Honey Harvest and Review of the HillCo UltraMax
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- čas přidán 6. 08. 2024
- It is time to get that first honey extraction done and I am excited to do it with the HillCo UltraMax 18 Frame extractor. This will be both my actual harvesting video as well as the review of this new extractor. Come on inside the honey house with me and let's see how this thing performs.
@brucesbees @thesidelinebeekeeper-craig6924 @ThatBeeMan @CastleHives @628DirtRooster @JeffHorchoff @YappyBeeman @BeekeepingWithNatalee @NaturesImageFarmGregBurns @aCanadianBeekeepersBlog @TheCaliforniaBeekeeper @bobbinnie9872
Great prices and an excellent beekeeping equipment supplier that I use:
HillCo Bees: hillcobees.com/
@hillcollc
FB: / hillcobees
Thanks for joining me in my bee yard here in Louisiana as I share how I maintain my beehives. My videos are not meant to be 'How To' videos, but simply me sharing my experiences in beekeeping as I learned it from my mentors, teachers, and studies.
#bees #beekeeping #honeybees #honey #honeyextraction #honeyharvesting #honeycomb
Great Video Mike…. Was that person you mentioned about cutting just the cappings off the phat comb me by chance? Makes sense to me…. You rock …. Amazing how many things I pick up from you…. Sure glad it isn’t a how to do it channel…. Lol 😂 keep up the great work …. Love that extractor
Yes, I meant to let you know that I answered your question more in depth in the video, but I forgot when we texted the other day.
Looks like a smooth machine. Great video and explanation Mike. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bruce!!
honey is very good for body health, and there are many more benefits from honey, always success and always have the spirit to work
👍🏼
I kno this is a year old but now I kno the Bee equipment Im gunna buy! Im so glad I saw this vid. Also, I could watch a longer vid uncapping, spinning, watching the honey flow, measuring it. I never get bored.
I love this HillCo extractor. Worked flawlessly again this season. You’ll enjoy the equipment from HillCo. Thanks for watching!!
I enjoined the video. Good luck with that thing World Famous Mike Berry.
Thanks and glad you enjoyed!!
OHH, my favorite videos of all! The harvest, WHOOP!
It is a great time to se the culmination of all the work come thru that extractor!! Thanks for watching!!
Hi Mike, thank you so much for this review of the HillCo extractor! I believe I will be buying their equipment really soon and knowing that you approve their products is making me feel good about the purchase. Also, thank you for signing the bee jacket I got from Mr. Ed! :)
You are very welcome and thanks for the comment!! I was humbled to sign the jacket and I watched the drawing on that. Thanks for watching and for the support!!
That was awesome Mike. Thanks for all the tips for when I grow. Man that extractor is smooth. I like the bucket too
You're welcome Matt and thanks for the support!!
What a great looking extractor. Quiet and balanced.
Craig, it's a great machine. I see every bit as much quality in that one as I do my Maxant. And smoother operation.
@@MikeBarryBees yes I’m jealous
I’ve got a Hillco 18 frame extractor that has proven to be a really nice unit. Have used it for a couple years and couldn’t be happier with it.
Dealing with the folks at Hillco couldn’t have been better. I had asked them to call me a few days prior to shipping because my wife and I were going to be traveling the month they estimated delivery. They called me as requested and the unit arrived in excellent condition. They’re great people to deal with.
Thanks for sharing your experience with HillCo. They have proven, so far, to be a great company to deal with and I am loving the extractor. Everyone has had great reviews about them.
I know this comment is at least a year old... but for your "issue" with the bolts at the top, just turn them around. Put the head of the bolt on the inside, and let the threads go "out the top" so that when the lid is open, it's a smoother surface on the inside. It's not like you need it flat on the top of the extractor... or am I missing someething.
GREAT video, and thanks for the review.
I agree, easy fix. I was just pointing that out as one of only two little issues I found. I talked to John about it because it comes assembled like that. Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed the video!!
what a Great addition to your Little operation. That is very quiet ...Hahha thanks for sharing the miss hap with not closing the vaulve.
Yes indeed, I am very happy with it!! Thanks so much for the support!!
Great video, review and information Mike! That HillCo extractor is so crazy quiet! Wow
Thanks Dawn and I do like the extractor and how quiet and smooth it is!!
Hi Mike. Greetings from Germany! We use a so called cappings wax melter, which is put after extracting on the uncappings tank. He heats the cappings and honey up. The honey drops first, the molten wax lays over it and protects the honey from overheating. Next day, after letting it cool down, so the wax is stiff again, you can just let the honey out and get a big wax plate out of your tank.
Hello Marc!! That’s seems like a very efficient way to get it taken care of. I have a letter, but it’s an entirely separate step. Thanks for sharing and thank for the comment from abroad!!
