# Small off the shelf syrup trailer?



## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I'm trying to figure out how to avoid carrying buckets when it's time to feed the hives. The commercial guys use pumps on totes strapped to their flatbeds for pumping syrup when feeding. As a sideliner I'm not looking for anything big as I don't have a flatbed nor a forklift to move said totes. A trailered system would allow me to transport this from apiary to apiary without lifting. Does anyone have experience with an off the shelf highway legal trailer with a 30-55 gallon tank, pump and hose reel combo for feeding hives?


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

something like this should work, 

https://www.wyliesprayers.com/v/product-detail/Power-Sprayer-Trailers/23/


another option if you already have a truck and a 4-wheeler is an ATV sprayer

http://www.ruralking.com/fimco-25-g...AFziFlW9GQq7ZCLlqmVxlzzJ0vrVQzUw88aAv_k8P8HAQ


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## waspslayer (Jan 3, 2010)

I personally use plastic 55 gallon drums in the back of my pickup truck with a 12 volt diaphragm pump. Around my home yard, this I load on my tractor loader to free up my pick up truck. Works pretty good. The pump I use is a used marine waste pump, I completely rebuilt it using all new internal parts so there is no chance of contamination. There is an on and off switch at the end of the 25' hose so I can turn off when the feeder is full. If you are able to get a tank high enough you can gravity feed and avoid a pump altogether. This is a slow but sure method. 

Good Luck.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

Harley,

That first one is a bit overkill for someone like me. I was hauling 10-15 gallons a day while I was feeding. Assuming I get 3x the size I am now, which is as big as I can envision 45 gallons a day is all I'll need. I'm already looking at various skid mounted Fimco, Northern Tool, etc. units I could then mount on a small trailer. But heavy syrup may not work for those units so I was looking for someone who was already doing this.

Waspslayer,

I want to avoid messing with lifting anything or having to commit to putting that in the back of my truck for the weeks I'm feeding. I did consider simple gravity but on level ground the bed of my truck is level with a double deep on a pallet on cinderblocks which is what I'm using. Another apiary I've got the "road" is just below the hives.

I do appreciate the ideas everyone.


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

I also bridged the gap of syrup this year. Here is my plight for what its worth. 
I tried to do it on the cheap and ended up spending about 200 to get something workable. I have a truck so I wanted a barrel tied down in the back which I could then dispense from. I want this to work well for 1-1 and 2-1. I have a 55 gallon sealed barrel with a 3/4 hose bib in the bottom so that is the start. 

- round 1. wanted to add water and sugar to barrel and then use a mixer on a drill. the holes on the top were not big enough for most of my paint or drywall mud mixers to get into so I ended up with a paint mixer like this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Workforce-5-Gallon-Helix-Paint-Mixer-HM5HD/202251543. Problem was not long enough for smaller batches. so I mixed in another open top bucket and gallon poured into the dispensing barrel. got a 15 foot hose and a shut off for the end. Thought I could just gravity flow it out but as pointed out above it takes forever and I had to fill buckets at the yard in the end. 
- round 2. realizing I needed some kind of pump I looked seriously at those pesticide set ups. the ones at tractor supply were in no way going to be strong enough for 2-1. I ordered a diesel transfer pump off amazon for 50 bucks.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K35F5XO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I already had my battery from oav so went with this dc pump. I put a washer machine hose from the hose bib to the pump to the dispensing hose. no where near enough pressure to do the 5 gallons a minute I wanted. thinking i'm going to upgrade the 3/4 hose bib to 1inch and the hoses also to 1 inch. probably not till next year. i'm sure this set up will work fine for 1-1. 
- Round 2 1/2. Other problem as I looked at 500 pounds of sugar in the back seat of my truck was mixing and then moving into the dispensing barrel. I went to hd and got a submersible sump pump for 90 bucks. I figured i'd lay it on its side in the water and turn it on and it would suck in the sugar and keep the water moving eventually mixing the sugar. took a little effort to make this work and only had an issue as I got above 1.5-1 ratio. It did an ok job. left it running for 30 min then used it to transfer into the dispensing barrel. again would be fine for 1-1 but 2-1 it did not mix fully and wasn't moving well. also a couple of times it righted itself and did the old faithful geyser all over the place.......thereby inviting every bee, wasp and hornet from the town. 

