who's evaporator would you buy???

[maplemark]

if you were starting over and getting a new rig what brand would you get and why??? I'm thinking 2 x 6
There are so many out there and I want to get some feedback from users .Drop flue --raised flue ---????.

[mapleack]

If it's woodfired I'd always go with raised flue. I started out with drop flue and was always worried about hitting the flues with wood. As far as brand that comes down, IMHO, to personal preference and tthe best deal. Also compare the depth of the flues, go with the most / deepest.

[maplehound]

Ask the Maple guys what they just isntalled. Real nice article on them in the farming magazine. If the evaporator they just installed comes even close to what they are saying it will due, there is no other logical choice.
Article says that they used to get 1 gallon of syrup per cord of wood now they should get 20 gallons of syrup per cord and they only need to feed the fire about every 45 minutes.

[Fred Henderson]

Well not all of us get Farming magizine so could you please give us a hint.

[PARKER MAPLE]

ive been keeping my eyes on the cdl maple pro models. yes there 2x6 rig is very nice, and probably the cheapest out of all the other brands. but they also make a 20"x60" that will do almost the same numbers in comparison to the 2x6. and its even cheaper. i think it was 3800.00 at bascoms the other weekend. i couldnt take my eyes off the 2x6 all summer long and now i see this 20"x60" and man if i could just slip the old plastic cars away ffrom my wife for one day, i think i could put it in the sugarhouse with out here even knowing..lol..
my two cents
maple rookie

[Fred Henderson]

Well I think next year I am going back to what I started with. 2 serveing line pans on cement blocks and 25 taps.

[gator330]

Well not all of us get Farming magizine so could you please give us a hint.

Why not it's free!!!! Go to there web sit and sighn up. It has a lot of stuff in it. Always a section and adds on maple.

Any way they put in a hurricane force five. Have a seminar MARCH 20th and APRIL 17th.

[markct]

if it were me i think i would go with a 2x8 instead of a 2x6 since your basicly not useing more wood just the heat that would go out the stack instead. i know im very happy with my 2x8 wood fired

[gator330]

If I were you I would buy Mine!!!! So I could go buy a 2x8 and a RO:lol:

[kinalfarm]

can you even buy a new 2x8? i thought that they were kinda of a dead size? i havent seen any that size advertized as a new evap. only older models. but i would like a phanuef 2x6 he says around 40-45gph and his stuff looks and reviews great! but prob. raised flu. but i would have to say that a 2x8 is a great size if you can get the back of the flues to boil good wich i have hered thats a problem with them? but for 50 gph it is worth the chance if you can find a nice one.

[gator330]

I think I saw one on maple guys page a Storm i think maybe it was.

[kinalfarm]

where is lyons,NY?

[gator330]

Half way between Rochester and Syracus. Right off I-90 RT 31 and Rt 14 itersect and your in Lyons.

[kinalfarm]

ok so about 3.5 hours from me have you had any good runs yet? i have only had small runs this week about35 degres. i live in NY just east of the PA line 40 min. from Erie ,PA

[maple flats]

I never dealt with Patrick Paneuf (sp?) but I hear his work is excellent BUT delivery is nerve racking. His ability to schedule is horrific. Just based on this I would steer clear of Patrick. I have seen threads on here where he was several months late delivering his product but once people finally get it they seem to be happy. If you are going to buy new, go to a bigger show and compare design and workmanship. Most nowdays look excellent compared to just a few years ago, but decide for yourself.
I hav boiled on both drop flue and raised flue, I prefer by far the raised flue. Higher effeicieny and you can set each pan to the depth you want rather than having to be both the same. I also like raised if volunteers are fuelling it, drop flue can get wood damage easier than raised.

[kinalfarm]

i have also herd that if you order from him in the off season, the shipping is a lo quicker. how about the 2x8 factor? do you know of anyone that sells a new 2x8?

[johnallin]

I'm with Dave, after two years on a Leader Half Pint and 2 others on home made stuff I purchased a Leader 2x6 raised flue setup. I spent lots of time looking and lurking before I pulled the trigger, even drove up to Vermont to look at it first hand.