Im so excited I bought an Ultra!!! I cannot wait to get it and use it!!! Thanks for the confidence !!!
You’ll be satisfied I am sure. Congrats on the purchase!!
Great Video Mike. I live on the edge of Chaos. lol
LOL!!! Me too... Thanks!!
Very nice honey house and setup. All that equipment looks like that could be a full time job.😁😁
Thanks and it's starting to feel like a full time job!!
Mike this was great thanks so much for doing it,
You’re welcome!! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Enjoyed the review. Looks very well made and balanced great. Like the fact it drains well. Thanks for the video. Looks like you got your money’s worth. God bless
Thanks Garry and yes on all points. Great piece of equipment!!
Man, that's a nice setup. Gave me stainless envy. lol That extractor is built well, you can tell just by looking at it. I may have to upgrade to that in a few years. I really like that uncapping tank. I need to get one of those. I saw HillCo has one that's far less expensive than the Maxant and about the same size. I like the way the Maxant has castors on it. Thanks for showing us your honey processing setup.
Thanks for commenting!! I’m long time viewer, subscriber, and liker of your channel. I don’t comment much at all, only here and there. That HillCo tank is very nice. The casters were the final selling point in the Maxant, but also, HillCo wasn’t selling anything when I was shopping. John has some really nice equipment at competitive and reasonable prices. The extractor was a great savings without losing the quality. Thanks again for the comment!!
@@MikeBarryBees Hey Mike, Thanks!, and yeah, I like your channel as well. I wish I had more time to watch more of your's and other beek channels. Keep on truckin!
Mike, We got an order in with HillsCo this afternoon. I was impressed that he questioned something that we were ordering... just, to keep us from buying something that wouldn't work for us. It will work, and it's cool to see them regarding the customer over the sale.
Always support the little guy!
That is awesome! He's an up front guy and will not steer anyone wrong just to make a buck.
Great setup Mike!
Thanks Joan!!
Ima savin my pennies for a nice extractor for next season…I’ve bought other stuff from Hillco…free shipping!!
Yep, free shipping and great customer service!!
Thanks for the review. Just ordered one to pick up at Hive Life.
Great video Mike
Thanks Randy!!
Awesome
Thanks!!
Nice review brother
Thanks my friend!!
Great review Mike! Glad you're having a good harvest.
Thanks Greg!!
As always, great video. Thanks for the review- I’m excited to get one.
Thanks Michael!! They are very nice, no doubt...
Awesome Video. looks like you are having a very good year
Thanks, and yes, so far things are going well. Just have to tend to the colonies next to insure they do well for the Fall and winter.
Thanks for the review, this is the one I have been eyeing , i got to see it run empty, but seeing it run full was even better .... now to get some money to afford it.
First, Anybody that can uncap a frame that fast doesn't need anything else. LOL Now for the extractor, I only have one issue here is I don't have one on my floor yet. Ha Ha Ha! Great review.
Yea, that knife runs fast when the video is sped up...LOL! wish I could go that fast....
Thanks for showing this Mike!
You're welcome and thanks for watching!!
@@MikeBarryBees Just ordered mine today!
Very cool Mike.
Thanks!!
Great machine and great looking honey. To bad your profit hit the floor. Hope you got some biscuits and coffee and had breakfast on the floor. 🤭❤️🐝
Wish my floor was that clean...LOL!!
Great video Mike and an excellent harvest this year. I like your set-up and you hit upon the same filtering choke point that I have.
Thanks Eddy, glad you liked it. I think I now have that bottleneck solved and now it's not being able to uncap fast enough...LOL!!
I think the next piece of equipment I buy is a decapping tank. I had several bottle necks occur. The 600 micron, I have 1 and need more. The tank from John, that is great. I saw that with the filter screens in it. That extractor looks like it runs super smooth. I’m so darn happy you told me get a 9 frame, that machine did great for me. I’ll definitely order more equipment from HillCo.
Well, we texted about it, but for comments sake, I'd say for what you stated on the live stream yesterday about what you wanted to setup on your bench, an easy uncapping system should be a piece of cake, and reasonably cheap too. Glad you're happy with your new extractor.
Fixing to pull my first honey ever. Thanks for all the great information on how to do it…although I won’t be using all the fancy equipment you have, lol. I have four to five nine frame supers of honey to process and I’m thankful and excited! 🐝
That right on the money Mike got to get me one for next year's and one them uncapping tanks to start saving my penny.
Rudolph, it's a great investment for me so far!!
Mike, You are like a kid with a new bicycle. So happy for you and glad the new extractor it is working well for you! Keep up the excellent videos!! FYI...I also do the PHAT frames...I run 7 Deep Honey Frames in a 8F box so my 7 deeps are about 13% heavier than your 9 mediums.
