How far do you carry buckets?

[SilverLeaf]

Just curious for all you bucket-haulers out there like myself, what's the farthest distance you carry buckets by hand?

My horrible discovery after tapping today is that my 4wd sap-hauling pickup can't quite make it through the mud. :o So unless things dry out a bit, I'm looking at some pretty long hauls by hand, trudging through the snow. Maybe even 400 feet for a couple buckets. Seems daunting to me, but maybe others are in similar straits? I must have the maple fever bad if I'm even seriously considering doing it...

[40to1]

My daily routine was to carry two 5-gallon buckets for about 125 yards.
One day my brother was helping out lug the stuff, and the next day he was at the chiropractor's.

[KenWP]

I have to haul my sap with 5 gallons pails up a half mile from the house. I hauled futher last year but I haven't tapped those trees yet this year. I hauled home 12 5 gallon pails last night from there alone. Half of it's on glare ice now also.

[maple sapper]

Sounds like. A few of you need to invest in snow mobiles, atv's or golf carts.

[KenWP]

Would never get in there with a golf cart and no snow and atvs don't go over dead fall all that well.

[farmall h]

And how young are you kenwp?

[Buckshot]

maybe 100 feet max

[KenWP]

I am 52 years old. That might be young compared to Haynes maybe. I also have a bad back and double sciatica but I will die trying.
I only took two tumbles on the ice today thats why I poured off a couple of gallons of syrup and called it a night. Getting soaked to the skin in this weather is hard on the body.

[C.Wilcox]

The farmer that owns the land I tap just told me last night that he didn't want me taking my tractor in to collect anymore so now I'm looking at 27 buckets approx. 550 feet off the road, through a muddy field. It's not just the physical effort of dragging it all out that far, but the time as well. It's going to take quite a while to empty those pails if it really starts to run. I may end up pulling those taps if I can't drive in closer.

[farmall h]

Well kenwp, your 7 years ahead of me but I guess I lugged my fair share of buckets when in highschool. We had 550 buckets in the woods....what made it a little easier was to put a gathering tank in the middle of the bush and carry to it then it would gravity feed to the sugarhse or another tank. Pipeline was our next step...glad for that!

Going to catch some zzzzzzzz. Losing an hour tonight.8-O

[SilverLeaf]

Wow. Well Ken definitely takes the cake on this one! A half mile. Must be a labor of love.;)

I'm kind of in the same boat as C. Wilcox, with the "elapsed time" being a big factor to consider. I've got a day job, plus a wife and kids!

My dad had a good suggestion for me last night - collect in the morning instead of the evening. On those nights when it freezes good the mud will have frozen and it shouldn't be a problem. This week though looks like the nights will all be warm, so assuming the taps are still running, it'll stay a muddy mess. So it's workout time...

Thanks all for the input - misery loves company. :evil:

[cncaboose]

Most of our buckets are within 100 feet of where we can dump but I've got 9 good running taps on the other side of a swamp behind the sugarhouse. Those are up to 100 yds away and it gets treacherous carrying the 5 gallon pails back across the grass tussocks. I collect them while the tractor tank is emptying or the fire is warming up, otherwise it's not worth the time and effort. I'm 53 and don't fill the gathering pails like I used to.

[michelle32]

Last year we had taps that where 400 yards from the shack. All done by my wife twice a day. Thank god she loves sugaring. Vac this year. She likes boiling just as much.

[johnallin]

At 56, my worst "haul" is 50 ft down a 45 degree ravine and then back up - all that for 8 taps. Some days I kind of peak over the edge hoping they're not full.

It's the up that gets ya.

[JuniperHillSugar]

All the way, up hill both ways.:lol:

Seriously, this year with little snow, the Atv could get within about 50 feet of any tree, so not too bad. With deep snow it would be tough.

[PerryW]

I have a few buckets that are 200' (one way), the the sweetness and quantity of the sap I get from these trees is worth the trip. Carrying sap keeps you honest.

[rustyinmaine]

i have about 25 taps out and they are all in the swamp land about 1/4 -1/2 mile in. The only exception are the 3 in the back yard. But I'm new to this and I just like the idea of doing it myself and working hard at. I also enjoy seeing the deer that hold up on the edges and which one I will go after in the fall. I work at night so the day is mine to do all the crazy ideas I think up at a boring shift in the evening. I will admit that I took the tree stand out to check out to scout deer and ended up watching the sap drip. Am I addicted? lol

[RileySugarbush]

Our farthest taps are about 100 yards from the evaporator. We used to collect with buckets and yoke, but now use an old Ford LGT and trailer with tanks and in most cases can get to within 20 feet of any tap.

