sorta O.T. collecting maple sap.

J

just another old geezer

Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Who out there collects maple sap for syrup and what method do you use?. The old order Amish tap my woodlot and they collect with a team of horses and small skid. With the wet fall and excessive snow is a muddy mess around here and they're really tearing up the pasture. I've been planning on working into the maple syrup business and there are plenty of trees in the woods to keep us all happy. We once tried collecting with the tractor and a skid but buried both. I was wondering what kind of equipment will actually work in the snow and the mud to collect sap without destroying the pasture. Unfortunately due to the large number of white tail deer (42 in a 22 acre corn stubble field last night) tubing the woods is not really an option. All ideas appreciated. Thank you

 

5

51Pony

Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

I run 25 taps on the two feet I was born with. Sounds like your planning a lot more taps.

 

T

TimV

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Have been in or around sugarbushes in NY's maple country all of my life. In the early 70's we scattered and collected over 2,000 taps with an Oliver OC4 crawler and a 2-wheeled trailer until the snow got manageable, then switched to the Farmall A or IH 300 pulling the same trailer. Nowadays, most people have went to a 4x4 tractor of some variation, as mud and ruts in a sugarbush are a perennial problem. Pretty much by definition sugaring time comes at the same time as the spring ice-out/breakup, which means you're not going to get away from dealing with mud, and the best way to approach it is take some time to plan your haul roads so they're in the least muddy spots and you have to carry the sap the least distance (and as little uphill as possible!), then crown your roads, draw fill for the low, muddy spots and use enough tractor. The traditional sleigh has pretty much given way to a 2-wheeled trailer, sometimes with high-flotation tires, though other people run high, narrow tires on the theory that they don't pull as hard when you DO (and you will!) get them stuck.

 

J

JRB

Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

I guess we've got it made. We run about 1400 taps on trees planted in the Village right-of-way. All paved streets & no mud. We use two custom built trailers pulled by a JD B and JD H. The hand clutches are perfect for this and the operator can see/hear the people gathering the sap. It's worked this way for 62 years now.

 

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

How many taps are you thinking about? I made a neat little rig for my grandson, 18"x36" pan. He made over 5 gallons of syrup in 3 weeks after school and weekends. He had 10 taps but it could probably handle twice that. Email if interested bearlysane43atyahoodotcom The arch is a frame with a hanging door that sits on cement blocks with the stovepipe on the end.

 

OP

OP

J

just another old geezer

Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

currently, they have 1000 taps out. the arch and pan system is not the problem, the problem is collecting and hauling out of the woods without tearing up the pasture, and trails

 

OP

OP

J

just another old geezer

Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

the two options we are considering now are tracks for the Kawasaki mule.(downside 140gal max payload) or a used tracked dumper (downside, cost, 18,000 to 25,000 used, but could be used for other things in the winter)
anyone have any experience with these???

 

R

RayP(MI)

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Brother-in-law has a metal stock tank fastened to a two wheeled trailer with skids underneath. If the wheels sink very far, it's skidding like an old fashioned stone boat. Pulls it with a Farmall H. Can get pretty rough going when the frost goes out. Also has a small tank on a 4wd ATV. Seen him plow a bunch of mud with that too. He's near Cahrlotte, MI.

 

G

GordoSD

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

How about one of those 6 tire MAC amphibs pulling a small trailer. They go through some amazing places. And I happen to have one with just 55 hours on the clock. Complete cab and plow

 

H

hoeman300

New User

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

My ex father-in-law runs between 1600-2500 taps every yr with two teams of Belgians and two gathering tanks mounted on wagon gears with the reach shortened all the way. The drivers stand on the front of the wagons and one has a seat from a mini-van mounted on the back that holds 3 people. Room for one more to stand next to driver on both. The other has a place for 3 to stand on the back. You want to make sure to hold on, gets a little rough at times. We use a four wheeler to shuttle extra helpers to the woods. Once in the woods everyone is off the wagons including the driver of the more experienced team. They do real well with voice commands in the woods. The ruts are deep in places but that can't be helped given the time of yr it is. The older team pulls the bigger tank, 210 gallons. The youngsters pull 150 gallon. This year on just over 1600 taps we made 174 gallon of syrup in three weeks. Location is Pittsfield Twp. Wellington, Ohio.