Yep, I'm really liking it. Still excited when I use it. Yes, the phat frames are the best whichever configuration. Such a honey advantage and much faster uncapping!
Looks like everything was running smoothly. The uncapping tank is very nice!!! Great honey harvest.. ✌🏻
Thanks Mark!!
@@MikeBarryBees having just started this hobby this year with my two grandsons, your not how to do it videos are very helpful and helps us out to look for in our two hives. Keep up the great not how to do it videos 🤣🤣. What did you use to wash out the extractor for the first time, I just ordered a three frame hand crank one from Vevor and want to clean it out for the first time?✌🏻
@@markb3129 not sure how the VEVO comes apart, but first hand crank plastic extracted was a bear to pull apart. But I did it because it was too tough to clean with the carousel installed. My 6 frame Maxant and the HillCo are just nuts and bolts to remove the whole top assembly and the remove the carousel. Both easy, the HillCo even easier. But I wait until all extracting is down, then I clean them. I use hot water and dish soap.
@@MikeBarryBees its all stainless with two wing nuts holding the hand crank and cage down, easy to disassemble. Never used it yet just wanted to wash it for the first use Saturday.. dawn dish soap and water it is!!! Thanks Mike ✌🏻
Thanks for another great video!! I have a small 3 frame manual extractor from Hillco that I used this year, and just received their vaporizer, haven't been able to put it to use killing them mites yet but looking forward to trying it out! I have been amazed at customer service they provide!!
Yes, he’s running a great company over there. I look forward to watching him grow. He will always insure great customer experience regardless of how big he gets.
Great video mike! I was saving all of my honey money for a long hive but I think I may be changing my mind and now aiming for one of those super quiet extractors!
They are really nice Michelle. You won't be sorry.
The real attitude says, the cost doesn’t justify, well said
Mike, I totally agree with your review. Used my new Hillco Enduro 3/6 frame this past weekend for the first time. I'm only a second year beekeeper so don't have anything to compare it to, but completely happy with the unit. It balanced itself easily sitting on a cement floor. I kept waiting for motor noise that never happened. It was more quiet than a sewing machine. I didn't know how long I could spin it before the motor would have to cool, but it never even got warm. It drained beautifully. Two bolts and the motor and top was off, carried it easily outside, even with a prosthetic leg, and took nothing to clean. I'm totally impressed, and believe it is worth every penney spent. Now maybe next year I can invest in a nice uncapping tank like you have. Thanks for the tour of Hillco's warehouse and their recommendation. It sure worked out great for me.
Great!! Same experience as me. HillCo's tank is a nice one and is priced right. Didn't exist when I got mine, so I went with the Maxant. But HillCo will give it a run for the money, I promise you that.
I was so looking forward for this video and it delivered! I love the concept of that filtering tank you picked up from HillCo. And I learned about PHAT frames from you a few seasons ago and have never looked back, run 7 frames in all our 8 frame honey supers. Hoping this year’s harvest is strong enough so we can pickup one of HillCo’s 6 frame motorized extractors! Thanks for doing what you do Mike!
Glad you enjoyed it! I love the equipment. I search and study what I buy since we all spend so much with this hobby. I have to say, I love all my equipment that I have. But especially the HillCo equipment because of meeting John and seeing his facility. It has a personal touch to it all in my mind.
@@MikeBarryBees John Just moved into a bigger place. I also took my daughter to a beginner beekeepers class yesterday and John donated a complete hive as the grand prize door prize.
@@wagil90 wow, that’s great. John cares about the beekeeping community.
Ini sangat bagus..
Semoga sehat selalu
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! It is a truly a very nice machine.
I did some research on extractors. I'm new and my harvest will not be big this year. In time, I'll be running at least 13 colonies. After my research, there were several things that I really liked about the HillCo. It will be the extractor I'll be buying. It will be the 9 frame that I will be getting. Thanks for the video, I was waiting for another review of the HillCo brand. You just reaffirmed my choice. Thanks.
I just used my 9 frame for the first time and it was great. I will be needing a weighted base though. I couldn't really let it run free standing.
Awesome Duane, glad the video gave you some good points to make a decision on where you want to go with an extractor.
Hi
Great watch.
We are having dramas over here with our bees where with some might that has got into here. It causes the wing to become crumpled so they can't fly🤣
Yes, I’ve have been following that situation over there closely. Unfortunately I think the effort to stop the mites might fall short, but it’s hard to know at this point. I hope they can stop it.
@@MikeBarryBees yes they can kill domestic bees but the wild no way . I think we are in trouble 🤣
@@odonnellsaussiehomestead8257 exactly. No telling how far they’ve spread thru the feral colonies. Then if it fails, you’ve wiped out whole operations. Although I’m sure there is compensation for the beekeepers affected.
Great video and review and showing your whole process. Thank you! I am ordering the same model today.
