Electric hive lifter Kaptarlift® AWD

01 · GRIP

Jaws from 38 to 70 cm that close with a lever

The FlexiGrip jaws carry a 165 × 85 mm rubber pad and open from 38 to 70 cm. You bring them up to the box with the fixing lever raised, close them with the clamping lever and set them a third of the way down from the top, so the hive doesn’t rock. They pivot to take the hive on uneven ground, with up to 13° of slope according to the manufacturer. The clamping force is adjusted with two 13 mm spanners and one 10 mm: firm on wood and gentler on polystyrene, which marks easily.

02 · VEHICLE LOADING

It lifts the hive onto the load bed and climbs up with it

The 120 W lift motor on the chain takes the hive from 0 to 107 cm in 11 seconds at full load. Those 107 cm are measured from the ground to the fork, so the platform of your trailer or van has to sit below that. With the hive at that height, the lifter climbs onto the load bed by itself with the hive still gripped: it rests on the platform, the motor raises the wheels and, once up, it is turned to set it in place. Fully raised, it can tip over: always lift with the machine stationary and nobody underneath.

The machine doesn’t change the handling. Hives are moved first thing in the morning or at dusk, with the foragers inside, the entrance closed and the whole stack strapped, because the jaws hold one box and the strap is what ties the rest together.

03 · TERRAIN

One motor and a differential: drive on both wheels

The drive comes from a 400 W motor with a differential, which shares the traction between the two wheels and lets you turn without dragging one of them. It reaches 6.5 km/h and has electronic reverse. The wide 15 × 6.00-6 tyres, at 2 bar, cope well with wet grass and sand; in mud or on a steep slope, go slowly and keep the load low.

04 · BATTERY

Four hours of work, and the battery charges at home

The lithium battery, 24 V and 20 Ah , comes out of the machine and is charged separately, in about 6 hours, with the original charger. It gives about 4 hours of work moving and lifting hives; for longer days of migratory beekeeping, a second battery is swapped in right there in the apiary. The manufacturer rates it at about 400 cycles. Out of season it has to be charged at least every three months: leaving it longer without a charge can damage it for good. Store the machine somewhere dry, with the chain and the rail greased.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Check three measurements: that your hives don’t go over 100 kg with full supers, that the side you’ll grip them by measures between 38 and 70 cm , and that the lifter’s 74 cm width fits between your rows. The rubber pads press vertically against the side walls: if your boxes have handles or protruding rims right there, as some migratory hives do, send us a photo with measurements before you order. If you’d rather close the jaws with a button, there’s the Electric TOP; if you don’t need a motor, the Manual CHW.

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