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U or W clips Pro's and Con's

4K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  ApricotApiaries 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all. Searched the forum and cant find this thread title or topic.

Which is better U or W? I have dozens of pallets built with U clips. I have a box of W clips I had ordered years ago and not used. Just thinking of why not use them. I know standardization is best. But, I am curious which way people have gone and why.

PRO U
U packs in tight
.04 cheaper then W.

CON U
Moisture and Ants between hives

PRO W
Drainage between hives

CON W
.04 more then U
When strapping hives lean 1/2 inch toward each other.
Needs shim between hives to prevent leaning


So why U or Why W?
 
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#3 ·
(Searches for words or acronyms of 3 characters or less simply don't work with vBulletin, so one has to improvise. :))

thank you so much for the links. Unfortunately after reading all of that still u vs w is the same for me. Now the 6 way is of interest. Need to figure out how to find some plans to look at. There was a pic that showed them being loaded from the side. Is that the way they all are?
 
#4 ·
Stick with the 4 way pallets with the u clips. Like you said easy tying down with 4 straps.

I do not work 6 way pallets, nor do most for all the reasons you mentioned in your other post.

The way I see it, it boils down to this. Are the savings made during transportation to and from California-Washington worth the extra hassles of handling colonies on 6 way pallets?

I suppose that you might run into weight issues with the extra hives on the truck after a good almond flow, negating the benefits of being to put extra hives.

If you go with a 6 way pallet you gonna use a w or u clip? lol

Jean-Marc
 
#5 ·
I have not experienced the rotting yet but, I am sure I will. The Ants are not a big issue due to all the water up here but, yes I have found the small ones in my configuration.

I will just stay with the 4 way U clips as you mentioned. I have been making them since I have lots of free ply from my daughters Cheer gym. But, if I was going to buy more I would get them from Shasta Mills in OR they have this coating on them that makes them so strong they are probably bullet proof for sub 40$. It costs me maybe 10 for the 2x and clips to make them myself. Time is the issue but, still a savings.
 
#6 ·
Buy the bullet proof ones for $40,with a coating to make them last years. I still have my first ones I made in 2000. They have some nasty forklift scars but no rot. I got good value out of them and continue to. Now I prefer to spend my time beekeeping and feeding bees, then I usually have good bees to work with. I leave the pallet building to the pros. I figure the time it takes to make a pallet, I can likely make a nuc. The profit from the nuc pays for the fancy pallets. It boils down to a choice of how I want to use my time. Pallet building can be a good winter project, but I prefer travel in warm climates.

Jean-Marc
 
#7 ·
Buy the bullet proof ones for $40,with a coating to make them last years. I still have my first ones I made in 2000. Jean-Marc
They are awesome. He only makes them certain times of year. last time I went through he did not have any so I was forced to make some. But, his are way better then mine. I will be getting another batch later this summer. I really need more.
 
#8 ·
I make mine from 1x1/8 hot rolled steel each clip is 6 inch before bending ,I drill a hole for the nail before bending. the cost was $15 for 2 20ft lengths, that gave me 80 clips. not counting the the time to go get the steel it took about an hr and a half to do all of them. I have some w clips and some boxes are thicker so they wont drop in to them (I dont care for that), the manufactured u clip seems too thin and bends easily,that may just be the ones that I have but it is what has happened. what I like about the ones I make is the have the w space for when the pallet is in the yard an can be slid tight for shipping or cold weather
 
#9 ·
I started with w-clips because my mentor had u-clips and issues with ants/rot. On the recommendation of another beekeeper, I have been building my lids 1/4 inch wide so they meet in the middle and fill in the space. This way there is no "lean" when I strap them down. I do still have a bunch of narrow lids out there that I am cycling out, but as long as the majority are wide its fine. Works pretty well.
While I don't have generally have ant issues, once in a while Ill find a family of mice in the space between the hives. And once a year or so I need to clean out the leaves/debris that collects in the space.
 
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