Forks Best QA pallet forks with rotate???

[GinNB]

Anybody have any experience with FEL QA forks with some kind of rotate function like in the following link?

forklift attachments manufactured by Bolzoni Auramo

Every spring it seems like I might be forced to get a pair to work with pallets on uneven ground where the pallet might be tipped one way and the tractor another. Haven't had to yet, but winter's the time to do the research. 360 deg rotation not required for this task but might come in handy for something else, like garbage dumping.

 

[Reg]

WOW !
Handy but,,, I bet not cheap.

My Bradco forks sort of float a little bit, so I am usually able to tap the low one down, slide in a bit and lower again - once I figure out the tilt and from that which direction I have to come in from (-:
Somehow I don't think I would try picking up loads that are so off level as to need this tool, though I s'pose that depends on what it is, how high it's center of gravity is, how stable your tractor is relative to that, etc., e.g. there might be cases where this capability could tip your tractor - or maybe not.

 

[GinNB]

I've got the tires on my tractors punched out as wide as they'll go on the front and almost as wide as possible in the back for sidehill stability, but you're right, things can get a little tippy lifting heavy pallets up high.

I rent bees for pollination and every now and then someone says that they can rent me a transport load (about 400 hives palletized in groups of 4) but can't unload them after they're delivered. That, of course, means that *I* have to unload them. Quickly. After dark. On sometimes uneven ground. Unloading and then reloading 100 pallets of bees from a road to their dropsite in variable conditions makes me wish for a niiiiice set of forks.

 

[bjcsc]

Wouldn't it "bee" easier, less expensive, and safer to just grade out a flat unloading area? Seems it could serve in other operations as well...

 

[GinNB]

Good point bjcsc, and a number (most?) of my potential drop sites have decent roads or flat spots nearby (parking the bee trailer on a T in the road gives good side access to the truck if the roads have no huge potholes), but I also do custom work for others which includes bee delivery. Not all of them have a tractor or the time and inclination to make a nice large level spot.

I could probably make do without the tilt option in most locations and arrange bee deliveries to the trickier spots by beekeepers that do their own unloading, but I know I'd hate to get stuck in a position where I needed it and didn't have it.

Oh, I forgot to mention earlier- I used to keep bees but developed an allergy, so I REALLY don't want to have to get out of the cab to frig with forks if there's a problem. You can imagine how long the lineup of volunteers would be if I wanted folks to come out with me overnight just in case there's a problem with a pallet and, say, that pallet had been "rearranged" a bit by a bear. Even hives near to a bear-damaged pallet react to the smell of bear and dead bees, so things can get fun sometimes.

Also, I thought of using a cable and lifting the hives from the top, but the loader won't lift high enough to pluck the top pallet layer off the trailer. A pole arrangement attached to the FEL would give me the lift (but possibly not the tractor stability in a sidehill situation) to pluck them off the truck, and gives me a possible labour problem when it comes to putting them back ON the truck and getting someone to adjust the pallet while it's swinging.

 

[bjcsc]

How heavy is a pallet of hives? And what kind of attachment does your loader have to implements?

 

[GinNB]

Not terribly heavy and they vary quite a bit by the amount of honey in them. Honey's heavy. I'd guess max 750lbs with a hardwood pallet and the top lockplate and hardware. Most are probably under 500lbs. Nothing serious for 2500-3000lb capability loaders even with a heavy fork arrangement, but that changes if things are at maximum lift on a bit of a tilt.

They're Kubota-branded Alo-Quicke loaders with the "regular" QA.

http://www.hummerbee.com/Turbo brochure back.pdf

These things are the cat's meow for unloading bees, but I've seen these things have a tricky time inserting the forks after the hives get set down on a hump or a rock hidden in grass or something. No big problem if you've got help with beegear handy, but if you're trying to simplify the labour problem and you're allergic to stings like I am, well, rotate looks like a handy option.

 

[radman1]

I have a bobcat tilt-tach that I can use with my forks, bucket or whatever. If your tractor has standard SS attachment and you have front hydraulic available, this would be an option. They will tip about 15 degrees each direction.

 

[GinNB]

Thx radman, that looks like a handy option. Must be something like that available for an Alo loader. Either that or I could get an adapter to use skidsteer stuff with my Alo. Wonder what manufacturers make those? Google will be my friend shortly...

 

[Reg]

I re-thunk it.

Approach tilted pallet, pause, adjust rotating pallet forks to match pallet and tractor tilt, drive it in.
This is where is wouldn't get dangerous if you did it right; Float the FEL and rotate the pallet forks to level, resting the weight on what was the high side, THEN lift it carefully. Start backing but watch the pallet; if you've remembered the tractor tilt correctly rotate the forks to keep the load level as the tractor gets back to level. Gee, I wonder if they offer an automatic self leveling option.