Pallet Fork Question
- Thread starter DennisH
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Leejohn
Elite Member
Pass, you well not like them when you use them.
JJZ 109
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2009
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- 2,175
- Location
- Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River
- Tractor
- Kubota BX2380/LA344 loader/60" MMM, Bobcat S185 skid steer, JD X394 4 wheel steer mower
I think those free floating type of forks will always want to maintain "level" no matter how much you place them in the "dump" position. Not good if you need to tip your forks to get into anything or tip them to let something slide off. I have and prefer fixed.
JJZ 109
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2009
- Messages
- 2,175
- Location
- Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River
- Tractor
- Kubota BX2380/LA344 loader/60" MMM, Bobcat S185 skid steer, JD X394 4 wheel steer mower
You're welcome. I had an old set of Wifo (made in Canada) forks of that type. A) They were very heavy. B) They were of the type that you pictured. They behaved as I described above. I really didn't care for them. Sold 'em and went with the fixed type.
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Super Member
I also have rotating bar forks which I made myself. They have lifted everything I have asked that the fel allows. Stuff can slide off of them because the weight of the stuff keeps them pinned to the back bar until it slides off. You can pick up stuff as the weight of the forks also allow a slight tipping enough to get under. Mine cost $150 to make.
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Super Member
Hi Dennis and All,
The closest thing to those forks selling for $400 are probably the HLA light duty ones. Maybe those are an older design of theirs. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than about $225-250 for those, especially given their outdoor condition. You would want to flip them over and look at the amount of rusting underneath/bottom. If they are homemade, all bets are off. You should be able to tell by how the pieces are cut or maybe the weld quality.
With your 300 loader, I would recommend you get something more substantial for your own safety. You might think you will only move light things, but inevitably you will rationalize this over time. Plus, your tractor doesn't know you only want to move light things. One accidental jerk of the joystick with a marginal load and you could twist them up like a pretzel, hopefully not hurting yourself in the process.
Regarding fixed vs floating forks, there is a some information about their differences here: Pallet Fork Design Comparison.
Good luck in your quest!
