Tubing Tool Controversy

Hello All,
I am posing the question because there is some controversy in my sugaring operation over where we should be devoting our resources over the coming weeks.

-We have around 225 trees right now
- these trees 5/16th lines were all put together without using a tubing tool, so they were chewed to put fittings together.

We have been told that chewing lines will hurt your natural vacuum and the controversy is if we should spend the 300 bucks (which would be a real squeeze for us) to fix the existing trees, or if we would be better off to run line we already own to get around 50 more trees taped without using the tool, bringing our tree count up to around 275(but all chewed).

Basicly is it the investment in the tool worth it for the sap yield increase it might provided? I understand it is a big time saver, but that isn't a real issue for us.

Just curious to hear what people think and to hear peoples personal experience. Has anyone made this switch and noticed a difference?

Thanks!

Chewing? What do u mean exactly

When trying to splice say a drop line (a T) or any fitting into the 5/16th lines i have always cut it, then chewed the ends of the 5/16th line to make it malleable enough to slide over the barbs on the fitting.

Oh man.. Well first of all your gonna get the education on bacteria introduction into your system. So chewing is a no no. Some use hot water in a thermos but that can be comber some. Tell you what, u can make your own tubing tools. Plenty of guys on here have. A buddy of mine made my two handed tubing tool and my one handed tool for me. I think I paid him $40 for each toll. They work awesome

We started tubing with hot water in a thermos and maybe some chewing, but learned it was definitely harder. We pre-assembled the drops at the house with hot water, but had to put them in. A tool definitely makes it easier from the actual spreading of the line and pushing the line onto the fittings.

If you need a tool to do the 75 taps let me know. I don't they we are too far apart and would be willing to swing over and loan my tool. I would be willing to help and this should not take too long either. I still doing some set up here so I cannot let the tool go away for too long, but it sounds like you could at least see that one worth the investment.

Send me an IM I am checking the site frequently this time of year like everyone else.

Mike

You never mentioned what kind of spouts you are using. If using CV2s then chew away and no bacteria will enter the tap hole. It sounds like you are putting in new drops and most likely new seasonal spouts of some kind. You are not going to loose $300.00 in syrup on 225 taps because of softening the tubing in your mouth. Save your money and chew away. Maybe by next season you could buy the tool when you have more money to spend.

Spud

I would much rather you use a thermos of hot water than to chew the tubing. Many smaller operations use that method. If you do, try to hold the 5/16 at a angle (45 degrees or greater) and only put the tubing in about 3/4" deep on the deeper end, this will leave the tubing more able to be pushed on because one side of the tubing will still be cool.
The next option I'd suggest, is either make a 2 hand tool, many on here have done that.
The next is to buy a 1 hand tool. I do my repairs entirely with a 1 hand tool and a piece of parachute line when pull is needed. I just tie a pipe hitch on the tubing and tie the other end either on a tree or to the other end of the line being connected. Then I pull the 5/16 to tighten the line and slide the pipe hitch to hold. Look up a pipe hitch, it is very simple, even 1 handed. My parachute cord I use is about 8-10' long. It carries easily and weighs almost nothing. You could easily buy a 1 hand tool and use that trick to assemble your system. A 1 hand tool runs about $100. Another option is to buy a basic 2 hand tool, they run about $150-200, bit is the deluxe models with automatic adjusting pliers. A nice feature but certainly not required. Another option, if you don't weld, is to find a friend who will make one for you, you supply the materials and some syrup, with the promise of more syrup in the future. To make a std. 2 hand tool, you can build one for about $50-75.

Could you use hand warmers to heat up and soften the tubing? I have a 2 handed too that I made and it works great but for the people who do not I would think that wrapping the had warmer around the tubing for a few seconds would warm it enough and would be easier to carry along than a thermos of water.

Nope no chewing. Still putting bacteria in the lines that is unnecessary

VTTSA,

Where in VT are you? I have two old tubing tools I over used (they are broken). Could easily be welded and fixed. you can have one if you want to fix it.

While chewing will work fine, your teeth, and time will appreciate the tool. Also it is easier on the hands and forearms to put fittings together with.

Ben

I just built a 2 handed tool for under $50 and it works great. So consider this another vote for building a tool. It was not difficult a I am definitely not much of a fabricator

Would you guys put some pictures up of the tools you made? I just received my new Mig welder and this will be a great first project.

*Scribners, if they don't want the broken tools, I would take them off your hands. I work at the firehouse with a guy who is great at welding and fabricating. PM if you are interested.

