# Best small scale electric extractor?



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

This line from the description is not a good sign ...


> 2 Frames Measuring 17" Tall By 11" Wide


Standard frames are 17 3/4" across the end bars, plus another 1.25" to accommodate the topbar 'ears', for an overall length of 19". That _could _just be an error in the description, or maybe not. 

Keep in mind that this two frame extractor is almost certainly tangential style, so you will load two frames, extract, flip the frames and then extract the other side of those same frames.

"Lifetime warranty" sounds good, but is it _believable_? Are they really going to replace the motor for free if it craps out? What are the terms of that - do you have to pay to ship the entire extractor back to them for evaluation? What about return shipping?


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

I got a Maxant...I think it is a 3100 or some such. Works great and easy to store.


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## gman1001 (Sep 24, 2013)

Those Maxant's look nice! But expensive and they don't have an electric model for small scale folks like me!


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Most of my business is to small scale folks!
The 3100 is the peoples champ for 1-20 hives!
Buy the 2 frame hand crank, and add on to it at your leisure!
http://www.maxantindustries.com/extractors.html


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Note that Maxant's 2 frame model is 2 frames _radially_. That means no flipping of frames, and both frame sides are extracted at the same time. So total frame throughput should be about twice the Amazon (Hardin) unit.

.


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

I bought the 3100P a few years ago, and haven't regretted it for a moment. I can be uncapping away while it's spinning, and I can get the most honey out of the frames without getting cramps. If you intend to stick with this hobby for a while, and can afford it, get the Maxant 3100P. Believe me, you won't regret it.


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## Beeracuda (Mar 19, 2013)

I just bought a Maxant 3100H today. I wanted to go with the 3100P, but the hand crank will work for this year and I will upgrade next year. I liked the fact that this is a radial extractor.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

I would crush and strain before I would invest in an extractor that isn't radial whether it had a hand crank or not.


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## oldforte (Jul 17, 2009)

DPBs ... with two frames side by side ...and maybe touching .. how does the honey flow out? so .. you need to turn the tangential ones around and cycle again?


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

They wanted $699 for that extractor on another site.


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

Another vote for the Maxant.... I have a 3100P and it is nothing short of awesome......;- ) 

An extractor is a serious investment and if I am going to spend the money I would rather spend a bit more and get the best..... Also does a great job of holding it's value in case you want to upgrade in the future.....


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## suburbanrancher (Aug 5, 2011)

So does the conical bottom on the Maxant feed DIRECTLY into the honey gate? The one our club has is from Dadant and the flat bottom sits about 1/2" below the honey gate so I feel that I lose quite a bit of honey. I left it out for the bees to take back, but still... I wish someone made a bottom that angled toward the honey gate.


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## Bob J (Feb 25, 2013)

suburbanrancher said:


> So does the conical bottom on the Maxant feed DIRECTLY into the honey gate? The one our club has is from Dadant and the flat bottom sits about 1/2" below the honey gate so I feel that I lose quite a bit of honey. I left it out for the bees to take back, but still... I wish someone made a bottom that angled toward the honey gate.


The honey gate does sit about half inch above the edge of the conical bottom as you describe.... After letting it drain down from the sides and tilting it to drain I guess there is roughly half a cup of honey left....


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## suburbanrancher (Aug 5, 2011)

Ah, I see. Thank you for the prompt reply Bob. It still looks like a good extractor.


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## Dan. NY (Apr 15, 2011)

I actually extracted two days ago with my Maxant. Last year I didnt quite have it fine tuned, but this year I hit the button and it spun the frames nicely. You cant go wrong with this unit.

EDIT: A few spoon and a few young helpers took care of the small amount of honey left in the bottom. Yes it would be great to be 100% perfectly empty, but the spoon for a few minutes did the job..


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

suburbanrancher said:


> I wish someone made a bottom that angled toward the honey gate.


You could drill a hole in the bottom and cork it or add another valve.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Even drilling a hole and adding another honey gate is not going to get all the honey out. The nut that would secure the threads on the additional honey gate has to be higher than the bottom of the tank in order to retain the honey gate.

