Homemade FEL Bucket Forks-Show Us Yours

[kantuckid]

Thanks messmaker-
With the chained on forks I dislike the bucket pinching effect? same for clamp on-s?
I'm undecided but a tightwad that also likes to fabricate when logical. I will likely never lift a pallet so every fork I've seen on the web that's a commercial product is too long for my log lifting chores. Even when lifting lumber I can adjust the loads to narrow enough to fit the forks, as i am in fact gettin past the age of big time jobs-HA!
So far I like the bolted to the bucket end forks made from 3/4" steel bar, made just long enough for my largest logs that are typically ~ 24-30" butt logs.

 

[Sun Treader]

I have some clamp on forks for the bucket but found them nearly useless. No matter how hard I turned the clamps (and with cheater bars) they'd still get loose somehow. The lifting capacity way out there was so low as to only work for the smallest stuff.

I still have the camp ons and use them occasionally to carry around long stuff and whatnot.

No quick attach on the Case but I did have an old hay spear laying around. Cut off the spears and welded on a set of forks that were on their way to scrap. Changing the pin-on bucket to pin-on forks is a huge pain. Quick attach is probably in the future and adjustable forks would be nice too but this works and besides the paint and welding wire was all scrap.

Not exactly what you asked but that was my experience with clamp on forks.

First welding project, it'll pickup the tractor so I figure its good!

 

[kantuckid]

The Chinese effect raised steel prices a bunch for several years now. I built a bed maybe 5 years ago or so and was amazed to learn how much the steel bed rails cost! Furniture store guy told me he had some that were pre-Chinese effect for $70 while others had gone to way more. I wish I had some of those yard sale $5-10 hollywood bed sets now.
I suppose the forks $$$ vary a lot in USA depending on where they are sitting.
I'm gonna look for a piece of bar stock (to use on edge) as my mind sits now.
A set of cheapo forks would change my mind...

 

[LD1]

Too lazy to repost pics.

So here is a link http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/322807-made-some-pallet-forks.html?highlight=Forks

 

[mark in portugal]

I was paying 1 euro per kilo [about 57US cents/pound] for new hot rolled steel, delivered to my [very rural] door and including 27% tax.
Last year it was down to .80 per kilo.
I haven't bought steel this year.

Steel is just really really cheap if you buy in whole lengths from a steelyard. Special stuff like drawn rod [very round and straight] or higher carbon material costs a little more.

Those forklift forks seem to be hardened, they're just really strong. I make everything at home, but I recommend getting manufactured forks if you can find them.
Pallets, rocks, trees, attachments, barrels, cars, you never know what you'll want to lift.

 

[kantuckid]

"real forks" are forged steel not regular hot or cold steel. Drawn steel is what I call cold rolled, FWIW.

LD1 forks would do my work. Thanks.

 

[kantuckid]

Sun Treader-I was talking forks with the web seller from wheat ridge, CO. they sell Chinese same as Titan but design their own product line. he said all the cheaper bucket clamp forks made from tubing use rolled threads on clamps whereas they use machined threads, thus better clamping force.
For my use the Titan QA's with 2,600# tubing forks will provide fuller usage of my FEL's power than any clamp on placed at the bucket front. That's where I lean for now as i don't want to spend the next $400 to move up to a forged steel fork /QA set up. My loader's rated @ ~ 1,400#'s so those are overkill IMO.

 

[LD1]

he said all the cheaper bucket clamp forks made from tubing use rolled threads on clamps whereas they use machined threads, thus better clamping force.

I think you got fed a line of BS with that one

 

[kantuckid]

FWIW, explain how you know that a rolled thread is as good as a machined thread in a clamp? No, I'm not looking for a web argument at all!
I was simply passing along a statement made by a seller who seemed to know his product line pretty well. i will add that i'll never pay his $400 price point for a bucket clamped fork no matter what threads they might have. The Titan QA's @ $279 are a better choice for my FEL. For contrast, when I called Titan I got a friendly young guy who knew zero when asked any question.
Moving on... I'm currently looking for a product thats not overkill for my FEL yet is QA w/o buying up above $400 to the next level of QA forks. I may have to fab something to suit my tightwad self. I'm gonna find out where the nearest forklift graveyard might be located before I buy anything.

 

[kantuckid]

My forks short list for now: Ansung PF-200; Tomahawk 42"; Carolina Attachments; Paladin/FFC; Virnig V30; Loflin Fabrication(NC); CID in denton, NC; Kodiak pallet forks; Spartan Equipment/Economy forks

???? maybe others
Ebay has lots of QA backplates and fork slide bars for sale so a small set of solid forks makes that a great choice to save and end up with a better set than the Chinese version from Titan with not too much fabrication work.