Battlling the snow

Keeping the way clear so I can access the collection tanks when the time arrives is proving to be a challenge, over 2.5 ft of snow so far (Gorham Me). The road to the tanks is more a trail than a road, giving the Kubota a run for her money. Next summer, road improvement. Thinking about getting something like an old Ford or a Farm-all for the back lot, one of those with logging chains and I wouldn't need to keep trail plowed. Or maybe I could install plastic pipe and pump to top of hill then gravity feed down the other side to the sugar shack. Top of ill is up 30' and 300' distance. Should sap be pumped strait up a pole to a larger pipe that gravity feeds to top of hill or just run a pipe right up the hill? What kind of pump would it take to do the job?

Assuming you don't have electricity, I would just pump it the 300' up the slope with a small gas engine transfer pump and perhaps a 1" line. I would probably set it up with a valve after the pump so you could drain the sap back into the tank with out losing it or having to leave it in the line to freeze.

Absolutely, if you can easily pump it, don't fight the snow. Just make sure your pump will exceed 30' of head (I'd suggest at least 50-60' minimum head) and pump it to the sugarhouse. have a drain to empty the hose back to the tank (or to a small barrel in a jet sled and pull that back on snowshoes). If you don't empty the line (and the pump) you will have major problems.

In the past I have been hauling sap from the tank with the 4 wheeler. Last year the mud was so bad I said no more. This year I ran a 1" line down 300' and will pump it up. My honda 1" pump tested around 15-20 gpm. I will then close a valve and drain the line into the tank or 4 wheeler tank making only 1 trip down rather than 2-5. This year efficiency is the name of the game


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We use the harbor freight 1" gas pump. It pumps from the bottom of the woods up to the trailer which sits about 1200 feet away and a little over 40 foot lift. I called and talked to a pump guy to see what size of line I would need for this. We ended up with using 1 1/2"line. It takes us about twelve min to pump out 400 gal. We have a shut off valve at the pump end so we don't get all that rush of SAP back at us. The bad part is it takes 100 gal. to fill the line up. We then drain it into a tank and hail it out.