# Bee Trucks



## beesohappy (Jun 3, 2009)

I've wondered the same thing and from what I hear it's about traction. The cab over style trucks have horrible traction. It's a bummer because I'm with you. I think they would make for a good bee truck.


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## johnbeejohn (Jun 30, 2013)

4x4 is what u want I think most of them cab overs are only 2 wheel drive and who wants to drive a flat nose all over the place


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## jesterbee (Mar 10, 2010)

We have run the Mits Fuso FG for years. They make great local yard trucks. 16' bed and turning radius of a small pickup. I wouldn't want to go 500 miles down the interstate with them. The new ones are horrible however. Lots of problems with the emission control system, has a fiat diesel engine instead of a Mitsubushi and single speed transfer case. Find a used pre 2007 or we are now running seven 1999 through 2007 Isuzu NPR's converted to 4x4 by RC Truck Sales in Hialeah, FL (Miami). They put a Ford front axle and transfer case in them. They are selling a lot to Central America and sending to northern U.S. as snow plow trucks. We've been please with the conversion and that year model trucks are pretty dependable.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

We work on a lot of Isuzu NPR's at my shop. I love the tight turning radius. I will have to check into converting them to 4x4. That's very interesting.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

johnbeejohn said:


> 4x4 is what u want I think most of them cab overs are only 2 wheel drive and who wants to drive a flat nose all over the place


You are right, most of them are 2WD, but the Fuso FG model is specifically 4x4.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

jesterbee said:


> We have run the Mits Fuso FG for years. They make great local yard trucks. 16' bed and turning radius of a small pickup. I wouldn't want to go 500 miles down the interstate with them. The new ones are horrible however. Lots of problems with the emission control system, has a fiat diesel engine instead of a Mitsubushi and single speed transfer case. Find a used pre 2007 or we are now running seven 1999 through 2007 Isuzu NPR's converted to 4x4 by RC Truck Sales in Hialeah, FL (Miami). They put a Ford front axle and transfer case in them. They are selling a lot to Central America and sending to northern U.S. as snow plow trucks. We've been please with the conversion and that year model trucks are pretty dependable.


That's good feedback. Poor emission control reliability seems to be a common thread with newer diesels.


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

The two most important things that a bee truck MUST have:
1) A good stereo.
2) Air conditioning


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## mark g (Jun 6, 2006)

I bought a NPR a month ago. I love the thing, I can't believe the tight spots I can turn around in, traction is an issue for sure, and tops out at 60 mph with a load on. I am going to get another as my help loves it as well.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

I don't know that a NPR could be much worse than a 2wd 450/550. Try pulling a forklift up even a gentle slope of wet grass and you will probably fail. 4wd is the only way to go.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I live on 4x4.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

lol.... Never owned a 4x4 in my life. Where's that bus at......

I think what really matters is where you run bees that determines whether a 4x4 is needed or not.


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## Broke-T (Jul 9, 2008)

If your in the Southeast 4x4 is a must.

Johnny


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## Sadler91 (Nov 6, 2011)

Broke-T said:


> If your in the Southeast 4x4 is a must.
> 
> Johnny


+1

I know this will probably start a riot but bigger trucks are difficult to maneuver down here. We prefer 450-550 size trucks with 4x4. Won't even entertain the thought of a 2wd.


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

Sadler91 said:


> +1
> 
> I know this will probably start a riot but bigger trucks are difficult to maneuver down here. We prefer 450-550 size trucks with 4x4. Won't even entertain the thought of a 2wd.


We find the we use 4WD mainly to get out of a pickle.
I rarely have needed 4WD to GET INTO a spot. It seems that you go in, unload and then either in turning around or driving out you run into trouble.
I had a really good spot to unload in meadowfoam this year but the rear tires had to be in mud while the front tires were on gravel.
I had to lock the hubs just to move about 3 feet forward at which point I was on solid ground.

One thing I would really consider If you are needing 4WD alot is installing a locking rear carrier.
We had a tooth break off of our pinion and when I took it to the driveline shop I let them talk me into a Detroit Locker.
Since then, I have had to use 4WD WAY LESS.
It is amazing the difference that a rear axle locked solid just like a spool (when needed) is compared to an open carrier.

Our new truck came with "limited slip".
We'll see how well or bad that works.


