# How to Use Radial Extractor



## OSafado (Jun 24, 2011)

We rented a radial extractor last year, Maxant 3100, I think. We were excited to use it as a radial extractor, but it really didn't work well, so we finished using it as a tangential extractor. We loved it, and I've since looked into buying it or the power 20F. I totally get that it was probably user error. In talking to a local store, I asked what the secret was, and he said you have to let them spin for at least 30 minutes. 

I did a search on here, but is there a thread about how to use radial extractors? I get that experiences vary, with honey thickness, temp etc, but how long should I expect to run each set of frames? While one set is spinning, we can uncap the next, but what do you do with the frames, between uncapping and extracting? Put them back into supers?


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

30 minutes?????? Thats rediculous and would put beekeepers out of business!! Number one thing is to make sure that the outside temps are high (or build a large enough box to heat with a plug in heater and put supers in to warm up) and they will spin out just fine. I did mine on a 90 degree day last year and it took maybe a couple minutes to spin the frames out radially.

Im no expert by any means, but extracting radially has worked fine for me if the temps are right!


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Power or hand crank?
Most people dont spin it fast enough towards the end of the cycle.
Ideally 12- 16 minutes will be ample.
Dont be afraid to " put the pedal to the metal"
You can also put a lightbulb under the extractor to aid with warming it up. A good 
old 60 watt will work wonders. :thumbsup:


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

MAXANT said:


> You can also put a lightbulb under the extractor to aid with warming it up. A good
> old 60 watt will work wonders. :thumbsup:


Hmmmm, never thought of that!! Will have to try that!! Thanks for that tip MAXANT! That is, if it eventually cools down around here!!


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## Keth Comollo (Nov 4, 2011)

I run my 3100P real slow for about 5-10 minutes which is about as long as it takes to sip a nice cool glass of white wine. I feel the slow start helps to even out the weight and prevent a bit of the wobble. Then I put the "pedal to the metal" for another 5-10 minutes and game over. Great product.


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## oldfordguy (Dec 5, 2009)

I have never used an extractor, but I have watched some youtube videos where people have loaded the frames with the top bar towards the center of the extractor, and it seems to me that they should be loaded with the top bar to the outside of the extractor due to the angle of the cells. Is this correct?


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## Keth Comollo (Nov 4, 2011)

Top bars to the outside.


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## BeeTech (Mar 19, 2012)

oldfordguy said:


> I have never used an extractor, but I have watched some youtube videos where people have loaded the frames with the top bar towards the center of the extractor, and it seems to me that they should be loaded with the top bar to the outside of the extractor due to the angle of the cells. Is this correct?


yes.


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## millerwb (Oct 31, 2011)

Is there a significant yield difference between, say running the extractor for 5 minutes verses running it for 20 minutes? My radiel extractor is hand crank (3:1 ratio) and the frames are pretty empty after just a few minutes, though it is 90+ outside.


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## OSafado (Jun 24, 2011)

MAXANT said:


> Power or hand crank?
> ...
> Dont be afraid to " put the pedal to the metal"


It was power. The guy we rented it from told us not to put the power past the red mark (he had added it), which was around 3/4 of the way, so I bet that is what the problem was.


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Yea......he is going to have A LOT of customers with the same problem then, and also beating up that motor by running it at lower speeds for a longer time frame.
After 6 minutes in the variable mode, flip it to full speed and let it do its magic at FULL RPM!
WARP SPEED MR. SOLO!


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## Slow Modem (Oct 6, 2011)

MAXANT said:


> WARP SPEED MR. SOLO!


Psst! It's Sulu. Solo was the Man From U. N. C. L. E. or Star Wars


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

:lpf:


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Please, don't anyone take this the wrong way, Maxant is a GREAT company, and for all I know, Maxant may make the 9 frame radial that W T Kelly sells, I don't know,(I have had mine for years), but, It doesn't take anywhere near 12 to 16 minutes to extract frames, (shallow or medium) ( It won't extract deeps), with the Kelly 9 frame, (motorized) radial. 

I only load 6 frames into the 9 frame radial, and no more than 3-4 minutes and they are done. The reason I put 6 in the extractor is, that is the amount of time it takes me to uncap 6 more frames, (30-45 seconds per frame) and hang them in the uncapping tub. (the uncapping tub only holds 6 frames), Same amount of time it takes to spin the six frames in the 9 frame (motorized) radial extractor. 

I don't make a lot of honey, 125-175 gallons each year) because I sell bees. Splitting and stealing honey to put in nucs does not allow them to make a lot of excess honey, but, I let about 10 beekeepers use my setup, and at 12-16 minutes, they would never get done extracting.

My advice on using the radial is to put fewer frames in the extractor than the maximum amount of frames it will hold. It will just work better. It will start slow enough to sling initial honey from the frames, then build speed to clear the cells of honey, and sling honey from the frame woodenware. Virtually no blowout ever.

cchoganjr


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

Im with you on that! When I use that extractor I only do 6 at a whack. Much quicker for me.


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## mgolden (Oct 26, 2011)

My advice is to warm the frames of honey. I use an empty super, place a 60W trouble lamp in it and put a super of full frames above that and cover with a piece of plywood. Warm for an hour plus.

Otherwise, it's slow and you can easily rip chunks of comb off the foundation.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

*How to Use Radial Extractor:*

You take the old frames out,
You put the new frames in,
You put the new frames in and you spin 'em all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey while you spin em all around,
That's what it's all about!


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)

I prefer to do the hokey pokey before uncapping, then proceed.


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