Thanks!! You’ll like that extractor very much, I am sure.
I got thec32 frame coming. Excited!
They are a good company
Thanks for another great video Mike! I love Hillco too and am impressed with your new extractor. I have the Hillco 880E 16/8 radial extractor and it works great. It's heavy and sturdy enough that I don't have to bolt it down, the motor handles the load with no problem and is cool & quiet. About the only thing I don't like about mine is the frame holder carousel, which is all stainless steel and is HEAVY!
Grady, the nylon carousel is pretty neat and seems very sturdy. Makes the unit light. I figure if it does have an issue, it's under a 10 year warranty, so HillCo definitely has confidence in it.
I agree with your cutting style mike, I don't have time to be edging the cappings off, extracting is a lot of work, best to let the uncapping tank do some of the work.
only think missing now is a wax spinning tank and processing the capping would go much more efficient.
Yes indeed. As far as the wax separator, I know I buy a lot of stuff, but I think that's the one thing I don't want to buy. I see what we make on sales and then invest in equipment. I mean, I want to buy one, but the return on that equipment is not enough at this time. I even gave up on building a steam drum that you and I talked about and have a melting tank now, but I can get multiple uses out of that. The wax separators are just so high. Crazy high. Maybe HillCo will design one of those and sell it reasonable as they do the other items they've made. who know.
Awesome extractor. Nice setup. I hope to extract within the next week. Only 3 hives but I’m thinking about 150 lbs.
Good deal, hope the harvest is bountiful for you Joe!!
Watching you extract is a real eye opener. I need to do the 9 frames per super. I helped a friend with a 20 frame extractor and it wanted to walk across the room even when we stood on the plywood that it sat on and it had weight plates setting by the legs as well.
Yes, 9 frames if for anything are just easier to uncap. I think you get a bit more honey, but uncapping is the main reason they're so nice. That extractor is so balanced it make it easy to balance with the frames.
I have noticed with my 9 frame, that you need to start it out slow and slowly increase it. That helps a good bit with wobble
I plan on getting me one of those at the hive life conference
Good deal!! Probably will offer some sort deal to I imagine.
I'm glad you made this video, I am currently in the market for a new extractor and wasn't sure what to get
It's a nice machine and priced well below the others that I've looked at. Glad you liked the video.
I got the 880e last year.....and it's a beast! I am kinda jealous of the rubber foot covers on that one though. ;)
Yes, they make a huge difference from what I can tell.
I told you you would like it. I like your tank. Hopefully, I can find one at the conference. Great video! Thanks!
Yep, you were right Roy!! Great piece of equipment. I imagine HillCo will offer some sort of special for the conference and would bring a tank for you. His tanks are just about the same. He'll sell a lot of them and I would have one if he had been around whne I bought mine.
They have special for HL on their site now if you haven't seen them yet. Ordered one to pick up. Ultra Max was about $200 off regular price.
Sweet! I gotta sell this honey and buy one before they get really expensive because we all want one lol great review!
Kind of why I jumped this year. Would hate to put it off and see it go up as with everything else’s. Thanks John!!
@@MikeBarryBees yeah no doubt
Thank you for the review. I drifted over, too. Your machine sounds like it has a little gear noise. Might want to check the lubricant in there, as I haven't heard that in the other Hillco videos. Might want to ask John about that. But really liked your video. Thanks.
You’re welcome Tony and thanks for watching. That noise was not even close to as loud as it sounded. The external mic on the camera accentuated it. Once I got that sorted you’ll notice it is quieter in the later parts of the video. I am very pleased with this extractor and it has been a pleasure owning. John has really given us a great product.
That's some good looking honey right there. I'd be mopping up the spill with some loaf bread! The floor looks clean enough and I hate wasting honey! Glad the extractor worked well. I really like the heated Pierce knife for the medium frames, but you're much faster with that knife. Do you ever pull some of the comb off the foundation in chunks? I've had that happen with deeps, but not mediums.
That's about what I would expect from you Alabama folks....LOL!! I sometimes get chunks, but it depends how fast I go. I don't sweat it, I just keep running along with it. It mostly depends on how thick the honey is and how cool it is. I did two deep supers last night and the caps cut so smooth because it was thinner honey.
I'm assuming the bees had a party in the honey house the next day...
Yep, until they all got cold and stiffened up.😀😀 They finally congregated in the windows and I had to brush them out to warm up and go home...lol!
nice n thick
Yes indeed Mark!!
Get a clean dust pan for scooping up spills. Send it right back out and let the girls recycle it. Been there, done that.
Good idea Tadd and thanks for the tip!!
Hi Mike, now that you've had the Hillco extractor for a couple years now, any updates on how the plastic cage is holding up? Any sag, cracks, deterioration or durability concerns that you've noticed? Great video(s) brother...
