# Pretty neat little hive moving lift!!! Europeans have the coolest toys!!



## seyc (Jul 15, 2012)

I think both the thing inside and the thing outside the trailer were pretty cool for moving hives!


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## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Maybe Daddy Warbucks Olly will buy one to use for all Bay Area Beesource Beeks.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

It was all on smooth, firm level ground and would tip over in a jiffy on slope or big rut. Have rocks? Better have spare batteries along also.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Interesting. If you skip along the videos posted by the person who put up this one there is another one about extracting. Take a look at the revolving gizmo he uses to rush bees of individual frames whilst he's in the bee house. Working in a bee house looks cramped and hard on a person's back.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

here is his bee removal


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

yikes, looked like that bee sweeper would be hard on the bees, but that could just be the fault of video.

did you see how the capping scratcher was being used? I guess they would call it a capping puller


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

There is a gentleman in North Florida that made them out of old lawn mower parts. It is not complex, expensive, or heavy like that one. It is more of a motorized hand truck. There are Tupelo beekeepers that will find and pay almost anything for one of the simple movers. Forklifts, skid steers, Hummerbees get stuck in the Tupelo swamps. They would bury that Rover just getting to the Apalachicola valley long before they got near the apiary.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

How incredibly slow and inefficient. And it still took 3 men to do it!


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

I'd love to see a photo of one of the Florida homemade ones!


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Charlie, 
Christmas is coming up, I'll put it on the wish list that I'm sending to Papa Ollie! I promise to use it on flat land out here in the valley!

Logger mike, 
Nope, not efficient for moving a commercial operation, but still neat anyhow!


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

I should have asked to take a picture when I was talking with the inventor. They basically weld a hand truck around a lawn tractor rear axle and small engine. Some only had forward and reverse. Some use all the gears. it was personal preference between the gentlemen that had them. Twisting the right handle shifted the transmission on the one at the bee workshop. Some use a lever clutch. Some use a centrifical clutch, when you hit the throttle it engages. The one he was using I can lift onto a truck or trailer, yet it can move a two-way pallet.


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

loggermike said:


> How incredibly slow and inefficient. And it still took 3 men to do it!


I would agree. Hope that it is mostly a labor of love for those folks. The bee brushing machine is kind of cool but seems that a much better process could be devised to put the bees back into the same hive, wonder what happens to all the bees that just fly in the air inside there.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Here it is America. Called an easy loader. Scroll down just a bit to see the photo. However, you have to drive this one up a ramp to load on a trailer.

http://www.meyerhoneyfarms.com/history.html


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## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

loggermike said:


> How incredibly slow and inefficient. And it still took 3 men to do it!


Yea but, think of the pay scale. These are very basic earthy people.



jim lyon said:


> I would agree. Hope that it is mostly a labor of love for those folks. The bee brushing machine is kind of cool but seems that a much better process could be devised to put the bees back into the same hive, wonder what happens to all the bees that just fly in the air inside there.


Yup a beego board would save them a ton of time. And would have less bee's in the extractor and flying around. I would be stung to death in that building.



AmericasBeekeeper said:


> I should have asked to take a picture when I was talking with the inventor. They basically weld a hand truck around a lawn tractor rear axle and small engine.


Just get one of these and you are done. http://www.bobcat.com/loaders/minitrack


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

I think if you make a hive moving machine you should limit the hydraulics to just lifting and rolling into position. Clamping or securing can be done by air cylinder or mechanical levers. Hydraulics is slow and powerful. Air is faster and more delicate. Wheel drive is cheaper but track drive may be required in some apiaries.


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

Here is one my dad made for me. http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa100/rgraf/Fork lift/IMG_0202.jpg

That one will be for sale soon. We are making a bigger one now made onto a commercial ZTR mower. I will post some pics when we get finished with the new one.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

JohnG,
That's really cool! Send it out here to CA when your done playing with it!


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

johng said:


> Here is one my dad made for me. http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa100/rgraf/Fork lift/IMG_0202.jpg


Mounting the forks on the back of the lawn mower is a good idea. If you could position the seat over the engine and re route the controls you would be able to eliminate some of the counter balance weight and it would be better viewing for the driver. You might be able to keep the steering wheel where it is. It does look good though.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Did anyone notice on the extraction video that the inside of the hives appear painted???


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Acebird said:


> Mounting the forks on the back of the lawn mower is a good idea. If you could position the seat over the engine and re route the controls you would be able to eliminate some of the counter balance weight and it would be better viewing for the driver. You might be able to keep the steering wheel where it is. It does look good though.


Ya, ok. He is lifting two hive pallets, not a piling for the bay bridge. But you know everything about moving hives. Arnt your hives stationary Ace? I bet you've never even manually lifted a hive into a vehicle let alone used motorized machinery to do it. By the looks of the fine fabrication of this machine I'm quite sure they know what they are doing and don't need your "engineering expertise". 

