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What is everyone up to? Anyone expanding? Upgrading? Down sizing? Moving? Getting out? Going all in?
I for one plan to install 300-400 more this year and then take a year from installing to pay off some bills. After that hoping to take on 5-6000 tap woods near me.
This past season was more than likely my last one. I was just a hobby guy anyway but I sure did have a blast doing it. I will be 80 come January and as a one man show it is not fun any more, just work. But in the past years it was fun to either collect on my snowmobile or quad, depending on the weather and just get out an and do something in the fresh air. I will miss it but as they say, time and tide wait for no one. I will always be grateful for all the help and ideas I have gotten from this site. I will continue to look at what others are doing on this site and remember the good time I had. Good luck to all in the future.
I fully understand, I'll be 73 the fall and I'm getting rid of my lease in the hills, far too much climbing steep hills. I will be expanding around the sugarhouse, but there are no hills there. I think I'll then be about 400, maybe 450 taps, with all sap going right to the sugarhouse.
You can still be part of the fun on here, and help the new producers find some of the fun like you enjoyed.
I plan to double my taps again and add a membrane to the RO. Already built and filled a woodshed. I cleared and am cleaning up a 1 acre area and will be planting wildflowers in it in the next couple weeks. Also going to do some thinning this summer/fall.
Ordered a New Sap Tank its 5' by 12' by 50", I went with a LaPierre its somewhere in the 1680 gallon range, also ordered a releaser support to go with it. I have had pretty good luck with the CDL tanks I have but they make me nervous as hell when they pop and ping so I spent the long dollar which I hate to do on the better tank.
Also going to try and get my vacuum setup on a wet dry type system and try to Add 400 taps so that my pump and releaser will be maxed out at 1000 taps. While I'm at it I'm going to try and shorten up some of my laterals and get my taps per down under 10 if I can, I know alot of guys are in the 3-5 range but i just don't think that I have the woods for that.
I also need to get a new/used vac pump and releaser for at the sugarhouse, I have 125 or so taps there that I would really like to get hooked up for next season. Need to find a budget friendly pump and releaser for that.
Gained 180 new taps that we will run tubing for later this year after the bugs subside. Planning to try setting it up with Shurflo vacuum. Also going to order and set up a 4x8x4 tank.
Will be adding at lease 8000 feet of tubing to start a new area on our land, with hopes of adding 400 this year and up to 1500 more the next 3-4 years. We will also be a tour stop this June for the Maine maple Mania.
We hope to finish a section of woods, 600 to 800 taps additional. Add another vessel to 600 RO. Working on upgrading evaporator from 3x10 to 3x12 tsunami. Biggest pain will be positioning 6k gal enclosed horizontal tank with a skidder and tractor.
We are building a new timber frame sugarhouse this year, and ordered a new 3x10 evaporator, filter press, canner, and looking for a r.o. Plus hopefully adding about 600-800 taps down the road. And in my spare time got a few tubing jobs to install. Gonna be a busy “off” season.
Planning to expand by 2,000 taps (hopefully 3k if time supports it) finding new markets and expanding the footprint. Got to keep growing to keep up with demand! :cool: