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who's ready to make some maple syrup?

Started by ryguy777, February 24, 2014, 01:58:14 PM

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ryguy777

im hoping to tap next week. this is sort of my first year, ive always made syrup with my grandparents from the few trees in their yard. this year my goal is 50 taps, maybe more if I have enough time. what's everyone else's goal this year?

Chuck White

Where abouts are you located?

We tapped on the 20 & 21 Feb & hooked the pipeline into the barrels yesterday afternoon. 

We gathered that sap today, only about 100 gallons, turned cold so sap didn't run much.  Not enough sap yet to start boiling!

We have 879 taps on the pipeline and plan on putting up enough sap buckets so we'll have over 1,000 taps all together!

Last year we made 150 gallons of syrup and we hope to better that this year!


~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

thecfarm

I was driving by a apple business place. They sell apples,donuts,disk golf and some veggies. I noticed a truck with a pick up with a tank in it and there was steam coming out of the maple shack.  :o  I should of stopped and found out for sure. yes,it's been warm for the last few days,but that is it for the week. Not suppose to get above freezing here for the rest of the week.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

loggah

I plowed out the sugarhouse,and the loop road thru the orchard with my D5 dozer on saturday, supposed to be cold most of this week, so next weekend or early next week we will be tapping out . Most all my trees are on buckets so you dont want to tap to early or the holes will dry out .
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

yukon cornelius

we are going to try this year but we only have a few maples most of which are small. only one of these are hard maples. we are in south mo.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

BBTom

I logged one section of the sugarbush this winter, so I lost almost 300 taps.  The other 700 are still waiting for me to tap.  Forecast is for below freezing at least until the 5th.  I guess I have some time to get tapped. 
2001 LT40HDD42RA with lubemizer, debarker, laser, accuset. Retired, but building a new shop and home in Missouri.

ryguy777

im in the southern tier of upstate NY. I wanted to tap this weekend but this week its not really gonna be warm enough this week and I didn't have all the buckets ready to go. I tapped 3 trees in the yard today cause I got a new drill bit and an old hand brace to I was eager to try it out haha. I got one of those 275 gallon plastic tanks with the cage around it to collect with, I wont wait until its full to boil, I just haven't got enough time or a big enough pan to boil all that. im excited to get going though!

GAB

ryguy777:
My goal every spring is to make 5 gallons of syrup.  Last Thursday I put in my 32 taps and as of yesterday afternoon I have collected 33 gallons of sap.  I've had the sugar content go from 3.00 to 2.45 in that short time frame.  My boiling system is two pots on the wood stove in the basement.  You might say my maple syrup operation is an offshoot or by-product of heating the house.  Some years I make my goal, and some years the season is short and I don't make it.  Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

ryguy777

GAB, that's how we have been doing it the passed few years. eventually id like to have a sugar shack and a bigger evaporator. I have an old oil tank in the back yard id like to make an evaporator  out of.

GAB

ryguy777:
For your information two of my projects for this summer are to put up a 26'x70' sugarhouse, after I plant a small (one acre) garden.  The poles are already in the ground.  They need to be straightened and cut to height, as a first step.  The wood or fuel portion of the building is intended to be 26'x30'.  I'm considering taking 12'x 30' of that to put in a wood drying kiln.  The reason for putting in 32 taps is that I think (based on walking the woods) that I can put in 960 taps.  So 32 is 1/30th of my capability so I can get a feel as to how much sap I could expect if all the trees produced like the 32 taps that are closest to the house.  Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

JohnM

Quote from: loggah on February 24, 2014, 05:48:04 PM
Most all my trees are on buckets so you dont want to tap to early or the holes will dry out .
That's good to know, loggah!  I was feeling like I should have had the taps in this past weekend with the warm temps but now I'm glad I waited.  I need another week or two to get ready anyway. ::)

Last year was our first year doing it and I think we ended up with around 4.5/5 gals off 12 taps.  I had grand plans to recycle my old oil tank this winter into an evaporator but that ain't happening.  Going to try and find an old 55 gal drum and try for a 'quick' upgrade from this...