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## Chip Euliss (Sep 2, 2010)

So much depends on your own unique situation. I have some beeyards where a 2wd would work fine, rain or shine; others have very steep inclines on grassy prairie trails that you need 4wd to get in even when there's a little dew on the grass. Last week, I drove into a yard in 2wd and a thunderboomer came in and it was all I could do to get out. After getting stuck, I had to unload the Hummerbee and just barely got out as it was. Then a 1/2 mile walk back to the forklift and drove it out to load on the trailer. I'm sure I'd be more cautious if I had a 2wd but I'd also be limited in where and when I could go in my busy time of the year. Buy the truck that fits your situation.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

I find that 4wd is particularly required here in early spring. With the ground frozen you can get into a lot of spots, but when by midday the top 2-4" has thawed it can be tough to get out even with 4wd. There are also those times the land owner plows some or all of your access.


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## Joe Hillmann (Apr 27, 2015)

HarryVanderpool said:


> We find the we use 4WD mainly to get out of a pickle.
> I rarely have needed 4WD to GET INTO a spot. It seems that you go in, unload and then either in turning around or driving out you run into trouble.
> I had a really good spot to unload in meadowfoam this year but the rear tires had to be in mud while the front tires were on gravel.
> I had to lock the hubs just to move about 3 feet forward at which point I was on solid ground.
> ...



When do you lock up the rear axle? Before you are stuck or after? I drive a plow truck and I don't think ever locking up the rear axle has gotten me unstuck, in fact it usually makes it worse by causing the truck to slide downhill sideways. 

There are several times I have used it before I was stuck but don't know if I would have made it without it.


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

Our locker is auto-locking.
When one wheel, under power, runs ahead of the other, the mechanism engages in the carrier to lock:

http://www.eatoncorp.com.au/Eaton/ProductsServices/Vehicle/Differentials/detroit-locker/index.htm

There is talk, as you mention of control factors on ice.

One thing that you will never have happen is that annoying experience of one side spinning and the other side setting still.
I have only gotten the truck stuck twice since the installation.
Both times were totally out of my own stupidity. 

One of my projects for winter is to install electrically controlled lockers on my forklift.
There are several styles of lockers available to choose from.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Keith Jarrett said:


> lol.... Never owned a 4x4 in my life. Where's that bus at......ot.


Keith you rain to get mud to get a 4x4. Lol


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

So I run a 16ft NRR and a trailer and when I get stuck I carry a chain and my Swinger just pulls the NRR and Trailer right out.


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## johnbeejohn (Jun 30, 2013)

http://s61.photobucket.com/user/jdu.../20160624_090230_zpsjqb6cdsn.jpg.html?filters[user]=145225479&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0
Just got this baby last night only 137 k on it 02 f350 7.3


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

This seems to be a better link: http://s61.photobucket.com/user/jdubtit/media/Mobile Uploads/20160624_090230_zpsjqb6cdsn.jpg.html


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

We love our non 4x4 cabovers, keep them out of wet grass and they are fine.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=3a20ccf0da2a8a0e21ab2158f3856de3&oe=57ED44C5


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## Joe Hillmann (Apr 27, 2015)

AstroZomBEE said:


> We love our non 4x4 cabovers, keep them out of wet grass and they are fine.
> 
> https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=3a20ccf0da2a8a0e21ab2158f3856de3&oe=57ED44C5


How many hives do you have on that truck? And approximately what does a load weigh?


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## Andersonhoney (Jun 21, 2016)

We have a fuso/Mitsubishi canter 99 model dual cab 4x4. Great vehicle, take it slow it will crawl up anything. Adjustable in cab shockers to smooth the ride when empty/loaded etc. Standard off road tires, that is dual wheels on rear so cation in the sand. I was supposed to sell this truck when we upgraded but just couldn't let it go.
Also have isuzu nps 4x4 single cab 2012, with super singles. Great improvement with the larger wheels. Designed here in Australia by "all terrain warriors". They also do springs and diff locks etc for both these vehicles. Great website if you like that stuff. Isuzu is better in sand country and with the turbo it goes great in low range, and fast enough on the roads. As it came with the standard wheels it was a terrible ride, not good for driver or bees, now it's better.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Some exotic pictures of the far away Germany. Just over the pond. In Europe you are like in a midget world. Everything is tiny. Houses, roads, everything. And I have a comparably "small" truck, a Ford F250. Which is huge truck over here. But we have narrow streets and tiny roads. 

To avoid pulling a trailer with a forklift, I got me the smallest 4x4 "offroad"/off-the-pavement forklift that I could get. The forklift rides piggyback on the F250. 