Ideally a larger pump out of the dispensing hose bib that could suck in and circulate back into the bucket mixing the sugar would be ideal but they get expensive. I could foresee some battery issues with things that big.
Funny story after I mixed up this 50 gallons I dyed it red. Had it strapped down and was happy. Then found out I had to work in boston for a few days and park in a secure underground garage. well this contraption with the hoses and wires and red liquid kinda looked like the bomb in Die Hard 2. Not wanting an "incident" I had to unload it into every spare bucket and gallon container I have. so in the end i'll still be feeding for the rest of this year from buckets.


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## Charlestonbee (Mar 26, 2015)

You could also just use a sump pump in a 55 gallon drum.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

Kaizen,

You are exactly the type of person I was hoping to learn from. Thank you for spending your time to tell of your efforts and respective challenges encountered. I've had other learning stumbles that sounded a lot like those you describe that I'd really like to avoid here. Hence my initial question.

Charlestonbee,

I want nothing to do with a 55 gallon drum in the back of my truck. My truck get used such that I can't commit the bed to a few weeks of holding a 55 gallon drum and I have no way to easily move it if it's anything but empty. If I'm putting it on a trailer I want it looking professional as my customers regularly see me working the bees.


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## Charlestonbee (Mar 26, 2015)

Gotcha. Yeah def matters a lot what people see. I'm with you there. Next year will be my first year with 25 hives in a new place. Never had this many before so please post solution. I'll be looking for many myself


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## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

Why not mix your syrup in a 55 gallon drum, at your house, fill paint cans from it and haul the paint cans out to the bees either in your truck or trailer? Sounds like you are making a lot more work for yourself? I will admit that I already have barrels and pumps that I use for making maple syrup, I started using the one gallon paint cans this year, and I really liked them, so am a little biased! LOL


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

That would also mean I've got to pull empty feeder cans, haul them to my house then fill them and haul them back. I've got 2 different apiaries with over 45 hives total(hives and nucs). That's even more work than what I'm doing now just hauling 5 large buckets of syrup with spigots. Cans are nice but I prefer the top feeders because I can simply show up, take off the top, fill them with 2 gallons and walk away. The bees don't even know/care I was there as there's no disruption at all. I've got well over 30 of them and they work very well.


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

seeing how you are stuck on the trailer idea i'd go spend some money on a trailer with a retractable ramp. this way you can use it with a dolly to move hives easy. For a container you can go with something like this http://www.thecarycompany.com/275-g...ing&m=simple&gclid=CP3dwZKu-88CFQUehgodgjUN9w
You can sometimes find used ones cheaper on craigslist just have to make sure its food safe. problems I can see though is it has a 2" port so you'd have to reduce to whatever pump you end up with. guess the good thing though is with a 2 inch opening it won't be straining a pump. its super tough with the metal cage that you can tie down. be aware 250 gallons is 2000 pounds so gonna need a good trailer if you fill it.


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## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

D Coates said:


> That would also mean I've got to pull empty feeder cans, haul them to my house then fill them and haul them back. I've got 2 different apiaries with over 45 hives total(hives and nucs). That's even more work than what I'm doing now just hauling 5 large buckets of syrup with spigots. Cans are nice but I prefer the top feeders because I can simply show up, take off the top, fill them with 2 gallons and walk away. The bees don't even know/care I was there as there's no disruption at all. I've got well over 30 of them and they work very well.


I can say the same thing, but different management techniques appeal to different people. I only have to go into a hive once or twice, and some hives get to keep the cans till spring. I do see your points though, good luck! I also think that if paint cans work for Mr. Palmer with all his hives, they will work for my 30 to 50 hives.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

The biggest problem that I see is if you want to do 2/1 Surup. You will never get their with out heat. Unless you have a hot water power washer or other way to get lots of hot water. Witch becomes a pain. I have start a set up of a tank and a transfer pump that was set up for Apple cider. Life got in the way for feeding this fall. If you go to a lighter like 5/3 Surup you could mix right in the tank. A huge advantage.