[SilverLeaf]

We used to collect with buckets and yoke,

Tell me more about this yoke of yours. How'd you make it? After my first day hauling sap yesterday I was lying awake last night, feeling the soreness creep in, trying to think of the best way to build a yoke of sorts....

[PerryW]

They work great. Used to use them when we were kids. Puts the load on the shoulders instead of the arms and fingers.

http://www.ubuilderplans.com/img/Products/yoke/CARRY%20YOKE%20e2.jpg

http://www.burtlakeband.org/portal/sites/default/files/Gathering%20Maple%20sap%20with%20yoke.JPG

[farmall h]

PerryW, hey that's me Dad...just kidding.:lol:

[vtsnowedin]

Up Hill Both Ways?:)
At least I still have a neck yoke to spread the load but the only taps I gather with pails are within a stones throw of the sugar house.

[RockFarm]

A week and a half ago I was collecting sap at my place in the Catskills, hauling buckets. I couldn't drive in as far as I would have liked, so I ended up pulling 15-18 gallons at a time on a sled while wearing snowshoes. Had to drag that sled about 300 yards or so.
Lucky for me I had some old pickle buckets with gasketed lids that fit nice and tight so I could lay the buckets down on the sled. They never would have stood up as I went over the uneven terrain. Had to make a bunch of trips back and forth, though.
It was a nice day, though, and I thought up a new sport for the next Winter Olympics as I went around the trees gathering the sap...
Dancing with Snowshoes :lol:

[GeneralStark]

After reading Scott Nearing's "Maple Sugar Book" I was inspired to set up a system like that which he and his wife used in their 3500 tap sugarbush on buckets. It involves a system of pipes that drain to a holding tank and have funnels that are systematically placed so that you never have to walk too far with a loaded bucket. It works well as long as you have some slope, though you could still do it with minimal slope. Just have to slope the pipes.

Scott used cast iron pipe, but now with modern sugaring tubing you can set up a simple system quite easily and cheaply. I have 32 buckets and a 70 gallon holding tank and I use a 3/4" plastic pipe. I don't have to carry a full 5 gallon bucket more than 25 feet and my bush is about 1/4 mile from the sugarhouse. It takes me less than 30 minutes to collect.

[gomish]

Just curious for all you bucket-haulers out there like myself, what's the farthest distance you carry buckets by hand?

My horrible discovery after tapping today is that my 4wd sap-hauling pickup can't quite make it through the mud. :o So unless things dry out a bit, I'm looking at some pretty long hauls by hand, trudging through the snow. Maybe even 400 feet for a couple buckets. Seems daunting to me, but maybe others are in similar straits? I must have the maple fever bad if I'm even seriously considering doing it...

I have the farthest sugar about 350' slight up hill. Since I am new at this, I was concerned about carrying buckets, I'm not very big with a marginal back. Then, I saw a picture of antique sugar equipment on a maple web site late last year showing a yoke for your shoulders. So, I made one and it works great. There is no way I could carry 2 -5 gal buckets 350 ft without it.

[stoweski]

Only the distance from the bucket to the tractor. :)

As long as I can get the tractor down my trails & driveway I'm good to go. I have a 1000' driveway with 20 sugars on it. How perfect is that?
The other two trails are passable with the tractor until we get over 15" of snow then I can't get more than 1/2 way down the trail so I have to haul almost 400 yards. Only happened once this year. Had to haul for a week while the snow melted enough to get the tractor down the path again.

[Brent]

First year we had about 25 buckets in the bush that start 950 feet from the house. (known distance because 3 rolls of 300 feet would not get the vac line quite there.

I went out with 3 water cooler jugs, 5 gallons each, filled them and brought them back. One in each hand and one in a back pack.

Until then I thought that at 58 years old I was getting smarter every year.

[heus]

I think I will be one of the few sugarers in history next year to go from tubing to buckets. It is much more enjoyable to collect from my buckets than from my gravity stations, worrying about squirrels chewing my line, limbs falling on the lines, etc. My tractor trails allow me to never have to walk more than 50 feet or so to collect anyways.

