tubing supplies

[John Burton]

alright next year i am hoping to add 150 to 200 taps on tubing . I have never used any before. now I realize that every lot is going to be different as far as actual counts go but if you are going to put this number of taps out what would you keep on hand for fittings. i just want to buy as much as i can this spring while the discount is on at bascoms.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited

[brookledge]

John,
Kevin pretty much covered it. To save yourself some money you may want to borrow some of the tools of the trade. Although having your own is better if you can aford it now. I made my own wire un-roller and I use it for main line also. They also make one for 500' tubing that works well also. Most of your mainline supplies can be purchased localy at a hardware store if you watch for sales. And finally attend a tubing seminar to save yourself some trial and errors.
Good luck
Keith

[Parker]

John,,come over to the Rt.11 bush kevin helped set up,,you can get some ideas from looking at that to apply to your situation,,,I would be happy to let you use my tools {if I were sure I would get them back},,,,I am going to try to set up another 500-1000 taps befor next season,,hopefully when it is warm out,,(but will probably be doing it in feb., march 8O )

[John Burton]

Parker, I'd really like to see your set up maybe some time this late may or june would work. love to do it now but ive got to much to do cleaning up and roads are getting ready to open so ill have to get hustling and make some cake to pay for all this fun...i got your number from your otherpost i'll call you.

[WF MASON]

There was a guy here the other day who had 200 buckets in one section of woods , he changed to pipeline several years ago in this area, said he was ripping down the pipline becouse he was never able to get the same amount of sap as he did from the buckets.

[murferd]

WF Mason is right on.When we switched from buckets to lines our production went down probably 20 percent on natural gravity.Added
vacuum a couple of years later & got production of cans back plus
alittle more.

Murferd

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Wish I had lots of extra time on my hand as I wish I had more accessable taps I could use buckets. Besides definitely higher quanity, The sap seems to stay higer quality in buckets also as it is not flowing through sometimes hundreds of feet of small plastic pipe that is easily warmed by the sun and the buckets don't collect bacteria like pipeline.

[themapleking]

Don't buckets collect bark, bugs, rodents, rain, and all that other bacteria. :oops:

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Guess so, but sure adds some extra flavor! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Besides, it all filters out in the end. 8O :wink:

[mapleman3]

Joe... Rodents??? geeze what ya got up there in them woods? :wink:

[themapleking]

TREE RATS.
My biggest problem was with the deer I watched em knock the lids off and drink the sap. Really no lie, I just wished I had a camare that day. I'd send you all a picture of it.
After standing there dumbfounded in disbelive I changed over to tubing. Now I just have a new set of problems to tend with :roll:

[mapleman3]

Hmmm too bad sap season doesn't coincide with Deer season......

[John Burton]

I do not believe ill ever get rid of all my buckets. i'll just keep my roadside trees on them.chasing all them buckets in the woods is for the birds .Two hours plus on avarage .I figure i could gather one two hundred tap lot and 50 roadside buckets in half the time.does anyone know of a fairly current manual for installing tubing. now that we are out of mud season i wont have time for seminars, between work and that never ending honeydo list

[Parker]

Just run your lines downhill, tight and straight,,strive for 5 taps per lateral line,,and give me your adress and I mail you the manual I got at Bascomes,,,

[forester1]

I heard the Maple Producers Manual will be out in a new edition in June. Hopefully the section on tubing will be updated.