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Thread: Ideas for a syrup hauler

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    River Falls, WI
    Posts
    831

    Default Ideas for a syrup hauler

    not a sap hauler, still doing that by hand. I make/buy syrup in WI and I have a potential for a good market in Washington State where I live most of the year. I drive there twice a year and I am looking for a vehicle to haul syrup back with me. the important factors are: capacity (minivan too small, semi-truck too big, thinking i need to move less than 1000 gallons/year for now, any bigger and I will look at shipping freight.), fuel economy (it's a long haul, so I would like to get 20mpg unloaded and better than 15 loaded.), price (less than 10k if possible), and reliability (I want something reliable that I can work on if need be.) Right now I am thinking about an E350 cargo van with a powerstroke diesel. I am wary of automatic transmissions, and also of the tight working quarters, but what do you guys think. I think the diesel e350 can get 20 mpg and can haul what I need (even more with a trailer). Plus I can sleep in it during the trip, which saves me money on hotels. They can also be had with low mileage for around 6 thousand dollars. The other option I see is a 2wd dodge truck with a cummins, which isn't as sleepable, but could work. I would like 4wd, but I don't think I want to pay for it initially, or every time I go to the pump, so I think I'm looking at a 2wd vehicle. Anyone out there with an econoline van that can vouch for them? Or any other suggestions. What kind of mileage do those isuzu box trucks get? I know there are a ton of those fords on the road, so they must work alright. Any ideas would be appreciated. by the way, I just interviewed a 1967 International Travelall for the position. It had a perkins 354 diesel with a 5 speed manual. It definitely would work, and get the job done with style (and 23mpg on the highway), but it seemed like way too much work to get it road-worthy, I would want to change the front brakes to discs if I wanted to haul anything safely, but it was a cool looking truck. Thanks for your suggestions, Ryan
    -Ryan


    Went off the deep end. Might be in over my head...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    northfield, CT
    Posts
    1,526

    Default

    1000 gallons of syrup is 11,000lbs, thats without any weight of barrels to hold it! that wont be happening in a pickup or van, maybe with a trailer, but even then thats a heavy load! might want to price trucking, its often not as expensive as you think, as long as you can load them on pallets to go on the truck
    11x29 sugarhouse
    2x8 airtight arch homemade with waterloo flue pan, welded syrup pan and parallel flow preheater hood
    250gph cdl ro
    1100+ taps for 2014, approx 1000 of them vac
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crowh...5582993?ref=hl

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Poultney VT
    Posts
    2,420

    Default

    this one for sale in VT I'm sure it can do what you need it to do

    Business Name
    Flat Lander Sugaring (who would think a guy from Az be making syrup)
    125 on Sap Suckers
    Close to 475 High Vac
    400 gravity adding more
    leader 2x6
    home made preheater
    hoods
    1 7D749 for AOF
    New FLS Tsunami Arch
    4 membrane TR Industries RO 2HP 3 phase 601GPH 250 PSI
    PID Display for Arch Temp.
    Chumlee of the trader

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Andover NH
    Posts
    2,074

    Default

    try looking at uship.com put a few barrels on a pallet and then put a few pallets together and post on uship.com usually pretty cheap...
    Eric Johnson
    Tucker Mountain Maple Co-op
    1400 taps in 2013
    2.5 x 8 CDL pellet arch and Smokey Lake pans
    Lapierre 600 RO
    Member of Andover/Salisbury Maplehaulics anonymous
    www.tuckermtn.com
    pALS

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    I'd study hiring the shipping, but if you want to do it yourself look into renting a truck, the heaviest your driver's license is good for up to what you need to haul. Figure each gal at 11.3# plus barrel weight. Add everything you will have besides the driver, fuel etc,etc. Going overweight would cost you far more than the potential profits would easily cover. Over you license AND the MGVW would cost far more.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    River Falls, WI
    Posts
    831

