# I need a solution to a "walking" honey extractor



## NonTypicalCPA (Jul 12, 2012)

I bought a newer 4 frame extractor from a friend, not sure what brand, and it is quite a PIA when extracting. You practically need to be sitting on it to keep it from walking away when you're spinning the frames. It isn't on legs. I would imagine if it were on legs the answer would be to bolt it to the concrete floor. I tried to load it evenly, and it was better but still wobbled. Any other suggestions?


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## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

Use a tie-down strap to secure it to something solid. A friend ties his to a sewer pipe in his basement. I take a drawer out of the kitchen cabinet in my office and strap mine to the frame of the cabinet. These are old fashioned solid cabinets. Probably not a good idea to do that with pressed wood. If you have a floor you don't mind putting a bolt in, attach a pipe or a 4"X4".


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## Robbin (May 26, 2013)

I saw a youtube of a guy that fixed his by welding bars across the legs. It really stiffened them up. I intend to do that to mine before next season. I put a frame of 2x10 on the ground, put three 80lbs bags of concrete in it. attached boards that ran across the concrete and screwed the legs into those boards. having it attached to a 200+ pound slab made a big difference with mine. But I'm still going to weld bars across the legs to stiffen them up. I use a drill to remove the screws on the feet so I can move it to clean it.


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

I used a sheet of plywood on my little 2-frame, using countersunk bolts coming up thru the plywood to the bolt holes on the legs. The plywood was large enough that I stood on it while cranking, so my own weight held it in place. Worked OK but when I finish the honey-room I expect to put anchors in the floor, probably some really substantial T-nuts that can't pull out.


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

I believe some people put wheels under their extractors. Check out the equipment forum. I am sure there are some posts with pictures.

Tom


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Your problem is not unique. I think that we have all been there. If you do not want to put bolts permanently in the floor, here are several suggestions that you may try.

Extractor with no legs: Set up on a concrete garage floor and buy three or four bags of "tube sand" at HD or Lowes. Put them on the floor around three or four sides of the outside of the extractor. This will eliminate or at least minimize the "walk-around" of the extractor. 

Extractor with three legs: Stand a bag of "tune sand" up and leaned against each of the three legs. This is what I have done successfully for years.

Extractor with three legs: This is a great idea that I got from BeeSource years ago. Mount the legs permanently on a triangular or circular piece of heavy plywood and mount three or four "all directional" casters on the bottom of the plywood. I have not tried this but in theory it should work: as the extractor runs the extractor will "walk" around in small circles but not "walk away"and should be able to operate unattended.

Regards,
Steve


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## SAS (Sep 4, 2015)

NonTypicalCPA said:


> I bought a newer 4 frame extractor from a friend, not sure what brand, and it is quite a PIA when extracting. You practically need to be sitting on it to keep it from walking away when you're spinning the frames. It isn't on legs. I would imagine if it were on legs the answer would be to bolt it to the concrete floor. I tried to load it evenly, and it was better but still wobbled. Any other suggestions?


I know what you mean. I bought a new MAXANT 3100P (6 to 9 frame powered) this year, and when I turned it on, it started dancing all over the place (after slowly getting up to full speed). I eventually had to bolt it to the floor. After bolting it to the floor, I was very happy on how well it did the job. Now all I need, is a better/faster way to uncap!

As some have mentioned, I too plan on welding an extra cross bar on the stand for extra support.


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## [email protected] (Aug 1, 2004)

I once saw a guy with an extractor in his garage. No legs. He'd start it up and 'herd' it into a corner, where he could grab it and keep it confined. When finished, he would move it back to the middle, empty and reload, and start again. Hilarious to watch!

If your extractor doesn't have legs how do you get the honey out?


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## wcubed (Aug 24, 2008)

It's fairly easy to balance the load so it does not have the tendency to walk. When uncapping fat frames, put them on opposite sides. Skinny frames, likewise.
W


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

NonTypicalCPA said:


> Any other suggestions?


There are two things that I would check on the extractor one is to make sure the basket is running true with nothing in it. If you clamp a plastic ruler to the tub and turn the basket by hand you can see if the basket is moving closer or farther away from the ruler as it turns. If it is off you have two options maybe... if you can center the basket to the center shaft do that. If you cannot center it the next best thing is to use spacers so the frames run true to the center shaft.

The next thing you want to check is if the basket is out of balance without any frames in it. You can check that by running the basket as fast as it will go with no frames in it. If you detect a wobble you can try and balance it out by trial and error securing a weight on the basket hoping to get less wobble.

Bolting the extractor to a plywood disc with three casters and letting it shimmy can also work for you. You contain the area it can move by ropes or sand bags.