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

No experience yet and Northern is not the highest quality, but just pulling rough parts gets $1000+ quick. Some comments said this pump style would work with gravity feed; others said not for 2:1. An inline or in-tank heater may solve this issue and help mixing at the higher concentrations.

There were references in other threads of using air pressure instead of a syrup pump. I like the idea of a pump to help with mixing. I didn't understand how they were using air to mix with.

If you could put it on a skid you may be able to utilize an existing trailer. That would cut out a big expense and ongoing licensing, etc.

Ultra-Tow 4ft. x 8ft. Folding Aluminum Trailer Kit 
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660343_200660343
$600
RomoTech Poly Storage Tank — Square, 50-Gallon Capacity, Model# 2391
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200642853_200642853
$120
Coxreels Swivel-Mount Air/Water Hose Reel
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200308791_200308791
$200
NorthStar NSQ Series 12V On-Demand Diaphragm Pump with Quick-Connect Ports — 5.5 GPM
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200578583_200578583
$140


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

I seem to remember someone using a small sprayer from TSC. Although, it seems to me it was small enough that it wasn't road worthy. It might be worth a Beesource search if you haven't already.

Tom


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I've searched on Beesource but apparently either there's gobbledygook or I don't know how to do it right. This is the unit that's topping the list so far. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200329243_200329243. I can get a new road worthy compact trailer from where I work for cost for $500. So I'm looking at $2,500 with everything said and done. Yea, the set up is expensive but this is for the long term. I'm either going to do it right or keep my proverbial powder dry looking for the right set up. I also do controlled burns on on some forested acreage I own so this could have a very nice secondary use, assuming it can handle syrup for the primary use. I'd need to change the dispensing end accordingly. I have access to hot water that I can hose into the tank. I do also like that it has a self agitation feature and a large opening for pouring solids in.


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

Very nice!

I find searching from google more effective then the search on the site. Like: "site:Beesource.com syrup pump" in the Googler


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

D Coates said:


> I've searched on Beesource but ...


I think this thread may be of interest: 
http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...ning-a-pump-system-for-filling-inside-feeders

Note that member _davidsbees_ builds and ships pump systems - see his posts in that thread for photos and more info.


I don't have experience with pumped syrup, but I suspect that the 3/8" hose on the Northern Tool unit linked earlier in this thread is probably not the best choice for thick syrup.


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

anybody ever try this harbor freight pump? or see any problems with using it to pump?
http://www.harborfreight.com/65-hp-212cc-2-in-gas-engine-clear-water-pump-9540-gph-69774.html


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

The commercial guys like trash pumps. With 1" size hoses. From all that I have read. They put a valve back into the system for a bypass that is used to mix the Surup.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> I think this thread may be of interest:
> http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...ning-a-pump-system-for-filling-inside-feeders
> 
> Note that member _davidsbees_ builds and ships pump systems - see his posts in that thread for photos and more info.
> ...


Thanks Rader. I knew multiple folks had to have asked this question prior but I couldn't find any of them. The 3/8" hose on the Northern Tool unit is a major concern for me as well. I wasn't going to pull any trigger unless I could get clarification that this unit would work for this application. When I've asked about pumping syrup I get a deer in the headlights look from manufacturers so far. I'm sending a pm to davidsbees. Just found a good source for camlocks http://www.camlock-fittings.com/polypropylene-camlock-couplings.html for the Maxant clarifier, uncapper Sr., and 2 pumps and hoses I'm using so that should come in handy here too.


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## Planner (Apr 3, 2016)

I really like that unit. I am not certain that I could move it once it arrives as it is approaching 300#. I could get some help. Its a little to heavy for the trailer I pull behind my John Deere, but this is a good solution for a smaller bee keeper.


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