    Default thanks you guys

    thanks, especially you, Flatlander. Okay, let me make it more clear. I want to haul less than 1000 gallons per year in at least two trips. 1000 gallons is at least 11400 pounds, but that figure divided by two (two trips) is only 5500 pounds. Does that sound more reasonable. Here is my thinking: I drive to WI twice a year anyway, my car only gets about 28mpg on the highway, and I can't really carry much weight (the 1983 4wd Toyota Tercel came stock with 63 horsepower). Since I am going to pay for fuel to haul myself there and back, I'd might as well be carrying some syrup too, eh? 1000 gallons/year would be the largest I could possible see myself going in the next five years, so I am looking for a vehicle that can drive me there and back (the tercel is not fantastic on long trips anyway), be used as a passenger vehicle while I am there (so no box trucks), that I can sleep in on the way there and back, and can haul a couple of thousand pounds. I don't think that is unreasonable. I would like it if I could pull a trailer with it too, because then I think I should be able to pull/haul 5000 pounds. So, if I can get a used powerstroke van with a tow package, I should be able to: get almost 20mpg with good driving, be able to haul a lot of syrup, not have to pay for shipping, not have to pay for hotels. I should be able to get a van like this for about 5k. I haven't done the numbers too thoroughly, but it seems like driving myself in the tercel and staying in hotels, plus paying for shipping or renting a truck would start to add up in a couple of trips. The GVW of those E350s seems to be around 9k lbs. They weigh about 5-6k empty, so I could haul 300 gallons without a trailer. If I need too, a trailer could take an additional few hundred gallons (the van is rated to tow somewhere between 6 and 10k pounds depending on the year and equipment.) I would also look at a sprinter van, the dodge/mercedes/freightliner. Anyone have any experience with these, the draw is the mileage, the drawback is the price, and the small diesel. Again thanks for your ideas, and if you have any input on the original question, the one about if anyone has one of these vans or has any input about the engine/trans/reliablity/fuel economy, that would be great.

    Ryan
    -Ryan


    Went off the deep end. Might be in over my head...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    motowbrowne's idea looks good. You might also find the price of a 1 1/2 which would haul it without a trailer. U-Haul has vans for up to 18,000 lbs GVW. Look into that. An enclosed van type would be far more secure as you stop and leave the load un-protected for any reason.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    U-Haul has a 14' truck, listed to carry 6,190# and it gets 10 MPG claimed. Their 17' has more room but under 6,000# payload. Anything smaller needs vehicle plus trailer to carry what you want.
    There are also others who rent trucks, some might cost less. Check around.
    Good luck.
    Dave
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Barre, Vt
    Posts
    1,073

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by motowbrowne View Post
    The GVW of those E350s seems to be around 9k lbs. They weigh about 5-6k empty, so I could haul 300 gallons without a trailer. If I need too, a trailer could take an additional few hundred gallons (the van is rated to tow somewhere between 6 and 10k pounds depending on the year and equipment.)

    Ryan
    300 gallons= 10--30 gallon barrels or 8-- 40's Good luck getting that many in a van. You are absolutely going to need a trailer to get the job done. With that distance carrying that much weight you better be prepared for a breakdown. AAA all the way.
    Thad

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    Whatever you decide to use, don't crowd the MGVW unless you are very experienced driving heavier vehicles. Even though a vehicle is capable of hauling a certain payload, as you get closer to that limit, the operator must be more experienced to properly handle the actual driving of the vehicle.
    I have driven vehicles, with and without trailers from a family car with and without trailer up to truck trailer combination with a 28,000# GVW truck pulling an 18,000# GVW trailer (with MGVW close at hand on the trailer, to haul the back hoe we had to clean mud off the tires, frame and trailer deck or we would be overloaded, which in NYS used to cost more than we were willing to pay). Believe me, the closer you come to the vehicle MGVW the better driver you must be. The heavier you are the harder any change in direction or speed is and the slower any movement of the steering wheel must be. This applies to any size vehicle approaching MGVW, not just big, tall trucks. A vehicle hauling 50-60% of MGVW handles much better for non professional drivers.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

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