I run 300 colonies and an 1800 tree apple orchard, I'm 46 yo and am starting to experience some shoulder muscle problems from the repetitive lifting. I've been doing some research on hive cranes like the BIllet Easy loader. I also searched the archives. At $16,000 the Billet Ez loader is a real nice unit but out of my league money wise. I have not seen any other apiculture specific cranes marketed here in North America. While we do move some full hives around,. mostly I see the crane usefull for loading supers, hive bodies, splits, bee supplies, totes of syrup and full apple crates. So most of our payload would be under 200 pounds. The articulated boom of the Billet loader is unique and I suspect hard to replicate with off the shelf truck cranes mainly desgined for lifting metal and other heavy payloads. Can anybody comment on other equipment I have not located or any homemade or converted equipment that they have used or would like to sell? -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---