The clearance for the retaining nut is also why the honey gate on the _side _of the tank is not all the way at the bottom of the tank.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

suburbanrancher said:


> ... I wish someone made a bottom that angled toward the honey gate.


I agree and they could do it, but at what price?......


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Even drilling a hole and adding another honey gate is not going to get all the honey out. The nut that would secure the threads on the additional honey gate has to be higher than the bottom of the tank in order to retain the honey gate.


Use a Pem stud Rader if the nut is an issue.
http://www.pemnet.com/fastening_products/pem-self-clinching-fastener_new.html


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Well, Ace, perhaps you should identify which one of the _many _products at the site you linked would be your choice for securing a honey gate in sheet stainless steel. :s You would need to choose a _stainless _nut that is _flush _with the inside tank bottom when installed.


Keep in mind a typical honey gate has 1.5" threads. I didn't see _anything _approaching that size.


.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Oy vey, Rader "Pem stud" nut is on the outside. Inside is flush.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Oy vey, Acebird, _where _in the vendor page you linked is the appropriate 1.5" diameter nut? :s

Suggesting use of a product that isn't available isn't very useful.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

http://www.pemnet.com/fastening_products/studs_and_pins.html


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Ace, why do you keep providing just a link that does _*nothing *_to identify a suitable product? :scratch:

Remember we are looking for a suitable nut with a 1.5" thread - and from what I see - _it doesn't exist!_ :lpf:




It seems to me that instead of drilling a large hole  in a new extractor as you recommended, a _better _solution is to just temporarily tilt the tank by putting a couple of bricks under two of the legs on the side of the extractor opposite the honey gate, and drain the bulk of the residual honey through the normal honey gate.  No muss, no fuss, no damage to the extractor. 


Oy Vey!

.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

MAXANT said:


> Most of my business is to small scale folks!
> The 3100 is the peoples champ for 1-20 hives!
> Buy the 2 frame hand crank, and add on to it at your leisure!
> http://www.maxantindustries.com/extractors.html


:thumbsup:


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Remember we are looking for a suitable nut with a 1.5" thread
> .


It maybe what you are looking for but it is not what I had in mind.

Two pem studs mount from inside the tank with the stud on the outside. One retainer plate for the o-ring to hold it in place and one swing plate (the gate) that mounts on the two pem studs with wing nuts. It is used only to empty the tank or for cleaning. It would cost under 10 dollars for a manufacturer to install it at the factory and they could charge the customer 35-40 dollars for the option that someone is wishing for.

So if you can't figure this out go find your 1 1/2 nut that you lust for.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Acebird said:


> It would cost under 10 dollars for a manufacturer to install it at the factory and they could charge the customer 35-40 dollars for the option that someone is wishing for.




I can see that you have a great future in the extractor business. 

The _Acebird_*® * *Dual Honey Gate*™ Extractor! I'm sure you will give _Maxant _a real run for the money ...:lpf:


:gh:

.... still seems like a _couple of bricks_ is a better solution ...


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

$10 to install it, maybe in China!




Acebird said:


> It maybe what you are looking for but it is not what I had in mind.
> 
> Two pem studs mount from inside the tank with the stud on the outside. One retainer plate for the o-ring to hold it in place and one swing plate (the gate) that mounts on the two pem studs with wing nuts. It is used only to empty the tank or for cleaning. It would cost under 10 dollars for a manufacturer to install it at the factory and they could charge the customer 35-40 dollars for the option that someone is wishing for.
> 
> So if you can't figure this out go find your 1 1/2 nut that you lust for.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

I use the brick method myself and can attest to it's effectiveness.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

I use a large spatula affixed to a dowel. Works for me!


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## jaywalker (Jun 1, 2014)

So am I understanding this right. The base Maxant 3100 will not extract a deep frame?


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## schmism (Feb 7, 2009)

jaywalker said:


> So am I understanding this right. The base Maxant 3100 will not extract a deep frame?


It would appear that way. For less than $200 you could take the 2 frame basket and have additional SS rods welded to the outside to hold 2 large frames tangentially.

