I bought a cheap 2 frame extractor that worked fine once I cleaned it up and got the gears working right. The biggest pain was pouring the honey out of the extractor because there's no valve on it. I've thought about welding a valve on it but I'm not sure.
Since I am thinking of building a "cheap 2 frame extractor" of my own from common, food-grade plastic buckets and PVC pipes and electric drill for the power, I propose this:
- check IF your "cheap 2 frame extractor" is closely compatible by diameter to those food-grade plastic buckets from the closest hardware store;
- IF - yes, consider just drilling few holes directly into the bottom of your "cheap 2 frame extractor";
- the idea will be that as you extract your 2-frame batches, the honey will just drop directly into a bucket placed under the extractor
- the bucket maybe used as a temp stand for the extractor itself (though some rig-up from wood would be more stable and a better way)
- of course, you want the honey going through a mesh (mesh to be placed between the bucket and the extractor)
These are all untested ideas that I want to try out.
2-frame extractor is great that way - it is light and flexible and small - many things are possible - pouring out of it is not necessary, just let the honey drop through and be done.