More maple syrup questions - leader evaporators

[ejb]

I am finally close to pulling the trigger on a evaporator...spent the last few months scoping out used equipment and haven't had a lot of luck find good, used equipment, close to me and at a reasonable price (is that asking too much??).

Anyway, I first started looking at the $795 leader half-pint evaporator...15-50 taps. As cheap as I am, that still seemed like a lot of money....then my wife asks me, if you get that little one, aren't you going to wish you had a bigger one right away? she is probably right. I probably have 100 - 150 trees within 1000 feet of my house I can tap, and a whole lot more on the property (I would estimate 250 - 300 anyway)...

Anyway, so she is probably right, a 15-50 tap evaporator might be too small.....but then the question arises, what makes a 15-50 tap evaporator rated for 15-50 taps? If I had 200 taps, and a 15-50 tap evaporator, couldn't I just run it longer? where is the limiting factor?

If I was somehow able to loosen up my wallet to consider a leader evaporator in the 2x6 range (around $2500), there seems to be a few to choose from...any recommendations? what is a drop flue versus a raised flue etc. Looking for some recommendations.

And lastly, how much other "stuff" am I going to realistically need to add-on to the $2500 evaporator? If I realize that the $2500 evaporator is going to actualy be more like $3500 once I add on the required "options"...I defintely gravitate towards the smaller one.

Thanks all!

 

[Deerlope]

I got into syrup a few years ago, but I built my own. The capacity of all evaps, are figuared on a 9 hour day of boiling. If you go small you will regret it, cause the longer that you have to boil it the darker it gets. Get it in and get it out fast makes for a better product. drop flue seems to be the standard in the US. the raised flue came about so that one would not hit the flues while putting in wood. With a raise flue you have to make little "dams" inside the arch to push the fire up.If you got 300 taps get the 2'x6' and only do the set up once. If want to do it faster with the 2x6 you can buy or build a paralle heater, it would increase you capacity by 30 to 40 %. We can go on all day and night about sugaring equip.

 

[alan40]

I agree about going bigger. I was going to get a half pint but purchased an Algiers Thrifty model. It's a 24 x 66 rig. I'm limited to about 125 taps and the price was right for a new one. Leader has great evaporators and the most expensive. Bascoms.com in New Hampshire has several used ones. Get on the net and look for Leader,Algiers, Waterloo and Small to name a few. My rig is just what I call a hobby rig. With your number of taps a 2x6 sounds right. You can always do a number of upgrades to increase your gallons per hour. Just remember the evaporator is just the start. Bricking, sap storage, pumps, buckets or sap lines all come into play. Mapletrader.com is a great sugaring site like this one is for tractors. Give them a look up . It's a really great site.

 

[Youare]

Most evaporators are rated in how many gallons of water they can boil off in an hour or some period of time. That figure is when conditions are perfect based on the square footage of pan to the fire.

I have boiled using a Leader 2X4 unit with dropped flues and a 2x3 flat pan on the hobby size units. There is a world of difference in price and the time it takes to make a gallon of syrup.

I have put out as many as 75 taps and tried to keep up boiling on the 2X3 unit, you spend many hours in the sugar house. If you can get the bigger evaporator, 2X4 or 2X6.

If there is a sheet metal fabricator in your area check to see how much it would cost you to have them make something the size you want. I had a new pan fabricated two years ago for half the cost of a new one and the guy did a much nicer job.

You can make your own arch really easy. The new stainless steel pans are all welded to get away from the lead in the soldering process. It is hard to find good used equipment that has been traded in that has not been burnt. Maybe you can find someone who is not going to use their set-up any more and purchase it.

 

[sugarmaker]

Hi EJB,

I've got to agree with your wife; pick up something with a flued pan; flat pans (like the Half-pint has) will make for some very long nights for anything more than a few dozen taps.

As for "other stuff", here's some things off the top of my head:
- storage tank: $150 for 210 gal poly
- gathering tank: same
- buckets/covers/taps: $1.50 per set used
- Filters: $20 for wool plus paper prefilters
- Filter tank: $20 for turkey fryer pot at TSC
- Hydrometer: $20 each. You'll break the first one the first week
- Hydrometer test cup - $20. no good substitute
- Temporary grading kit - $15.
- Evaporator stack - $10/3 foot section
- Roof jack - $75
- Stack cover: 0$ (rusty sap bucket upside down)
- Containters: $1 each

Maybe it would be cheaper for you to just move to Vermont. The state outfits all new residents with all this equipment automatically upon arrival!

 

[Deerlope]

Sugarmaker
I built my evap. It is flat bottom 2'wX 6"6'X 9" h and I can do 1-1/2 gals per hour. However I still want a flue set up 3'x8'. I had to do a lot if research before I built it to get it right but it has exceeded my expectations.