Acebird, always willing to give his two cents on everything, but has no personal experience on anything.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

wow that was harsh,


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Ian, pay no mind to a babbling fool. I can see that Johng's father has a skill that is worth developing. I offered suggestions that I know he is capable of if he sees fit. It might be a good project for other back yard beeks if they have that welding skill. I had two of these style lawn mowers I could have given to someone that wanted to try. They went to reclaim for scrap which is about 5 bucks.

I did not move any of my hives this year because the person who was going to receive them got stung by something which resulted is a long term reaction. I thought the interest was gone but just recently we had a dinner engagement and she said she still wants them. So depending on what if any survive through the winter I may be moving a hive in the spring. I don't expect to built a hive lift in the near future because I am not about commercializing my hobby. But I like to help when I can.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Removing counter weight because of the relocation of the operator's seat position would be pure folly.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Acebird said:


> If you could position the seat over the engine and re route the controls you would be able to eliminate some of the counter balance weight and it would be better viewing for the driver.


If you shift the seat, and remove counterweights, presumably you are relying on the driver's weight to make up for the missing counterweights. What happens when the operator gets off the machine while the load is still on the forks? 
:ws:
Maybe that's another AcePlan® needs a little more thought ...


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Acebird said:


> Ian, pay no mind to a babbling fool. I can see that Johng's father has a skill that is worth developing. I offered suggestions that I know he is capable of if he sees fit.


LOL!!! A babbling fool!!! Now that is funny right there.............pot calling the kettle black arnt you?? And by a picture alone you can tell that JohnGs father "needs to develope his skills"...........really??? And by who...............YOU!!! Ya right!!! 

Come on "better than anyone else" engineer, please tell me that your friend built that extractor where the ceiling fan motor is actually INSIDE the extractor on the BOTTOM where the honey is. Please tell me that you didnt actually do that, I might lose respect for you..................oops, thats already done.

Oh ya, your not commercializing your hobby..............yet you are going to tell others that are either commercial guys or excellent fabricators like JohngG's dad how to do things "the right way, the ACEBIRD way!!"................buddy, you really need to find another site that you can try to convince others how great you are, because its not working over here. Good bye!!


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Ian said:


> wow that was harsh,


Come on Ian, I know Canadians are really good people with a heart of gold............but it must be a real Chinook going on up there if you cant see through Acebirds antics. Im a Canadian at heart (born/raised in Alberta and B.C) but became an American citizen a few years ago..................and although I try to see the good side of people before the bad side..............Ace is hopeless IMHO.

I may be harsh and gruff, but I also dont belittle EVERYONE that is on this site, as Acebird has done over the past year and a half. I just dont appreciate someone who is a self proclaimed know it all....................that doesnt know a hole in the ground from...................i'll leave it at that. 

Dont worry Ian, Acebird will tell you how you should run your business also, if he hasnt already done it.................just give it time.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

who cares? whats wrong with you guys.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Ian, you are wasting your time.

Counterweight ... There should be ample counter weight to lift the load without the driver present. Most people could figure that out. There is also additional counter weight needed for stability for when the vehicle is moving. Re-positioning the driver position will decrease the counterweight needed for stability while the vehicle is moving. Anymore negative thoughts?

My wife thinks that some people are jealous because I was able to built an extractor out of scraps that is perfectly suited for a hobbyist. They are out the cash and still sputtering. I just think some people never grow up and act like adolescents their whole life.

Edit: I should ad that it is much safer if the driver in not directly under the load and can see what is happening to the load while driving.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

>>If you could position the seat over the engine and re route the controls you would be able to eliminate some of the counter balance weight and it would be better viewing for the driver. 

That is how I would build one. Most forklifts are set up this way, with the seat further back. I would I doubt they remove the counter weights though, you will want to make sure there is enough to hold the load down when the operator isnt present. Especially if the mast allows high lifting.
looks like an interesting project REGARDLESS how the builder decides to modify it. 
Assuming the lifter is only going to lift a couple hundred lbs, One thing I like about a tractor mounted design is it would be able to travel through rougher terrain


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Acebird said:


> you would be able to eliminate some of the counter balance weight


I didn't say all I said some. I would say about a 100 pounds thinking the average man is over 200.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

lift machines counterbalance is designed without the operators weight taken into consideration.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Acebird said:


> Ian, you are wasting your time.
> 
> Counterweight ... There should be ample counter weight to lift the load without the driver present. Most people could figure that out. There is also additional counter weight needed for stability for when the vehicle is moving. Re-positioning the driver position will decrease the counterweight needed for stability while the vehicle is moving. Anymore negative thoughts?
> 
> ...


Sorry, no jealousy here over your extractor, none at all, Infact, my idea didn't sputter at all, it works just fine for me, and although I didn't recycle any parts directly out of a dumpster, I still built it for just over $100, with the barrel being almost half the cost. 

