# DIY hive lifter



## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

I bring most of my hives home for the winter, then in the spring spread them around out yards. The problem is getting them off the stands and then onto the back of the pickup truck same story when unloading. To try and do this single handed is a bit of a pain, so made up a lift system on a dock kart. I hope this will take care of the problem.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

I have a easyer one to make, but it takes two people to use it. Cut a 8' 2-4 in half. 1/2" holes drill so the hive will sit in between the rods. An a couple small peice of metal screwed to the bottom of the 2-4 in the middle. When you are done you are sandwiching the hive between the rods and tighten it up with a ratchet strap to hold all of the boxes together.


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## Vince (Jun 22, 2014)

I like it!

Vince


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to move some hives by myself, but everything I thought of was much more complicated. That seems to me to be fairly elegant in its simplicity.

(Two-man rigs won't work for me, my wife has developed some physical limitations and I doubt that she could handle the weight of double deeps, and I'm no spring chicken myself anymore.)


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

BadBeeKeeper said:


> I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to move some hives by myself, but everything I thought of was much more complicated. That seems to me to be fairly elegant in its simplicity.
> 
> (Two-man rigs won't work for me, my wife has developed some physical limitations and I doubt that she could handle the weight of double deeps, and I'm no spring chicken myself anymore.)


Unstack and restack. Works every time.


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## umchuck (May 22, 2014)

hey there johno how about using an old fashion hog hanger, its tree poles attached at the top you can straddle over the hive for lifting heavy loads like hogs or and engine we had a chain about 1/3 up from the bottom to keep the legs from spreading apart, might not need the chain for a bee hive, just an idea,


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## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

I have a fenced in bee yard at home, my hives are all on stands 12" off the ground. My cart will be level with the hive and I can just pull it on to the platform, I then wheel it to the truck at the gate, winch the platform up and push the hive onto the truck bed. I have 3 hives to a stand so will load 6 onto the truck then load the stands and the cart then off to the outhive sites. I am 70 and my wife is 68, while bringing in hives in the fall she tore stomach muscles helping me load so I cant let her help anymore. So as is said in South Africa " n boer maak n plan" meaning a farmer makes a plan.
Johno


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Looks awesome and purpose built, Johno! Well done.


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## Ted n Ms (Apr 25, 2008)

I just go around my hives with a ratchet strap the day before. Then early the next morning i roll a two wheeler up tip it over a little, slide it under and roll it up a plywood ramp onto my trailer and come back and get the next one. I can load a dozen in just a little while. I throw a longer strap around and pull them snug to the front and go .


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