Bee Wagon recommendations

[papa_sierra]

A Wheelchair Accessible Van might fit the bill, some info here - What is the smallest Wav Car Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle?
Lateral thinking eh !!

 

[hemo]

My bee wagon is an e - cargo bike and a 1m x 0.6m load bed bike trailer capable of 100kg loads, it does me for my 6- 10 hives and my out apiary 5.5miles away.
Currently have 3 colonies with in 1km of home and 5 in the village location 5.5miles away.

 

[Garry R]

The Tucson 2016 model diesel has road tax of £30 which is a consideration and it's also my "day" car!!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

The people that go after them are pretty persistant. A farm on the other side of the valley had a breeze block and concrete wall dismantled during a storm one night and Defender plus quad taken.

There's not much that is really secure, all you're doing really is slowing them down.

There's nothing to say its not at risk when you're out and about either.

Tony Martin found an effective deterrent.

 

[MillMeadow]

Tony Martin found an effective deterrent.

I was thinking it but didn't want to say it.

 

[Blunt Spike]

Imported Suzuki carry dropside 4x4. 7k will get you one with under 20k miles and no rust. Check ebay but shop around. Make sure you get one with all the Japanese mot papers... their mot is much stricter than ours. They are great little trucks. Price gone up recently as kids want them as they're apparently trendy.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Over the last 7 years I’ve bought 3 vans for the bees.
1- a 54 plate Vauxhall combo which cost £800 and was very good with a single sliding side door.
2- a 07 plate Citroen Berlingo which cost £1100 and had sliding doors on both sides which was brilliant as I had racking inside the offside door where I stored all my bee tools with easy access.
3- my latest is a 61 plate Fiat Dublo which cost £3500. It only has a single side door but it used to be owned by SevernTrent so it has substantial racking in one side which is brilliant for tool storage. The racking also incorporates a hygiene station with heated water! (The racking and water heater retail at about a grand so I recon I got a bit of a bargain!)

I would recommend any of these vehicles.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I wouldnt recommend a Defender. They are a great vehicle but are a favourite target of thieves. Guy down my road got ran down trying to stop some scumbags stealing his from outside his house.

One recently stolen from the compound of a local garage.

 

[pargyle]

I don't have one, but I'm aware having one might make my life a little easier at some point soon so I've been keeping a list. Vehicles I've seen recommended include:

Citroen Berlingo (van, or car with the rear seats removed)
Renault Kangoo (the same, I assume)
Landrover Defender TD5
Any pickup (L200, Hilux etc.)
Vauxhall Combo

And perhaps a little bit more "out there":

Kia Sorrento
Honda Jazz
Rover 75 2.0 Estate

Searching for some of those here will almost certainly bring up more information and other ideas.

A beekeeper I know locally has a Hilux (I think) from which he has removed the entire load bay and replaced it with an entirely flat bed (and lots of tie-down points, I assume). Unless you're shifting a lot of kit and need the space, the pickups have always looked quite an expensive option to me.

James

I can vouch tor the Rover estate .. the 2 litre diesel is bomb proof, low mileage (under 100k) go for very little money - manual will return nearly 40mpg with the back seats down huge load space. Flat bed with no boot lip.

 

[Wilco]

One recently stolen from the compound of a local garage.

Shame they can't be rigged with an explosive charge which goes off if they're moved from a geotagged location without the keys...

 

[Newbeeneil]

Shame they can't be rigged with an explosive charge which goes off if they're moved from a geotagged location without the keys...

I’m sure they could be but the insurance company would probably prefer to pay for a new vehicle on its own rather than adding a few deaths as well!!!!!!

It sounds like the Rover pargyle suggests would be ok as that one is bomb proof so he says

 

[blackcloud]

Car/van derived thingies like Berlingos/Partners Transit Tourneos/ Connect,VWcaddies are an appropriate size,have more than adequate size payload ,running costs are low,and parts are cheap and plentiful.
If you choose the car version with windows you will have slightly reduced payload and a smidge more fuel consumption due to the weight of the extra glass ,seats and upholstery.

