Who has used this type of vacuum pump for sap?

[patmaloney]

I just bought a bulk milk tank from an old dairy operation and the vacuum pump that they used is a Gardner Denver Sutorbilt blower. It is powered by a 1740 rpm 10hp electric motor. Inlet and outlet are 2.5 inches on the pump. I dead-headed it and it pulled 25"hg. Max rpm is listed on the pump at 2850 so it can do more than it is now. I would call it a rotary-lobe style pump for lack of a better term. It is very similar to a rotary claw except that the rotors are figure eight shaped looking at them from the end. I'm not sure of the level of cfms it can generate, but it is definitely a high volume pump. Does anyone have any experience using this type of pump in a sugarbush? The manual for the pump lists 16"hg as the maximum limit of course, so I am unsure how it will function at high vacuum levels. Any help is appreciated.