Forks Pallet forks - opinions on size

[SuperCobra]

I have a CK30 and 48" pallet forks that I bought in the RB auction this spring. I was going for 42" forks, but ended up winning on 48" instead. I'd say either are fine and the weight difference between the two won't be noticed in lift capacity. It's also easier to see the end of the 48" forks since they stick out a little more. I disagree with IT that you've got a real world capacity of 500lbs, I've lifted logs that are at least 800lbs and pallets of stacked firewood that must be close to 1000lbs. The tractor will lift a cord of wet stacked hard wood on a pallet, but will not curl it.

When I look into my crystal ball, I see bigger tractor tires for some reason, shhhh don't tell my wife, I'm just buying another Kioti and playing dumb if she notices a difference :thumbsup:. If that's a possibility for you, any small price difference now will make sense to have something more suitable later.

Can you really stack a cord of wood on a pallet? How? I have trouble getting 1/3 of a cord to stay on while moving.

 

[kiotiken]

Can you really stack a cord of wood on a pallet? How? I have trouble getting 1/3 of a cord to stay on while moving.

I went and got a LOT of pallets from a store that's always got a sign saying free pallets. The good ones I use as a base, the bad ones I dis-assemble. I use the stringers as uprights, one per corner, and the decking as braces. That gives me a box that holds two rows of wood, 4' long by 4' high or exactly 1 face cord of wood.

I'm getting a little tired of all the work, so I'm looking for a source of pallet wrap that is basically a roll of plastic mesh. I'm thinking once I get it stacked a certain height, wrap it and keep going.

 

[magicheater]

firewood weight info. Scroll down for a great chart on the subject. A face cord is 1/3 of a full cord.

 

[dustinfox]

I would have to agree, The forks I use weigh 110#. The loader is an LA402. The pallet full of pavers (5 rows of 20) in the photos weighed 850#. I weighed a brick to calculate, 8.5# a piece. I put them out to the end of the forks as a test. It did begin to stall as I got more than 5' off the ground but for what I was doing it was fine. That just told me I was near the limit of my loader. I don't dig with my forks as they are designed to lift. I have PLENTY of other stuff that does that.

Do you mind me asking where you got those forks? (Or who makes them?) One thing that could make a difference is that I have been looking at a couple of spade type tools that can be attached to forks for digging. I'm guessing this might make a difference in my decision?

 

[grsthegreat]

I went with the 42" set of forks myself after measuring some pallets and talking to others that have forks. There was a $300 difference in price.

So far i haven't found anything i couldn't lift.

 

[kiotiken]

firewood weight info. Scroll down for a great chart on the subject. A face cord is 1/3 of a full cord.

Great chart, thanks. The wood they delivered was all maple in 8 foot lengths, but had been cut the previous year. The chart says 3840 - 4940 lbs for green, 2350 - 3000 lbs for dry, so I'll guess I'm on the very low end of green wood or high end of dry wood. 3000 lbs / 3 makes sens to me since I didn't have any trouble lifting it 12" off the ground, but couldn't curl it at all.

 

[IslandTractor]

Great chart, thanks. The wood they delivered was all maple in 8 foot lengths, but had been cut the previous year. The chart says 3840 - 4940 lbs for green, 2350 - 3000 lbs for dry, so I'll guess I'm on the very low end of green wood or high end of dry wood. 3000 lbs / 3 makes sens to me since I didn't have any trouble lifting it 12" off the ground, but couldn't curl it at all.

Odd that you could lift but not curl. Usually curl is stronger than lift. When you "lifted" were you really "breaking out" (lift and curl simultaneously)???

 

[kiotiken]

Odd that you could lift but not curl. Usually curl is stronger than lift. When you "lifted" were you really "breaking out" (lift and curl simultaneously)???

No, not an inch of curl, just lift. It doesn't surprise me that much, I was within the lift capacity I would expect at that height, but there's a lot of leverage out 4' from the PP working against being able to curl.

 

[IslandTractor]

No, not an inch of curl, just lift. It doesn't surprise me that much, I was within the lift capacity I would expect at that height, but there's a lot of leverage out 4' from the PP working against being able to curl.

That same leverage is working against lift too.:confused2:

 

[SPYDERLK]

firewood weight info. Scroll down for a great chart on the subject. A face cord is 1/3 of a full cord.

Thanks for presenting reality. A cord is volume - and could be construed as stack volume including airspace. A "face" cord is an area with no defined cut length. The amount of wood in a face cord is a fantasy owed to manipulative marketing.
larry