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Bobcat with forklift mast, or without, vs Hummerbee!!!!!!!!

79K views 147 replies 36 participants last post by  Mtn. Bee 
#1 ·
What's your opinion?
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?
Likes and Dislikes?
mobility and visibility?
Thanks, Bo.
 
#84 ·
I'd pay good money to see some kind of forklift showdown, Keith on the Swinger 1K, Benstung on a Bobcat and Josh on one of the new XRT's.
HEY! Don't leave me out!
You want a forklift showdown; you've got it!
We will have a semi positioned in the loading area and hives scattered in almonds up to 1/4 mile away; sound good?
Oh I'm just waiting for the phone to ring....
 
#86 ·
Yeah Harry is trying to rig the competition no doubt. That thing he drives should be in Talladega not a bee yard. I'm thinking restricter plate to even the field a bit.
 
#89 ·
According to Hummerbee it's going to be coming soon with base price around 37 grand. Sounds like its gonna be "badass". I can't sleep thinking about it. :)
 
#91 · (Edited)
A 1K with 10' mast, load dampener, lift gauge, and a couple extra lights is selling for uhhhhhhh I will guess just under 33 grand fob Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Not that I would really know or anything.;)
 
#95 ·
I look at value, in my other life, I own & run Jarrett Equipment rents, I have everything from cummings to Catipillars.....Case to Kamatsu. VALUE... I work with a guy that bought one of the 1K swinger, its about 7-8 years old now, he runs 15-20 thousand hives with it. The only thing he has changed is he bought the converion two pedal to one pedal, he told me and I qoute " that thing is bullet proof " , he also has hummers but has order more of the 1K's machines. One machine is out in front and the other, well we will just have to wait for swinger to design something new for them to copy.
 
#97 ·
Keith, I didn't say the 1k wasn't a good machine. I'm sure you would find owners of each of the 3 machines mostly being discussed here that would consider them bullet proof, myself included. All are commercial grade machines and each has features that lend them better fit for specific applications. I looked hard at the 1k but opted not to buy one because they were a little too wide to get into the building lanes where I store my supers and also because getting attachments like a snow blower and bush hog was far simpler, less time consuming and much cheaper on the Hummer. The Swinger will take standard bobcat type attachments but it requires that the mast be removed (45 minutes according to the manufacturer) AND it requires an attachment from Swinger that will cost you an additional 4-5 k. In contrast, the snow blower and mower I bought for the Hummer fits right on the forks and doesn't require a 4-5 k part to attach it! You run the forks in the attachment, snap a chain to hold it on when you back up and connect 2 quick couplers for the hydraulics and you're done--a 2 minute job. Let's see; I saved 4-5 k and 45 minutes every time I use an attachment. It wasn't a difficult decision for me Keith and, like I said, the machine a person buys should fit their needs--the emblem on the hood won't let you do something it wasn't designed to do. I'm happy you like you're 1k but the Hummer was a far better fit for MY needs. I also really like the folks at A&O; they always had the parts I needed to keep my old Swinger running and I'm sure they will be there to help when the Hummer gets old and tired. Chip
 
#98 · (Edited)
I here yeah Chip, I don't live in snow country and only use my 1k for bees so I don't see much other than that, you do bring up good points to consider though as one looks for a machine to fit there own needs. As for me I only use the 1k for loading bees sub ect... something that I can put forks into. :)

P.S. with the 1k no joints to burn off an replace & no final drives going out.
 
#99 ·
You gotta help me out on this one Chip. If the mower and snow blower fit directly onto the forks then why wouldn't it also fit on the forks of a Swinger as well? What exactly is this 4 to 5 thousand dollar part?
 
#100 ·
Jim, I'd bet the Swinger could be plumbed to accept A&O's attachments like the snow blower or the mower. They just use a 1/2 inch quick coupler and they steal the hydraulic line off the side-shift on the mast. The expensive part for the Swinger was called a quick attach universal mount if memory serves me. I really liked the idea of being able to use any front end loader attachment but taking the thing on and off would be a time killer for me even if expense wasn't a factor. I can throw the mower deck on the truck along with a yard of bees, mow it down, take it off and place the hives in about 10 minutes and in only 1 trip. I'm a pretty small operation and do everything myself so the time saved is a big plus.
 
#105 ·
You can put a plate on a swinger and run Bobcat implements also if you want to go that route. If I were to compare the Swinger and the Humberbee for running implements I would go swinger. The motor is much more powerful and the joints are designed to last. I would be afraid to use the hummerbee to do some of those rough tasks. You also can get a front end loader for the swinger so I know it is built tough.

They build machines that run in the desert of the middle east so those things are military grade also.
 
#103 ·
Yeah I follow you now but as you say there is probably no reason that the Hummerbee attachments couldnt be plumbed to work. I do know that the loader conversion is about 7 grand for the Swinger and they claim about 20 minutes to a half hour switchover time. That gives you your universal mount for any Bobcat accessory but in the real world is probably a real PITA. I get frustrated having to take the time to put a barrel attachment on the forklift in the honey house and that takes all of about 2 minutes.
 
