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Thread: Installing a mainline 20’ high

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    North Grenville, Ontario
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    969

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    The tension grips are for the tubing. Not the mainline wire.
    After my first tubing install 5 years ago And having to go back and cut all the ties and tension the tubing to keep it from curling around mainline I use these things religiously. Was paying $30 each last time I bought a couple.
    I use them combined with an adjustable mainline wire tensioner and am able to loosen them or tighten them if need be.
    Has made a huge difference in keeping the tubing straight.
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  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Williston, VT
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    615

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bricklayer View Post
    The tension grips are for the tubing. Not the mainline wire.
    After my first tubing install 5 years ago And having to go back and cut all the ties and tension the tubing to keep it from curling around mainline I use these things religiously. Was paying $30 each last time I bought a couple.
    I use them combined with an adjustable mainline wire tensioner and am able to loosen them or tighten them if need be.
    Has made a huge difference in keeping the tubing straight.

    I agree with the tension grips when you're hanging wire as a separate step from hanging and attaching the tubing. However, with pre-lashed, I don't think you'll need the tension grips. The tubing will not be curling around the tension wire since the lashing prevents this from happening, provided that the tension wire is tight and you secure the lashing at your ends before you make your cut from the reel.

    If you don't secure the lashing at the ends then you'll need the tension grips but you'll also need to tighten up the lashing or end up tie wires which defeats the purpose of the pre-lash.

    One suggestion I have for you is to make sure that the wire is on top through the entire run between anchor points. It's easy to not notice until you pull things tight.

    Ken
    Ken & Sherry
    Williston, VT
    16x34 Sugarhouse
    1,500 taps on high vacuum, Electric Releaser & CDL Sap Lifter
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  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
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    I did this once to keep the mainline as straight as possible. I had to go over a wet area to do it and the mainline was 25' high at the upper end. I used ratchet straps to lift it into the end tree and secured it by making a loop with the mainline wire around the tree. At first I supported the mainline with pvc pipe and eventually used tie back wires to suspend it rather than support it. I tied the pipe to the mainline wire while it was on the ground which made that part of the install a lot safer.

    The ladder work was tricky because most of it was done on soft ground. What I did worked but as I learned more about installing tubing I wished that I had gone around the wet area and ran the mainline closer to the ground. I was lucky, I didn't have to lift sap to the mainline. In my situation the lateral mains ran down into it even at the high end.

    My recommendation would be to go around the low area if at all possible. It will make life a lot easier when it comes to maintaining it.
    Russ

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  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Verona, NY
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    Ken, thats a brilliant idea with the cable. i'm going to try that out for my next addition, its quite high up a tree with a sap lifter at the bottom. what are you using for anchors in the top of the tree?
    and second question- how do you like that cdl sap lifter? ive got a reverse slope extractor that works well but it needs babysitting, and i'm not around all the time for that, considering one of those in another year or 2.

    ive got a pump out line for my electric extractor that is about 20 ft up, i strung the wire, tied it low, and added a couple slightly loose side ties to it. then i used a couple 2x4's to push it up the tree- if you have tubing on the end of all your wire around end trees this works really well, as long as there are no branches on the trunk. you may have to go up the ladder to tighten side ties, but if you make them with enough zig zag, you can get the whole deal in place and then tighten with a ratchet at the end. i've tied line 15 ft up in place before and it's not a lot of fun, especially when working on ice through wet areas, actually more dangerous than anything because the ladder is never stable.
    Last edited by collinsmapleman2012; 04-12-2022 at 06:48 AM.
    7000 taps on vacuum, just trying to get a little better every year.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Williston, VT
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    615

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    Quote Originally Posted by collinsmapleman2012 View Post
    Ken, thats a brilliant idea with the cable. i'm going to try that out for my next addition, its quite high up a tree with a sap lifter at the bottom. what are you using for anchors in the top of the tree?
    and second question- how do you like that cdl sap lifter? ive got a reverse slope extractor that works well but it needs babysitting, and i'm not around all the time for that, considering one of those in another year or 2.
    It worked pretty well with over 400 taps on that run. I never had to do any fixes once I was set up. I bought the double (in parallel) pump without solar. I needed the extra head capacity so I converted it to double in-line which was a pretty easy re-plumbing of the pumps. I also modified a few things on the tank to fit my complicated intersection of tubing. And, I added a dry line rather than just the mainline shown on the CDL instructions. I pumped about 25 feet up. I did not have a lot of elevation to work with to get back to the extractor so I'm sure I had some sags but it still worked well.

    The other thing I did with the sap lifter is to buy 2 spare pumps just in case. They cost less than $40 each and are good insurance. The good news is that I didn't need them.

    On the snatch block system, I have a 1/2" lag-thread eyebolt with a forged eye (vs a bent-over eye). Just as important is the the mount for the boat winch. I have four 3/8" lag bolts. As you might have noticed from the photos, I used a heavy block of hardwood to move the winch away from the tree to allow room for the winch handle. And, I'm very cautious around the winch and lines since they have so much load.

    For installing the 1/2" eyebolt I had access to a 60 ft manlift. I couldn't have reached with a ladder.


    Ken
    Last edited by TapTapTap; 04-12-2022 at 10:12 AM. Reason: fixed typo
    Ken & Sherry
    Williston, VT
    16x34 Sugarhouse
    1,500 taps on high vacuum, Electric Releaser & CDL Sap Lifter
    Wood-Fired Leader 30"x10' Vortex Arch & Max Raised Flue with Rev Syrup Pan & CDL1200 RO
    https://www.facebook.com/pumpkinhillmaple/

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