[3rdgen.maple]

It does not really matter how far I got to carry a bucket cause it is gonna be empty anyways lol. Tractor paths go right up to the trees for the most part. I think the longest walk is maybe 30 yards and even that is to far. Especially when there is 800 of them.

[KenWP]

I have the farthest sugar about 350' slight up hill. Since I am new at this, I was concerned about carrying buckets, I'm not very big with a marginal back. Then, I saw a picture of antique sugar equipment on a maple web site late last year showing a yoke for your shoulders. So, I made one and it works great. There is no way I could carry 2 -5 gal buckets 350 ft without it.
I couildn't use a yoke. Now way to thred through the trees to get out. Hard enough trying to carry the buckets through the mess.

[SeanD]

I'm looking ahead to 2011 with some new taps in neighbor's yards and was hoping this thread would have some simple solutions for me. Maybe resurrecting it will get more creative juices flowing again.

I'll have about 40-50 buckets spread way out across many hundreds of feet in all directions from my sugar house.

I've been hauling from 14-24 taps by hand with two 5-gal. buckets in the past, but I think doubling up the taps is going to be a major time and labor undertaking. Last year the sap was so low, I could collect from almost all the trees in one loop, but next year (if all goes well), I'll be making multiple trips back and forth.

I have a lawn tractor with a cart that can hold a 55 gallon drum (two if I expand further) that could work if there's little to no snow and the ground is not too soft, but typically that's not the case. A sled could work for some areas, but I have driveways and a road to cross a couple times.

The yoke won't save time, but it could save my shoulders. What size piece of lumber have people used to carve one out? Is that a 2"x6"?

Sean

[C.Wilcox]

The yoke won't save time, but it could save my shoulders. What size piece of lumber have people used to carve one out? Is that a 2"x6"?

Sean

I don't have the dimensions for the yoke, but I would recommend ash or hickory as top wood choices. They're lightweight, flexible under strain, and will last a long time. I would avoid using common 2X material which is usually spruce, pine, or fir. The grain is just too unpredictable and if you end up with a knot near the end the whole thing might break.

[mike z]

SeanD, What kind of radius are we taking about here? I've recruited my wife before. That will help for one trip hauling.:lol:

[SeanD]

One trip is right, though I'd hate to lose ten gallons of sap if she doesn't make the return trip. That would be heart breaking.

I'm bad at estimating distances plus it's not a straight shot back and forth. Add to that the effort getting over or around snow banks, through woods, wearing boots, and hanging five gallons off each arm. So, I guess it's somewhere in the range of seventy or eighty miles each way.

Seriously, the physical part is rough on the fingers and shoulders, but I console myself thinking I'm going to have some amazing guns to show off at the beach. The real killer is when I'm near the furthest end of a yard and both my buckets are full, but I still have more to collect there. So I have to make the trek back to the sugar house, then back out to buckets that were just a few feet from where I just was, then back in. That's a lot of time I could be getting ready to boil.

It's not the end of the world. If it was really that bad, I'd have quit. Just thinking there has to be a better way. Either I need something that can go over grass (without tearing up the lawn) and snow or have two methods.

Thanks for the ash/hickory tip, C.Wilcox.

Sean

[Rockwood]

Last year I did the 25 taps just over a 1000 feet, up hill both ways:emb:

This year I spent the first month after the snow melted to put in a road, purchased a trailer and will have to take the snow blower off the tractor early.

[Brent]

When we bought our current lot, I was 58.
The bush is 800 feet from the house. We started boiling in the kitchen. I used to take 3 of the 5 gallon water jugs to the bush. Had pails and a funnel that lived out there for the collection. When all 3 were full I put one jug in a backpack and carried the other two. Fortunately they had started producing water jugs that had nice molded in handles.

After 2 years of that a freind offered us a gator that we couldn't say no to. Phew ... was that welcome.

[Big_Eddy]

I do 100 trees on buckets every year. They are collected in 4 groups of 25. I snowblow out my main path to a central spot and we collect by hand from there. A couple of things that help.

Carry 2 pails at once. It's a lot easier to carry 8 gals in 2 pails than 5 gals on one side.

Start at the far end and work back. Seems obvious but you can't imagine how many times I see the kids walking away from the tank with sap in the pail. Even on a loop trail - 2 walk to the apex, one comes back each way.

It's easier to pull than carry. We have a "sleigh" made up that two collecting jugs will sit in. Really simple - uses 2 runners from Kid's GT Sno-Racers spread wide apart. When there's snow - we use that. We have a little wagon too, but have not had as much success due to bumpy ground.

