hauling sap with a tractor

[log cabin luke]

I was wondering if anyone out there has any experience with hauling sap with a tractor? I am looking into a bush about a few miles down the road that would be all up hill at a steady moderate incline. It looks to have about 2500 taps. I would like to be able to haul a 1550 gallon tank. The road is straight ,wide and paved. At 1550 gallons plus the tank and trailer I would figure it weighting at least 13,000 pounds. braking should not be much of an issue , it will never be going down hill loaded . I suppose I could also just haul 1000gallons at a time if I had to. I am hoping to buy about a 45 hp Kubota or something else in that range. Any info would be helpful. Thanks Luke

[BAP]

That much weight you would need a 100hp plus tractor to handle it safely, even bigger if slippery. You braking is not much of an issue, but you get the sap sloshing around and that size load will push you right off the road if you don't have a tractor of equal weight or bigger in front of it. I farmed for 35 years and hauled a lot of sap with tractors, it takes much bigger tractor than you would think to handle that size load safely, remember you only have brakes on 2 wheels to stop it.

[log cabin luke]

Lets say that I always filled it right up to reduce sloshing. Had a good tongue weight on the tractor and had tire chains on all the time . How much sap would a 45 hp Kubota tow. Keeping in mind that I over load everything I own . I checked the Kubota web site and they don't list a tow rating. My other option is my 4 cylinder Toyota Tacoma. its rated to tow 3500 lbs but I have towed closer to 5000lbs without much difficulty. I use to put a cage tank in it filled up to about 250gallons. It didn't like it but I always made it back. I need a tractor for other things so I was hoping it could haul more sap than my truck. I know that a full size truck would do the trick but I am getting a tractor anyway and the full size truck would just sit there the rest of the year.

[Mark-NH]

I think a 45hp tractor would haul better than your Tacoma.

[Big_Eddy]

How much does the tractor weigh? It won't tow more than its own weight safely and it won't stop more than about half it's weight. Syrup season is slippery season so down rate again for the conditions.

I pull 125 gals with a 4000 lb 4wd tractor. It's comfortable but you know its there. II wouldn't want to pull 250 gals with the same tractor.

[PARKER MAPLE]

I have a kioti 45hp 4wd tractor that weighs apprx 5500lbs with the front loader attachment on it and loaded tires. if this helps you estimating the weight of your tractor. Im putting my 425 gal tank on a trailer this year and towing it with this tractor. also next year I will own another dump trailer, heavy duty construction type. I plan on putting my 725gal horizontal tank it for gathering.

I have hauled in my Polaris ranger 2 55gal drums full of sap. scary YES but doable, of coarse. I have now gone to a 65gal horiz tank in the back and make more trips.

[buckeye gold]

I have hauled a lot of water over my years. I had several liquid transport trucks with tanks from 200-2000 gallons. Even with those we kept the net weight no more than half the gross weight of the vehicle. All tanks were baffled to prevent weigh shifting, it matters less than you think whether the tank is full. I had one driver who didn't respect the weight shift and he found himself crawling out a truck window in a ditch and lucky to be alive! Do noot take chances, get a smaller tank and make more trips, your family would rather you miss supper than life with them.

[Outdoorsman0490]

This is my first year hauling sap, I am used to hauling and towing wood. With that said, my 6000lb, 35hp kubota l3540 will tow my 6'/12' dump trailer heaped with logs, about 10k, pretty easy

[Big_Eddy]

With that said, my 6000lb, 35hp kubota l3540 will tow my 6'/12' dump trailer heaped with logs, about 10k, pretty easy

But will it stop it going downhill on snowpack?

[jcb]

The sap alone in the 1550 gal tank will be 12934lbs, a trailer capable of hauling that much weight is going to have to be at least 2500-3000lbs so I think you are looking at a 15500-16000lbs load. I like to over load things as well and there is no way I would do it with my 46hp Kubota