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Finally got back in the woods yesterday to work on tubing!!! :)
Wind sucked though. I was OK until the snow blew in my face. Going out for a few hours today wanna try to have it all finished this week!!!! I hope anyway gotta get things replumbed at the sugar house!!!
Excavator coming tomorrow. I called the dealer to get one delivered today, but their delivery trucks big enough to haul the 12,000 # were all out at other stores (they have 3 or 4 locations). They will have have the truck tomorrow. After setting the tank I start my dry line above the existing wet line. Then I have a section to move a branch line. After that I add about 150 taps with sap ladders and plumb it all to the zero tank. I'll need a new sap pump, bigger to pump faster, and about 40' of hose. I'm thinking of getting a 1.25" but might go 1.5". Got to check the specs. Will be pumping about 300 gal/trip and don't want to wait for the 1" pumps to do it, since I'll be shutting off the vac while pumping.
Went out to the woods this afternoon and put up 200' of mainline. I tightened it but I need to go back and tighten it again and side tie it tommorow.
Ran 600 feet of laterals today and got all the droplines cut in. Picking up mainline and saddles tomorrow from Russells. Hopefully ill have that section done by the 1st. Roofing for the new sugar house will come tomorrow sometime. Hoping to have that mostly on by the end of the day thursday.
Dave- What are you using for a vac pump on your setup? Wayside- Are you going to have all your taps hooked together so you can use vac on them? Theron
I have an Alamo, rotary vane pump. Because I'm using the Zero as a vac tank at least this season, I will be using a vac regulator to keep vac at 18-19". In a year or 2 if I decide I need more vac I will get a liquid ring pump and a releaser.
Theron - eventually yes, but not for this year...its just not in the budget. My plan has been to start at the collection tank and slowly every year run a new section farther and farther away from my starting point until I have the whole thing running to one spot. By this time if all goes as planned I will be out of college and it will be time to change the drops out. Ill put all new check valves in and hook it up to vac. I'm shooting for the strive for 5 from the start so that when I do hook up vac I wont have to rework any mains or lats.
Thats what I was wondering about using it on a zero tank. Should work good. Wonder how bascom uses all vac tanks, Im pretty sure he is all ring pumps. Must be those big tanks of his will take high vac. Im going to stick with releasers but someday Im going to have all of them with the tanks in little buildings so they dont freeze up. Big pain in the butt. I think thats going to be next years project making that little chore go away somehow. Theron
Wayside- How many do you have that are hooked together now going downhill to one location? Theron
and do you have electric there?
Theron - As a side not I'd really like to get over to your place and check things out sometime between the 4 and the 16th of Jan. I have to go back to school on the 17th. PM me if it will work out sometime in there. I'd also like to bring the grandfather along if I can talk him into leaving the house.
Your welcome to come over anytime. I may have some stuff that would work for you to put vac on your taps if you have some of it all hooked together. If you have electic there I know I do and if you dont youd just have to come up with a little gas engine. Theron
No electric unfortunatley...Right now ill have close to 100, but I haven't even scratched the surface as far as tappable trees. I don't have a steady income so when I do have some money I use it to buy tubing. Its going to be a slow proccess for know but Im going at it steady.
The gas engine wouldn't been to big of a problem to find I dont think.
Wayside- Ive got a glass bowl releaser you can use and a vac pump that a buddy let me use so Ill let you use it if you want to. Only thing is its got an electric motor on it. If you can find a real small gas engine and you have time to mess with it your welcome to use it. Theron
I was only home for a few days at Christmas but I got some time to spend in the bush. We've got very little snow (a few inches) so the going was good. I stretched 4000' of laterals in about 5 hours on the 23rd. I've split the laterals up as much as possible to keep the taps to 5 max, fewer on many lats. I managed to pick up another 50 or so taps on trees that were missed or were too small when the tubing was first run in this bush around 20 years ago. ALL OUR 5/16 TUBING HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED!!!!! <insert happy dance here> I figure I've stretched up to 70,000 feet of laterals in the past 36 months. It's well worth the time and effort to get rid of the old green stuff that was taken down and put back up every year. I also managed to get about 30 saddles installed so another 2 hours and that task will be done. If only my dropline guy would come back from vacation and get his butt in gear...
If anyone is interested, we have a couple of pans for sale - both are leak free. The flue pan is a welded 5'x10' and comes with a steam hood. The syrup pan is 5'x4', soldered (lead free) and has 4 channels. Send me a PM with your email address and I can send pictures.
Gotta few hours in yesterday moving right along!!! about an hour in this morning then took the kids back in the woods for some sled riding, had a few more minutes on tubing then I put my thumb in the wrong place "slice" mmm yes nice blood trial back to the house!!! all bandaged up now!!!;)
Theron - I won't be able to thank you enough for the vac and releaser.