We use camping water jugs instead of open pails. Means we need to use funnels to get the sap in, but it doesn't splash out when you're dragging it back and you only lose a bit of it when you take the inevitable tumble.

And the best advice I can give - get your kids to collect :lol:

[peacemaker]

i still do 110 buckets now there all roadsides my farthest ones may be 30 yards alone
but use to have to walk alot i used a few methods my roadside i used the bolens g14 with a wagon a 50 drum on its side with a funnel
and in the woods when there was snow a ski doo tundra with a sled and a 50 with the funnel and i would shovel snow on the trails to keep the sled running when i couldnt run the sled any more i usaully could switch to the tractor and i also used a few mainlines with a dump station on top to get the spread out ones to the lanes...as far as yokes if u dont want to make one look for lehmans on line they sell them amish made ...

[Sugarmaker]

I gathered and carried buckets off and on for 40 years with several hundred taps each year. Most taps were roadside trees so not a great distance from the truck depending where it was when you got the buckets full. Ditches were always though with two full buckets. I really like the gathering now, with just a pump to carry over to a sap holding tank a lot better. I feel much more rested for the boil in the evening:) Also cut my gathering time in half and I can gather by myself in about the same time as two folks.

Chris

[traderzach]

When I started about 7 years ago, I had only 30 taps. But my "run" was about 500 feet. Everything was done walking with 2 5-gallons. To top it off, I had my 3 year old son on my shoulder. Not sure how I was able to do it...but I did. The best part....I would do it again all over again. Now, we're using an 4wd ATV....its easier....but different.

[Thiems sugarshack]

I had 140 taps last year all on buckets and mostly on the road i just parked the truck walked to the buckets when the 5 gallon pails where full i brought them to the truck and dumped them in the tank and kept repeating till it was done went pretty quick

[dnap63]

I keep telling my kids they don't apreciate how easy they have it. When I started making syrup in the early 70's we used to haul the sap on a sled with 5 gallon cans strapped to it. luckily only the last hundred yards or so was uphill, and we only tapped about 20 trees. Now my son has it made he only has to get out of the heated tractor cab long enough to put a hose in the collection tank and pump it out. It was a lot of work but those first years making syrup made for some of the best memories.

[PFHII]

We have 1500+ buckets and THATS all we have. We have over the years made more roads around the bush to help but we usually will carry buckets up too 100 feet or so. We have a 5 yr old and 8 year old who have there "OWN" gathering buckets now. We use the 2.5 gallon cement buckets and we use a wooden broom handle cut in 1/4's with 2 peices of threaded rod. They have thier names on them so they don't ffel out of place.

[Lyle]

Holy cow! 1500 on buckets!? That makes me feel better about my measly 200 buckets. The farthest I carry is about 100 feet to a 35 gal. tank on my 4 wheeler. Then I pump off into a 125 gal on a trailer and transport back to my 325 holding tank tha feeds the 2x6.

[ahowes]

I carried my few buckets about 200 yards last year. This year there will be more buckets at the same distance. I have a tractor and a four-wheeler, but choose to carry instead since it gives me a workout that is more productive than 30 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical. The time that I don't spend at the gym is time I can use on more fun things.

I do the same with firewood - my little pickup is 2WD and won't even go on wet grass. I carry firewood up to 80 yards to the truck and then split it all by hand. Gets the heart rate up and when I'm done, I can look at a stack of firewood rather than a "done" message on a treadmill.

[mike z]

Lyle, How long does it take you to collect? I take it, you probably get 100 - 300 g. at a time? I'm considering going to 200 buckets this year with the same wheeler/tank, pump to larger tank, drive a ways, pump again set up.

[Lyle]

Mike,
I have two areas tapped. 120ish taps where I live and naother 80 or so about 10 miles away. Not counting time for transportation I would guess about 2-21/2 hours.That depends a lot on snow or mud and how much wheaties i ate that morning. Some of the taps are spread out a bit. For trees with multiple taps I run tubing between them into a 5 gallon bucket on the ground. Your estimate of gallons collected is spot on, except for last year when I don't think I gathered more than 800 gallons total! :( Here's hoping for better times ahead!

