A visit to my local scrap metal dealer...

[Spark_man]

Hello all,

I went by my local scrap metal dealer to pick up some angle and flat stock (they also deal in new material) and while I was there, I asked if they ever got any forklift forks in. Well the guy said they had a few if I was interested. This turned into somewhat of a scavenger hunt through hill, dale, wet woods and through mountainous piles of junk. We finally arrived at what can only be described as the Great Forklift Graveyard of the Congo! After close examination of many sets and single forks, I found a pair (40") that was still attached to the carrier/hydraulic assembly from an old Clark lift that will meet my occasional needs nicely. They are supposed to get the mag crane in there to extricate them from the pile and cut the old assembly off for me leaving just the forks and the two notched horizontal bars that support the forks. I hope to pick them up next weekend. I plan on fabricating some Quick Attach brackets, and a cage to the bars for use on my little Kubota. We agreed on $175. Based on what others here have posted, this may be a little on the high side, but I figured the entertainment value of the trip was worth a few extra bucks. What do you think?

I'll post some progress pics when I get the forks home.

 

[dullpain]

$175 ain't bad for carriage and some good forks. Many here have fabricated clamp on, strap on, etc forks that attach to the bucket of FEL. Several have fabbed up regular quik attach forks for the FEL after bucket is removed. That is my preferred method. Make sure you make and post pics of the progress. Especially interested in how you fab up the the quik attach bracketry. Also like your idea of cage and bars, good safety thought. You will find they are Very Handy!! Attached is pic of a set I made.

 

[goaliedad]

bracketry- I like that word! Now I just have to find a way to work it into my daily conversation.....

 

[MossRoad]

You are very lucky. I went to our local scrap yard a week ago. It use to have piles and piles of metal of all shapes and sizes and types. It was a sculptor's paradise. Well, not anymore. It is flat down to the ground. Everything is now being sold as fast as they can get rid of it. To top that off, our city has imposed an ordinance on scrap yards that they have to keep anything brought in for 30 days before selling it. Why? Because people are stealing the siding off of houses, the pipes from inside houses and the wiring from everything that isn't locked up. They even stole the aluminum bleachers from the little league and the bronze flower holders from the cemeteries. So, in order to keep track of everything, they started using a dumpster system. One dumpster for every type of material X 30 days = about 200 dumpsters in nice neat rows. Unfortunately, they don't allow dumpster diving, so it is pointless to go there anymore.

Glad you found something worth salvaging. It sounds like it will be a good project.

 

[toy]

You are very lucky. I went to our local scrap yard a week ago. It use to have piles and piles of metal of all shapes and sizes and types. It was a sculptor's paradise. Well, not anymore. It is flat down to the ground. Everything is now being sold as fast as they can get rid of it. To top that off, our city has imposed an ordinance on scrap yards that they have to keep anything brought in for 30 days before selling it. Why? Because people are stealing the siding off of houses, the pipes from inside houses and the wiring from everything that isn't locked up. They even stole the aluminum bleachers from the little league and the bronze flower holders from the cemeteries. So, in order to keep track of everything, they started using a dumpster system. One dumpster for every type of material X 30 days = about 200 dumpsters in nice neat rows. Unfortunately, they don't allow dumpster diving, so it is pointless to go there anymore.

Glad you found something worth salvaging. It sounds like it will be a good project.

There are a lot of stealing in our area but I hope it don't get that bad our scrap yard is a little out of the way and when you come in selling copper you have to sign a paper receipt and put license plate # on it . When I was growing up you could watch the freight trains go through with the cargo out in the open now everything is enclosed in box cars because of theifs and vandals. When they catch a vandal or a theif and just turn him back loose we all loose.

 

[Soundguy]

bracketry- I like that word! Now I just have to find a way to work it into my daily conversation.....

And i thought I was the only one misusing the english language like that. Small world.

I have used the word 'bracketry' when talking about custom brackets for converting older fords to 12v alternators, vs generators.

I'm glad to see that is is also getting use elsewhere.

Soundguy

 

[MossRoad]

On our news last night some guy got 3rd degree burns over 40% of his body tryin to cut copper wire out of a manhole in the old Studebaker factory area (yes, even though Studebaker has been out of business since the mid sixties, their decrepit, aging buildings continue to stand in South Bend, Indiana as a monument to union, management and local government failure) while the wires had 7000 volts on them. Copper theft is rampant around here.

I found this place https://www.metalsdepot.com/ for new metal. They seem to cater to large and small buyers and the prices are decent compared to our one, loacl suplier of new steel.

 

[mjncad]

Some fool in Denver was electrocuted last Spring/Summer trying to snag copper wire out of a live transformer.

I submitted the article to the Darwin Awards nominating this idiot. I guess he wasn't entertaining enough in his stupidity in killing himself as they rejected the nomination.

Oh well...

 

[Spark_man]

Well, I finally picked up the forks. I got into the "let's see how to take this thing apart" mode before I remembered to take a picture. Here it is reduced to its component parts (more or less). It has a hydraulic cylinder attached that needs to come off - I'm in the process of grinding the welds off now. This thing needs some serious de-greasing and cleanup before I can go much further. I also picked up a quick attach plate which is lying in the foreground. I haven't had much time to devote to this project because of some MAJOR (basically the whole 1st floor) remodeling going on. This is the first weekend I haven't had to move something, install something, stain and finish something ... you get the idea. The original guard is bent pretty badly so I don't really know what I'm going to do with that just yet. I would like the guard extend beyond the max width of the forks. I will definitely be able to use it for parts, if nothing else. One thing though, with the carrier detached from the mounting plate (1" thick steel plate) the whole assemble will be a lot lighter - that thing was heavy!

More as it progresses.

 

[kwolfe]

I just made my first trip to a local scrapyard I just found. This place is awsome! Beats the hheck out of paying $15 for 2"x2"x3' angle at TSC. The guy said 20 cents a pound. I found a whole pile of forks. some still on the old junk lift. I would like to make a carry-all myslef. I can't se spending $120 at TSC for one when it looks like I could make one for about $30. Lots of angle and square stock. It's too bad I don't weld. I will figure a way to bolt things together.