#104 ·
I dont know I think if I wanted a machine that took Bobcat attachments I would just buy a Bobcat .

Why would anybody buy a machine that is just a knock-off of the 1K . I don't understand , these guys at Swinger make machines for the military , they make equipment for the Coast Guard . Heck these guys have been making loaders for around 40 years , the Hummerbee is a copy of there old 1600. Why would you spend your hard earned money on a second rate machine when you can have the original for allot less. Also think about this, do you think A and O actually gets there machines tested for ANSI certifications ? Somehow I just cant see them spending that kind of money, maybe Im wrong but I doubt it.
 
#108 ·
I think the idea of hooking up snow blowers or mowers on a forklift is goofy.
Here's what it sounds like you might need:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Shallotman/DSC00435.jpg

And yes, it is also EXCELLANT for moving bees.
3 pallets on the back and 2 on the front.
Skidsteer attachments on the loader.
And guess what? $20,000.00 including forks and bucket, NOT $33,000!!!!
40 HP turbo 8x8 FWD
Ever heard of a power shaft? Oh yeah, it also runs our bailer, sprayer rake, rototiller, posthole digger etc....
Maybe Hummerbee needs to offer a 3pt hitch on the back so you can do this with your forklift:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Shallotman/DSC00431.jpg

Or this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Shallotman/DSC00823.jpg
 
#109 ·
You can argue this forever.

A sledge hammer won't do the work of a brad hammer or rubber mallet. Those six way screw drivers have two Phillips heads, two slotted heads, and two sockets, but won't work on screws or nuts much larger and smaller than what it comes with. Forty years ago when I started my business I bought a carpenters hammer, but it was too small to hammer in headerboard stakes, so I bought a mallet. But it was too small to hammer a stake into hard ground, so I bought a sledge hammer. I got a few concrete removal jobs so I bought a bigger sledge hammer. I wanted to split firewood so I bought a maul. I got some masonry work so I bought a brick hammer. I wanted to drum bees out of boxes so I bought a rubber mallet. I needed to flatten a bunch of nuts so I bought a ball peen hammer. I had a few hundred frames to wire so I bought a brad hammer from Kelly.

I started with a 3/4 ton pickup but added a 1 ton dump truck, then a 28000 gvw dump truck, later a 15000 gvw toolbox dump truck, then a 20000 gvw drop box truck. Now I drive Subaru Baja. It is perfect for most of my beekeeping efforts but I harvest the crops with a bigger truck.

I have two skid steer Bobcats, a Massey skip loader and several trenchers, none of them do the work of my mini excavator, and it isn't real good at loading trucks.

No one tool or piece of equipment will serve all uses.
 
#110 ·
Harry. The cute little red tractor looks like it serves your needs well. I have a John Deere 2640 and an 8 foot snow blower that I've used for years. Ever blow snow in an open cab, going in reverse when it's -30 and the wind is blowing 40 mph? IMO, that's goofy but to each his own. I'm happy blowing snow from the comfort of a cab and the mower is a lot easier to haul to my Beeyards than the 2640 and it's quicker. I'm happy with my set up and I'm happy you like yours!!
 
#112 ·
Ever blow snow in an open cab, going in reverse when it's -30 and the wind is blowing 40 mph? IMO, that's goofy but to each his own.
No, but I did ride out the blizzard of '66 in Crookston, so I understand your winters.
The worst I have seen here is 17" but many years we don't have any snow at all.
Certainly machine requirements are just like beekeeping; regional!
Anyway, I was mainly just yanking everyones chain. They are all fine machines.
You take 1st place for the best summation:
"I'm happy with my set up and I'm happy you like yours!! "
:)
 
#111 ·
I'm I the only guy that bought a machine(1k) with loading... ahhhh bees in mine???? I could give a hoot about if it chop hay, blows snow, wins the indy( sorry Harry had to get that one in there :) ). Gees lou wees. Buy a tool for the job. There is no one size fits all.

The size that fits loading BEES is 1k swinger
 
#113 ·
Harry. You are a gentleman and a scholar; I tip my hat to you! My daughter is a professor at the Crookston campus of the University of Minnesota so she knows the winters there too. The first year she was there, the snow drifted into the outside doors of her house and she had to call a neighbor to dig her out! We moved here in 1990 from CA so she's seen all kinds of weather, including the foggy winters of CA. Be Good, Chip
 
#114 ·
Great, just when it was getting interesting everyone starts agreeing on everything. Suppose this means I have to stop picking on Keith and giving Harry the business about that race car he drives.
 
#118 ·
Part of getting a swinger etc is having the tool. No everything makes $ sense.

I got a kubota 15 years ago and just hit 400 hours on it. So if you do the math of a 30k tractor, 2 clutch jobs, 1 front dif rebuild and my tractor is like a boat (hole in the water you throw money into). It is a fun thing to have and useful also.



I have 150 and growing and a full time job and having a real tough time with it. Please share how you do it. PM if you like. :) But, I need the full time job to fund this thing. I think 30k each of the last 2 years into this could not do that with the profits from the girls.
 
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