Forks Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks

   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #1  

MA1920

Silver Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Messages
151
Location
Central MA
Tractor
Ford 1920
Hi, I've been lurking around for a couple weeks before I joined. I did several searches on the site about pallet forks but didn't find any info about hook on forks. (Some companies call them "drive in forks.") The kind where usually 3 hooks are welded to the top of the bucket and the forks hang from a bar that slips over the hooks. CTI.com has some for CUTs. Anyone been disappointed by the clamp on forks? Any bucket damage result? Any and all comments appreciated.
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #2  
MA1920, if you are going to need to use them very often, or have to pick up heavy loads I think that you would want the drive in forks. The clamp on forks will bend your bucket if you lift more than the rated capacity, or so I have heard.
Good luck with your decision.

Brian
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #3  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The clamp on forks will bend your bucket if you lift more than the rated capacity, or so I have heard. )</font>

So will the hook on or drive on type. You will either bend the bottom of the bucket or the top of the bucket or both. Attempting to lift more that the rated capacity is not a very good idea under any conditions.

Remember that the lifting capacity decreases as the load moves outward and away from the center of the bucket.
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #4  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Remember that the lifting capacity decreases as the load moves outward and away from the center of the bucket.)</font>

That is exactly why I finally broke down and bought the QA pallet frame and forks rather than just the bucket forks. By taking the accepted standard of drop in lift capacity as you get farther from the pivot points, I found that I would be down to almost half or less than my pivot point rated capacity by the time I had a load that was 24" front of the leading edge of my bucket. (It seems to be accepted that you lose around 30% to 35% of your lift capacity for each 24" you go forward of your pivot pins) This distance would be normal for using either clamp on or hook on forks on the front of a bucket. You are really getting the load way out there. Also, the dealer demonstrated how the balance point changes with the lift height for me. He took the same tractor and did two things; first lifted a 1000 pound pallet 2 feet off the ground, and then lifted it 6 feet off the ground.

With the clamp on forks, the tractor struggled considerably to lift the pallet 2 feet. When trying to go higher, it not only struggled, but tipped over and fell forward on the FEL. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Using the same tractor, he dropped the bucket and used the QA to attach a pallet frame and forks. It easily lifted the 1000 pound pallet to both the 2' height as well as the 6' height. With a tape measure, we measured the approx center of weight to be around 22" closer to the FEL than with the clamp on forks. That translates into a roughly 30% additional capacity using the QA frame and forks. Doing the math, the 30% difference in ability to lift made all the difference to me. Buying the clamp on forks would have been a big mistake for what I need.
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Dargo, I like how your dealer demonstrated the differences in the available fork options. I thought that by using the bar with the hook on forks, alot of the weight would be distributed toward the back of the bucket, which would alleviate some of the unsteadyness he demonstrated for you.

I would like to get a QA adapter for my bucket and a QA pallet frame with forks like you picked up, but I can't find any info about adapting older loaders to the QA feature. My loader is a 7108 if anyone has any idea if it even could be updated to QA standards. It would help in the snow removal area also. I could go from bucket to plow as needed year round; now the plow goes on in Nov/Dec and off in March/April.
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #6  
MadReferee, my reference regarding clamp on forks bending the bucket when or if overloaded was not meant to give the idea that no damage would be done by overloading the drive on type either.

The drive on type are usually supported at 3 points at the top of the bucket and the clamp on type at 2 points from the floor of the bucket. I believe that the drive on forks are a lot stronger. None of this having anything to do with the lifting capacity of the Fel.

Of course we all know that no matter what size any of our equipment is, none of it is safe when it is used beyond it's capacity.

I hope this clears up any misunderstanding.

Brian /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #7  
ATI shows an adapter for your loader. Quck attach is the way to go if you can. The problem I've found using my homemade slip on forks is that I can't see them. Makes it real difficult to pick up something or to even scoop up brush. I haven't changed over to the q/a because I don't want to add the weight of the adapter to my stone forks. For my loader it would add 117 lbs. plus whatever I have to add to my buckets. For yours it would be 76 lbs. The beauty of the slip on forks was I had them set up so I could drive up to them and hook them up and not get off the tractor. I welded a piece of angle iron across the top of the bucket, and used that to pick up the forks by rolling the bucket forwards. Easy plus it distributed the weight on the forks across the top of the bucket.
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #8  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The drive on type are usually supported at 3 points at the top of the bucket and the clamp on type at 2 points from the floor of the bucket. I believe that the drive on forks are a lot stronger. None of this having anything to do with the lifting capacity of the Fel. )</font>

Stronger in what sense?

If you exceed any of the design capabilities of the forks or bucket something has to give. It's the law of physics. The weakest point will always give first and that is usually the bucket.

The extra mounting points will only give you some additional stability by spreading out the load, not more carrying or lifting capacity.

Most forks can carry more than your tractor can safely handle. For example, the plans for the forks I supply can carry at least, if not more than, 1000 lbs which is way more than most small CUTS can lift.
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks
  • Thread Starter
#9  
tawilson, thanks for the info. I'll look into it. Any rough idea on the cost before I contact a dealer?

But as you did, the added weight on the loader arms and bucket has to be taken into account with the convenience.
 
   / Clamp on forks vs. hook on forks #10  
I don't question the principles of physics that dictate that with clamp-on forks you can't lift as much since it is farther forward than forks attached in place of the FEL bucket.

But that granted, I can say from personal experience that I have been able to take pallets with about 1000# off an 18-wheeler (deck is about 4' agl) with my Payne clamp-on forks and B7800 without difficulty. I think that the B7800 FEL is rated at about 1000# at full height at pivot pin.

I also removed the pallet containing the tubular steel framing members for my prefab hoop barn from an 18-wheeler and it weighed over 1200#, but that, I admit, was marginal; i.e. the FEL couldn't have lifted that pallet back up to the truck deck again, or even much more than a couple of inches off the ground.

The real issue for me has not been lifting capacity, but making sure that I have enough weight on the rear to compensate. My rear tires are filled, but in addition to that, if I am lifting a max load, I put the BH on, load the heaviest boulder I can get in the bucket, curl under it and then extend the boom and dipperstick full out behind. With 1100# of backhoe behind and a 250# rock another 5-6' behind the rear wheels, nothing that the FEL can possibly lift is going to tip the tractor frontwards.

Bottom line is that I don't think that the lifting capacity difference is too significant for anything that you're likely to want to lift with a CUT and my clamp-ons have been extremely useful and equal to every task I have had.
 
 
 
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