 

J

Jim in Ma.

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Could you run a pipeline ? A guy around here does that and picks up at the raodside.

 

G

GordoSD

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Brain Cloud, MAX ATV

 

3

37 chief

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Interesting, There must be a market for the sap. How do you sell it, and who buys it? How do they price it? Stan

 

F

Firewood

Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

I collect the sap in the afternoon and place it in 30 gallon containers. Then the next morning when the ground is frozen I go out with my Ford 861 and pick up the containers.

Went to this system after I noticed the damage being done by "mudding" the sap out in the afternoon.

This probably would not work for a major operation but for me it does.

 

W

Wardner

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Stan,

Sugar bushes are rented for $0.75 to $1.00 per tap per season.

Landowners will also sell sap per percentage point of sap times gallons. Let's say 2.6% sugar content times 1200 gallons times $0.33. Value varies on whether it is delivered to sugar maker or he picks up, age of sap, temp of sap, clarity of sap, and time of season.

More info at MapleTraders.com
http://www.mapletrader.com/community/index.php

 

W

Wardner

Well-known Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

If you have alot of flatland that is impassable, maybe you should think about dump stations that might handle 100 buckets. Try to run gravity lines to connect them to larger tanks near a passable road. If gravity won't work, use a backpack pump.

 

OP

OP

J

just another old geezer

Member

• Apr 3, 2011

• #1

Whats the payload/ towing capacity???

 

OP

OP

J

just another old geezer

Member

• Apr 4, 2011

• #1

Actually, in the woodlot is not as bad as the trail out through the pasture. the woodlot is 1/2 mile from the nearest gravel, another 1/4 mile to the evaporator.

 

H

Harold Hubbard

Member

• Apr 4, 2011

• #1

I am lucky to have all of my taps uphill from the sugar house, and they run right in on gravity. Years ago when we gathered the lower woods with a tractor, we just accepted the damage at the field crossing as a fact of life, and cleaned it up, harrowed it over and seeded it every spring. And this was right across a hayfield, not pasture. Finally one year one of our hay customers defaulted on his payments, but he just happened to own a gravel pit and a truck. The bill got cleared up, and a good graveled track got laid down along the fence line, end of trouble.

If it is possible to leave your gathering rig right in the woods, you could set up a pump and temporary pipeline across the pasture, either to the sugar house or another hauling vehicle.

I personally have had very little trouble with deer damage to tubing. They can usually avoid it, or jump over unless, they are running from something. Moose, on the other hand, just plow through everything, tubing, electric fences, barb wire, even page wire if it is old and rusting away. Squirrels chew the tubing when it is up, mice get it if it gets knocked down under the snow, and coyotes will chew it and play with it. Once they break it and find it sweet, they go nuts with it.

 

N

Nebraska Cowman

Well-known Member

• Apr 4, 2011

• #1

Tall skinny tires on both the tractor and a two wheeled tank trailer will get you most anywhere. You don't want a real heavy tractor, just something in the 45 horse range with tall tires.

 

N

Nebraska Cowman

Well-known Member

• Apr 4, 2011

• #1

You are going to make ruts unless you stay in the house. It's just part of the deal. You can smooth it back up later.

 

G

GordoSD

Well-known Member

• Apr 4, 2011

• #1

Data sheet says 1000 lbs. email is open

 

F

farmboyWI

Member

• Apr 4, 2011

• #1

2 5-gallon pails,a strong back, and long arms. But we only tap five or six trees for our own use and to give away. Down a steep hill steping on icy branches and 1/4 mile home ain't that bad.