And thank you for your safety suggestions of not standing directly under a load, I thought only people in third world countries without safety policies and little common sense would do that. 

My safety tip of the day for you Acebird, don't stand on the top step of a ladder, or let kids under five years old operate a motor vehicle. There, now I think I have done my good deed for the day and just made your life much safer! You don't have to thank me!


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Ian said:


> who cares? whats wrong with you guys.


Do you want me to start with my psychiatrist's opinion or my parole officers?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Ian said:


> lift machines counterbalance is designed without the operators weight taken into consideration.


 A man lift???

If the weight of the operator adds to the instability of the machine I would suspect that more counterbalance weight would be used. In the case of this home built lift, if it were stable as designed it would be more stable by moving the weight of the operator farther away from the rear wheels. There is a limit on how much weight the front wheels can take on this type of lawn tractor so removing some of that weight might be desirable. We are discussing home built re-purposed equipment. It is unlikely it will be OSHA approved but it can be made safe.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

yes I agree the farther back the operator the better off the operator is for safety and for balancing the load. And I am assuming this lift is only designed for a few hundred lbs, but the mast looks as if it lifts at leat 6 feet high. With that there has to be significant counterbalance and the operator will help with that, but a lift machine has to be designed without the consideration of the operator. The weight of the operator isnt a fixed factor. When running machines, operators get on and off machines regardless their best intentions.

This is a pretty cool looking machine and it looks like there was alot of thought put into it. I was just thinking of how neet it would be if the mast was put on a zero turn mower! talk about maneuverability!


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

ha ha ha, you guys are too much



BeeGhost said:


> Do you want me to start with my psychiatrist's opinion or my parole officers?


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

I guess I am the only guy that thought it was pretty cool. I liked the part that held the covers down and kept them from falling off of the forks when he was moving them. As for the other 2 guys they were just there for ‘eye candy’. Beeks up here have been putting the bees in the national forest on fire weed but find that more than not they are run over by some kid in a jeep or kicked over by a hiker. Put some big wheels on that and stick them back in the brush a hundred yards.


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

Thanks for the comments guys! The front end does get light when I pick up two heavy hives I learned the hard way you can't just drive straight up the ramp on the trailer with the last two hives. It tipped up and the hives fell off. It works fine as long as you back up the ramp though. The mast is just shy of 7ft so I can drive it in the garage door. 

Here is a couple pics of the new one we are making onto a bigger mower. So far all I have had to buy was the winch and the ram to tilt the mast in and out. Probably gonna end up having to buy tires too. http://s203.beta.photobucket.com/user/rgraf/media/IMAG0193.jpg.html


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

johng said:


> The front end does get light when I pick up two heavy hives I learned the hard way you can't just drive straight up the ramp on the trailer with the last two hives. It tipped up and the hives fell off. It works fine as long as you back up the ramp though.


Nice job on the lift! And thanks for confirming through practical experience that it would be a serious mistake to remove any of the existing counterweights, as a certain _bird _was advocating.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

johng said:


> The front end does get light when I pick up two heavy hives I learned the hard way you can't just drive straight up the ramp on the trailer with the last two hives.


So as designed it is not stable. Moving the operators position would help. In this case I would not remove counter balance weight because the vehicle is not stable in the first place.
How much weight are you intending to lift? When you are moving it is best to have the load as low as possible. When you get to where you are going stop, lift to the height that you need and creep to the unload position.
For what you have right now with the ride on mower deck it might be helpful to mount a pallet roller on the front of the forks so if the vehicle tips the rollers will prevent the forks from digging into the ground or tipping too far.

Good luck with your next project. The zero turn mower will have all the counter balance you need and that better viewing angle.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Acebird, I'm assuming he was loading the trailer from the side and then attempted to load the last two hives and the forklift up the ramps and onto the trailer for transport. In that case, the vertical drive up the ramp and then over the pivot point onto the trailer changed the fulcrum point and being that most of the weight was on the front of the lift as he stated, of course it would tip. It would do the same with anything that had a load. On flat ground the only way it would tip is if it was over loaded or the boom was in the air on a sudden stop or a sharp turn with the boom in the loading position. It's known as the triangle of stability.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Or he took off too fast. Inertia works in both directions. With the forks in the rear it is hard to tell what direction is forward on this vehicle.


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

Beeghost is right. My son was driving the forklift, I was shutting the farmers gate and my son went ahead and drove up the ramp on the trailer about half way up the ramp it tipped back. We never drive it with the hives picked up any more than necessary so it could not tip up any further than the forks would let it. These were pretty heavy hives one deep with two supers coming off the fall flow. The little winch will pick up a lot more than the front end can take. It has its limitations, it was made as a way so I could move my hives by myself and it works for that. I also put my wife's plants on a pallet and move them in and out of the green house during the winter so it does come in handy for other stuff too.


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