Forklifts

[Scott J.]

Is a 126" mast and 42" forks work well for loading your trucks 3 high with double deeps? Thinking of ordering one and am curious on how others have theirs set up. Any other options that you feel are worthwhile? I am leaning more towards the Swinger 1K. All opinions welcome!

[jim lyon]

In my opinion the 12' mast is a waste of money and even a bit of a liability as it cant fit through an 8' doorway and will easily snag on overhanging tree limbs and such (the load clamp makes that situation even worse). In almost every loading scenario it is easier to lift multiple pallets since you are nowhere near the lift capacity. I have an older machine with the tall mast and the few times I have used it at the top of its height capacity I have found it is quite difficult to do it gracefully because every movement is magnified at that height. I use the 42" forks but a good case could be made for the 48" forks in many situations.

[dback]

Jim's reply shows experience......12' is a waste and sometimes a problem. We use 42" forks as our pallets are only 44".....don't like them 48" boats. I prefer everything tight, but they both work.

[Scott J.]

Just to be clear, I was asking about weather a 10 foot mast (126") is the prefered way to go. Also are having the foam filled tires worth the cost? pros/cons? Thank you Jim for your input.

[jim lyon]

Just to be clear, I was asking about weather a 10 foot mast (126") is the prefered way to go. Also are having the foam filled tires worth the cost? pros/cons? Thank you Jim for your input.

Yeah that is what I would prefer as opposed to the 144" tall (approximately) mast that I was referring to which is an additional cost. Sorry I wasnt clear. You will have to make the call on the foam filled tires, I dont have them but have heard good things about them, just a bit pricy in my mind but someone with a flat tire and a lot of work to do would no doubt disagree. I am not aware of any other downsides to foam filled tires other than the cost involved.

[Keith Jarrett]

Also are having the foam filled tires worth the cost? pros/cons? Thank you Jim for your input.

Scott, I would go with green slime in your tires, I put the stuff in my 1K tires and haven't had a tire issue since.

[swarm_trapper]

i don't have the foam filled tires on my machine but heard a few guys tell me they are a lot rougher ride.

[BEESERIOUS]

Scott, I would go with green slime in your tires, I put the stuff in my 1K tires and haven't had a tire issue since.

Keith, how much green slime did you put in your tires
thanks, James

[Keith Jarrett]

James, yeah know James they sell I think about a quart or just a little shy of a quart size, I put one in each tire, Maybe a little over kill but I tell you what I haven't had a tire problem since. Before that I had a flat once a month.

[Scott J.]

Keith, where does a person purchase the "green slime"? What is the approximate cost?

[Nick Noyes]

All of our hummerbees have foam filled tires. I would highly recomend it. No flats and you never have a low tire on the downhill side with a 4 high stack of bees 4 feet off the ground.

[Rader Sidetrack]

where does a person purchase the "green slime"?

The brand name is just "Slime", but the product color is green. Here one web and local store vendor:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...FUKd4AodKxIAAA

You likely can also find it at local auto parts stores.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...hedFrom=header

[AstroZomBEE]

Or this Slime.
http://www.gemplers.com/product/T402...letproof-grade

[jim lyon]

Do you inject it through the valve stem of a deflated tire?

[BEESERIOUS]

Thanks Keith
I've been wanting to foam fill the tires I think I will give the green slime a try. Thanks James

[johng]

Yes, Mr. Lyon. You unscrew the valve from the valve stem. Then you put the slime in, then screw the valve back into the stem and air the tire back up. It really does work well. I use it in all of my mower tires.

[JoshJames]

This question really depends on your personal style of bee keeping. We used the 10' mast for years and found that we really needed the 12'. We love the 12' mast because there are times that it is needed. It never gets in the way. We move into many forested areas and never had a problem with the mast hitting branches that snagged in a way to make us have to find another route. As for moving through 8' doorways we don't have any so it's not a problem.


