Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: TheHoneyPump on July 01, 2019, 02:18:45 am

Title: Base mount DD20
Post by: TheHoneyPump on July 01, 2019, 02:18:45 am
Added a Dadant 20 to be able to do some small batches in between the full flows.  It came with this steel three legged stand.  The drum sits on the steel bars and there are two chains to hold it together.  I view this as a very very poor arrangement.  Actually quite shameful, imho. The extractor is a nice piece.  The stand is a nice piece. However, there simply is nothing nice to say about the way it is intended to go together. The cone weld joint of the drum sits direct on top of the 1/8 inch thin edges of the steel bars of the stand in three places. These are sharp pointed wear areas which will rub through the drum weld at that spot in short order. Stainless on stainless is slippery. There is this doinky chain thingy that is expected to keep in place.  So you have this heavy drum, very heavy once filled with combs and honey, which is sitting on three sharp point but slippery areas. Completely inadequate, shameful.  The bottom of this drum already shows buckling and thinning at these points from the previous owner and they barely used this thing. 

Anyone else have this setup and felt this way about it?  What modifications did you do?
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: BeeMaster2 on July 01, 2019, 03:00:07 pm
THP,
Do you have a picture of just the base? Do you have a model number of the base unit?
Jim Altmiller
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: BeeMaster2 on July 01, 2019, 03:09:05 pm
THP,
Is this it?



If so I would add a round piece of plywood that is the size of the drum or you can just add a thick pad on the three support points.
Jim Altmiller
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: TheHoneyPump on July 01, 2019, 03:45:38 pm
Yes that is it. 
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: Bob Wilson on July 05, 2019, 10:50:06 am
I agree. Cut a piece of thick plywood to fit. Bracket screw the frame from the bottom upward into the plywood. Then cut a cheap dollar store doormat to fit on top, and gorilla glue it on top of the plywood for a no slip surface.
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: texanbelchers on July 05, 2019, 12:07:21 pm
When I thought about purchasing one of those I figured a wood stand would be a better solution.  However, the problem with that is cleanup and sanitation.  The "upgraded" version has welded on legs.  I've seen some pictures of options for this including tilting bases to drain it well.

I've used their smaller units without stands.  They get placed on a table or chair on a good towel.  For more than a few boxes I'd want a more permanent mounting.  Those units aren't bad to move around by yourself.  I bet the 20 framer would require 2 people to move safely; especially with any amount of honey in the bottom.
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: FloridaGardener on July 05, 2019, 01:56:31 pm
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Title: Base mount DD20
Post by: TheHoneyPump on July 05, 2019, 04:24:35 pm
As the size of the extractor increases so does the inertia energies and hazards/danger. 
Setting this on a carpet on a plywood will not be sufficient.  There is also the sanitation concern.

I have since made some pads which better support and clamp onto the drum base fix it to the stand bars.
Title: Base mount DD20
Post by: TheHoneyPump on July 10, 2019, 09:46:02 pm
It is also cinch anchor bolted into the concrete floor now.
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: jalentour on July 16, 2019, 04:31:50 pm
Extractors work well when they are empty, not so well unbalanced when full of frames with honey. 
I don't have the same setup but have the same problem when I extract.  Anchoring to concrete is a good idea, I wish I had thought of that.  Instead I build a pallet of sorts, I cut a 3/4" plywood in half (4x4) and put it on top of a pair 2"x6"x4'.  Bolted the legs to 1 1/2" of plywood.  Works ok.   
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: BeeMaster2 on July 16, 2019, 07:05:53 pm
I kept the top of the crate that my extractor came in, it is 1/2? x 4 x 4. I use 1/2? screws to mount the legs to it. Works pretty well.
The key is to load it so that the light frames ar opposite each other or 3 light frames are in three equal locations. Same with the extra heavy.
Works real well.
Jim Altmiller
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: Ben Framed on July 17, 2019, 04:45:27 am
It is also cinch anchor bolted into the concrete floor now.

It?s good you resolved the problem. Did the anchoring to the concrete stop of reduce, the off balancing wobble that the others are experiencing? I have never used an extractor but assume once the initial start up is done and the honey begins flowing, the centrifugal force will sort of evenly distribute  the weight, from the extracted combs, slowing down or stoping the vibration of the off balance wobble? I am asking to learn as some day I hope to have enough bees to extract also. I can mentally file this for future reference. Thanks,
Phillip
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: BeeMaster2 on July 17, 2019, 01:39:06 pm
Phillip,
Sometimes if the extractor is balanced out at the start it will go unbalanced as some of the honey comes out. This is usually due to frames with pollen, it stays in the comb, it will also happen if a frame, maybe one side, does not get uncapped.
Jim Altmiller
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: Ben Framed on July 17, 2019, 02:30:41 pm
Phillip,
Sometimes if the extractor is balanced out at the start it will go unbalanced as some of the honey comes out. This is usually due to frames with pollen, it stays in the comb, it will also happen if a frame, maybe one side, does not get uncapped.
Jim Altmiller

Thanks Jim, I guess unbalancing during extraction is just part of the business? Sort of line the spinning out of a washing machine I would suppose. With the anchoring of the base to the concrete floor should help tremendously.

@ HoneyPump, Is the above what you are basically saying Mr Claude? Let me add as I was reading your posted problem, I was thinking perhaps using a cut piece of tire as a shin between the base and extractor. This should have helped with the anticipated troubles to come with the rubbing of the sharp edges together, thus eliminating the chances of wearing a hole. This might or might have not worked depending on your extractors design.
Phillip
Title: Re: Base mount DD20
Post by: CoolBees on July 17, 2019, 06:43:08 pm
Phillip - I bought an extractor from the beginning. Didn't know no better. Got the more expensive 3/6 Mannlake hand crank. So, my experience is limited. But, yes - the load always seems to be unbalanced most of the time. Bolting down to a couple thicknesses of 7/8 plywood definitely helps control things. I can't imagine getting 18 frames (or some such) out of balance. I'd definitely want concrete to bolt to then.