Preventing an extractor from walking?

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Max 2, I have the extractor on legs, and the legs stand on a platform, under the platform are the three castors. To get the last of the honey out I loosen the wingnuts that hold the extractors legs to the platform, and tip it forward as the other posters describe. It works well enough that I'm not looking for another solution. Even though the platform is on the castors it remains manageable.

[max2]

Adrian - good ideas. Do you keep the bucket ON the platform?

[NowThen]

Max2,

I'm only raising the platform a little bit. Just enough to point the remaining honey in the right direction. I suppose that if it did decide to start rolling away, I'd lay a brick or kid in front of a caster to keep it still.

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Max2 , yes I have the bucket on the platform.

[max2]

Thanks Adrian and NowThen

max2

[Ozarks Honey Company]

I know this is an old thread, but I just came across it from a link in another thread. It got me really excited about a way to mount my 12 frame and keep it from walking out the door and leaving a trail of honey (as the gal I purchased it from said it has done to her several times ). I now have a weekend project before pulling supers.

I am wondering what you all think of this idea to solve max2's delemia??

In my case I have to tilt the the whole show at the end to get the last drop out. How you deal with this with wheels??

What if one used locking casters and put them in the triangle configuration and mount exactly like the picture in post #33? You would leave them unlocked during the extraction process alowing the extractor to "swing it's hips". Then when extracting is complete, you lock the castors so it won't roll and prop the rear castor up a bit with something or just tilt it manually.

Thoughts...

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

I agree with barry. Take legs off and mount directly to a box that you can build of plywood.. You can fill the inside with anything you want. Even pour it full of concrete if you want too. then nail a top on it, turn it over, then mount the extractor using lag screws.

cchoganjr

[max2]

[QUOTE=ekrouse;561747]Fuzzy,

I like the 3 caster approach. My only question is that I keep a bucket under the gate so the honey flows out during the extraction and doesn't build up to dangerous levels in the extractor. How do you keep the wheel based unit from moving away from the bucket? Or does the bucket sit on the base so it moves too?

The casters work - buy some with breaks on them. The only problem is if you need to tilt the Extractor to get the last drop out or for cleaning.
The challenge is in the loading - try to have it as balanced as possible and there should only be a minot wobble.

[Andrew Dewey]

Guys, guys, guys....

Give up on all the bolts, plates, and weights. Instead secure machine to a sheet of heavy plywood AND then bolt 3 large swivel caster wheel in a triangle pattern around the outside of legs (like for a furniture dollies ).

It is counter-intuitive I know. BUT IT REALLY WORKS!!! The machine will wobble gently as it spins up. The faster you spin, the less it wobbles. It will certainly want to move around the floor but gentle hand pressure is all it will take to keep it in one place. This also takes the pressure off of the extractor bearings and they will last much longer -- probably forever.

Give it a try -- Fuzzy

This is what I have on my Maxant and it works well.

[Slow Modem]

I haven't operated my extractor since I mounted it on a pallet. However, when I operate it the next time, I will seriously consider putting three casters on it just to see what it does (or doesn't) do.

[Fuzzy]

"Or does the bucket sit on the base so it moves too?"

I keep mine on the base -- However, I have had to hold it in place with duct tape a couple of times with really unbalanced loads.

"The only problem is if you need to tilt the Extractor to get the last drop out or for cleaning"

I have a wheel mount for my table saw that uses a lever to raise the frame enough so that the the wheels do not touch the floor. The same could be made for the extractor base.

Fuzzy

[carlinmo]

Castors work great on my extractor. I have Dadant M00411 6-12 FRAME RADIAL EXTRACTOR with the Stainless steel stand (M00415). I bought castors with bolt heads and bolted them directly into the holes on the feet of the stand -- no need for a board. I ran the motor up to the maximum rpm on 6 batches without any appreciable wobble. I could tilt the extractor by myself to get the last of the honey.