I haven’t noticed any weakness in the cage thus far. I honestly think the material used helps with the balance of the extractor. The little bit of flex that it has absorbs some of the energy. It is not brittle or showing any signs of cracking or deterioration. I’m glad that you asked this as I need to mention this in a video at the end of the season. Thanks for the support!!
@@MikeBarryBees Thanks Mike. When you spin again, would you be open to doing a video on deep frames? Thanks man..
@@RipRoar-ns4go I might have some deeps to do when I get back and I’ll try to shoot a short video that I can post.
Mike - proof that when you employ top quality tools, you get a superior product. That Maxant is a nice piece of kit👏to clean out your extractor and tank, I definitely recommend the AR630 TSS pressure washer with an Kobrajet hose and MTM short gun. I also recommend a Coxreels wall mounted reel for the hoseThis pressure washer provides heat and incredible water flow . It is a top choice of auto detailers but I definitely think it would be a great solution for your operation. The pressure washer, hose, gun, and reel will set you back about $1200 , but worth every penny
Yes indeed Jeffrey. For the cleaning, I actually do it all inside my little honey shed. I have a spigot plumbed into my hot water heater and I just hose everything down inside. Works well for now and I use buckets to drain the water in and then dump those.
Yes my double sieve strainer was a choke point for me on slinging my honey also.
I've slowed the flow and rotate two of them now and that seemed to cut out the bottleneck.
Great looking setup Mike! I guess you will be giving the old extractor away on here? 😊🐝
Ha, ha, ha!!! Don't think so Keith. I need to keep that for when the day comes to down-size. Also would make a good loaner for someone.
Hm, I was thinking about what to do with my 9 frame extractor. Being 72.5 I guess I should also be thinking about downsizing 😂
the most important question is how long the plastic frame will last. ( what ever the material is) you know any plastic or PVC type things will break down and crack over time. In 10 years They better replace the plastic exacter parts.
I am confident it will last well over ten years. They’ve been used in Europe for many years now and I really believe the flex that they allow helps with the true balance that I had with it. May time will tell, but I think being that is a nylon type it will last with no issues.
Yeah I was considering this until I saw the plastic. I worry about the chinese plastic quality (since it's only assembled in the USA, not built)
Hi Mike, wow your honey extractor is amazing I have a question for you will it take langstroth deep’s as I ran out of supers on some of my hives and had to use brood boxes on a few colonies, my extractor will only take supers so will probably make cut comb or put some comb honey into my jars, none of the other beekeepers at my club don’t use langstroth as they all use British national which for me I think is too small. I definitely like your setup in your honey house Mike and wow your honey harvest you’ve had a great season that’s for sure mate. Thank you for sharing your vlog with us Mike my friend and godbless and have a good day.
Hello Mark, good to hear from you again. Sounds like you had the same issues as me. Yes, this extractor does Lang deeps radially. It’ll do nine. And still nine melange mediums with them. Or 18 mediums.
Hi Mike - My choke point currently is my uncapping tank. I can only uncap 4 frames and then I have to wait for the frames to spin out before I can uncap more frames to extract. I don't do enough honey to buy a tank like you have but I need to come up with something so I can keep uncapping while frames are extracting.
Actually, I figured out later on that my choke point is the uncapping too. I have the strainers doing better and Jerry DeGroot just gave me an even better tip, so yes, me too on the uncapping being the slow down, even with the tank.
I used a study kinda clear plastic tote, with the latching lid handles too kept the ants out.
I drilled a hole and installed a honey gate at the lower far corner of one end.
I found a uh send +cleaned) stainless basket from a restaurant deep fryer, and placed it in the bottom.
I can lean the frames on it (inside the tote) while I'm uncapping them, and get the cappings to fall into the basket. Scoop up what misses, and toss them in as well.
At the end, you'll have a mound of cappings that will drain out into the rest of the tote.
When the mound gets too full, I'll transfer the cappings into another, smaller, tote, to further strain / render.
When the uncapping tote gets a fair amount of honey in it, I'll shim up the far end, and odd corner, so the gate is the low point.
Just filter that honey off into a bucket, and do it again.
That's worked pretty well, but now I'm waiting for that 18 frame uncapping tank.
You're spot on in identifying your choke points and streamlining them first.
That is a sweet quality extractor. Hope you beat last year's harvest. I notice your honey as well as the honey we picked up at the Abby is a lot darker than what we get around here near Kansas City. What nectar source gives i that darker color? Have a great week and don't get over heated again.
Hello Phillip. The tallow is usually darker than the earlier spring honey that comes in But it also looks darker in the bucket. Tallow is really a good amber color and that's what I'm seeing. So I guess the answer is tallow. That's what Jeff got at the Abbey too. It can vary from season to season, and of course depending on what else is still in bloom, but for the most part it's consistently amber.