Are you starting the extractor slow? You want 3/4 of the weight of the honey out of the frames before you go high speed.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> If your extractor doesn't have legs how do you get the honey out?


I tip it over like this.
http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv333/acebird1/Harvest2012030_zps73791116.jpg

http://vid697.photobucket.com/albums/vv333/acebird1/Harvest2012024_zps45b2bcc4.mp4


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## parkdaddy73 (Mar 19, 2014)

NonTypicalCPA said:


> I bought a newer 4 frame extractor from a friend, not sure what brand, and it is quite a PIA when extracting. You practically need to be sitting on it to keep it from walking away when you're spinning the frames. It isn't on legs. I would imagine if it were on legs the answer would be to bolt it to the concrete floor. I tried to load it evenly, and it was better but still wobbled. Any other suggestions?


Build a small but sturdy table adequate height to place a bucket under the gate valve, then put 4 eyelet bolt on the corners and attach rods with turn buckles to hold it down that is what I did. But I like the easy solution with tie downs as well.


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## Anchoa (Aug 25, 2008)

Wheels, all-directional casters. You won't believe how this will solve this problem as it will absorb and dissipate all of the energy. No more holding on or wrestling with the extractor.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Anchoa said:


> You won't believe how this will solve this problem as it will absorb and dissipate all of the energy.


You are not describing it correctly. It doesn't absorb energy what it does is allow the whole extractor to move about it's own center of gravity as would any celestial object. In a case of home builds the extractor bearings will last much longer if you allow the extractor to "float" because the bearing are under much less load.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Castors make the extractor gently move in tiny circles as it runs instead of walking or vibrating violently. I have my extractor mounted on a piece of plywood with 4 swivel casters on the bottom of the plywood - it keeps it from walking and makes it easy to move around, and the plywood has stop blocks on it so that the honey bucket (which sits on the plywood) can't move by accident, AND the extractor is mounted on the plywood at a slight angle so that more of the honey drains out. Such a simple thing, but with so many benefits.


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

What happens when the casters hit the stop blocks?

I ask because our front 15-year-old load washing machine committed suicide last night. It went out of balance on a spin cycle, causing the spring-mounted drum to slam into something, knocking off a piece of the plastic drum large enough to make a fist-sized hole.

Hey, I wonder if I could fix the washer, clean it up ... how many frames could I fit in it?


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

I don't have any stop blocks for the casters to hit. The extractor sits in the floor a foot or so away from the nearest object and if it wanders out of place a bit it might start tapping on the cabinet that it sits next to and I move it away, but nothing violent ever happens. If it went the other way it would work the plug out of the wall I guess, but that has never happened. If you wanted it to remain securely in one area you could secure it with bungee cords - which I have considered, but it's not enough of a problem for me to bother to address so far. I don't run off and leave it running unattended for long periods of time either.


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## MJuric (Jul 12, 2010)

*Now all I need, is a better/faster way to uncap!*

Roller punch capper. Faster then anything I've used and cheaper as well. 

~Matt


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Use three casters at 120 degrees apart ant it will not walk like it does with 4 casters. It will self center it's oscillations with 3.


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## MHonsinger (Mar 31, 2012)

It walks because the machine is not balanced either by load or machine.
-if it walks when you run it dry with no frames its the machine and you would need to add weight to the drive bar or frame holder to offset the wobble. 
- if it walks when frames are in its the uneven weight of the frames. You need to balance the weight of frame load inside so it is even. 
it would also help if the machine is mounted to the floor.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

I have a homemade trashcan extractor and has no legs, it walks a little on the first super after that the honey weight in the bottom pretty much keeps it from walking. I know most people extract with the gate open, but I don't for this reason. once it gets just below the basket I drain down but not all the way. Not the "right" way but it's my way and it works for me.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

David LaFerney said:


> If you wanted it to remain securely in one area you could secure it with bungee cords


Three bungee cords of the same length is a good idea or any spring system. Phobee, you want a soft stop not a hard one. The extractor walks in one direction because the floor isn't level.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

I have a 4-frame extractor and have found that you have to place the top bar into a corner of the square basket, rotate, repeat exactly like the last one and do all four frames the same way. There's more to it than plopping frames in. You have to carefully place them all in the same exact orientation or it will wobble when you spin.

I screw the extractor down onto my bee trailer when extracting to give it more stability. (and height)


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## JohnOh2018 (Jan 5, 2018)

SAS said:


> I know what you mean. I bought a new MAXANT 3100P (6 to 9 frame powered) this year, and when I turned it on, it started dancing all over the place (after slowly getting up to full speed). I eventually had to bolt it to the floor. After bolting it to the floor, I was very happy on how well it did the job. Now all I need, is a better/faster way to uncap!
> 
> *A faster way to uncap...?????*
> I am a fairly new bee hive keeper but that easy way to uncap bothered me also . So I looked around on the net, purchased a hot knife, used it once, and saw how messy it is, and decided on scrapping it.
> ...