The van version will incur higher road tax and possibly insurance.It will also be noisier inside so you might want to fit a bulkhead behind the seats
I go on the Berlingo/Partner Forum for my van(basically the same vehicle) and one thing is clear- avoid the Blippo/Nemo
Fiat arent anything to avoid nowadays as the are owned by the same group -as are Vauxhall (Combo) last few years.

 

[Andymon]

If you are thinking of a pick up, why not a tow bar and a trailer? A lot cheaper to buy and on going costs are also cheaper insurance/road tax/depreciation.
If you have worries about manoeuvring a trailer, you can take lessons

 

[Kaz]

Thanks for the suggestions, I think I will do some research on

Citroen Berlingo
Renault Kangoo
Vauxhall Combo

I take the point about the Defender, which I think I discount on both floorspace and the fact it will be parked on an open driveway.

If I had a smallholding I would definitely want a pickup, but sadly I don't

With a budget between £5-£7k I think I'm looking at a 5+ year old with 70,000+ miles. I guess with a diesel engine the mileage wouldn't matter

Just to add to the mix, I have a VW Caddy. My hubby drives a citroen Berlingo and I much prefer the Caddy - I just find it much more comfortable to drive. The Caddy also has a mesh bulkhead which is handy for using bungees or ratchet straps to secure equipment in transit. I have to say, it has made servicing out apiaries so much easier, a mobile bee shed - i dont know how i managed without it!

 

[beeker]

\i have a LWB caddy, and can fit my small amount of bee kit in to move around, while still keeping my large dog cages in. would get loads in if I took them out. I have a tailgate rather than doors at the back, perfect for sheltering under too. LWB has sliding doors both sides, though they arent quite wide enough to fit a pallet through. I have a solid bulkhead, and its been idiot proof so far, had the lid come off a nuc I moved [I know, should have strapped it better] and didnt get a single bee in the front.
Only downsides to a van for me are, much higher road fund, think it was £290 this year, toll road fees are higher, and other than on motorways a 10mph speed limit reduction on a lot of roads. Insurance was not too bad mind, reliable, fairly frugal, and most definately hold their resale value, not far off what I paid two years ago.

Will second the rover 2L diesel estate, probably the best car I've had, BMW engine had the auto too, think I sold it at about 300k and its still going now, super comfortable, did well with winter tyres on in the snow and mud, only sold it as I had to have a van rather than a car for dog work.

 

[madasafish]

Any experiences with Dacia duster?
They have good ground clearance +'4wd

Acquaintance has one. He keeps bees.

The lifting tailgate has a protruding lock at the top and he used to bang his head regularly and draw blood.

 

[JohnRB]

Over the last 7 years I’ve bought 3 vans for the bees.
1- a 54 plate Vauxhall combo which cost £800 and was very good with a single sliding side door.
2- a 07 plate Citroen Berlingo which cost £1100 and had sliding doors on both sides which was brilliant as I had racking inside the offside door where I stored all my bee tools with easy access.
3- my latest is a 61 plate Fiat Dublo which cost £3500. It only has a single side door but it used to be owned by SevernTrent so it has substantial racking in one side which is brilliant for tool storage. The racking also incorporates a hygiene station with heated water! (The racking and water heater retail at about a grand so I recon I got a bit of a bargain!)

I would recommend any of these vehicles.

That racking and water supply is great - very envious

 

[JohnRB]

Just to add to the mix, I have a VW Caddy. My hubby drives a citroen Berlingo and I much prefer the Caddy - I just find it much more comfortable to drive. The Caddy also has a mesh bulkhead which is handy for using bungees or ratchet straps to secure equipment in transit. I have to say, it has made servicing out apiaries so much easier, a mobile bee shed - i dont know how i managed without it!

Exactly what I need - a mobile bee shed

 

[blackcloud]

for dog work.

Please not the flashing of headlights in remote car parks sort of dog work?

 

[Newbeeneil]

It may be relevant to some here but it should be remembered that most of the vans mentioned in this post are subject to reduced maximum speed limits on single carriageway roads (50mph) and dual carriageways (60 mph).