Thanks for showing the deeps, ended up mostly in deeps this first season and was wondering how well HillCo. did on the deeps. How was the clean up?
Cleanup isn’t done yet, but it’ll be super easy. All the honey drained out and the disassembly is a screwdriver and a wrench. Deeps do very well radially.
Wax is worth more than the honey I save mine as well
Yea, you're right. I make candles and such that I sell, and I sell one pound blocks, but once I get to a certain level, sales stop and the rest is mine. People call the honey gold, but the true gold is that wax for hive maintenance....
(3:22) If you decide you don't want that tank anymore -- i'll be happy to buy it from ya.... :).
Well, it turned out to be pretty useful and I like it pretty well. It’s pretty reasonable at HillCo though.
@@MikeBarryBees Yes i checked there and they are Sold Out until November - Thanks Mike for the reply -- Very Informative Video also.
Have you tried the capping bag that you put the capping in and hang in the extractor and spin them out? Hillco has them in his catalog. Extractor looks good.
You know Jim, I saw those when I was ordering my little 5 gallon tank from him and I almost got one. I was so close. But then I got to thinking, how hard would it be to balance that thing? I do want to get one to try though.
@@MikeBarryBees Mike, get two and hang one opposite the other to balance it out.
@@MikeBarryBees I made that mistake. I bought a single bag with my 9 frame. I'm ordering 2 more so I can run balanced.
@@daviddowen3887 good to know.
HOW DO LET THE BEES CLEAN OUT EXTRACTED HONEY FRAMES
I just stack the supers out by my barn and the bees clean them out in a day.
I bought this same extractor this year based on this review! Thank you so much for the demo and your comments.
Hope you enjoy it! I know li like mine. Just used again last week and it did flawlessly!! Thanks for watching!
I ordered it late for this season and got caught in the expected backlog. So I haven’t gotten it yet. I did get an update that they plan to ship next week. Really excited to see how it performs for me.
Mike, great video and your new extractor looks good and runs smooth! I’m like you, I get a very big percentage of the honey out of the cappings. I tried a HillCo hot knife about a month ago and tried a Pierce hot knife out yesterday. After 3 supers I unplugged it, put it up and got out the old serrated knife. I do like your knife. Do you know where I can buy one like it? I think I’m finished except for a few supers at my Moody location. I hope you break your harvest record!
Thanks as always Don!! Funny about the knife. Same thing with me and the Pierce. Used it on 5 or 6 frames and it went right back in the box!! Hated it. Just me of course, but hated it. I got my knife from Kelley back when they were around, but it appears to be a 10 inch basic serrated knife. Should be able to find one at a restaurant supply of even something like bed bath and beyond.
@@MikeBarryBees when Kelley’s was the real Kelley’s it was great but MannLake just had to ruin Kelley’s. I had the opportunity to visit Kelley’s and go through most of the facilities in 2016. If I remember correctly they made their wooden ware on site and they had great products!!! I think MannLake shut down the manufacturing of the wood products almost immediately. For now HillCo has the best pine boxes that I know of! It’s always great to see one of your videos and comment with you!
Barry I have the lyson vertical sump basically same tank as the hilco just larger add you a heating blanket to the tank , run honey straight out extractor in bucket dump in to sump tank keeps things moving faster heated tank . Just what I do ,lyson tank is 13 gals though so gives little more time god bless
That's an interesting setup. It that a settling tank? I've thought about one of those, but then it's a good size expense. I need to look at that Lyson sump and see what you're referring to.
I ve got Video of it it called vertical sump Betterbee has it only only big difference is it’s larger ,it has a bucket spout at top witch is useless , mike Barry
Mike Barry sent you I message through Facebook with video of set up
@@springcitybeefarm5971 I'll go and see can I retrieve it. Don't use the FB much except my honey page tp post.
Watching your videos is getting expensive!!! 😂 looks great, I guess if you've been doing 1500 pounds for years with your Maxant I can muddle through with it until the bees buy me an upgrade. Are you going to expand on the double screen bucket?
HaHaHa!! Yea it can get that way if we get too excited watching good reviews...😁😁😁. Well Dale, I did just that. I just kept pushing thru each year and each season I get one new high end item from the profits. That way I keep the hobby in the black. This year I actually already got my new item and the extractor ended up falling into place afterwards. I have a video already uploaded on the other item, just never posted it, so it’ll be a surprise later on when things slow down.
Maybe do not drain the honey out so fast, you should have a lot of room at the bottom of the extractor, it will give a lot of weight at the bottom of the extractor and it will possible help with the wobble. I do have a Maxant uncapping tank as well and love it. Nice setup you have, great job!
Thanks for that tip Jerry!! Good point and I will try that.
