Anyone buy these forks 48" Pallet Forks for John Deere 200 300 400 500 Loaders | eBay or http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-John-Dee...avy_Equipment_Attachments&hash=item4610ffd4c7 ? The 48" forks seem reasonable enough... curious how well they're built. Thanks!
Forks on Ebay anyone?
- Thread starter Shawk
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EverythingAttachments
Elite Member
The main thing to consider when putting forks on a compact tractor is weight; the lighter, the better. The Construction Attachments compact pallet forks for a JD hitch that we offer weigh in at only 220 pounds. They're rated to lift 1,800 pounds which is plenty strong for about any compact tractor.
The CA forks are a little more expensive than some on the market, but the quality is top notch and you'll be much happier without the extra weight that only limits your lift capacity.
All of our forks ship free to a business or supporting freight terminal within 1,000 miles of Newton, NC.
Travis
The CA forks are a little more expensive than some on the market, but the quality is top notch and you'll be much happier without the extra weight that only limits your lift capacity.
All of our forks ship free to a business or supporting freight terminal within 1,000 miles of Newton, NC.
Travis
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Zebrafive
Super Member
I agree with Ted, weight is not your friend when buying attachments that are for a loader. How does 3500lbs capacity compare to your loader? Have you checked with the dealer/seller for a weight? You might be happier with 42" forks on a compact tractor. And shed about 20 more pounds.
Seems like the light weight forks are all rated for at least 1800-2000 lbs which is more than what the loader is rated for... so this looks like the best option. I'm just not sold on $800 forks quite yet... even though I know I'd use them a ton. Thanks!
GManBart
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If you want to avoid damaging the forks, it's good to have them rated for being able to support almost all of the rated lift of your loader on one side....in case you have an unbalanced load.
Forks that are rated for 2,000lbs are only capable of holding 1k per side, which s far less than many loaders can lift. That means you can bend one pretty easily if they're rated the same as the loader.
Zebrafive
Super Member
Good Point!
EverythingAttachments
Elite Member
This is true if you plan on using forks for applications that they're not really designed for.
If you truly need pallet forks and want to make the most of your loader's lift capacity, it's best to match the ratings as closely as possible so you're not lifting unusable, dead weight.
dstacy
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palletforks.com
GManBart
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Sure, but I suspect many/most of us use pallet forks for doing a lot more than just moving pallets. I use mine for moving trees, and rocks at times, and that has to unevenly stress them.
I like to think of it as you described in one of your grapple videos....(paraphrasing) I want to know that I can't easily damage them by using the normal capabilities of the machine. If I'm doing something really dumb, that's different, but just putting the forks under something and lifting shouldn't bend them.
Granted, the smaller the lift capacity, the bigger the impact will be, but the difference between the EA 42" and 48" forks is only 160lbs, so it's not a massive loss for many machines. For me, it's the difference between lifting 2,400lbs and 2,240lbs at the pins...not really game changing.
Just something to consider for folks like me who want to think as little as possible
