I'm selling my hand pump filter press and have ordered a Wes Fab 7" full stack press with an air pump. This will be the third year in a row that I have spent $2,000 or more on improvements and upgrades.
I'm selling my hand pump filter press and have ordered a Wes Fab 7" full stack press with an air pump. This will be the third year in a row that I have spent $2,000 or more on improvements and upgrades.
Russ
"Red Roof Maples" Where the term "boiling soda" was first introduced to the maple world!
1930 Ford Model AA Doodlebug tractor
A couple of Honda 4 wheelers
Four chainsaws and no chickens!
i'm adding a concrete floor to the sugar house as well as buying a new 2 1/2' x 8 evaporator to put on it. this will be a huge change for me. it was a PITA always keeping everything clean, but was fairly easy because i was out there for soooo long boiling! not anymore! after 4 consecutive 12-15 hours days this year, my wife agreed it was time!
Awfully thankful for an understanding wife!
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
- Vincent “Vince” Lombardi
Good luck to all!
We're adding sight glasses to our feeder tank (that feeds sap to the evaporator) and to our pan. We have purchased a150 gallon tank for sap storage that will feed our feeder tank and wil build/repurpose a stand for and will plumb it into the shack. Just looking at these improvements it doesn't sound like much but they are BIG improvements for us. We wil also continue working/thinking about a way to open and close cupola doors from the inside of shack. Ted
I made a rope and pulley system to open and close my cupola doors. One end of the rope is attached to the door and runs through a pulley and the other end is attached to the sugar house wall. The doors drop down when the ropes are unhooked from the sugar house wall and are easily closed by pulling on the rope.Originally Posted by tbear
"Red Roof Maples" Where the term "boiling soda" was first introduced to the maple world!
1930 Ford Model AA Doodlebug tractor
A couple of Honda 4 wheelers
Four chainsaws and no chickens!
We're having a problem with getting the doors initial outward movement started, after that its just gravity. Thanks, ted
I made a "kicker" to open the doors. I pull a rope and a wooden arm kicks the doors, to push them out. Sometimes I need to pull that kicker a second time. I then pull a second rope to close the doors. Each door has a rope attached to it, and both are tied to one rope the comes down one wall. When I pull that single rope both close and I tie them shut by attaching them to a "boat cleat" type tie off. Open and close are both achieved by pulling one rope for each action. The open rope is light weight (3/16"), the close rope is woven 7/16" rope.
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.
School is out for summer! Planning getting out in the woods tomorrow to continue our expansion we started in the fall. Not sure how many more taps but we've got 10,000 + feet of mainline and 50 + rolls of 5/16" on hand (took advantage of Lapierre's cash and carry sale) and we plan on using every inch then we'll probably get more. Planning on working in the woods the next few weeks before doing hay. Ordered a new 10" Lapierre filter press. Going to add onto the sugarhouse, which will get all of our tanks inside. The addition will also include a room for our releaser, vacuum pump, and collection tank it will be nice to not have to go outside. Our current vacuum shed then will be moved to our expansion woods. Plus a little driveway work and parking area expansions.
Jared
I put spring loaded Cam's on mine to get them started. It basically looks like a longer wooden version of the rocker arm in an engine with the spring fastened to the rocker instead of on the cam shaft. They work about 90% of the time and the rest of the time I just need to pull on the cable a few times to initiate the Cam's.
Last edited by minehart gap; 05-31-2019 at 05:26 AM.
Matt,
Minehart Gap Maple
Our huge change/update this year is the building of a new 12 x 18 sugar shack that I have documented on another thread on this site. This will be a huge upgrade for us after boiling outside for the past 4 years. Also going to increase from 110 taps to around 150 for next year. Have purchased 4 vintage Delaval stainless 5 gallon milk pails to store finished syrup in prior to bottling. Had used 5 gallon plastic pails previously but found 2 of ours that the bottoms split wide open for no apparent reason last season. Not a big deal to loose 5 gallons of sap but 5 gallons of syrup lost would be a bad. Thats about it for us.
Clay Stroup
Stroup's Sugar Bush
Almont, MI
2016: 20 taps, 2 gallons
2017: 80 taps, 12 gallons
2018: 92 taps, 16 gallons
2019: 110 taps, 34 gallons
2020: 140 taps, 31-1/2 gallons
2021: 155 taps, 32 gallons
2022: 190 taps, 29-1/2 gallons
2023: 200 taps, 42 gallons
Leader WSE 2x6 drop flue
Mason Steam Pan finishing set up
D & G 7" Filter Press
Next Gen 180 HPRO RO
John Deere Gator 4 x 2
12 x 18 Sugar Shack built in 2019
I have completed my 12'x20' sugar shack. The door underneath is the root cellar to keep the sap cool. I gravity feed the sap to fresh water tanks and I use a RV pump to pump the sap to the pans.
Sugarshack complete.jpg
2016- 32 taps, 3 1/2 gallons
2017- 150 taps, 13 gallons after building an evaporator
2018- goal is 240+ taps. 20+ gallons.
2018 Reality- 235 taps, 5 gallons of syrup. Average 50 birch taps and 3 gallons of syrup.
2019- 180 maple taps, 20 gallons of finished syrup.
~ 160 birch taps, 13 finished gallons of syrup.
Latitude 47.278150
www.facebook.com/livingoffmyland2015
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote