2500 by hand!  You remind me of a friend of mine that runs 200-300 hives and
loads by hand.  I've been trying to get him to let me help him in designing
and building an electric boom so he's able to enjoy his "golden years"
without wearing a brace.  If you can weld or invest in a little shop time
it's well worth the time and money.  I run around 1800 hives depending on how
the wind blows.  I often pat my bobcat on the engine and give thanks that my
hives are on pallets.  It's 90 degrees here in CA and I've got to move 500
hives into the melons by Saturday morning.  I've loaded by hand many times
but I'm glad this 500 is being loaded by forklift.  I average about 6 moves a
year though, so maybe 2 isn't all that badby hand.  Check out the newest
issue of ABJ there's an article about a loader in the letters to the editor
section.
 
Brian