LOL, Mike I don't even have an extractor, the March 29 swarm grew faster than I expected so I wound up buying a medium super and frames with white plastic foundation at only local place that stocks any bee supplies at probably double the price I could got it from Hillco but I was worried they might swarm so I bit the bullet, then they wouldn't even go up and work it then I remembered one frame in deep was wax they drew out on an old wedge type frame that had nothing in it from my 70's beekeeping days and it was full brood so I an old medium frame and did a cutout stuck in with few rubber bands and took out the middle frame the brood made them move upon this retarded made super and start drawing it out when we had our first big flow and blackberry bloom they started packing the honey in I pulled out the cutout frame and gave it to a nuk I made and the matching comb back in so they draw all 10 frames out uniformly they did and capped 95% of them from top bottom so I pulled out and made a 3" riser then filled it with 10 of the new Hillco deep frames for them to work, long story short I took my wife's offset handle knife and cut wax honey and all back down to the foundation strained it out hung the frames 2 @ a time let em drip out into big bowl then hung in front of my hives letting the bees clean em up and got 2 full gallons of honey not bad for a no extractor rookie 2 n 1/2 frame swarm you told me how catch, we kinda in a dirth atm so I'm feeding them little half to one syrup till the cotton bloom comes in, I got 30 acres of it just across the road and another 50 acres about a 1000' south of me, that with goldenrod flow should pack em full 2 deeps for winter.
Well Carl, looks to me like you adapted to quickly intensifying situation and came out on top!! That's what we do as beekeepers for sure.
If you use a simple honey farms slitting uncapper you will almost never clog one of those dual mesh filters. I processed 400 lbs of honey this year and didn't have to change out the filter once. Easier/faster to uncap than a cold or hot knife and gets at the frames that aren't drawn out fully. Only "downside" is almost no wax.
Yep, I know the device well. Jason who made it lives a few miles from here. I had the opportunity to use it when he had a prototype or two, but I never took him up on it. And look at him now. Personally, I don’t care for the particular process with that uncapper. I like have the wax cappings and I process them so I have blocks of wax for selling and frame maintenance. Just a personal preference and not knocking the uncapper whatsoever or saying I’d never use it. It seems to work very well. I know a lot of people like that uncapper and use it exclusively. I could possibly use one later down the road, and it will fit right on my tank, but not for me at this time. Thanks for the comment and congrats on your harvest Matt.
@@MikeBarryBees Nice. Yeah, definitely has the downsides of no wax but for me I'd prefer it that way but I see where you're coming from. I have enough projects as it is. It was a great year for me. Usually I get about 50lbs per hive, this year 100 (4 hives). I've been up to as many as 50 hives but it just got too much for me so I had to back it off to hobby level.
I have the maxant 20 but I think i would go with one of these hillco ones if I had to do it again. Much better price and they look quite high quality. Thanks for the detailed review.
Hi Mike I will like to know where you got the sink
Are you asking about the tank I uncapped the frames? I think so. I got it from Maxant, but a more economical and readily available model is available at HillCo Bees
@@MikeBarryBees thanks Mike
Hope you fed the bee’s what you put on the floor.
No, I did not. I a couple hundred frames to get thru so it was washed up with water and a mop.
@@MikeBarryBees that’s a problem I’d like to have.
@@TheSoilandGreen well, it’s a good problem and a hard one to, ha, ha, ha!! It keeps me quite busy with a full time job. If I were in the middle of and extraction, I would’ve scooped it up for them. But they get all the wet supers and some of the uncapped stuff when I’m done.
if you havent spilled honey on the ground then you havent been messing with bees long enough.... i think each harvest im prone to spill at least a qt. im planning on preordering one and picking up at hive life in jan
LOL!! You're right. I think you are really going to like the extractor. It's a really nice piece of equipment.
Great video, I just got the Hilco Mini max. I haven’t used it yet but I look forward to it. As for the bottle neck I am just going to run mine in 5 gallon buckets and then strain it later. By the way, did you get the honey on the floor cleaned up?🙂
Thanks Jim and that's another good option. I like to have it all said and done when I put the lid on the buckets, but at the same time, letting everything floats works well too.
nice!! how many deeps will it do mike ?
Hi mike I’m looking at buying a larger extractor I ran across you demoing the ultra
Question did you notice any sag in the basket cage from the weight of the frames ?
Alan, I did not have any issues with sag. I did not notice that it sagged at all. It worked very well and I ran about 500 frames through it.
Love your set up! Where did you get the de-capping tank?
I let mine overflow on the floor also🤦♂️about the same amount.
Thanks Bernard!! Its a Maxant uncapping tank. I drove over and bought it thru Rossman Apiaries in Georgia since they had it in stock and would save me shipping straight from Maxant.
Back in the day when we rendered lard we used a crackling sqeezer to get more fat out of the crackling. Would a similar "sqeezer" help in the capping box?