Leader has a good dealer network, is USA made and they are fine people to deal with. We delt with Richard's Maple in Chardon, and are very pleased.

My vote would be Leader 2x6 with Patriot raised flue pans.

[Oaknut]

kinalfarm, I bought a new 2x8 from leader last year and got the impression that they sold quite a few of that size.

[markct]

can you even buy a new 2x8? i thought that they were kinda of a dead size? i havent seen any that size advertized as a new evap. only older models. but i would like a phanuef 2x6 he says around 40-45gph and his stuff looks and reviews great! but prob. raised flu. but i would have to say that a 2x8 is a great size if you can get the back of the flues to boil good wich i have hered thats a problem with them? but for 50 gph it is worth the chance if you can find a nice one.

the back of the flues boil great on my 2x8, altho i have a airtight arch and air over and under the fire which i know helps alot

[3rdgen.maple]

How is it possible a raised flue has a higher efficiency than a drop? Your drop flues are in the fire. A raised flue sits above the arch and you have to force the fire up into it. A raised flue requires more bricking to force the heat up into them. The old arguement was a raise had a drain valve and a drop did not. Well all the drops have drain valves now. All you have to do on a drop to protect the flues is stick a peice of angle iron in front of them and brick it in place. Also on a raise there are 2 float boxes to contend with instead of just one to worry about. You also have to consider the head room you have on your head tank because the have to be alot higher on a raise than a drop. If you can't tell by now I am all for a drop flue. But the main thing is that they all boil syrup. When I bought mine I chose Patrick because of the quality and price. When he quoted me 1800 dollars cheaper than other comparible models it was an easy choice. I looked at every brand out there and they all seemed to be of good quality. But like already noted delivery times are not the greatest. If you make that choice just plan ahead. I am very pleased with mine and get a consitent 40 gph on the 2x6. Unfortunetly or maybe not it is too small for me know. I am thinking 4x10.

[vtsnowedin]

How is it possible a raised flue has a higher efficiency than a drop? Your drop flues are in the fire. A raised flue sits above the arch and you have to force the fire up into it. A raised flue requires more bricking to force the heat up into them. The old arguement was a raise had a drain valve and a drop did not. Well all the drops have drain valves now. All you have to do on a drop to protect the flues is stick a peice of angle iron in front of them and brick it in place. Also on a raise there are 2 float boxes to contend with instead of just one to worry about. You also have to consider the head room you have on your head tank because the have to be alot higher on a raise than a drop. If you can't tell by now I am all for a drop flue. But the main thing is that they all boil syrup. When I bought mine I chose Patrick because of the quality and price. When he quoted me 1800 dollars cheaper than other comparible models it was an easy choice. I looked at every brand out there and they all seemed to be of good quality. But like already noted delivery times are not the greatest. If you make that choice just plan ahead. I am very pleased with mine and get a consitent 40 gph on the 2x6. Unfortunetly or maybe not it is too small for me know. I am thinking 4x10.

They are both good and it comes down to personal preference.
True you have to force the fire up into the raised flues but you can and once the bricking is done it stays done. And true you have two floats instead of one but is that a drawback or an advantage. With two you can run the flue pan a nice safe depth which is good if you have a hood on it and can't see into it readily. You can set the flue pan float up once a year and leave it alone so it's hardly a hardship to have two. And when the inevitable happens and you burn your pans chances are you will only burn one instead of scorching both at the same time. About a three thousand dollar advantage there.
The one thing I don't like about drop flues is how easy it is to damage a flue when you are taking off or putting on the pans. Plan ahead and have plenty of strong people to do the job and have room to work and it's no problem but things happen and pans do get dropped.
In the end though She who Must Be Obeyed bought me a raised flue for my birthday and at that price I love a raised flue rig.

[Brent]

Just as important as the rig size 2x6 or 2x8 or whatever, is the total surface area of the bottom of the pans.

Let's look at some of the numbers.

Some manuacturers out there have only 4 flues, and a wide flat area on each side without flues. Phaneuf has 9 flues they're 7" deep.

