Hive Handling Equipment...Help!

[Bee Draggle]

I have some physical problems that make it very difficult for me to lift a deep super full of honey. Although I don't have to do this very often it still presents a problem. After searching the internet I came up empty on hive handling equipment other than a forklift. I was thinking something along the lines of a tripod hoist fitted with a device that would grab the handholds on a super. I remember seeing such contraption in the bee magazines many years ago but nothing recently. I would appreciate anyone who can point me in the right direction. If need be I'm pretty good at building stuff in anyone has plans. Thanks

[honeyman46408]

[justgojumpit]

I would be thinking of something that mounts to the back of your pickup with an arm that reaches out over the side. A rope that passes through a few pulleys to multiply your strenth, and some sort of crade you could slip under the box. This could be two boards with a eye hook on each side. Slip one board under each end of the hive body. At the end of your rope, you have four shorter ropes with a snap on each one. Snap the ropes to the eye hooks, lift your super, tie the rope to something sturdy, like your hitch, and then you can even have a fifth rope to pull the super away from the line of gravity to get it out of your way while working the hive. This way you could load full deeps on honey onto and off of your truck, and you could work the hives without ever lifting the full weight of a box! Maybe not as fast as hand-lifting, but with an injury, that might not be so fast or fun either! If you want to get fancy, you can have your pulley system ride along a track so you can roll the supers from your tailgate all the way up to your cab! This might be a job for a welder, but you would have a life-long piece of equipment that would work for other things as well as the bees. A welder could even make you a set of forks so you don't have to mess with the boards and snaps.

justgojumpit

[justgojumpit]

Gary, you must have posted that while i was typing. you could've saved me a lot of typing by posting it a few minutes earlier! Where did you get that lift?

justgojumpit

[Bee Draggle]

I guess I should have mentioned that I can't get my pickup truck close enough to the hives to be of any use so I need something that can be set up on the ground over the hive.

[honeyman46408]

First rule

Never put your hive where you cant get the truck to!!

[TodesSchatten]

a liter type handtruck w/ pneumatic tires

like - http://www.handtrucks.com/material-l...teriallift.cfm

[bermybee]

Like Like the hand truck.

I look at your question again. Misunderstood it the first time, but have you ever considered a BAR CLAMP ? I don't know if you can weld but if you put two of them at 90 degrees to each other.

[honeyman46408]

Hand truck

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...CategoryID=491

[Fuzzy]

I made several nuc boxes with covers. When I must move a deep of honey I take a couple of empty nucs. Put 5 frames of honey in each one and then replace the frames
with empty ones. You should be able to carry 5 frames of honey.

[bermybee]

Like Like the hand truck.

I look at your question again. Misunderstood it the first time, but have you ever considered a BAR CLAMP ? I don't know if you can weld but if you put two of them at 90 degrees to each other.

Better yet forget the 90 degree trash an just use the two clamps

[Jorn Johanesson]

I think he was thinking of somthing like this device from http://swienty.com/?pid=5&id=82048&ref=1033&root=1033
located in Denmark.

[Bee Draggle]

Now that looks like something that would work for me. Sometimes I want to raise the top deep super which can be heavy with honey so that I can look at the frames in the bottom deep super. For example, I might want to find the queen in order to requeen in the fall. Probably all I need is a tall sturdy tripod with a chain hoist. I noticed that manufactured tripods are pretty pricey.

[Michael Bush]

Here are some carts:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beescarts.htm

And here's a hive that requires no lifting:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeshorizontalhives.htm

[Chef Isaac]

Honeyman: Where di you get that at?

[honeyman46408]

I bought the hoist at Northern Tool and Harbor Freight has one like it and I built the rest.

[Chef Isaac]

can you elaborate on "I built the rest"? Remember.... I am not to smart on putting things together!

[honeyman46408]

It sets on 2" square tubing that goes into the reciver hitch

[bermybee]

Now that looks like something that would work for me. Sometimes I want to raise the top deep super which can be heavy with honey so that I can look at the frames in the bottom deep super. For example, I might want to find the queen in order to requeen in the fall. Probably all I need is a tall sturdy tripod with a chain hoist. I noticed that manufactured tripods are pretty pricey.

$880 odd dollars plus shipping is still pricey have you every considered switching to smalls or mediums?

[Chef Isaac]

honey: What did it cost you? Does it weigh a lot? Advantages that you like and disadvantages?

Is your truck 4x4?