I will add i do like my Dadant little wonder extractor. They offer a powered version for ~700 although there basket design isnt as good as the maxant 3100 despite being roughly the same size.


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## Beeracuda (Mar 19, 2013)

jaywalker said:


> So am I understanding this right. The base Maxant 3100 will not extract a deep frame?


The 2 frame won't, but the 9 frame will extra 6 mediums radially and 3 deeps tangentially at the same time. I just got mine in today and put empty frames in to verify this.


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## jaywalker (Jun 1, 2014)

Thanks, I thought that was the case, but wanted to make sure.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

jaywalker said:


> So am I understanding this right. The base Maxant 3100 will not extract a deep frame?



oops, I was thinking of the 9F


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

MAXANT said:


> $10 to install it, maybe in China!


I don't know if you are making the tank or buying the tank but if the holes were punched into the bottom before assembly they should cost a dollar a piece. You have just witnessed a customer wish he had a bottom drain and clean out. You can ignore his wish that is your right because it may not make economical sense to you.

I don't know what he has for an extractor but if it cannot be easily tipped over it should have a bottom drain. If he is handy enough he can do it himself. That would be his choice.

Be careful about China. China would punch holes in every extractor they make for 35 cent a hole and offer the option for 12.95. Everyone would buy it.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Acebird said:


> You have just witnessed a customer wish he had a bottom drain and clean out. You can ignore his wish that is your right because it may not make economical sense to you.


:lpf: :lookout:  It helps to actually _read _customer requests! 


What the customer *ACTUALLY *wished for was a bottom to the tank that directed honey toward the honey gate. 




suburbanrancher said:


> I wish someone made a bottom that angled toward the honey gate.


Note that Maxant extractors (and some other brands) already have an inverted conical bottom to the tank that directs honey to the outer edge of the tank.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Dan. NY said:


> Yes it would be great to be 100% perfectly empty,





suburbanrancher said:


> The one our club has is from Dadant and the flat bottom sits about 1/2" below the honey gate so I feel that I lose quite a bit of honey.


Yes, read.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Note that Maxant extractors (and some other brands) already have an inverted conical bottom to the tank that directs honey to the outer edge of the tank.


That's true, but it w/b nice if the tank also directed the honey to the valve. I'm sure they could do it, but at what price?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Note that Maxant extractors (and some other brands) already have an inverted conical bottom to the tank that directs honey to the outer edge of the tank.


I wouldn't brag about it. This would be very bad if the vessel cannot be tipped over for cleaning. I can't imagine they do that on the big ones.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

You don't want dirt sand glass wire fragments etc to stay in the honey so it is a good idea to give heavy debris a place to collect below the honey gate.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Acebird said:


> This would be very bad if the vessel cannot be tipped over for cleaning


Again Brian, a spatula attached to a dowel will easily push most of the honey to the gate and out..........


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

deknow said:


> You don't want dirt sand _*glass*_ wire fragments etc to stay in the honey so it is a good idea to give heavy debris a place to collect below the honey gate.


Who has glass fragments in their honey????


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

> Note that Maxant extractors (and some other brands) already have an inverted conical bottom ....



Acebird said:


> I wouldn't brag about it. This would be very bad if the vessel cannot be tipped over for cleaning.


Say what??? :scratch:

An _inverted _conical bottom means the center of the tank bottom is higher than the outer edge of the bottom when the tank is right side up.


That design in no way interferes with the ability to turn the tank over for cleaning. :lpf:


:gh:



For those that have difficulty with the _inverted cone_ concept, a 1920 patent application extractor graphic ...










Note the inverted conical bottom.  
You can also see a _large _image at the original patent application here:
http://www.google.com/patents/US1474865

.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Note that Maxant extractors (and some other brands) already have an inverted conical bottom to the tank that directs honey to the outer edge of the tank.


For any extractor that one can tip to one side, this works fine. For large floor mounted models, I would think the added cost of dropping the bottom gate a tad below the tank bottom would be a welcome design, or an angled bottom to the drain. Maybe they're already designed this way?


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Some large scale extractors ... uhh ... go about it _sideways_ ....










more here: http://www.cooknbeals.com/extractor.php

A 128 frame autoloader ...


