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Thread: Red Roof Maples, gone but not forgotten!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default Red Roof Maples, gone but not forgotten!

    Well look at that join date! December 31, 2002. It's been almost 20 years since I joined this forum. Many producers have come and gone in that time and I've met a lot of good people on here.

    I'm doing maple the best way now. I'm currently in PA working with PATHERON getting his 12,000 taps dialed in and ready for the BIGSAP! I'm having a lot of fun tapping trees and fixing vacuum leaks and doing other things maple. When I'm done here I'll go home satisfied that I helped a good friend that I met through this forum get his vacuum up to snuff and get some barrels filled. Best of all I'm getting my maple fix without spending a dime on equipment and supplies.

    I met a friend of Theron's yesterday that remembered me from the mapletrader. Like Theron and many others he doesn't come here anymore but remembers Red Roof Maples from his time on the forum.

    I hope that everyone has a great maple season this year.
    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!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Millmont,Pa
    Posts
    563

    Default

    Way to go Russ! Hope retirement is going well for you!
    115 red maples on vacuum
    100 taps on 5/16 gravity
    35 taps on 3/16 gravity
    50 taps on shurflo vacuum
    about 60 buckets on giant roadside sugars
    neighbor bringing from 45 taps
    30'x 8' Aof/Auf Evaporator
    Homemade 125gph Ro
    Lots of Homemade Equipment!

    http://s848.photobucket.com/albums/a...%20Sugarshack/

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Walpole, NH
    Posts
    1,364

    Default

    Good to hear from you. I was just thinking about you when I was boiling for the first time Friday and wondering if you were still on the Trader. Sounds like a fun way to get your sugaring fix.
    Sugaring for 45+ years
    New Sugarhouse 14'x32'
    New to Me Algier 2'x8' wood fired evaporator
    2022 added a used RB25 RO Bucket
    250 mostly Sugar Maples, 15% Soft Maples. Currently,(110on 3/16" and 125 on Shurflo 4008 vacuum, 15 gravity), (16,000 before being disabled)
    1947 Farmall H and Wagon with gathering tank
    2012 Kubota with forks to move wood around

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default

    Thank you Bruce. I'm living my best life now and really enjoying retirement. It truly is a fun way to get my maple fix. Theron is a great guy and really appreciates my help. It's a new experience to work 12000 taps compared to the 725 that I had. I missed the first boil but we'll be boiling again later in the week and I'll be here for that. It's turning out that I'll be his main man in the woods which is where I want to be. I've always enjoyed bubble patrol and the satisfaction of a high vacuum gauge when I was done.
    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!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

    Default

    Hey there he is!!! Sounds like you are having some fun! and you said it best part is lack of stress and spending money. Glad you are getting your maple fix and still get some time in the woods. have fun!!!
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Barrington, NH
    Posts
    2,762

    Default

    Hey Russ! Great to hear from you. Glad to see you're still getting your maple fix. It's hard to let it go after 20 years.
    Josh

    2009 - 370 on vac. & 16 buckets
    2010 - 377 on vac.
    2011 - 590 on vac.
    2012 - 620 on high vac., 170 buckets, 110 on gravity tubing
    2013 - 830 mine + 800-1000 others
    2014 - 870 mine + 800-1000 others
    2017 - 920 mine + 500-700 others
    2018 - 902 mine + 500-700 others
    2019 - 902 mine + 700 others
    2020 - 902 mine + ???? others
    Atlas Copco Pump
    2.5'x8' 802maple Special with Dallaire pans
    H2O Innovation 600gph RO
    Spring Harvest Website

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default

    The temperature has dropped below freezing here in PA and will stay that way for the next 5 or 6 days. We've been out on bubble patrol and have 11000 of his 12500 tight. We've got 800 tapped and ready to go online as soon as we get a warm day. We've got another 700 to tap and that will get them all online.

    Making syrup with that many taps is a big change for me. We just finished a 3 day run yesterday and had 12500 gallons of sap to boil. After that was done we collected another 1200 gallons and have that at the sugar house for the next boil.

    My friend concentrates to 15% and at the 420 gallons per hour that his evaporator does we boiled for about 3 hours and filled 3 55 gallon barrels. In that time we made almost as much syrup as I made in a whole season. It was a lot of fun!

    Now on to the filter press. He has a 10" full bank press with an air pump on it. Through the years he figured out that what worked best for him was to run the pump at about half throttle and to control the flow into the barrel with the bypass and to change the papers when the flow was too low. I had been telling him beforehand that I didn't even use the bypass controlling the pump with the air valve and that I opened the valve just enough for the pump to run. When it was time to change papers he let me show him how I did it and we got another half barrel through it before we had to change the papers in a much quieter sugar house. He changed the papers and then had me take over on the press from start to finish. I showed him how to charge it without the bypass too and he and his father who runs the evaporator were both amazed at how fast we were getting the syrup through it and how fast the draw off tank was getting emptied.
    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!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Chatham NH
    Posts
    1,309

    Default

    Great yo hear from you Russ, always liked PAtheron as well. Enjoy the season!!
    Nate Hutchins
    Nate & Kate's Maple
    2022 1000 taps?
    3x10 Intensofire
    20x36 sugarhouse
    CDL 600gph RO
    A wife and 2 kids.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Lanark, ON
    Posts
    2,387

    Default

    I was just wondering on the weekend how PATheron was doing! Wish him well for me. Lot of good people have come and gone through this board over the years.
    4,600 Taps on vacuum
    9,400 gallons storage
    3 tower CDL RO
    3.5'x14' Lapierre Force 5
    Twitter & Instagram: @ennismaple
    www.ennismaple.com

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

    Default

    Theron is doing great. We've got his woods all bubble patrolled and he's made almost five 55 gallon barrels of syrup so far. We've got a 5 or 6 day freeze up going on right now so we can slow down and take a breather. The early season stress is gone and we're ready to set the cruise control and enjoy the season.
    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!

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