Well Gerald, I would think so. I’ve seen, in some videos, a wax press where a screw jack drives down a board into a box and the honey runs out of a hole in the bottom. That wax is in a mesh bag. So it is some like that, although I’ve never seen a crack long squeezer.
How long is your knife Mike? I use an old bread knife also but mine must be a little dull compared to yours. I would say my Hillco 800E is quieter but then its only an 8 frame extractor. Love your uncapping tank but to pricey for me at this time. The Hillco bottling tank, did the honey run through the sieves faster than the round pail sieves? Thanks so much for your time and video. I've learned so much from your channel.
Russell, I am pretty sure it's a 10 inch knife. It is used only for uncapping, so it's pretty sharp. As far as the little bottling tank, it does run a little faster since the entire time the wax and debris is trying to float up and the honey can drain across. Where the sieves that lay flat the debris and wax go against the current of the honey going down. Then the sieves leave a coat of wax on the screens and the tank has the debris always above. So it's a bit faster and doesn't need to be cleaned regularly. It's a nice little tool for straining, but it's still a bit slow. But I can get it full and all the while the debris is rising. And after I let it set, it does well. Appreciate the kind words Russell. We all learn from each other for sure.
After meeting John at the hive life conference I was certain I would purchase one but after seeing your video and Brian's (Castle hives) video, I'm sold. So now do I go ahead and buy the 18 frame or expect to grow some more and get the 24 frame.
Honestly, if you think you will grow, and I mean you’re serious about it, go bigger now rather than later. Castle Hives Brian said the same thing about a 6 frame, and while I kid with him about growing, I suggested the 9 because he’ll wish he had it later. He said he is so happy he went bigger.
Would you show a closeup of your knife
It's a 10 inch serrated bread knife. I will see about showing it in a video, but I shot and began editing videos for the next three, so it will be a while.
Can that motor be ajusted to work on other models of extractors?
When do you pour the honey Into the heated honey bottler?
I'm a new owner of a 13 gallon honey bottler.
I plan on getting the filter basket and filter bag for the bottler. It separates the wax from honey in a short time.
I leave it in the buckets until my tank gets down to about a 1/4 full. Then I dump two buckets in. My bottler stays plugged sin 24/7/365 so I always have liquifies honey ready to go at a moment’s notice.
Migrating over from Mr. Ed's channel, or is "drifting" a better word choice.
The honey house work is my favorite.
But I am confused. You're already talking in terms of end of season. Is this video material from last year? I would think you would have blooms for quite a while more....
Hello Barbe!! Welcome and glad you drifted over. We are finished with the season for honey, yes. Matter of fact I plan to be over at Mr. Ed’s this weekend to help him extract. We get a fall bloom, but it doesn’t normally yield anything for our honey production. So since there is no fall surplus, we leave that for the bees. As far as hive work, we have some items left to do with them to be sure they are healthy and that we take good care of them since they have worked so hard for us and blessed us with the bountiful harvest, but it’s things like checking in on the queens, monitoring pests, being sure the queenless colonies are combined or requeened, etc. That’s really about it. It is for the most part done. Since I leave them a lot of honey in their brood boxes, feeding should not be required and they should have what they need for the winter with what we leave them and what they can gather in the fall.
@@MikeBarryBees What a generous response. Thank you.
Silly of me to not factor in winter stores.
Some of my confusion I will attribute to "a Canadian Beekeeper's Blog" which I watch for contrast. If you don't already know, he is a commercial operation in Manitoba. At this date he is just finishing his first round of adding supers.
Again, thank you for everything. I love learning and this video was jam packed.
@@barbeonline351 I definitely watch Ian up in Manitoba, as well as Brad of That Bee Man at Faith Apiaries. Definitely some good contrast. It’s what is very interesting about beekeeping. Different goals, sizes, and outcomes based on personal need or preference.
I enjoyed the video. I might have to step up from my Maxant also... I have one just like yours and its been a workhorse. What did that Maxant tank set you back?
Dave, it was less than the are now. 899 I believe. They’re almost a grand now. HillCo has one now that competes well and way better priced. Just that HillCo wasn’t around when I bought mine. Lysol has a nice one too, just harder to get these days.
Dave, I meant Lyson. It won’t let me edit the previous comment.
OMG I got to get one . My arms fall off when I you my old fashion honey 4 frame extractor. Do you let your bees clean it out before you wash it ?
Kent, I do not normally let the bees go after it. Actually, maybe I will this year since it drains almost every drop. My old one left so much honey in the tank, I would have to flip it upside down and move it here and there and still so much in, the time I did leave it for the bees, a lot drowned. But since this one is so big, I'll probably just wash it out in the shed. I have a hose from the water heater in the shed, so it's easier to just wash it inside there.