FOCUS radial honey extractor, 24 Dadant brood or 42 super frames

01 · CAPACITY AND FRAMES

Brood frames or supers, in the same basket

The radial basket holds 24 Dadant Blatt brood frames, 42 Dadant Blatt super frames or 42 Langstroth frames. Taking brood frames is what sets it apart from the smaller SAF radials, which are built for supers. A brood frame is heavier, and its comb is the one that tears away from the foundation if you start fast: with brood frames, begin on the low speeds and step up. Every frame must rest on both the top and bottom bars of the basket, because one that is too short or too long damages it. Layens is not among the manufacturer's formats, and if you run Dadant US, measure your frame before ordering.

02 · CONTROL

Ten manual speeds, no automatic programmes

The SN_ALIM/EKO controller starts with the «+» key, moves between speeds 1 and 10 with «+» and «−» and brakes with «stop». It has no automatic programmes: you choose the speed of every spin. What it does on its own is accelerate gradually, without a jolt, and switch the motor off after 15 minutes from the last key press, so a forgotten load does not keep spinning. Before pressing «stop», bring the speed down: braking hard from the top speeds is rough on the comb and on the motor.

03 · INSTALLATION

Check what fits under the honey gate

It arrives as a self-assembly kit, boxed on a pallet. The legs adjust to two heights, which puts the honey gate 460 or 500 mm above the floor: check first that your bucket or settling tank fits underneath. The conical bottom drains through a 2″ stainless steel flap valve, which stays open while you extract, because honey building up in the drum slows the basket and can end up blocking it. The manufacturer asks for the machine to be fixed to the floor and levelled before first use. The 4 mm Plexiglas lid lets you watch the load and cuts the motor if it is opened while the basket is turning.

04 · CLEANING

Hot water for the drum, mild soap for the lid

Before first use and at the end of every extraction day, wash the drum with hot water and a food-contact detergent, or with a pressure washer, keeping water off the bearings and with the motor and controller covered. The lid is washed separately: soapy water at about 25 °C and no product containing alcohol, which cracks the Plexiglas.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

The FOCUS pays its way in an operation that extracts supers in volume and wants to put Dadant brood frames through when needed. If almost all your crop comes from brood frames, a reversible tangential extractor empties each side more thoroughly. Measure the space too: assembled it takes 1060 × 900 mm and stands 1350 or 1390 mm high, before you add room to move around it. It weighs 54 kg and runs on 230 V from an earthed socket protected by an RCD of 30 mA or less.