Forks 3ph fork lift

[uncaged]

The top link connection on the tractor looks stronger than the attachment point I made on the mast, but before those, I thought the hydraulic cylinder top link would let go.

The forklift has done a good amount of work. I mostly use it to move snowmobiles around, with 4" schedule 40 PVC pipe over the forks. It has unloaded 2 full pallets of pellets for my neighbor (not sure how heavy, he said they were "a ton"). Once off the truck the BX had trouble moving them around his squishy side yard where he wanted them, but that's not the lift's fault. On hard terrain, the mast wheels (where I make sure the weight rests) roll well and moving things is easy.

I scrapped the old forklift carcass and the lift was able to put that in the back of my Dodge 2500 Cummins (high bed height) which had to weigh A LOT. I saved the removable forklift counter weights and I hang one off the FEL when lifting something heavy. The forklift with trashed electrical and a dead battery was $800. Easily, $400 of that came back when I scrapped what was left of it.

 

[jas67]

The top link connection on the tractor looks stronger than the attachment point I made on the mast, but before those, I thought the hydraulic cylinder top link would let go.

Unless you have a very wimpy toplink cylinder, that might be wrong. My toplink cylinder is a 2" cylidner with a 1" rod, so at 2000 PSI, that is several thousand pounds.

I scrapped the old forklift carcass and the lift was able to put that in the back of my Dodge 2500 Cummins (high bed height) which had to weigh A LOT. I saved the removable forklift counter weights and I hang one off the FEL when lifting something heavy. The forklift with trashed electrical and a dead battery was $800. Easily, $400 of that came back when I scrapped what was left of it.

You have motivated me to do the same. My tractor is a little bigger than yours (B7610), so if the BX can handle this, so can my B. Is it a multi-stage fork carriage? My pole barn has 8' doors, and it will be kept in there, but I'll be using it outside my house attached garage to unload the pellet pallets (2000lbs) from the back of my F350.

I've also thought about just using a couple pieces of 2x3 or 2x4 box tubing and some chain with my car lift to lift the pallets off the truck, move the truck, and then set them on the floor. I can then move them around the barn (concrete floor) with a pallet jack (which I do have). The problem still remains getting the pellets to the house (on the pallets preferably), as the driveway to the barn is gravel.

I have thought about making some kinda of mini "lowboy" trailer which would have steel box tubes that I put through the pallet, and then connect the front and back parts of the "trailer", where the back half is a axle with at least 12" tires, and a hydraulic cylinder to lift the load, and the front half is a trailer tongue that connects rigidly to the box sections, that I then lift with the 3PH mounted trailer ball. This design would put about 2/3 of the weight on the rear axel, and about 1/3 (or even less with a longer tongue) on the 3PH of my tractor (which can lift 1300 lbs at the pins). With this, I can tow the pellet pallets from inside the barn (where the auto-lift is) to the house garage where I want to store them. I only need to get them to the pavement outside the garage, from there I can move them with the pallet jack.

The forklift attachment would still be way cooler to have (and more useful), although I do have FEL forks (that go right on the loader arm, not the bucket), and can lift up to 700 lbs to max height with them, so other than the pellets, I've been able to lift everything else I need to lift with the FEL.

 

[jas67]

The search for a fork lift mast turned out a Crown 20MT walkie-stacker for $800 -- in working condition with a good battery. I will be picking it up tomorrow morning, so long as it is actually in the advertised condition.

I won't be able to use it on rough surfaces, but it will be a great thing to have to free up some floor space. I got two 10' high by 12' long pallet racks with 4 shelves each. All the implements other than what is used most will go on the pallet rack, along with anything else big and heavy and in the way. This particular 20MT can lift 2000lbs up to 9.5 feet. It will be just the thing for unloading pallets of wood pellets from my truck too.

Specs:
http://www.sistemasyproyectos.com/Contenido/Montacargas/Apiladoras_Electricos/catalogos/m_spec.pdf

(this is a picture of a new one -- the one I'm getting is well used, and looks it)

My wife thinks I'm nuts. Anyone else here have one of these (or even a forklift) at home, for personal use, and not for a business?