> This machine is equipped with a feeding conveyor and an empty frame rack. The conveyor is designed so that the frames from an uncapping head are conveyed to the extractor. The conveyor holds the same number of combs as the extractor so the uncapping machine never needs to be stopped while loading and unloading the extractor, thus any delay in uncapping time is eliminated.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

If I were big enough to need one of these very large extractors, I don't think I'd be worrying about a few pounds of honey left in the tank.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

One of my brilliant inventions introduced to the beekeeping world, again without patent or copyright, is the Hinged Extractor Mounting Board, or HEMB abbreviated. Our 20 frame Dadant is bolted to a board that is Hinged to it's stand and held close with toolbox type clamps. When a batch of honey is finished, we open the clamps, tilt up the board and extractor, place a 4X4 under the board, and all the honey drains out. See piano hinge:


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## oldforte (Jul 17, 2009)

you should say "not quite all the honey runs out"


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

cg3 said:


> If I were big enough to need one of these very large extractors, I don't think I'd be worrying about a few pounds of honey left in the tank.


That is not the real issue. The issue with a food grade vessel is cleaning and sanitizing. Odfrank has a very good idea for a small extractor. The gate valve should be above the bottom of the tank as deknow noted but having a bottom drain is a must on a large extractor and would be handy for a small one.


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## schmism (Feb 7, 2009)

deknow said:


> You don't want dirt sand glass wire fragments etc to stay in the honey so it is a good idea to give heavy debris a place to collect below the honey gate.


how exactly do YOU extract honey? Because in my house, after its extracted, laying in the bottom of the extractor, it has wax chunks etc in it that i dont want im my bottled honey. so i open the gate and it flows out into a 400 mesh filter that sits ontop of a 5 gal bucket.

so any of this mysterious glass, sand, dirt, wire fragments?!?! you speak of will NOT make it through that 200 mesh screen as well as the wax fragments, or dead bees etc.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

oldforte said:


> you should say "not quite all the honey runs out"


All the honey runs out except maybe one teaspoonful. Or maybe it is a table spoonful. Or maybe even four tablespoons full. I will check today.


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## schmism (Feb 7, 2009)

oldforte said:


> you should say "not quite all the honey runs out"


That may be true, but I set my extractor outside to let the girls clean it up. Those tablespoons i dont get out, the girls do and return it to the hive and use it. 

Nothing goes to waste!


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## pharmbee (Jun 21, 2013)

Has anyone seen Ace and Rader in the same room? They could argue over the sky color.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Probably best do that _*outside *_...


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

pharmbee said:


> Has anyone seen Ace and Rader in the same room? They could argue over the sky color.


That's probably true. Put Mark B into a room with Ace and they'll fight over whether the lights are on or not!


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

I have been in a room with Mark and it was quite pleasant. I would like to help Rader learn a few things instead of twisting and turning concepts out to the wild blue yonder having nothing to do with the original concept.


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

So what was the thread about....


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Moi?  Twisting and turning? :lookout:


I wonder what _Barry _meant when he responded to Ace with this ...


Barry said:


> Ah oh, [HIGHLIGHT]down the rabbit hole I go[/HIGHLIGHT]. Ace, as usual, you start your argument with "filter" wax and then switch to "ultra filter" honey. :digging:



(click the blue arrow in the quote box to see the original post/thread)


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

> So what was the thread about....

The subject line is quite concise ...



> Best small scale electric extractor?




The answer is that there is no single "best" small electric extractor, unless you are a fierce partisan of a particular brand. At a minimum, features, size, delivery costs, storage issues and _the money each person has to spend_ all will need to be evaluated on a personal basis. 

Even through the fireworks displayed in this thread, there has been valuable discussion of some extractor features that should be considered, and *why *some of those design choices were made.


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> > So what was the thread about....
> The subject line is quite concise ...
> Even through the fireworks displayed in this thread, there has been valuable discussion of some extractor features that should be considered, and *why *some of those design choices were made.


You are absolutely right..... I'll take my toys and leave the sandbox


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