Manual transmission with bar and crank for honey extractors

01 · THE 14 MM RULE

The bar comes second, the shaft comes first

Both versions mount on Ø 14 mm cage shafts. That diameter is the filter: if your extractor has another, the drive will not fit whatever the bar measures.

Then comes the fixing: this drive mounts by lower centre bar, which is how most manual extractors are held. If yours fixes another way, ask us first.

02 · 40 OR 51

The bar has to span the whole drum

The bar rests side to side, so the measurement to take is the internal diameter of the drum — or the distance between the two bearing points — not the height or the frame capacity.

As a guide, 40 cm covers small and medium extractors, and 51 cm the wider drums. A tape measure inside the extractor settles it in a minute.

03 · WHEN TO REPLACE IT

Side play and a crank that slips

Those are the two signs: if the shaft wobbles sideways or the crank turns free at some point, the gearing is worn. From there it can break mid-harvest, which is the worst moment.

Wear is delayed by greasing the shaft each season and, above all, by starting slowly: yanking it from standstill with a loaded drum is what eats the teeth. And since the greasing sits close to a food vessel, use food-grade grease.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is a spare, not a speed upgrade: it replaces a worn drive with an equivalent one.