Good trolley

[enrico]

I posted this before but it disappeared in the crash!
https://www.vonhaus.com/vh_en/600kg-mesh-garden-cart
The £99 version is well made and holds two hives perfectly with room. The sides mean it will take brood +super without falling off. A bit heavy to put in and out of a vehicle but brilliant for carting stuff round an apiary. The sides let down so good for moving hives a few feet a day. I note there were a couple of replies on the original post that also got lost! Never read them.
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ll repost mine from memory
I have one of these but my hives are on rough grassland so impossible to move them or even supers, with this, as the frames get jiggled around too much. So I let the sides down and use it as a temporary hive stand if I need it.
My best hive moving tool is a pair of strong rope loops and pair of stout poles

 

[Olivia9801]

I’ve recently been looking for a good trolley as an alternative to carrying and using a wheel barrow for lugging brood boxes, supers and rest of the kit.

There is a good selection but I would prefer a second hand old chunky trolley.

Could members reply with any alternatives or modifications they’ve made please? I would appreciate some ideas before I buy one myself.

Thanks

 

[Angry_Mob]

Excat same one I have, got it April 19 from Amazon but was £80.

 

[Colinkemp]

I have bought one of these, good quality and half the price. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372563556089

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I posted this before but it disappeared in the crash!
https://www.vonhaus.com/vh_en/600kg-mesh-garden-cart
The £99 version is well made and holds two hives perfectly with room. The sides mean it will take brood +super without falling off. A bit heavy to put in and out of a vehicle but brilliant for carting stuff round an apiary. The sides let down so good for moving hives a few feet a day. I note there were a couple of replies on the original post that also got lost! Never read them.
E

I posted about these last year. They are indeed useful but I put a sheet of poly into the floor when transporting full supers to stop bees investigating through the mesh. Mine cost around £50 iirc

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Hi Enrico,
Looks like the inflation factor has got you!
If you bought it from John Lewis it would probably be £150, but not knowingly oversold

 

[enrico]

There is a cheaper version which is less sturdy. £68 I think
E

 

[Spikedog]

Hi E,

Positive note, I have been using same for many years and its been of invaluable service… would be lost without it. Also find it handy (with two pieces of cross timber) height wise, for placing a brood box whilst checking bottom box etc. One advisory note is to order up replacement inner tubes and tyres to have to hand … possibly double up on the tubes as I find punctures a marginal problem – Am awaiting orders of same presently from UK. Happy pulling!!

 

[Angry_Mob]

Yeah, the 320 kg version is £50ish as posted above, for almost double the weight capacity (ie stronger) I think paying a little extra was worth it.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I’ll repost mine from memory
I have one of these but my hives are on rough grassland so impossible to move them or even supers, with this, as the frames get jiggled around too much. So I let the sides down and use it as a temporary hive stand if I need it.
My best hive moving tool is a pair of strong rope loops and pair of stout poles

I looked at the trolley but also found that 2 or 4 wheels was too rough on bees over rough terrain. I decided to use a wheel barrow frame, remove the top and add a wooden platform to take two hives. The combination of a single wheel and two infinitely adjustable arms enables me to keep the journey smooth even over tractor ruts. The platform is horizontal when put on a flat surface so can be used as a movable hive stand when moving hives 3' a day across an apiary.
Oh and the main reason? It was cheap, an old barrow off freecycle, some ply and bits of tantalised batten from a skip and some yacht varnish I've had for years.
Am I becoming a typical beekeeper after only 4 years???

 

[Popparand]

I'm with Newbeeneil (surely a misnomer with 39 colonies under his wing!) on this. IMHO a one wheel job gives a much smoother ride than 2 or 4 wheels over rough ground. I can see the advantages of a 4 wheel trolley, but only over a smooth surface. I'm eyeing up an old wheelbarrow for conversion at this very moment.

 

[Antipodes]

Olivia 9801

I think Enrico's cart is an excellent idea, particularly for the purposes he outlines. I've used the strong poles and ropes method as well as a modified barrow.

At the moment I'm using what I think you guys call a sack trolley. I'm going to use it this week-end actually to move hives off pallets and into a trailer. With everything going to plan, I don't plan on lifting the hives at any stage (other than with the trolley), as I am using it in conjunction with steel ramps up onto the pallets and then up into the trailer ......and then off the trailer and onto pallets the same way at their new site. You've got to strap the hive onto the trolley, which is easy enough, and I wouldn't do it unless the frames are well propolised in their boxes or secured with wedges. An emlock strap goes right around the hive to hold it together (a langstroth hive with a lid that has no overhang).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've converted a few wheelbarrows to flatbed hive carriers, they're much better especially on uneven ground (you just have to be mindful not to stack them too high as they can get a bit unbalance) I have two which can take two boxes in tandem, and another single carrier from a flimsy flatpack hobbyist barrow I acquired (totally useless for the job it's intended for) I was given some broken baker's bread baskets which made ideal beds for two. The single one is so light you can pick it up with one hand so ideal fro chucking in the back of the truck for the furthest apiaries or in the passenger seat when the tub is stacked up with supers.
The single can actually cope with three full shallows or five empty

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

ply and bits of tantalised batten

what did you do, blow in it's ear or tickle it with the tip of your tongue?

 

[Worldsend]

Usually featured in Robert Dyas sale for@ £50 ish

Have found best to change tyres for solid ones to prevent annoying punctures

 

[Newbeeneil]

what did you do, blow in it's ear or tickle it with the tip of your tongue?

A case of auto correction I'm afraid JBM..... I can't even tantalise the wife!

It should, of course, read tanalised.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Have found best to change tyres for solid ones to prevent annoying punctures

I agree.... nothing worse than finding a flat after strapping down two big hives!

 

[Olivia9801]

Thank you for all the replies. I like the adapted wheel barrows but prefer the four wheel truck option.

They all seem to be pretty much the same but the issue of “flimsiness” concerns me which is why I would prefer an old chunky one. I would like it quite soon, but it’s likey I will have to purchase the modern versions.

Thanks again.

Stay safe!

 

[Stiffy]

I use a three wheeled carp fishing barrow which works a treat and can be dismantled easily for transportation. It’s nice and steady and moves over most ground.
S