> What should I be thinking about and looking for as I begin shopping
> for trailers?
>
> I do not anticipate expanding hive numbers much beyond this level.
> After blueberries the hives will need to go somewhere else
> (raspberries?) for the summer, and then back to my winter yard.
> There will be some off road/open field travel.
Lloyd gives some good suggestions. Let me add a few.
Consider renting a truck and/or trailer, or, better still, finding someone
who will assist you by lending the truck or even picking up the hives at
your yards. The growers often have flat-deck trucks perfect for carrying
the few hives you are discussing.
If you rent or borrow, you will have first-hand experience on what to buy
later without being locked in to something you discover you don't like.
IMO, a small flat-deck truck is ideal for that number of hives -- I'd choose
a trailer only if I had a good tow vehicle already or could not manage
owning an extra vehicle -- but, if you choose to use a trailer, U-Haul has
closed trailers that are ideal. You can also rent a truck, for that matter,
and they have nice likke cube vans that are nice to use. Youll need a good
ramp and a handcart.
With a closed van or trailer, you can load in the early morning dusk, drive
to the destination, if it is only an hour or two and the weather is cool,
then unload in full daylight without problems.
I don't know whether you plan to haul singles or doubles and how you are set
up, and as Lloyd says, watch the weight. Don't guess,or you'll have a
flat -- or maybe several at once!
And, since bees are perishable and a potential nuisance, carry a jack, and a
spare, a wrench (that fits) for _both_ the trailer and the towing vehicle.
Make sure, in advance, that you know how to use them, and that the wheel
nuts are not seized. Rehearse the procedure, if you are smart.
allen -- The voice of experience.
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/
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