The trailer theoretically holds 90 hives, but weight limits it to 60 hives maximum. Which is Ok, because our apiaries never have more than 60 hives. I have holding yards for winter with 100 hives, but during the honey hunting season, apiaries are like 30 or 60 hives per apiary. Usually 30 hives. So I move one to two apiaries at one time. For bigger movals I rent a full size truck. 









For easier loading/unloading I remove the tailgate. 









The forklift is the Avant 220. 









Fork is put against the cabin of the truck.









Forklift stands down on the fork and secures it. Forklift is tied down to the truck bed.









I have lightweight plastic pallets, four hives per pallet. 









The good thing of a small forklift is, you can put your hives through an eye of a needle. Really, wherever you can comfortably walk, you can go with your hives. Because there is no open range here, you have to use small patches of land for your apiaries. 




































The negative side of a small forklift is of course the limited weight it lifts. Which is sometimes a challenge on bumpy sloping ground. On the other hand I load and unload on my own, need only one truck and no extra trailer for the forklift.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

I looked for an easier way to load the forklift and found the Ezy-Lift that I mounted on the truck. It also lifts all sorts of things like supers, big bags, pallets,...









Stacking it high... :scratch:









It lifts a ton/2,000 lbs. I really like it. With the lift I don't need ramps. Ramps are a pain on rough terrain. With the lift this is easy.









Everybody loves his vehicle...isn't it? 


















For comparison my F250, F150 and the European version of a "pickup truck", the Ford Ranger. (Right to left.)









The problem with European pickups is, they are useless as pickup trucks. Too limited pulling, too narrow and small tail beds. The motors are too weak either. You don't pull much with a 2 litre capacity motor.

So far I couldn't find a spot in our landscape that the F250 didn't come through. We have a lot of grass and mud fields, really nasty. The fully loaded trailer tires once lost completely the contact to the ground, the truck was pulling it through the mud like a sled.  No problem.

The best offroad tires I found are the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2. You don't get stuck easily with those.

That is for comparison a General Grabber tire.










One, two rounds in the mud and those tires are useless.









This is the km2.









No more trouble on the same muddy ground.


















Very good on sandy terrain, too.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Interesting post Bernhard, you are quite resourceful. Saw the Avant loaders at a dealer here in the US recently. A bit small for most commercials but an interesting and versatile little machine. Hope they find a niche here.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

Joe Hillmann said:


> How many hives do you have on that truck? And approximately what does a load weigh?


300 colonies, and probably way over loaded, but it did not touch pavement just spreading fur cranberries in wisconsin


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Speaking of a Mitsubishi. Some pictures from Jos Guth, from Luxembourg. Photo courtesy: Jos Guth.

He also uses the Avant. His hives sit on metal frames, four hives in a row. He grabs the hives with the Avant and loads them onto a truck via a ramp that folds down at the tail of the truck. 





































Advantage here is the weight is closer to the forklift, making it more stable to transport. Also you can nicely stack hives onto the truck. Disadvantage is you can't go through narrow passages. 

Nevertheless, an interesting idea. I maybe would go for this if not the apiary sites were so small.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

jim lyon said:


> Interesting post Bernhard, you are quite resourceful.


Yes, once again I'll second Jim's Thoughts, very neat pics.


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

AstroZomBEE said:


> 300 colonies, and probably way over loaded


Ah, maybe just a little.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

> Ah, maybe just a little.


=300*70 = 21,000 pounds on a vehicle rated about half that amount. The back tires are squished like they are in one of Torquemada's torture machines.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

Fusion_power said:


> =300*70 = 21,000 pounds on a vehicle rated about half that amount. The back tires are squished like they are in one of Torquemada's torture machines.


That truck is rated at 33,000lb, and weighs 14,000 empty, and the gcwr is 43,000 with the trailer


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## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

BernHard, your responses make me want to start putting my hives on pallets and using a forklift like you have. 

Your pallets are interesting too. Are all the hives snug up against each other, and what hive body are you using for the brood box?


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## Andersonhoney (Jun 21, 2016)

You can't get here in 2wd! Oops photo won't upload.


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## Chip Euliss (Sep 2, 2010)

Very nice BernHard--thanks for posting;it brings back some fond memories. I visited Germany (mostly from Berlin to the Polish border) for work a number of years ago and remember the Rape fields and also the honey they served at the Cafeteria at the research center in Muncheberg. Good memories. The roads are narrow but the landscape is very nice!