Carl

[beedeetee]

I use the 3 castors through 5/8" plywood method with my extractor. To get the last honey of the year out, I have accumulated several hive body sides that don't have a mate and I stack up about 4 of them on the floor and put one of the castors (the one opposite the gate) in the hand hold to let it drain. It has never tried to roll away while draining

[Ozarks Honey Company]

OK, built my 3 castor extractor plate out of 2 pieces of 3/4" (23/32 to be exact) plywood tonight.

First, I cut my top piece and at the front, I also cut a "bucket holder" just the right size for a 5 gal or similar bucket to sit in. I then glued the two pieces together using liquid nails & screwed them tight. Next, I cut the bottom piece to the shape of the top. Then I mounted the extractor stand to it using hex bolts. Last, I flipped the whole assembly over and mounted the 3 locking castors using lag screws.

I am ready to take it for a spin (pun intended) this week.

Here are some pictures of what I came up with:

Front with bucket in holder
front w bucket.jpg

Front without bucket
front w out bucket.jpg

Closeup of bucket holder
bucket hole.jpg

Back view
rear.jpg

I put the castors almost directly under the point where the stand mounts are. The weight is distributed perfect so that it can be tilted forward to the bucket for draining and while empty, the whole thing actually stays leaning toward the bucket under it's own weight. I think that once it is full of frames it will be a bit harder to tilt which is good as it shouldn't tilt unless desired. But once it is time to get the last of the honey out it should tilt fairly easily and stay in that position with minimal effort.

My plan is to leave the castors unlocked during extraction to allow the sway that is desired and hopefully cut down on wearing out the rubber on the top bearing.

Can't wait to test it out!!! Will post my results when I am done extracting.

[Slow Modem]

I like the little cutout place for the bucket.

[KDM]

I use 4 castors with 3/4 plywood works very well. I have an older 24 frame root extractor,very heavy. When i am through extracting i use a cheap small floor jack to tilt the whole platform and tank to get the last honey. If you don't use some kind of stop the bucket can slide.

[Ozarks Honey Company]

OK, so I just got done on Sunday extracting 70 frames. This setup with three wheels works like a charm!!! The weight was perfect for tilting and everything. I did put a small concrete block on the rear while extracting though, just to make sure as the bucket filled it didn't decide to tip "automatically".

Here are some pictures...

Attachment 2401
The setup

Attachment 2402
honey flowin'

Attachment 2403
Bucket in front of extractor - you can see how it is in the "holder"

Img_0325-001.jpg
One more showing the front with bucket


It went very well, great design. Even with it purposely off balance it only wobbled about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. Very pleased with the design, someone get an "A" for this.

I have more pictures on my facebook @ facebook/OzarksHoneyCompany if youre interested.

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Jeff, Fuzzy gets the "A" for suggesting this method. This afternoon I finished extracting 35 gallons, and it went smooth. Also, I used a tip Jake from Maxant suggested; I ran the extractor on slow for 5 minutes to even out the load, and then cranked it up to max for another 6 minutes and then switched it off until the next load of frames were ready - worked like a charm in this 90 degree heat. Later I just wheeled it over to my hose, rinsed it out good and I'm done for now.

[Ozarks Honey Company]

Speaking of cleaning the extractor... Does anyone let the bees lick it clean?

I tried it and it took about 1 day, they had all the honey cleaned off of it. Tomorrow I will wash it with the pressure washer to clean off any loose debris and stuff the bees didn't get.

Just wondering...

[RABray]

Thank you all for your ideas. I was able to make my base without having to go through a lot of painful learning curve. This is my new base as well as my new extractor. Right after I took the pictures I fired her up for the first time. Needless to say this sure beats the crush and strain I was doing. I decided to jump right in for the powered model and I sure am glad I did. I added the extra height to gain the clearance to change the strainers while still running the extractor.

front.jpg

front with pail.jpg