I set the tank today, but I guessed wrong. Since my excavator (8000#) lifts the tank at 5' out in front, I though a 12,000# would lift it much better. I had to pick it up and walk it to the old cellar hole, I could not lift and just drive even with the tank as close to the machine as possible. I had to raise the main boom as high as it would go, then pick the front of the machine with the front blade and then extend the dipper (the part that has the bucket attached) and set it down. Then crawl ahead about 2 ' and repeat. Once I finally got it to the foundation It did a fairly good job, with the blade full down, of extending the dipper and slowly lowering the tank into the 6' cellar hole. If I ever have to re do I will get at least an 8Ton instead. The one I used was in good shape, a Kubota industrial 6ton, didn't check model# but it had a hard time crossing a 3' deep x 4' wide ditch with about a 25 degree incline on the field side. The tracks spun so I turned around like I do with my rig and lifted some and pushed while trying to climb with the tracks but it did not have enough push. I had to swing around facing up hill (without the tank all this time) and dig in with the bucket and pull while walking up hill. Once I got to nearly level the rig moved around fine empty but as I say, I had to walk the tank about 2' at a time. But it is finally in place, not one got hurt, and the tank suffered no damage. I did accidentally hit a road sign and bend the post while swinging one time but I straightened it to almost like original with the bucket. I'm glad to have that part done. Then I strung about 500' of 1" black for my dry line and attached it to my anchor trees. Tomorrow I finish tightening (using a winch), anchoring and then side tying for final tight. I am trying to do it like Rapi Tube shows in their video, with no support wire. I will finish with the Rapi-tube strapping. Does anyone know where I can order it online? When I go to the Rapi-tube site I don't find a way to order the tube or the strap. If I can't find the strap I will do like I did with wire supported except with no HT wire to hook to I'll find something to spread the force so the wire doesn't cut into the tubing and I will pull on that with my wire. Friday I should be ready to begin adding a new branch line and adding more taps/laterals in the section where I hope to add 150 +/- taps and will be using a sap ladder. For 150 taps how many tube of 5/16 should I have in a sap ladder? I haven't decided yet but I'll either use a 2 pipe system or the older method with a bunch of 5/16 to do the climb.
I have been sick as a dog for weeks, but today I finally got out to stomp out the bucket trail. It felt good to be snowshoeing with the dog again.
I think I might be on the mend now.
it warmed up into the low 30,s today so i worked on the inside of my sugarhouse.after,a trip to the lumber yard i put insulation up and osb on two walls.after supper i went out in the garage and figured out how much arch board i needed and how many firebricks i need.
i also ran a 2x4 thur my wood planer for the last panel in my roll up door.i,ll finish that tomorrow night after supper.
in the morning i,am going rabbit hunting with a buddy of mine and his new beagles..then it,s back to the sugarhouse.
delbert
Wayside- The releaser will work like it is. The pump is electic so if you want to use it youll have to put a gas engine on it. Chances are I wont be able to have time to help you do that but if you can than you can use it. If not and you want to wait till next year Ill help you rig one up. Theron
Theron - With having to go to school and being at school during the season I might as well wait until next year for the vac. I go to school in Lock Haven and during the season I drive back up during the week every other day to boil and come home on weekends. My dad collects for me on the days Im not home and Id hate to make him worry about on more thing while Im at school. I will definatly take the help rigging it up next year. Thanks again!
Next year no prob at all. I wont sell the pump becouse it was given to me so Ill let you use it. The glass releaser Ill let you use too untill you get bigger and get a real one then you can give it back. When your up here this summer Ill help you rig up a nice little gas engine on the pump. Theron
Sounds great to me! Thanks again! :D
Revi,
Glad your feeling better!
I have been hunting whitetails every chance I get. Four of us will hunt tomorrow with the smoke poles.
Chris
Tightened the mainline I put up yesterday and side tied it. Started building my one handed tubing tool today. My dad was going to weld up part of tonight and we can finish it tommorow. Then I need to make a two handed tubing tool.
Rapi-tube strapping. Does anyone know where I can order it online? When I go to the Rapi-tube site I don't find a way to order the tube or the strap. If I can't find the strap I will do like I did with wire supported except with no HT wire to hook to I'll find something to spread the force so the wire doesn't cut into the tubing and I will pull on that with my wire. QUOTE]
Hi Dave - you may be able to find some Rapitube strapping at the Verona Conf? I was able to find some at a wholesale landscape company in Cicero on Rt. 11. I think I paid $12.50 for 250' rolls. It's the 1/2". I can find their name/number if you want it. I guess landscapers use the same strapping to support saplings.
Good sugarin' weather coming this week end fri/sat/sun cold nights upper 40's in the day. Only problem wrong time of year!!!:cry:
Been working my butt off at my job and have been thinking about if I have enough wood for sugaring. To my suprise when I got home my neighbor must have gotten bored and plowed out the road to my sugarhouse and left a nice x mas present today. A couple cords of split dry stacked and tarped wood. Man I love my neighbors. Been trying to get in the woods to haul out some more pine logs and just cannot find the time. He also left a little note saying more on the way. Well thats settled IM going steelhead fishing tomarrow instead lol.
No kidding! Walking through the snow in shirt sleeves, bright, warm sun on my face, and I can smell somebody's fire going. All that was missing was the music of drops in the buckets. It feels like March and it's still December. Good weather for washing buckets, though. I put it off all fall. Looks like a caught a break.Quote:
Originally Posted by red maples
Sean
Who will be the first post of 2011? Not I
Not me Im going out with the Wife, Exwife and the lady across the street with all my Famn Damley They say things happen in 3's :rolleyes: I might be the last
what a day to be outside!!!..it was awesome!! i worked in my sugarhouse from 11am until 7pm.i have all the osb cut and on the walls.tomorrow i,ll put my roll up door tracks back up and start putting the door in.i also hope to get started on my head tank.
delbert
maple flats,Quote:
Originally Posted by maple flats
You might to look here for Rapi-Tube and Rapi-Fix (strapping):
CDL USA
39, Rewes Drive, St. Albans, Vermont 05478
Phone: (802) 527-0000 / Fax: (802)524-3666
Toll free: 1-800-762-5587
www.cdlusa.net (www.maplepro.com)
Regards,