5/16 tubing best and worst!!!

[red maples]

So I did look around but there was too much info on the tubing.

Maple guys lappierre semi rigid is $50 / rigid $45 and their shipping is very resonable so thats what I will get And I try to give the maple guys as much business as I can.

But everybody's got their own tubing. is one better than the other???

all 500ft bascom's catalog prices 2010
CDL semi R 54.95
IPL 4 season semi r54.95
leader max flow flexible 69.00
leader max flow grip 63.00
leader rigid 45.00

and lappierre mentioned above

those of us using tubing have thousands and thousands of feet of it so the question is

is there a best/worst or is it just best bang for the buck or best price period.

[Randy Brutkoski]

Actually leader is no longer $45, they just changed it to $51. And Lapierre just lowered there price to $40 for 5 year. $11 per roll is a a big difference.

[red maples]

those are pretty big differences. I got those straight out of the catalog.

[Thad Blaisdell]

Yes Leader just changed to the $51. I bought 70 rolls the day before the change. A little birdie told me to and they were right. Saved myself a good chunk of change.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I like the clear/translucent Lappiere the best and I hate 30p and won't ever use it again. Walls are too thin, squirrels like it too much and it like to get green slime way worse than Lapierre even after flushing it.

[Parker]

Wow- I love 30-p and if the maple guys sold it Id buy my tubing from them,,,BUT,,they dont,,,I used some lapeirre ridgid (blue) and its allright,,just I cant see the sap thru it during the season very well so it makes finding leaks a littel more diffucult.(I got a GREAT deal on in from the maple guys)..30-p dosent stretch,,sag,,or come apart very easily,,and imho stays cleaner (I dont wash my tubing)....Kinda personal prefrance I guess....That is a big price diffrance,,and when I was at goodriches last time I saw he had some clear laperrie ridged,,,should call chris and see how much that is.....

[red maples]

I can see that sap fine through the lap. rigid tubing. thats what I like about it actually. I think its great for leaks. and when I give tours of the bush during the season folks love to see the sap run through it!!! I guess its just a matter of preference. :)

[powerdub]

Parker! You don't wash your tubing?! Me niether.

[Thad Blaisdell]

You sound proud of that powerdub.

What is you guys reasoning behind not washing? As a maple producer during the season I wash everything all the time. Why not the pipeline?

[markct]

for years i used the ipl 4seasons and it works great, i like that its easy to see sap flow even from a distance. this year since leader made the fittings fatter i figured i would try there max flow grip since the 4 seasons was hard to get on the fittings. well the leader goes on hard too, but i do like that its a bit harder to stretch, kinda somewhere in between the ridgid and the ipl semi ridgid. i am not sure im gona like the slightly harder to see sap tho, i only have 2 rolls of it in the woods so far, not sure what im gona use for the rest

[Haynes Forest Products]

All the people I know that wash their tubing end up with squirl damage and my syrup is as good as theirs:D

[red maples]

I just flush with water. no chlorine. from what I have read the chlorine leave can leave a residue (salts I think) and the squirrels can smell it and chew threw the lines to get it. There are other types of chemicals you can get that don't leave the salt(I think) that the squirrels like and cut down on the chews.

[farmall h]

I didn't rinse my lines last season and have noticed lots of stained tubing mostly in the drops...will go back to water flush from now on.

[ennismaple]

We've had no problems with gunk in the lines or squirrel chews on our Lapierre semi-rigid. We wash with only water at the end of the season.

[TF Maple]

I just flush with water. no chlorine. from what I have read the chlorine leave can leave a residue (salts I think) and the squirrels can smell it and chew threw the lines to get it. There are other types of chemicals you can get that don't leave the salt(I think) that the squirrels like and cut down on the chews.

Yes chlorine has salt in it (sodium chloride) and it attracks salt loving critters.

[brookledge]

Another option is to use Calcium Hypoclorite. Sodium Hypoclorite is bleach. Calcium hypoclorite is avalailable and pool supply store.

[red maples]

thats the stuff I was trying to remember!!! thank you!!

[gmcooper]

I have used some of most everyones tubing at some point. Mostly use 30P now and some Laperrie ridgid. Worst I ever used was years ago Small Brothers it was green, round and sagged every day. Best stuff I ever used was a roll or two that was flexible, translucent and had a light purple tint to it. No idea what brand (8-10 years ago) and I've never seen it again.

[Randy Brutkoski]

Probably U.S. Maple.

[Ed K]

I didn't like that green stuff either,but the worst was lamb 30yrs ago.ipl light blue is what i tried last with good results.

[shane hickey]

I have always liked 32-mf light blue with memory flex, The tubing stays tighter on the fittings.
shane

[Monster Maples]

Lapierre!!! Tubing and fittings. Really like this stuff compared to the others. The end slides are possibly the best!! The rigid tubing seems to be very durable and the semi is easy to see through. But, this thread is like asking somebody which is better Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. Deep down though we know Ford trucks are the best!!!:lol: Here we go...........

[gmcooper]

Has anyone used the Lapierre clear or the new green? Thought about trying a roll of each this winter. I really question how the clear will holdup over 5 years.
Thanks

[red maples]

Not gonna touch that one!!!! :lol:

I like the lappierre tubing I also love the end line slides but I have to say I am really liking the larger barbs on newer leader fittings It just holds that much tighter but they seem go on easy!!!

[Farmboy]

I'm using leader 30p for laterals because it doesn't sag and cdl semi for drops. And FORDS are the best.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Has anyone used the Lapierre clear or the new green? Thought about trying a roll of each this winter. I really question how the clear will holdup over 5 years.
Thanks


All I use now is the Lapierre clear and had some up 3 or 4 years and still looks and feels about like new. I love it and time will tell how long it will last but I expect way more than 5 years.

[BryanEx]

I didn't like that green stuff either,but the worst was lamb
Who's the manufacturer for Lamb tubing? I'm only turning up maple distributors when I Google "Lamb mainline".

[3rdgen.maple]

Lets not confuse the old green stuff with the new green stuff that just hit the market this year. You will have to wait till the end of the season to get a verdict on the new green and the new clear tubing. From my understanding it is not the same as the past green and clear tubing that came out before. Ohh I would rather walk than drive a FORD....... Owned them and never again....

[twofer]

Put up some D&G 75X yesterday and I'm not sure if I like it. The tubing seemed to bunch up the fittings and it seemed like the laterals had too much sag to them. The amount sag might be acceptable as this is my first time putting up tubing and I'm not quite sure what is acceptable..

[farmall h]

Does Lappiere still make the semi ridgid blue? I stiil have some that was purchased in the late 90's.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Who's the manufacturer for Lamb tubing? I'm only turning up maple distributors when I Google "Lamb mainline".

Leader bought out Lamb many years ago and when they refer to current day Lamb, it is now Leader tubing such as max or 30p. Bob Lamb was the one who started the tubing we have today, thus why the name still sticks.

[red maples]

Does Lappiere still make the semi ridgid blue? I stiil have some that was purchased in the late 90's.

Yes, I bought 2 rolls this year. I know the maple guys carry the blue I don't know if bascom's carries blue or not If not I am sure they could get it. but Lappierre has a bunch of colors now...green blue clear white. I am sure someone will want red someday and they will have that too. I over heard the rep from lappiere talking to someone when asked why green? Someone wanted green tubing several 1000 feet or so and so they did it.

[BryanEx]

Leader bought out Lamb many years ago and when they refer to current day Lamb, it is now Leader tubing such as max or 30p. Bob Lamb was the one who started the tubing we have today, thus why the name still sticks.

... thanks very much for that info Brandon. I keep running across dealers advertising Lamb tubing and it was driving me crazy trying to find the source & specs.

[farmall h]

The tubing I am referring to has this stamped on the side of the tubing: #5/16 "SEMI RIGIDE LAPIERRE WATERLOO SMALL GRADE ALIMENTAIRE 13-09-02 and it is a dark blue. Nice and flexible. I like it for making drops. Me being color blind I can say this, it is darker than the Leader 7/16 blue spout. Just wondering if you guys have any of this tubing and if it is made anymore.

Gotta go put chains on another tractor, be back...........

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I bought 4 rolls of it a few years ago and it was the biggest piece of junk tubing I have ever seen. Halfway thru the season it was completely clogged up with bacteria in numerous spots and I would assume that it was very rough on the inside. I guess I got a bad batch but it was junk and would never use it again. I contacted Maple Guys who I bought it from as it was just a year old about warrantying it and never got it taken care of and paid out of pocket to replace it.

[gmcooper]

Just came in from putting up new tubing this afternoon. Use a roll of Lapeirre green. I have to say neon green shows up a lot more than the light blue 30p in the same area. At least with snow on the ground it really shows up. Not sure If I'll buy more after these are used up.

[farmall h]

Huh, are we talking about the same stuff? I have always flushed my lines with plain water and the lines are not black. A few drops that have been in for 15+ years have a little black...other than that had good luck with it. We have both Leader & Lapirre products in the woods.

[Randy Brutkoski]

I have lapierre and leader tubing and both are good.I like the Lapierre better. Stays on the fittings better and you can see whats going on in the line better, and it is $12 cheaper a roll.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Nothing against Lapierre tubing as all I use now is the 5 year clear rigid and I love it. The blue I bought a few years ago was junk, but was likely a bad batch. I don't care for 30p, squirrels seem to have a fetish for it down here.

[michiganfarmer2]

I like the clear/translucent Lappiere the best and I hate 30p and won't ever use it again. Walls are too thin, squirrels like it too much and it like to get green slime way worse than Lapierre even after flushing it.

the squrrels arund here LOVE 30P. bastages