  ...it made for long days boiling sap.

Sounds like I have 'some' time especially since no one in the family really cared for the 'fancy' (early) grade syrup.
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

ryguy777

im setting up similar, I have an old grimm pan that im putting up on blocks. hope it goes well

JohnM

Quote from: ryguy777 on February 25, 2014, 01:09:53 PM
im setting up similar, I have an old grimm pan that im putting up on blocks. hope it goes well
Every single one of those blocks are cracked, as you can see in the one with pipe coming out.  It's now being held together with twisted wire. ::)  I also filled the blocks with 'play sand', not sure it did much though.
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

ryguy777

as long at this gets me through this year Ill be happy. im hoping to build a 2x6 evaporator from an oil tank this summer

Den Socling

Too bad that you aren't closer, JohnM. I have a bunch of plastic drums that had soda syrup in them. I'd give them away.

JohnM

Quote from: Den Socling on February 25, 2014, 09:44:35 PM
Too bad that you aren't closer, JohnM. I have a bunch of plastic drums that had soda syrup in them. I'd give them away.
Thanks, Den.  I want a steel one to modify into an evaporator/firebox but I do have one of those blue barrels for sap storage, could use one more though.  My wife and kids will be down in NJ next month...think she'd get some funny looks coming back up 95 with one of those strapped to the roof of the Corolla? :o ;) :D

ryguy, if you're planning on something like mine I'd suggest going 3 blocks high to get more wood in.  I plan on doing at least that this year if not a total redesign.  I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the whole process, it's wicked fun! :D
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

justallan1

Has anyone tried making box elder syrup? I've been reading up on it and am thinking of trying to make some just to see how it works out.

Allan

Don_Papenburg

I read about some guy making walnut syrup .  I want to try that next year.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Chuck White

John;  Just a word of caution, I don't think that the damper in your smoke pipe is a good idea, had a neighbor put one in his stack and one day it melted and he found it at the bottom.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

JohnM

Quote from: Chuck White on February 26, 2014, 03:16:26 PM
John;  Just a word of caution, I don't think that the damper in your smoke pipe is a good idea, had a neighbor put one in his stack and one day it melted and he found it at the bottom.
Honestly Chuck I had forgot it was even there til you said something. :D  I don't use it, meaning it stays wide open, but I may well take your advice and remove it this year.  As you can see by the pipe it gets pretty hot and I'm hoping to get it even hotter this year. smiley_devil  ;D :D  Thanks for the tip!
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

bill m

I'm still working on the addition (14 x 32) to my sugarhouse. Hope to get the wiring done by the end of next week, install the new RO machine, set up the evaporator in its new room and then set up all the equipment in the filtering/packaging room. The roofing will be the week after that. Then I can start to set taps.
NH tc55da Metavic 4x4 trailer Stihl and Husky saws

Chuck White

John, your rig reminds me of the first rig I was around!  Nastalgia!  :)

Right out in the open, setting on cinder blocks and ours was chinked in with mud!

Didn't make a lot of syrup (of course I was only about 12) but we made enough for our family!

Some different now adays!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

ryguy777

well tomorrow and today ive gotta go into full gear and get ready or else it prolly wont happen haha, right now im about to go clean up a pile of barn boards my neighbor ripped off his barn (was caving in he made a smaller garage out of it) and get the buckets all ready to go

21incher

After reading this topic I decided that I would give making maple syrup a try this year. I have a dozen maples around 18"-20" diameter in my yard and went to Tractor Supply this morning and purchased 6 spiles & hooks. I figured 6 would be a good starting quantity as from what they told me I should get 5-10 gallons of sap from each tap so I am hoping to wind up with a gallon of syrup after boiling. My question is how do you know when to insert the taps in the trees? Plus I plan on using empty 1 gallon Ice Tea containers to collect the sap to get started and was wondering how often would they need to be changed? Do you get 1 gallon a day or 1 gallon a week?
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

Chuck White

Takes around 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup!

Sugar maples are sweeter than Soft Maple too!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

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