[psm1212]

I am about to order a Maxant Bottling tank and I am still debating between these two sizes. Cost difference is $300. Not really worried about the cost difference. I will need a little bit of portability as I do not have a permanent, dedicated honey house. So weight and cumbersomeness of moving this thing around is likely my primary factor. I understand that I will not be able to move either of them with the water jacket full or filled with honey. I am talking about the dry weight of the tank with heating element and appurtenances.

Any insight anybody can provide me on this? Thank you.

 

[elmer_fud]

I would call or email maxant. They should be able to tell you the size and weight of both tanks, they need to know this info for shipping.

 

[odfrank]

I got a Dadant nine gallon tank for $150 a few years ago but this week we are having to add to it five times with five gallon buckets because we need that much heated honey. I really need a 25 gallon tank so that we can pump right into it. But in my case I have a dedicated honey extracting room so cumbersome size is irrelevant. Usually bigger is better.

 

[psm1212]

At elmer fud's suggestion, I contacted Maxant. The 16 gallon tank is 86lbs and the 25 gallon is 110lbs.

 

[e-spice]

I have the 25 gallon Maxant tank. I can lift fairly heavy items so it's not too bad for me to carry from one spot to another. I think it is worth the price difference of the 16 gallon.

If you're concerned about it, you can get a hydraulic lift cart from Harbor Freight for around $150 or so. With that, you can wheel it around and even raise the full tank for bottling (if you're very, very careful).

 

[richardbr]

I have the 25 gallon Maxant tank. I can lift fairly heavy items so it's not too bad for me to carry from one spot to another. I think it is worth the price difference of the 16 gallon.

If you're concerned about it, you can get a hydraulic lift cart from Harbor Freight for around $150 or so. With that, you can wheel it around and even raise the full tank for bottling (if you're very, very careful).

I bought the 16 gallon tank last year. It is easy to lift when empty, but I put it on a medium duty kitchen cart that is rated to hold 300+ pounds. The tank sits on the wooden table top of the cart. There are baskets below to store bottling related items. This puts the height of the valve just about right to fill bottles while sitting in chair without your back getting sore. We do the extracting in my father's garage, so when not in use, we simply roll the cart over to the corner or somewhere out of the way. You can get the carts at Costco, Walmart, etc.

 

[psm1212]

I bought the 16 gallon tank last year. It is easy to lift when empty, but I put it on a medium duty kitchen cart that is rated to hold 300+ pounds. The tank sits on the wooden table top of the cart. There are baskets below to store bottling related items. This puts the height of the valve just about right to fill bottles while sitting in chair without your back getting sore. We do the extracting in my father's garage, so when not in use, we simply roll the cart over to the corner or somewhere out of the way. You can get the carts at Costco, Walmart, etc.

How difficult is it to pour 5 gallon buckets of honey into it on top of that cart? Do you use a step stool to get some elevation?

 

[richardbr]

Up to this point, I use a small ladder and a pail holder that maxant sells. I did purchase a pump earlier in the year to eliminate that step but haven't had a chance to use it yet. I don't fill the pail all the way to the top. I put maybe 3 or 4 gallons in at a time and this makes the lifting and pouring easier.

 

[JTGaraas]

After pouring in the 3 or 4 gallons from the pail, how long does it take for bubbles (and wax particles, if any) to rise to the surface? Put another way, can bottling occur on the same day as honey is added to the bottling container?

 

[richardbr]

I prefer to let it sit overnight, but, due to my travel schedule, about half the time I extract and bottle on the same day. We will extract in the morning, and then let it sit in the tank for a few hours, and bottle in the evening. This has worked out ok - we've won some county and state awards doing despite not letting it sit overnight and still have good demand for our honey. The small amount of wax floats to the top by then and we can skim most of it. Or, it "pollutes" the last couple of bottles and we just keep them for private consumption instead of selling them. Much like the extractor, I do tip the tank when the honey is getting low in the tank just to get everything out of it. Just my opinion, but I think it works out ok because the bottling tank heater keeps the honey at a hive-like temperature and this tends to allow the bubbles and wax to rise more efficiently than if done in an unheated bucket.

As a disclaimer, I should point out that I've only been doing this for four years, so my sample size for answering your questions are pretty small.

 

[My-smokepole]

Harbor freight sells a nice lift cart that would work great for a bottling table. Lower it to fill and raise it up to fill. I have a 25 and 83 gallon ones. Do the 25. I use the 83 for a settling tank.

 

[snl]

If you're concerned about it, you can get a hydraulic lift cart from Harbor Freight for around $150 or so. With that, you can wheel it around and even raise the full tank for bottling (if you're very, very careful).

That lift cart is awesome. Lower to fill, raise to bottle. Easy to roll around.
I haven’t found the need to be very careful at all.