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## Brian Suchan (Apr 6, 2005)

Awesome pics from the other side of the pond! How do those lids work for the duds on the same pallet along with the good ones? In the one pic of him driving up on the tail end of the truck is that little patches of snow off to his left??


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## Brian Suchan (Apr 6, 2005)

And how many hives do you run? I like the green ford


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

AstroZomBEE said:


> We love our non 4x4 cabovers, keep them out of wet grass and they are fine.
> 
> https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=3a20ccf0da2a8a0e21ab2158f3856de3&oe=57ED44C5


How do you strap those down with such a gap between each pallet? I strap from front to back so they have to be snug to me. Just wondering.


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## Andersonhoney (Jun 21, 2016)

got here in 4x4. 4 ft of soft sand. Drive it the right way and this won't happen.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

EastSideBuzz said:


> How do you strap those down with such a gap between each pallet? I strap from front to back so they have to be snug to me. Just wondering.


Strap side to side, no gap that way


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

AstroZomBEE said:


> Strap side to side, no gap that way


Then you use 8 straps or more. I only use 4 for 80 hives front to back. Less work to roll them up after.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Andersonhoney said:


> View attachment 26073
> got here in 4x4. 4 ft of soft sand. Drive it the right way and this won't happen.


Been living in Oz for a while. Really learned offroad driving on the Acton Land&Cattle Ranch, Queensland, where I worked. Also quickly learned how to change tires...always carry spare tires with you in the outback of Australia. Don't know how many we wrecked during that time. :scratch:

I would have flew with the small helicopters more often, that they have there down under, if not the Oz pilots were so crazy. 

Deep sand definitely is most challenging. 

Do you flatten your tires when you get stucked in the sand? Especially with the BFGoodrich KM2 you really go further when reducing the pressure to 1 bar. (14 PSI)

Me good ol' Oz truck. 









Always a cattle dog in the back. This is Mindy. 









This one was done. 









I don't remember which brand that was, we had a large truck which carried the fresh horses, that we needed in the afternoon. Those trucks also go anywhere in the bush.

I hated the bull dust. It sneaked into your lungs no matter what you tried to keep it out. 









The famous Australian crack whip. 









The best offroad skills had my horse Crisscross. 










Crisscross and me after a day of hard work, driving cattle.


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

RichardsonTX said:


> Are all the hives snug up against each other, and what hive body are you using for the brood box?


Exactly so. It reduces space needed when transporting and also bees have only two sides to the outside, which reduces the need to heat/cool. All brood boxes and floors are screwed to the pallets. That reduces theft and also the need to strap the single hives. On bumpy ground the hives also won't jump off the pallet. Of course there are downsides to it. 

I use the 12 frame deep Dadant brood box, as Brother Adam did. 



Brian Suchan said:


> How do those lids work for the duds on the same pallet along with the good ones?


No duds allowed. Every hive that slightly tends to fail, is replaced with a split. I carry splits with me all the time. In case I see a dud, the follower board is slided aside, all combs to the right and left, creating a gap in the middle. Insert the split. Close hive. Done. 

Hives that are strengthened with a young queen, lots of brood and bees almost solve any problem by themselves. Certainly they do bring a lot of honey.



















There is a saying in German: You got bees, you get honey. :thumbsup:


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## Brian Suchan (Apr 6, 2005)

Let me rephrase I didn't necessarily mean the doinker or duds I just meant the uneverness in honey production. The 1/3, 1/3, and 1/3 rule.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Thank you Bernhardheuvel, those hives look very very good, especially considering that I am converting to square Dadant depth hives. I put 14 narrow frames in mine which is the only significant difference. What do you consider to be the best features of this size hive?


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

Answered here: http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...tages-and-disadvantages&p=1442802#post1442802


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## Andersonhoney (Jun 21, 2016)

Deep sand definitely is most challenging. 

Do you flatten your tires when you get stucked in the sand? Especially with the BFGoodrich KM2 you really go further when reducing the pressure to 1 bar. (14 PSI)

Yeah usually let the tires down. Carry 24v air compressor with me always.
I had time on my side that day as I had finished work, had collected some fire wood and was heading back to camp. Wanted to try some different sand driving techniques, which as you can see didn't work. Better to find that out in day light with time to spare than loaded with bees in the dark.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Thank you Bernhard, that is among the most encouraging posts I've seen here on Beesource in 11 years.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming, Bee trucks and how to load them!


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