Unloading a Truckload of Honey Supers

[Countryboy]

Supers are stacked on drip pallets. We can fit 10 stacks in the bed of the truck. These mediums are stacked 7 high, and shallows are stacked 8 high. A load of honey can be offloaded in 10-15 minutes pretty easily. Using a ramp and a hand cart to unload is a lot easier than throwing boxes onto the stacks in the beeyard. One guy blows the bees out of the boxes, and another guy stacks up the boxes on the tailgate and then slides the completed stacks forwards when loading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y_yyyYp4FY

[suttonbeeman]

I can imagine the mess when tire drops off ramp of someone missteps and falls on back with honey on top of them! Works good until accident. I'll still put mine on pallets next to hives in yard and load=unload with forklift.

[soupcan]

Sorry!
But that's just crazy!!!
That narrow ramp is an accident looking for a time & place to happen!!!

[jim lyon]

Unloaded lots and lots of honey through the years with a system that looked a lot like that................but I don't recommend it. We use pallets and forklifts much like suttonbeeman describes. Typically unload about 500 mediums in 15 to 20 minutes. On the other hand I dont mean to suggest this system is for smaller setups as it does require a pretty big investment. So all things considered looks like it works well for you just make a little wider ramp please

[honeyman46408]

That narrow ramp is an accident looking for a time & place to happen!!!

I waz thinkin the same thing it would NOT work with my BIG clumsey feet

[Trevor Mansell]

If you don't want to invest in a forklift you should at least look at a flatbed with a lift-gate . It would be allot safer one slip on that ramp you could be out of business , still nice honey crop though.

[Barry]

Almost happened at the 2:00 mark. Glad I have a trailer now.

[WATCHONYX]

Im sure OSHA, workmens compensations, or home owners insurance company would be really impressed with this contraption when someone gets hurt.

Especially handy are the well thought out and securely anchored "safety" railings, to stop someone or something from going off the edge off the expansive ramp.

How much traction do you have on the ramp with a little humidity or dew on it?

To quote another user on here: Just because you have been doing that way for years, doesn't mean its not incredibly stupid.

[Countryboy]

It works, and it's a lot faster to unload than unloading each box by hand. I suspect the next ramp will have a lip on the edges though.

Most stacks are 6 high. The 7th box makes it harder to handle.

OSB gives fairly decent traction.


Now what were you guys saying about narrow ramps and dangerous ways to unload honey supers? Go to the 2:25 mark.

Don't stand in the way...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV0cOLJ2PyY

[The Honey Householder]

Watching this has got me looking for a one ton box truck with lift gate. That load was off of 15 hives and 2800 lbs of honey on that 1/2 ton is just to much. This years pay out will be the year for the upgrades. Rolling honey down a ramp really isn't the way I want to do 50-70 ton a year. With the price of honey hitting $3900 a ton, I should be able to put new equipment into the operation.
Thanks for the beat down and feedback guys.

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Has anyone ever looked into using a van/bus with a wheelchair lift? A stack of supers weighs about as much as a big person.

[Beeslave]

Search craigslists for flatbeds with lift gates. Since you don't move your hives around you could get a box truck with a lift gate. It would be great for package bee pickup and keeping robber bees out of the full supers.

[Beeslave]

Here 'ya go

http://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/1875565743.html

Sell the box and add a flatbed

A large honey producer who overwinters in WI and his 10 yr avg is 150lbs with a few 200 lbs+ years uses a large stock trailer(was new when purchased). He has a ramp the width of the trailer to run the honey in and out with.