Those of you who think you know everything, upset those of us who also think that...and do know everything.... :no:


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## tnnewbe (Mar 21, 2010)

It has been mentioned that it's better to use 3 casters rather than 4 with the extractor mounted to a plywood board. I assume that the board would be a rectangle so that the bucket could set below the extractor valve. Should the 3 casters be around the center of the extractor? If the caster circle was not large enough then a full bucket could tip the whole thing. 
Ken


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## Mefco (Oct 16, 2015)

This is my set up, casters on the legs, a bucket on platform on wheels, bungied to extractor, works great
https://youtu.be/QzijpCAc5o0


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## tnnewbe (Mar 21, 2010)

Mefco:
Thanks for the link to the video. I never thought about putting the bucket on a separate moveable platform and attaching with a bungied cord. Good thinking. that is the same extractor that I have.
Ken


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## Mefco (Oct 16, 2015)

Just make sure you have enough room for the bucket with strainer on to fit under the honey gate
One of these or similar should work for the bucket

https://www.google.com/search?q=pla...UIEygD&biw=1024&bih=698#imgrc=YU_70KF16gvQ4M:


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## tnnewbe (Mar 21, 2010)

Thanks, I was just checking the heights of the different casters to put under each in order to clear my bucket and strainer. I never thought about looking for plant dollies. I'll check those out to see how they will work.
Ken


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## JohnOh2018 (Jan 5, 2018)

The thing to do is with a "walking" out of balance extractor is to _start spinning slowly_, but first check to see if the frames are about the same weight by looking at how these are filled with honey. If the pattern is different by a large degree, the weight will also differ throwing the extractor out of balance more easily. Find one that is more like the other. I have learnt to cope without bolting the thing down and doing that, but then again mine is only a two swinging frame type which makes it easier to balance and to cope with unbalancing if I do one side partially, and then the other, the nfully extracting the first one again... Something to think about (2 frame) if you only have a few hives to work with. Also a higher temperature when extracting makes a huge difference, so its easier in mid summer than nearing autumn when shutting hives down. I now leave two bodies on my hives for easier splitting at the beginning of spring. Without the queen screen of course....


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## Biermann (May 31, 2015)

Acebird said:


> You are not describing it correctly. It doesn't absorb energy what it does is allow the whole extractor to move about it's own center of gravity as would any celestial object. In a case of home builds the extractor bearings will last much longer if you allow the extractor to "float" because the bearing are under much less load.


Whau, celestial objects in beekeeping, scary sh...!, I love this forum!

I did build my own 8 frame extractor and was frustrated with he imbalance when loaded, but I found switching a couple frames around and running it slow for 10-15 minutes before full speed makes lots of difference. Also, my brain must 'pre-weigh' frames now, because I notice this imbalance less and less now after a few years running it. I will try the 'caster' solution this summer. If it makes a big difference, I will give 'jbeshearse' a kiss some day.

Joerg


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## Spur9 (Sep 13, 2016)

I got a pallet from work, fastened plywood to bottom and top for reinforcement, and added lockable casters on the bottom. I bolted the extractor down to the plywood. Added eyebolts so that I could strap it down. I move it from storage to the garage with my front end loader when I need am going to extract (hence using a pallet). I engage the caster brakes when extracting and it is stationary.


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## appalachianoutdoors (May 16, 2015)

David LaFerney said:


> Castors make the extractor gently move in tiny circles as it runs instead of walking or vibrating violently. I have my extractor mounted on a piece of plywood with 4 swivel casters on the bottom of the plywood - it keeps it from walking and makes it easy to move around, and the plywood has stop blocks on it so that the honey bucket (which sits on the plywood) can't move by accident, AND the extractor is mounted on the plywood at a slight angle so that more of the honey drains out. Such a simple thing, but with so many benefits.


I did this. Makes it so easy to roll the extractor out the door to clean after extracting also. Leave enough room on the plywood to set your honey bucket also.


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## gatsby174 (Jun 2, 2014)

I built a 2x4 and plywood stand with 4 swivel casters for my maxant 3100. I love having it on wheels to move around the garage and it sits still while extracting. Win - win in my book!


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

I tried casters on a 32 frame extractor this summer. It did work, but started to wear a flat on the wheels. I then took off the casters and used 4 chains and 4 turnbuckles connected to 4 Tapcons into the concrete. I found it a much better solution.

Crazy Roland


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