[randomseeker]

I am very concerned about preserving my bush trails, so in the past have used my strong son to haul 5 gallon pails to our ATV pick up point, about 500 feet. The ATV would tear up softer trails too badly. However, my son is off the college and will not be available this spring. So, this year I took the wheels off the ATV and put tracks on. I can run them all year and can, hopefully, do much less damage to soft trails. So far they perform excellently and allow me to get to steeper areas the shelled ATV couldn't climb. I am fitting the vehicle out with a 30 gallon carrying capability so I wont have to pull any thing behind.

[Ausable]

I carried my few buckets about 200 yards last year. This year there will be more buckets at the same distance. I have a tractor and a four-wheeler, but choose to carry instead since it gives me a workout that is more productive than 30 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical. The time that I don't spend at the gym is time I can use on more fun things.

I do the same with firewood - my little pickup is 2WD and won't even go on wet grass. I carry firewood up to 80 yards to the truck and then split it all by hand. Gets the heart rate up and when I'm done, I can look at a stack of firewood rather than a "done" message on a treadmill.

Well - You sound alot like someone I knew about a generation ago - and I admire Your ideas about exercise. However - now that I'm 70 - I think different. It is more in the term of --- How in the heck am I going to get this done - without killing myself in the process --- or there has to be an easier and better way - cause the old joints can't take much more of this. Everytime I forget this and try to Bull or force something like I once did - I hurt something else....... So---- now that I'm in Geezer World I gotta behave myself --- unless ----I have a son or grandson close by. Hey - no lecture intended -- Enjoy it while You are young... Make lots of maple -- Mike

[HAHA I 1]

We use a 4x4 Kubota tractor on the trails. Believe it or not, Southern Indiana is quite hilly, so we frequently are carrying sap up hills to the tractor. We have 22 acres, but are only tapping about 6 acres - we plan to expand each year until we hit the limit of our homemade evaporator (tapped 71 last year). The farthest we have to walk is about 150-200ft, but the majority are within 50ft. We use 4-5 gallon buckets and we always carry an empty with us so we can dump the sap into them. This prevents us from having to make a return trip. There is a small wagon on the back of the tractor, and we have 3 separate 60 gallon barrels that we fill. Each barrel has a very large cap on top (about 15" in dia) and a spout at the bottom for easy emptying.

Having 4 kids from 5-16yrs old helps, too.

[peacemaker]

i carry all my buckets a 1/4 mile.......up hill .....both ways....bare footed ......

[nas]

i carry all my buckets a 1/4 mile.......up hill .....both ways....bare footed ......
Against the wind in 3' of snow. That's how my Dad did it.:D

Nick

[Ausable]

i carry all my buckets a 1/4 mile.......up hill .....both ways....bare footed ......

Hey peacemaker------ Do ya strap ice cleats on your bare feet to keep from falling? Or do ya just enjoy the fun of falling and gettin up again for the sport and exercise -- I imagine the sap spilt would make the maple trails rather slick and icy -- but a guy can always thaw out once he starts a boil - if he can still light a match --- lol ---

[peacemaker]

nope just my toe nails grow them all year ... and once my feet turn black they stop feeling cold .....spill i dont know about you guys i never spill sap ....and what do u mean boil .... why do u boil your sap

[Ausable]

Dang -- You sound almost mean enough to be one of my cuzins the Yoopers (They are that mean and surly lot that live in the Forests - North of the Mackinac Bridge) - They drink their sap first - to filter it and then they put it on to boil. To me - their syrup has a certain tang to it - but it always has a nice light amber color. --- Really - The Guys and Gals North of Big Mac are a great bunch and make mighty good maple... It be me and my fellow Trolls that make interesting Maple..... Hey peacemaker -- thanks for the humor and have a great sugarin season

[RangerEric]

I have the farthest sugar about 350' slight up hill. Since I am new at this, I was concerned about carrying buckets, I'm not very big with a marginal back. Then, I saw a picture of antique sugar equipment on a maple web site late last year showing a yoke for your shoulders. So, I made one and it works great. There is no way I could carry 2 -5 gal buckets 350 ft without it.

Can you share a picture, or how you made the yoke? I'm trying to get my hands on one, or have one made...any info would be helpful.
Thanks! Eric

[spud]

If I had buckets to carry I would only go as far as the dumpster with them.:lol: I am almost 50 and even the thought of a bucket makes my back hurt. I do admire those that use buckets because it is a lot of hard work. When I see a woods all with buckets it takes me back to when I was a kid. A woods full of buckets and a team of horses is a beautiful site.

Spud