* Blueberryhill, where did you get a tool for $50?

* General question, I have a micro torch. Just a little thing, is this too much heat to soften it up?

Well dang. I was over to Alstead Friday to pick up my new Smokey Lake back up syrup pan. The trucker had left it in on the syrup dock. Next to it was a whole pallet of red 30p and it had a sign on it: "Strawberry - VSMA Only."

Fireman, I think they are interested. I may have another one and will PM if I do.

Ben

I built my two handed tool for under $50. I did not buy one for that price.

Made these for under $20, the one handed tool works perfect. I need to cut and re-weld the 2 handed tool handle to allow for more leverage when cutting in drops. Basically the handles are just a bit to close together. Attachment 8743Attachment 8744

Being a mechanic my whole working carreer I know the value of having the right tool for the job and the consequences sometimes suffered when you don't. I have gone the fabrication route with some success and have also had some failures. Just last weekend my homemade mainline tool bent and broke so I will be replacing it with a factory made one.

Besides being bad for your teeth chewing on the lines puts bacteria into the tubing and the saliva attracts squirrels.

Wishlist

When you cut your handles off replace them with pipe instead. I made one that looked just like yours last year and it was hard on the hands. I also widened out the handles for leverage but used pipe instead of flat and it should be easier on the hands. Put the end of the pie that will be welded to the flat in a vise and flatten out, this will weld up easier.

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Originally Posted by Russell Lampron

Being a mechanic my whole working carreer I know the value of having the right tool for the job and the consequences sometimes suffered when you don't. I have gone the fabrication route with some success and have also had some failures. Just last weekend my homemade mainline tool bent and broke so I will be replacing it with a factory made one.

Besides being bad for your teeth chewing on the lines puts bacteria into the tubing and the saliva attracts squirrels.

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I'm with you Russell. I was a heavy truck/equipment mechanic for many years, and have fabricated countless tools. Now, the one thing I don't mind paying for is the proper tool. Running tubing can be frustrating enough at times without having something that doesn't work quite right. I work 10+ hours at my day job and do this on the side, so don't have much time in my life for reinventing the wheel. That being said though, if I were doing this as a hobby with 100 taps, it would be hard to justify buying these tools.

I am putting 20 of my taps on tubing this year and will do the remaining 15+ next year, and I bought the one handed tool from Bascom's. I have only pressed on a handful of fittings so far, but I already see the value in this tool. It took me since last spring to decide on whether or not to buy it, but sure glad I did. Being a very small operation like myself, I figure this tool will last me a lifetime if I take care of it.

VTTSA Don't feel bad about chewing your tubing. I think a lot of these guys on here are too young to know that chewing tubing to put it on fittings used to be a necessary evil of sugaring. Having tools to put the fittings together is a relatively new invention. Every fitting had to have the tubing chewed to get it in. Hard on the teeth and jaw. The old Lamb tubing and fittings that would break if you looked at them wrong, led to a lot of chewing when tapping to keep everything fixed. Unfortunately, most of the tubing tools you can buy for way overprice, are not really very well designed for the fittings. The one handed tools, have slots in them too big to grab the fitting properly. The fitting manufacturers don't put any effort into designing fittings that the tools can grab on both sides easily, in fact most of the tee, "Y" and connector designs are the same ones used before rigid tubing. Nowadays, having at least 1 single sided tubing tool is really a must for getting the fittings in new tubing properly. It will take a little more time with a single sided tool versus having both a single and double tool, but it can be done if you are on a tight budget.

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Originally Posted by eagle lake sugar

I'm with you Russell. I was a heavy truck/equipment mechanic for many years, and have fabricated countless tools. Now, the one thing I don't mind paying for is the proper tool. Running tubing can be frustrating enough at times without having something that doesn't work quite right. I work 10+ hours at my day job and do this on the side, so don't have much time in my life for reinventing the wheel. That being said though, if I were doing this as a hobby with 100 taps, it would be hard to justify buying these tools.

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I couldn't agree more with both of you! No since in wasting hours making junk. With 100 taps buying or making a tool is a waste of time, just use hot water.

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Originally Posted by Super Sapper

Wishlist

When you cut your handles off replace them with pipe instead. I made one that looked just like yours last year and it was hard on the hands. I also widened out the handles for leverage but used pipe instead of flat and it should be easier on the hands. Put the end of the pie that will be welded to the flat in a vise and flatten out, this will weld up easier.

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Good idea SS.