What would you do?

[Labrador Hill Farm]

Okay, I would like to pose a question (sorta hypothetical).

You own a 10 acre woodlot, mostly suger maple. It is on a hilltop, you have a "seasonal" road to the top of the hill about a mile long. In between the maples on top of the hill and the bottom is a small pine forest, and open non-working fields. Possibilitiy of 1000+ taps.
Currently, using buckets and transporting sap from top of hill to bottom. (a real pain sometimes because snow depth may not allow access)
Small operation at this time. Have only a 2X6 evaporator. Would you???

Move the Sugar house and evaporator to top of hill and pipeline woods to holding tank? (No electricity/water in forest)
OR
Pipeline woods to the bottom of hill to Sugar house, (remember it is approx 3/4 to 1 mile to the bottom) Sell excess sap? Have access to electricityand water.

What would you do?

[Ed K]

I'd pipeline it, and do. Cut the pine where it shades the line. Or if you can't cut, bury the line underground below frost line.

[brookledge]

build the sugarhouse where the utilities are. Even if you don't run pipe line all the way to the bottom now you can add that later. It would be easier to truck the sap down the hill than it is to truck all of the supplies up to the sugarhouse like oil or wood,food,beer etc. Having electricity and water is not a must but it makes your life alot easier and more convenient. Also for people to stop buy it would be dificult if the sugarhouse is secluded in the woods.
Keith

[syrupmaker]

Keep the buckets and plumb the woods with dump stations.Couple rolls of main line and some fittings down to the sugar house and your in bussiness. Like others mentioned it's nice to have power and freinds are more likely to visit if it's not a long hike.

Rick

[powerdub]

I would pipe it too if it is all downhill for that mile. A lot easier to bring it to you and where you have power.

[mapleman3]

Pipe it down the hill to the sugarhouse use good sized pipe!

[SUGARSMITH]

pipe it, with a 1000 taps and a 2x6 you will want the electricity for an r/o as well as the riunning water

[Mike]

Put vacuum in and sell extra sap......

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It sounds like you have plenty of slope to pipe it all to the bottom. If you mainline is big enough, it will keep itself drained good if you keep the proper slope. Sounds like you have a gold mine. :D It would take some extra work and costs initially, but in the long run, you would be way better off! Good luck and let us know what you decide and how it works regardless. :D

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

Don't sell that extra sap, if you have an R.O. you can boil it.

[Parker]

Thin the entire wood lot first, pretty hard to do with tubing up,cut all the pine use the profits to buy tubing and vac. set up+big tank at bottom of hill go with RO or bigger evap. IMHO ,,most important ,,try to think long term,in a perfect world, what would this opperation look like in 10-20 years and how will what you do now affect that?? and have fun with the project

[Russell Lampron]

If I had the money I would cut the pines and have the logs sawed into the lumber needed to build a new sugarhouse at the bottom of the hill. Sell or trade the 2x6 for a 4x12 evaporator. Put all of the maples on tubing. Run the mainline down to the sugarhouse and put it on vacuum.

Russ