Joe said:
 I have sat in some Bobcats and my 6'6", 265 pound (120 kg) frame does not
go in them well and the foot pedals are bear to operate when you have size
14 feet.

Both the Bobcat and the swinger are not built for a man of your size. You
will need to drive the swinger sitting at an angle due to your size. The
clearance between the seat  and the dash is too close for a big person such
as yourself. My partner is your size and he can not drive  sitting
correctly which is very tiring for him.. I sit at a slight angle myself
while driving the swinger. My partner said to me while in California. "We
have got to make a trip into town as I have broken off the swinger key with
my knee". The placement of the key has changed on the new swingers for the
above reason.

Does anyone use swingers that would be willing to let me drive one?

I would contact Dean Voss of Apiaries and Orchard Forklifts and ask Dean to
point you to a beekeeper using the swinger forklift in your area . No need
to travel a great distance as I am sure there are many swingers in the
Georgia and north Florida area.
www.swingerforklift.com

 Swingers will be on display at the ABF convention in Jacksonville in
January if you are not in a hurry.

 Dean always invites beekeepers to test drive the forklifts. I believe Dean
is the most   knowledgeable person on the swinger forklift I ever met and
freely provides a wealth of swinger information. Talk to dean *before* you
buy used.

Joe asked:
I am also curious what people that move hives on pallets think of their
current and/or former equipment choices.

The swinger forklift is the most popular choice by far with the beekeepers I
met in California.

The old 610 bobcat is still  very popular with beekeepers . Especially with
the added  back wheel.

 According to my friends at Kansas City Bobcat most of the old 610
hydrostats  are worn so bad now that repair is not advised. If you can find
a 610 in excellent working order the 610 will work for many migratory
applications but most serious migratory beekeepers prefer the swinger
forklift in my opinion.
Many still use the newer bobcats  and love the Bobcats but they are in my
opinion harder for people not familiar with their use to use. A few dumped
hives and a couple hundred stings and the education is *usually* complete.

Both will turn over if not careful. Always haul with skids close to the
ground. My partner believes the Bobcat is easier to turn over as he turned
his last Bobcat over and moved up to a swinger. I almost turned my swinger
over last week and admit seeing a wheel with over a foot of air between the
wheel and the ground did make me remember how easy it is to turn both over.

In my opinion the swinger beats the bobcat in every area except price but
many beekeepers with Bobcats which have never  driven the swinger might
argue differently.

I prefer the swinger for these reasons.

1. hydrostat
2. wider wheels and better in serious mud (in my opinion).
3. articulating which makes loading in close quarters easy
4. Comes standard with sliding forks

don't like:
1. With the articulating frame you wear front tires if working on concrete
by turning the wheel.

Bobcat:
1. Easy to get parts
2. used Bobcats are plentiful

Don't like:
1. hard to find used Bobcat with sliding forks ( many beekeepers feel these
are unnecessary but help when going four skids high on a semi in my opinion)
2. easier to turn over in my opinion.
3.foot pedals are not as handy as hand pedals. You can However buy the
Canada version of the Bobcat with standard hand controls on certain models.

Choose wisely when buying a used Bobcat or Swinger. Parts are available for
both but repair is expensive and time consuming. Go by number of hours and
not year when choosing.

Both are usually for sale in the American Bee Journal and every once in
awhile a *swamper* which is similar to a swinger which I have never seen or
used but are popular with beekeepers.

Bob

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