pickup truck tank

[Russell Lampron]

I have the same tank as mapleman3. I get most of the sap out by raising the body on the dump truck I gather with. I have to be carefull though, the tank will slide right out if I lift it too much. I have enlarged the hole in the opening at the top so that I can pump the rest of it out with a small electric submersable pump.

Russ

[Sugarmaker]

Bucket head,
Did you get the spiles?

The 210 tank I sold Dave Y wasn't bad to wrestle around but the 325 gallon is heavier plus I built a steel angle skid frame to mount and secure the tank in the truck. The frame adds some weight too but I added handles which work great for lifting the tank into the bed and tying the tank to the bed hooks. I was really surprised that the truck really doesn't rock much with a half a tank of sap while moving or stopping. The lid on my tanks is about 16 inches in dia. and I can reach into it and hose it out with hot water at the end of each day. We also gravity feed off the back of the truck to a holding tank. Fortunately we have the correct slope compared to Andrew and 98% of the sap comes out.

I got some PVC fittings and a check valve for the remote pump and will start rigging that up this week end. The tubing system is starting to come together slowly.

Regards,
Chris

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

i got one of those bilge pumps that do 750 GPH at walmart on a red tag special yesterday=$11. are they food grade? are they certified lead free? any of the inside components food safe?

[Sugarmaker]

Maple Hill,
Thats a screamin deal on the pump.
Chris

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Sugarmaker- i need to look up the exact plans in the file/but i pretty much got what you'll need to do to get the job done-I'll send you a PM in a few days after i look for them/You know this is HI-TEC so if you don't do it right=we'll i just say it might not work. (Where are those laughing faces when i need about 10 of them?)

Ok I'm on it right now-maybe in 15 minutes i'll find it ?? Gotta be able to keep the secret though so i can sell the idea=like royalmaple said one time....

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

There was 1 pump left if anyone wants it? =I'll send it to you W/the cost of postage added. $3 ??

I don't even need the first one/but hey if i do need it i have it..

[mapleman3]

I am thinking put the tank up on a pallet to raise it 4 " in the truck then a bulkhead fitting and move the valve to the bottom with an elbow then the valve, should do the trick and pretty cheap, I don't want to pump.. gravity so I can walk away from it and get the evap going every night at dump time.... sounds like a plan. thanks for all your input !!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jim,

Just make sure you get one of the heavy duty pallets to be safe or reinforce it some. 300 gallons of sap is 2500+ lbs.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Ok- here's the trick/Plans. I've Keep you waiting too long.

The elbow in the tanks is turned sideways(if you can or a kid get inside the tank this can be done while still attached or it will have to be removed) and a 2"X1 1/2 reducer is glued inside the elbow pipe- Then a piece of 1 1/2" PVC is glued into the reducer so that when the eldow is angled down towards the bottom of the tank it touches the bottom of the tank. A very small notch is cut out of the end of the 1 1/2" PVC so that your tank is now empty before you loose your suction from the elbow before it's empty.

Of course the drain end of the tank needs to be slightly lower then the opposite end so the very last of the sap will be at the elbow end.

The original elbow is at the bottom of the tank/But it's notch is cut in like 3/8" higher from the edge. Your 1 1/2" PVC will be the same length of the elbow with a much smaller notch made in it.

Idea was published in the NH Maple Producers "Gathering tank" by Don Lassonde who is the secretary. I can't seem to find my old issue with that in it but maybe russ has it? or i told sugarmaker to get a hold of Don and maybe he can post the exact pans?

[mapleman3]

Kevin that sounds like a plan !! I'm going to give that a whirl and see how it does... I would rather not make another hole in the tank, I will still put it up on a pallet just to get it above my bulk tank(which I'm dropping down a little more.... I don't like using a pump so this should work great Thanks.

And Brandon, I will get a sturdy pallet, but the tank is only 210 gal.. still alot of weight when filled though