# Hive clamps on Forklift



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

So I bought my swinger with hive clamps. Now I know there is discussion on both sides but, I think it was a good investment. I had to take two pallets to the other side of the raspberry field the other day and it is bumpy and muddy. If I had not had the clamps I would not have been able to safely take the two pallets without dropping something. So I vote it was a good purchase. 

Now on the flip side I have knocked over more hives with the clamps by forgetting to raise them or have them to low when I go in and they take off the top box. That is a operator error thing. I have to be real conscious that they are there and raise them before I back up on a double stack or I pull the top stack toward me. Ouch that one hurt.

Lack of visibility due to the other hydrolic's and bars is a minus but, I think that it is worth it anyway.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Occasionally I feel like I should have gotten a clamp but then I remember the grief they have caused me in the past and the feeling goes away. The past 2 weeks have been a lot of late nights and long hours picking up pallets in all kinds of terrain and nary a spilled pallet (and im not even that good on them). The load cushion and ability of the machine to oscillate really does the job....and it's mostly been on a trusty ole Hummer .


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## sjvbee (Dec 27, 2006)

The first year we had the new hummer bee with clamp I really thought I screwed up getting the clamp. After a little learning curve I wouldn't be with out one now


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I learned without the clamps and when I had access to clamps it caused all kinds of trouble cause I would forget that the clamps was on. Knocking the top box etc... 
I avoid to go in far away places over bumpy terrain cause growers think they are experts in the field of pollination. I just tell them it is very hard on bees and equipment to go on bumpy terrain and that the good Lord blessed those creatures with not one but two pairs of wings giving them the ability to fly easily in a 2 mile radius.
Anytime I put bees out of the way for a grower's request I invariably regret it. There is always trouble. My experience in pollination matters is way more than the growers, lesson being I should always listen to myself in these situations cause at the end of the day I am the one who ends up paying for it.

Jean-Marc


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

I agree but, he wanted 12 in the front of the field and 12 in the back. My Isuzu cant make it to the back of the filed in the mud so had to take them there on the swinger. It is the darn little guys that are the most trouble.


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I tell them, if the truck cannot make it, then the forklift does not go. How you supposed to service them? On this I am very rigid with growers, the roads are their responsibility.

Jean-Marc


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

I don't mean to suggest that there aren't times when the clamps aren't very nice to have, indeed there are. My past experience, though, was that that for each time an advantage was gained there was at least one time when I found myself irritated at their presence (and I am aware they can be removed pretty easily). If clamps were a no cost option I would probably say yes to them but aren't they around 3 grand more if you include the cost of upgraded hydraulics?


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## JoshJames (Jun 12, 2009)

EastSideBuzz said:


> Now on the flip side I have knocked over more hives with the clamps by forgetting to raise them or have them to low when I go in and they take off the top box. That is a operator error thing. I have to be real conscious that they are there and raise them before I back up on a double stack or I pull the top stack toward me. Ouch that one hurt.


Pulling hives off the pallet with the clamp will only happen a few times. Just as one's brain learns to automatically pull the lift lever to lift a pallet off the truck before backing up so will you learn to lift the clamp. The trick is to leave the clamp on MOST of the time. This will get it into your brain to always move that thing out of the way. Once you do this it will never be in the way(unless moving stacked totes or more than 16 empty pallets at a time). Then you have all the advantage of moving everything will lightning speed. Let me digress on this point....

Most of today's beekeeping is made up of predominately older guys. And they work their bee's like their dad's did...slow.... Now of course I don't mean there hasn't been any innovation or guys who have figured out how to do things faster but as an industry it is certainly this way. The problem is, most of these guys don't know that their slow so they don't see any need for improvement. Which is fine if they don't really care. I personally would love to be able to work slow and leisurely but there's so much gain when one works fast. My point being that many guys will tell you the clamp get's in the way and only helps a little bit which is simply not true. It's because they themselves only sparingly used the clamp themselves and didn't maximize it's use. 

I guarantee that if you learn to use the clamp properly you will see 40% -50% overall time saved on forklift over non use and at least 70% moving bee's. And yes I can load faster than all those guys that laugh at that and tell me they can load a semi faster with their old 610 which they swear is waaaay faster at loading trucks than an articulating loader! I've been around guys that only use bobcats and one that exclusively uses and has only used 610's. They simply cannot match the speed of an articulated forklift with the clamp being used. All because of the clamp. 