We love the clamp and contrary to popular belief it almost never is in the way( the mast will save you waaaaaaay more time than what you lose by its shortcomings). The only time it's in the way is when we want to move a stack of pallets that is more than 16 pallets high or moving 2(empty) totes at a time. But then the clamp simply dis-attaches in about 15 seconds so it's really not that big of a deal to take the thing on and off. We move into many forested areas and never have a problem with the clamp hitting branches that actually cause a problem. With the clamp you really can rev your machine all the way up and move equipment with super-fastness(lol). It really is sweet. So if you use the clamp like this you will save waaaaay more time. If you still move like a turtle, then no the clamp won't save you a whole lot of time. And really that's what i've seen with guys that don't like the clamp and think it's in the way. It's because they don't change their speed to make the clamp really perform like it was meant to. Add the load cushion and you will be able to move your bee's at top speed without making them all want to kill you.

We use a type of beet juice for tire filling and really like it. It gives us extra traction which comes in handy when down here in the Florida which is mostly sand and it helps weight the machine down and gives a noticeably smoother ride. The foam fill do wear more so that should be considered and they do give a rougher ride

But really, all these things are so dependent on how you run your business and where...Good luck!

[jim lyon]

Is a 126" mast and 42" forks work well for loading your trucks 3 high with double deeps? Thinking of ordering one and am curious on how others have theirs set up. Any other options that you feel are worthwhile? I am leaning more towards the Swinger 1K. All opinions welcome!

Sooooooo to answer your question Scott. I would say yes, the 126" mast is plenty good enough to load a truck 3 high with double deeps. You could even set the third deep on alone if you so choose....but I wouldn't recommend doing it as it would be slow, you know, like a Turtle. Choose your options as you see fit, the major ones being the taller mast which adds $200, the clamp, $2,400 (never in the way but when it is you just take it off) ,the dampener $640 (I would strongly recommend). Those are the main options, and that's why they call them options, some want them and some don't.

[RAK]

This question really depends on your personal style of bee keeping. We used the 10' mast for years and found that we really needed the 12'. We love the 12' mast because there are times that it is needed. It never gets in the way. We move into many forested areas and never had a problem with the mast hitting branches that snagged in a way to make us have to find another route. As for moving through 8' doorways we don't have any so it's not a problem.


We love the clamp and contrary to popular belief it almost never is in the way( the mast will save you waaaaaaay more time than what you lose by its shortcomings). The only time it's in the way is when we want to move a stack of pallets that is more than 16 pallets high or moving 2(empty) totes at a time. But then the clamp simply dis-attaches in about 15 seconds so it's really not that big of a deal to take the thing on and off. We move into many forested areas and never have a problem with the clamp hitting branches that actually cause a problem. With the clamp you really can rev your machine all the way up and move equipment with super-fastness(lol). It really is sweet. So if you use the clamp like this you will save waaaaay more time. If you still move like a turtle, then no the clamp won't save you a whole lot of time. And really that's what i've seen with guys that don't like the clamp and think it's in the way. It's because they don't change their speed to make the clamp really perform like it was meant to. Add the load cushion and you will be able to move your bee's at top speed without making them all want to kill you.

We use a type of beet juice for tire filling and really like it. It gives us extra traction which comes in handy when down here in the Florida which is mostly sand and it helps weight the machine down and gives a noticeably smoother ride. The foam fill do wear more so that should be considered and they do give a rougher ride

But really, all these things are so dependent on how you run your business and where...Good luck!

I am thinking about filling my 100 tires liquid because its a small machine... Have you ever popped a tire and have all liquid come out?

[Scott J.]

Thanks everyone. Your input was very helpful. So I pulled the trigger on the Swinger. I will add the slime to the tires when it gets here. 10' mast, ride dampener, lift gage, bolt on front fenders, standard bumper with hitch, 42" forks. They have a 20% off sale till the end of January. They also told me that the base price is going up around $1500. So since I'm not getting any younger now was the right time for me.

Now... next question. What trailer works for other people? Custom built? Tandem axle?