Forks for my FEL

[txdon]

Don asked earlier about the angle of the tips. I did it like I saw in the picture of the one I was copying in the Northern Tool catalog. I should have done it the oposit eay and created a sort of skid. The points tend to dig into the ground the way I did it. Next time, I'll make them so they slide on the ground.
Eddie

I was right? That's twice today, I'm on a roll!
Ouch! Someone just bomped me on the head.
(I need to write smaller next time.)

 

[2manyrocks]

I built a set of lightweight forks. They are intentionally small so they'll give before my bucket, and the attachment points are lightly welded so hopefully they will give before my bucket. They aren't for picking up 1,000 lb pallets, logs, stumps....but you can stab a pile of loose brush and move it.

They are just angle iron to which flat stock has been welded on the bottom to create a triangle. The bars insert into a larger piece of angle welded onto the bucket. The backside of my bucket is stronger at the attachment points--otherwise, I'd have welded some reinforcement on the back of the bucket, too.

Cheap, simple, easy.

 

[Dan69GTX]

Thanks for all the ideas on the forks! After doing much research I decided to build my own and partially copy the way EddieWalker did it.

Here are several pics of what I did. Unfortunately I got carried away and didn't get pics of the building process.

This is for my Kubota that has a 66" bucket. I hung it on my old case for it to be painted. The "beam" or center bar that goes under the cutting edge is a 2x4 1/4" wall tube and the rest is 2x2 x 1/4 wall. The width is - yes - 66" and the length in front of the bucket is just shy of 2'. I mounted pads on the three prongs that go under the bucket to distribute weight and to adjust the forks to be level since the cutting edge is lower than the rest of the bucket. I cut notches in the center bar to install the prongs. On the top of the center bar at the leading edge I welded a 1" bar 44" long. On top of that is a 43" piece of 3/8 x 4" plate steel. The pieces welded on the top of the outer prongs do nothing but center the forks as you drive into them. After driving into them tilt the bucket back, shake it and it's centered. The cutting edge goes between the beam and the 3/8" plate. I use a ratchet strap on each side to hold it to the bucket. The strap goes from the end of the outer prong around the back of the bucket and secures on the top. I used heavy duty straps so I can lift the front of the loader with the forks if I want. I'll have to take some pics of it mounted after the paint dries.

Thanks to all for posting pics and ideas!

 

[EddieWalker]

Good looking set of forks. I think your angles on your tips will work allot better for you then mine did. It's better to slide along the ground, then to dig into it. hahaha (thanks Don)

My forks are history. My Dad has been using them and he's not what anybody would call gentle. He wont admit it, but he has no clue what angle the bucket is most of the time and if it doesn't work for him the first time, he just gives it more power until it does, or he breaks something. After somewhere around 250 hours of use, he's mangled those forks beyond repair.

Version 2 is all planned out, I just need to buy the metal and start fabricating. If things work out the way I'm planning, I should do that sometime this week.

Eddie

 

[Dan69GTX]

Thanks for the compliments. I decided to keep all 5 prongs on since I want to move around smaller brush. We'll see how that works out.

Hopefully my Dad will be more careful. We'll see. For the capacity of my loader and the length of the prongs in front of the bucket I shouldn't have too much problem with it bending....but time will tell!

This past weekend I bought a set of pallet forks - just the forks. Now to build a frame for the QA and then I can use them too! Boy I knew this new tractor was going to consume a lot of time! But I guess not much more than what was required to keep the old Case running. When I finally got it running this weekend to use as a support for painting the new forks, it just kept backfiring and blew the muffler off. Oh well. Not bad for 5 billion hours or so and it just running on 2.5 (out of 4) cylinders.

 

[mjncad]

This past weekend I bought a set of pallet forks - just the forks. Now to build a frame for the QA and then I can use them too!

Where did you get the pallet forks Dan? I'm looking to do something similar in the future.

 

[Dan69GTX]

I got them at an auction at a local school that closed. I've seen several before I got the new tractor and never thought much about getting them.

There were 2 sets there - sold for 1 money. A newer set that had at least a 4,000 lb capacity (man were they heavy)! And a real old set - probably around 1 ton capacity. I bid them up to 170, then dropped out. After the other guy won he came over and said he only wanted the better set and would I like to buy the other, so I gave him $70 for them.

I just spoke to a friend here who has his own welding/equipment repair business. He said he thinks he has 2 sets of pallet for frames - which I could have one if it would work for my forks - all I can say is .....cool!

 

[mjncad]

Dan69GTX:

Thanks for the suggestion on keeping an eye out on Gummint related excess property sales.