On the Phaneuf delux model that I got:

Syrup pan 2' x 2' and 15" deep with 2 double wall divider panels, fully welded

Edit
Oppps

I just realized the all the math above is defective. The 2 1/2" flats around the outside are not really exposed to flame. They are what sits on the arch rails. But you get the idea I hope.

The raised flue pan overall 2' x 4' and 20" deep
There's a 2 1/2" wide flat all around the outside.
Length of flat 2.5 x 43 = 107.5 sq in
Width of flat 2.5 x 24 = 60 sq in
Flat area of flues (tops and bottoms) 43 x 19 = 817
sides of flues 43 x 7 x 17 = 5117 (you gotta draw it to count this one right)

Total just over 6100 sq inches not counting the syrup pan
Make it about 6675 with the syrup pan.

some 2 x 6 rigs out there have less than 4000 sq inches exposed to heat.

If you do the math in a simialar way on other makes, you'll find
1) they are more expensive than Patrick's
2) they don't come close to the surface area.

surface area = heat transfer area = saved wood and or boiling time.

I figure I get 40 - 45 gallons and hour on mine and I've never had top quality dried wood.

And the design and craftsmanship are tops

That said he is a pain to deal with. He answers about 1 out of 3 emails I send. He is erratic on delivery, two weeks late on mine, but he promised it for the first day of boiling and I got it 24 hours before the first boil. Like most other makers, no printed instructions on bricking or use.

He hates shipping his rigs. He likes to deliver them all with his own truck and that's partly why his deliveries are so erratic. He tries to group orders in an area before he starts a trip.

If you can live with the lousy business management, you'll love the craftsmanship and efficiency.

[heus]

I second what Brent says. Beautiful evaporator from Patrick. Just have to live with his service.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You won't get anywhere close to the evaporation rate on a 20" x 60" vs a 2x6. I would guess you will be about 1/3 less on gph and since it is significantly smaller, thus the difference in price. Might only have 3' flue pan instead of 4' which makes it significantly cheaper.

I agree with the 2x8, not much more $$$ than a 2x6 and it will boil significantly more. Mine usually runs 60 to 65 gph including startup and shutdown most days. I would guess the best I could do on a 2x6 would be 45 to 50 and I use the same amount of wood as I would use in a 2x6 and get a lot more gph.

[oldtimesugar]

I just bought a new 2x8 leader with a 6ft max flue pan last year. I had 400 taps and boiled only on weekends. This year tapped 650 and sofar I have been able to boil 5hrs a day. It was just a couple hundered dollars more than a 2x6 lapierre.

jason

2x8 leader 650 taps

[stoweski]

I am very pleased with mine and get a consitent 40 gph on the 2x6. Unfortunetly or maybe not it is too small for me know. I am thinking 4x10.

I think I have a solution to the delivery time with Patrick's evaps. 3rdgen, just send me your 2x6 when you get your 4x10 and I'll be happy. As a matter of fact, being an Oswego State grad, I know your area well and have made a few trips out that way. I'll even pick it up! Just let me know when you're done with it. :)

As for the Farming magazine article, not sure if it's appropriate to post links but here it is on their website...
http://www.farmingmagazine.com/article.php?id=4957

[Brent]

Jaspon's Leader with that "Maxi Flue" is more efficient that most. As I noted above, it's all about surface area and I think the Maxi Flue design has flues that are about 11" deep. You can get the same increase in efficiency going longer and/or wider, but most of us don't have enough real estate in the sugar shack.

I think if I was ordering a new one today, I'd get a Maxi Flue. I don't know if Patrick is building one like it, but you can't go wrong with the Leader.

[3rdgen.maple]

Well I m sure the quality is good on other brands as well but if I can save a few thousand and get a top notch peice and just sacrifice it being late well I think It is a no brainer. Just order early and plan ahead.
Stoweski at this point I will be into a new rig again for next season. Mine is only 14 months old but just expanded faster than expected. Here in lies the problem. Patrick has offered to take it in trade towards a new rig. Two things the trade in is **** near close to what I payed for it and the pricing on the new rig from him is good. Ahhh you guys say delivery time. Well when and if I order one the old one goes on the trailer the new on came in on. If I go another route Stoweski I think we can make a deal.