And for the very few times that you don't need it then you can easily remove it. 

If you really want to save lots of time remember to rev your machine up and use the clamp moving all you boxes and equipment around. Some people seem to think the clamp is only good for moving bee's...

So to summarize the above. If your not nostalgic about working slow, push yourself to run your forklift faster and faster and you will see the great gains that are able. Have fun and don't flip the thing


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

JoshJames said:


> Most of today's beekeeping is made up of predominately older guys. And they work their bee's like their dad's did...slow....


You hear that Jimmy....lol Josh will show you the fastest way to eat crow stew.  hey Josh hows that XRT coming along?


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Keith Jarrett said:


> You hear that Jimmy....lol Josh will show you the fastest way to eat crow stew.  hey Josh hows that XRT coming along?


http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=pmdAsL1n6q4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=pmdAsL1n6q4

Only one way to settle this...... Sundown at the ole geriatric ward in our loading yard. We will see who the real Clint Eastwood is.


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## JoshJames (Jun 12, 2009)

Keith Jarrett said:


> You hear that Jimmy....lol Josh will show you the fastest way to eat crow stew.  hey Josh hows that XRT coming along?


The XRT was purely hypothetical. I had no real world experience on that machine  As for the other, I can beat all you "old farts" on your own machines simply due to the fact that I am younger and therefore my hand-eye coordination is vastly superior...No pride, just simple anatomy  LOL


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

JoshJames said:


> As for the other, I can beat all you "old farts" LOL


lol... cut me some slack Josh I'm STILL in my forties...... But Jimmy.....  that ole boy is still out there tearing it up, I wish I am in that good of shape & have that drive when I'm that age.


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## MNbees (May 27, 2013)

jeez from the pictures jim looks younger.


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## MNbees (May 27, 2013)

josh. what if you had clamps on a bobcat???


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

I was about one at the time.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

MNbees said:


> jim looks younger.


MN, didn't mean to imply that Jim was an old geeezeer, just that he was a little older than myself, and still tearing it up at that.


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## JoshJames (Jun 12, 2009)

MNbees said:


> josh. what if you had clamps on a bobcat???


The only clamp I've seen on a bobcat is the one we had on our 610 back when we first started bee's and we were told by everybody that we need to take it off...So we never even used it LOL! A clamp on a bobcat would be nicer than one without I would say but I don't think you'd be able to match the speed of an articulated forklift because of how skid steers start to "hop" back and forth(unless you have a tail wheel) when driving fast over rough terrain. I think a clamp on a bobcat would be able to load a semi of bee's faster than an articulated loader IF the hives are really close to the truck. I've enjoyed being able to spread the stacks of bee's out a bit and have lest drifting and with the clamp it doesn't take hardly any extra time to load this way.


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## JoshJames (Jun 12, 2009)

Keith Jarrett said:


> lol... cut me some slack Josh I'm STILL in my forties...... But Jimmy.....  that ole boy is still out there tearing it up, I wish I am in that good of shape & have that drive when I'm that age.


I know a guy about to turn 80 who still runs around 800 hives with occasional help. So yeah, you guys are still young  As fast as time goes all I have to do is blink and I'll be that old!!!


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

We have a clamp on a 743 (I think) Bobcat with a tail wheel. From a speed standpoint it is probably the fastest machine that we have. It's got a few years and about 5,000 hours on it and dosent get used much anymore (keep an eye on the for sale section). 
Well I am not 80 but I did hit the big 6-0 a few weeks back. Still got some tread left on the tires.  FWIW just loaded a semi all alone last night with the ole Hummer. 190 pallets in about 100 minutes and most important of all neat load with no accidents. I'm outta Tejas, and on the road today. Woo Hoo!!!


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

JoshJames said:


> I know a guy about to turn 80 who still runs around 800 hives with occasional help. So yeah, you guys are still young  As fast as time goes all I have to do is blink and I'll be that old!!!


WOW. 800 at 80. I am struggling with 250 by myself with a full time job. Just hired a kid to build boxes and frames for me so I can not always behind the 8 ball.


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