Sled Deck

[EastSideBuzz]

Anyone thought or tried to use a sled deck http://www.midwestsleddecks.com/HTML/sled-decks.html. This is a picture of what I was thinking about. Mainly to just haul around locally 6 Pallets of doubles. So 24 hives will fit nicely. Just wondering what you think. It is just to haul a 1/2 dozen pallets Load them with the forklift and then move them between yards.

If that is a bad idea then this is another. http://www.800toolbox.com/flatbeds/flatbeds.htm

Thoughts.?

[Oldtimer]

That first one looks pretty dodgy the centre of gravity will be up in the air I'd be scared to go round a corner. Or suddenly have to hit the brakes for that matter.

The other one's more like it if you took the sides off but it looks too small.

[EastSideBuzz]

The goal was to be able to move 6 pallets locally. Yes the center of gravity will be high did not think about the turns. I don't have dual lies so the second it better except need to change out the bed. I also need to think of the weight. What does a pallet of hives weigh?

[Oldtimer]

Only you know how heavy your hives are but you don't want to not be able to move them just cos they got some honey on. Me, I think you need a bigger vehicle.

[Beetrucker74]

You want to have a wood deck for your flat. We had a grain truck with a metal deck and the sides cut off Everything slid around no matter how well tied down. as for the other "thing" you would be asking for one of those bee moveing stories you always hear and say thank God it wasn't me.

[beeware10]

for this number of hives to move pallets are overkill. a trailer is more pratical and hand load. later if you need to get a bigger flatbed truck.

[hpm08161947]

I just had to move about 24 hives down into this wet mucky blue berry field, in order to fill out some blanks on the pallets that were already there and in order to have to number of hives I said would be there. It was just simpler to use my 4 wheel drive pickup than to try and drive the big truck with bobcat and get stuck. Guess I could have used a trailer, but getting stuck was an issue. So I hand loaded about 6 hives at a time and made about 4 trips... some were doubles... some 1 1/2.... it wasn't that bad... and I am an old man...

[Oldtimer]

I saw somewhere a motorised cart used to take honey off that could also move a hive. It was like a trolley, but with a petrol driven motor, you drive it up ramps onto your truck.

Wouldn't mind one myself, too few hives to get mechanised but moving them means I always have to coerce someone into helping.

[EastSideBuzz]

I have a swinger on order. I am done hand loading. Having my 150 hives on pallets cant hand load anymore. I am trying to use hydraulics for everything now. Hummerbee has a scale on their machine need to see if Swinger can design something like that for me also.

I was just thinking that instead of using a 16 foot Isuzu would be nice to throw on the sled on the pickup and put 6 pallets on them. But, thanks to you guys telling me it gets top heavy. I kind of forgot about that. I will use the bug truck. Might change out my bed to a flat be style or just get a 350 12 foot small flat bed for short moves.

[hpm08161947]

Oh... you have 150 hives to move... not 24. Well that's different. Definitely need a flatbed. Hope that swinger is used.

[bfriendly]

I guess I can say I use one on my 45+ mpg bee truck 16 hives in a pinch (way overloaded), but great for running around... But seriously, a used FB is only $500-1000, you will spend more than this on any snowmobile deck.

[SPRUCE BEE]

A little more wingspan on that vw & you could fly with it! Must be some of that local Boeing influence? "VW Dreamliner" lols Years ago I had a little ford courier p/u that I installed a fb on. Wish I had it now w/ $4 plus petro