# Looking to start looking for a truck



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

I am looking to start looking for a truck for moving hives. Plan is to be at 100 end of this season and want to get a truck mounted crane like an ezyloader or something. Any thoughts on what would be a good starter flat bed truck?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

3/4 ton Ford w/ an 8ft bed, maybe?


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

If you may have other uses for your truck and you plan on going over 100 hives in a few years go with 1 ton with 12 ft bed. It will cost the same and may even bee cheaper than a 3/4 ton with 8 ft bed. If you like noisey trucks and expensive repairs get a diesel. Otherwise go with a gas engine.If you have yards that may get tough to access get a 4x4. How often do you plan on moving your hives? I know beekeepeers that have run over 100 hives a season and they used nothing but a regular boxed 1/2 ton pick up. That's what I did until I went from running 124 hives to almost 500 1 summer. Then I had to get a truck with at least a 12ft bed and a trailer and bobcat w/mast.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Like Beeslave said.

I forgot that I did the same as he. Worked out of a halfton Ford Pickup for many years. It fit the bill until expansion happened. But I still used it. I miss not having a pickup anymore.


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

I plan on having at least 50 by the end of this year, 120 at the end of '12. I am planning on getting a 3/4 ton chevy maybe 2000-04 and stick a 6-8' flat bed on it. I know a flatbed would look funny on a single wheel base but pracitcality is what i want. The main thing to consider when getting truck for smallish business is if the cost/benefit fits in your budget. A truck and insurance would eat up most everything i make this year.
my .02

mike


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

I have a tundra now. But, I need a way to save my back moving them. So a ezyloader on my tundra would look funny. I would like to do pollination. But, need to figure out how to get the contracts kind of thing. Was hoping to take some to almonds but, that did not pan out.


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## Haddon (Feb 26, 2009)

I guess the fact that I am from the rural area I always am shocked at this question. Seeing that pickups are a dime a dozen here. I have a related Question I read the post and everyone has a opinion on what truck someone should get I want to know how many hive you can cram on each type of truck. Say how many on a 1/2 ton long wheel base ford or if you can get more on a 3/4, and what if you put a flat bed on it how many extra does that get you. I even wonder how many I can get on my little toyota. Now part two why not use 16 foot trailers if I had 20 or so hives to move thats what I would use, and I can pull it with any thing I can hook it too. 

Just wondering


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

EastSideBuzz said:


> I have a tundra now.


No kidding? that is what I have. Ours is a 02. Does not have the pulling capacity that I want. I have been hauling on a trailer, that may be the way to go. 

mike


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## Jpoindexter (Oct 22, 2010)

I'm with you on the 16' trailer - a hoist / crane w/ a battery powered winch from harbor freight would be ideal. In fact - you could probably just leave hives on the trailer-


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

A one ton is a better trailer puller hands down. The specifics of how many deep hive bodies (x 90 lbs per box), how many supers (x 50 lbs per box) how many shallows (x40 lbs per box) determine 1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton vs 1 ton in the maximum payload question. Bee operations tend to ex p a n d. The number of trips to move all your hives and how far and how often determine how small a rig you can/can't get away with it. How many miles per gallon, and the price of gas will will determine cost per mile. 50 hives can be done with a pickup, and I would avoid a 1/2 ton. 200 hives would be too many trips, unless the distance was very short. That would be hard on the truck and the beekeeper, so the one ton with the 12 foot bed and a trailer makes more sense. The rig that delivers an order in one shot gets it done fastest and cheapest and the least stress on the bees and beeks. Talk to your pollination clients, know your demands, distances, and try to figure dollars and a callendar. An F-700 with 20' bed a 24' trailer might be in order for a guy with 300 to 500 hives in 10 locations. Above that, consider a class A rig. Time can be the critical thing for pollination. A ramp works, a crane is nice, but a forklift beats it in high numbers. A pickup guy in his own apiary should dig a ramp / dock so he can dolly the hives into the bed. Many an entrepreneur starts a business based on doability and doesn't consider efficiency and spins his wheels a lot without ever making too much money.


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

I call shenanigans. Reality check folks.

You PLAN to be at 100 hives at the end of this season? And you are looking for a truck with a $25,000 EZ Loader crane?

If I had the money to buy a bee truck with a $25K crane on it, you can bet your britches that I would have enough bees to pay for the truck and crane, and it would be a LOT more than 100 hives. A fool and his money are soon parted, and if I did have the money, but not the hive count, I wouldn't have that kind of money for long.

So, how much money are you prepared to spend to get the bee truck you want to use to haul 100 hives? That's the question you need to answer first.

You can load 10 hives in the back of a S-10 size truck, and you can load 12 in a regular bed 1/2 ton truck - and that is just one layer. Double that number if you stack 2 high.

How many times are you planning on moving the hives? If only a few times, hire a buddy and strongarm load the hives in your truck. 2 guys really can pick up and load a hive by hand.

If you plan on moving hives very often and want a bigger capacity than a truckbed, get a flatbed car trailer, make a nice ramp, and use a hive cart to load the hives. You can load hives on a trailer this way by yourself.

If money is no object, it may be fun to play with fancy high dollar toys (tools) - for the regular working man, we have to make the tools pay for themselves.


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## eaglesbee (May 3, 2004)

. I use a 1989 4x4 Toyota with a 8 foot flatbed. 300 hives I use this truck to do all the work suppering nucing feeding and all the other work that is needed. Gets good gas mileage. I can put about 30 deep boxes of honey on it. It low to the ground to all you need 
If your moving bees any 1 ton 12' to 14' bed


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## bfriendly (Jun 14, 2009)

loading hives with cart on a low deck 2 axle trailer with ramp (pulled by any pickup) is/was basically just as easy crane on 12' flatbed, for me. Especially IF YOU ARE LOADING BY HAND. A one ton has the deck much higher off the ground. I think the ideal bee truck for 100 hives is what you have now with trailer or possibly an old toyota motorhome turned into flatdeck.


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

My buddy and I handle our combined hives totaliing about 120 with a pickup -sometimes his, sometimes mine - pulling a flat trailer. We can haul 24 10 frame or 30 8 frame hives in one layer. If the hives are not too heavy, we double stack some. We use a two man hive lifter for loading and unloading. We move our hives 4 to 5 times per season. It has worked out wonderfully and very inexpensive. Keeping the cost down is why we each made quite a profit this year.


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