 

[kaizen]

That lift cart is awesome. Lower to fill, raise to bottle. Easy to roll around.
I haven’t found the need to be very careful at all.

My harbor freight in this area is having a 25% off coupon day on labor day fyi

I'm thinking I need a bottling tank as well. got a lot to do this year. is maxant hands down the best or is lyson close in there? What about a no drip valve on a large brew kettle with a heating pad strapped to it or some other warming device? looks like i could piece that together for about 300. Anyone do something like that and think its better then maxant?

I'm really eyeing a bottler where you just put the bottle under and it pumps it in. guessing i'd need a heated source for something like that?

 

[snl]

I'm thinking I need a bottling tank as well. got a lot to do this year. is maxant hands down the best or is lyson close in there? What about a no drip valve on a large brew kettle with a heating pad strapped to it or some other warming device? looks like i could piece that together for about 300. Anyone do something like that and think its better then maxant?

I'm really eyeing a bottler where you just put the bottle under and it pumps it in. guessing i'd need a heated source for something like that?

I put a Maxant One Drip Valve on a beer keg and strapped a warming blanket around it. It won’t decrystalize honey, but other than that, works great. If you search through my old posts, there’s a pic.

 

[Ambrose]

Reviving this thread from last year....., I too am looking at the Maxant 16 gallon vs 25 gallon bottling tank. Wondering what the OP ended up deciding to purchase?

For myself, I have a dedicated space in my basement to work from, so I'm not concerned about the weight and size difference between the models. I don't plan to move it around too much, if at all. Most significant differences I can tell then are price and volume. I spoke with Maxant earlier today, and with the difference in freight cost, the 25 gal model ends up nearly $500 more than the 16. I do about 1000 lbs of honey a season, so either tank I'll need to refill at least a couple of times.

Can anyone tell me if there are any considerations that I've overlooked? Thanks, all, for your thoughts.

A

 

[odfrank]

A small crop will fit in a big tank but a big crop will not fit in a small tank. My policy is always go big. I have had a Dadant 9g bottling tank and just renovated a Dadant 25g tank. Have both filled right now plus half of a 100g cold tank. We have been at a standstill waiting for jars.

Reviving this thread from last year....., I too am looking at the Maxant 16 gallon vs 25 gallon bottling tank. Wondering what the OP ended up deciding to purchase?

For myself, I have a dedicated space in my basement to work from, so I'm not concerned about the weight and size difference between the models. I don't plan to move it around too much, if at all. Most significant differences I can tell then are price and volume. I spoke with Maxant earlier today, and with the difference in freight cost, the 25 gal model ends up nearly $500 more than the 16. I do about 1000 lbs of honey a season, so either tank I'll need to refill at least a couple of times.

Can anyone tell me if there are any considerations that I've overlooked? Thanks, all, for your thoughts.

A

 

[Bdfarmer555]

I have an old 80? Gal Kelley that I extract into as a settling tank, a 16 gal maxant that I bottle my wildflower honey from, and a 25 gal dadant that I bottle my soybean honey through. I currently am only producing 6k lbs per year, but with 2 milk tanks set up I have the capacity for 12-15k. The Dadant is my favorite, then the Maxant, then the milk tanks, and Kelley comes in just above the Mann Lake honey keg that has been stripped of usable parts and placed in the corner of the shop.

The dadant 25 gal wasn't terribly much more expensive than the 16 gal Maxant, and every bit as solid. I wish I'd bought a 25 gal from Maxant, as it seems to be a better size for me.

 

[psm1212]

I went with the 25 gallon Maxant. Portability is not as much of an issue for me as I thought it was going to be. What I have learned is that my Maxant stays full year-round and a full bottling tank isn't really portable, no matter if it is 16 gallons or 25 gallons. I am happy with my choice, but then again, I do not have the experience with a 16 gallon to compare.

I produce roughly 2000 pounds. I store in 5 gallon buckets. The only climate-controlled area I have to store is my personal residence. Better said, my wife's personal residence in which she graciously allows me to stay. I have my bottler set up in the corner of an unused breakfast nook off the kitchen. I have 5 gallon buckets stashed away all through the house. So I am roughly dealing with between 30 - 35 buckets a year. Given my non-ideal setup, I think it is easier to process 5 buckets at a time with the 25 gallon instead of 3 buckets at a time with the 16 gallon.

 

[snl]

Put it on a hydraulic scissors jack from harbor freight (cheap) and it’s easy to fill and move.

 

[e-spice]

Put it on a hydraulic scissors jack from harbor freight (cheap) and it’s easy to fill and move.

I have that same set up. I never move the cart when there's honey in the tank. I'm terrified of it tipping over. I can't even imagine the level of mess and damage to the tank.