snowstorm. I keep watching the extended forecast to see what happens. I may start to drill this weekend. Its gonna take me a while with all the snow and I want to be tapped and have leaks fixed before the sap starts to flow.

[Smith's Maple]

They taped the third week in january. There was two days above freezing right after they tapped. With all of the big sags they have in the 2" lines it should be frozen up pretty good. All of my tubbing is about 10" under the snow. They are calling for a little sun over the weekend. I will get thing pulled out and might start tapping the beginning of the week and check every thing out. So when the weather breaks I get as much as we can.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Went today and tried to plow out roads to be able to haul tanks out to the woods and set and it wasn't happening today. I would guess there is around 36" of snow and 48" or more in some areas. My uncle has about a 70 to 75 hp 4wd with bucket John Deere and it is huge but it wasn't a match for all the snow. About 10 to 12 inches this week and more on the way. Going to have to wait until the snow melts a little and gets a crust on top because everything this week has been light snow and it is blowing back into and filling up anything that is plowed.

At this point, I am not sure what the plan is. I have everything ready to tap but there is way too much snow now to worry about and more snow on the way.

[KenWP]

When your trying to plow with the bucket can you go through and just open the top up a bit then make another pass closer tothe ground. Once you move the snow it should harden up.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jeremy,

I have snowshoes to tap with but all my tanks are out in the woods and I have field roads to get to the tanks to haul the sap out and just trying to get those roads plowed out so I can haul the tanks in and set them and be able to get to the tanks to get the sap. Only 2 of my main locations I can get close enough with tractor to pump them with a 25' hose. The rest, I have 1" black mainline ran from tank to where the tractor goes with quick couplers on both ends and it works really good.

Hopefully I can get roads cleared out on Saturday and work on tapping next week as no sap weather in sight for next 10 days.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

When your trying to plow with the bucket can you go through and just open the top up a bit then make another pass closer tothe ground. Once you move the snow it should harden up.

I know that and that is/was the plan. LOL! But some places it is so deep you can't even drive thru it, much less drop the bucket any, especially when you are going up hill.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Looks like we are getting a 3 day break in the weather this weekend. Supposed to be 36 tomorrow and sunny, 40's on Sunday and some rain and 30's on Monday before it goes back to cold again. Hopefully this will melt this snow down some and allow me to get all the roads plowed out tomorrow and the tanks set so I can start tapping sometime.