Bucket Ford attachment options - Deal with or re-engineer?

[Dredwolf]

Now that I finally have a working MF 250 with a working FEL once more, I have 3-4 years worth of logs, limbs, downed trees, etc to finally move. I bought a set of Paynes Forks years ago, but I always had trouble with them moving from any side pressure, etc.

The forks themselves are plenty strong (label says 2000lbs), but my FEL bucket needs a rebuild after sitting on the ground for several years longer than planned, and the Paynes Forks never seemed contact the bucket properly on the bottom.

I am considering adding chains and ratchet binders to these, are the chain-on forks pretty solid when mounted? I bought an early set of Paynes directly from them, they don't have the contact pad on the pressure screw, so that contact point is barely over a square inch.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Farmer495]

I would toss anything clamp on and get a proper fork attachment, even if you have to pound pins to change it out.

Run a chain bale spear on one loader here and it needs checked constantly to ensure it's tight, and has actually bent the TOP edge of the bucket over the years.

Newer loader has Euro coupler, purpose designed attachments make clamp on or bolt on ones look like a joke.

 

[Dredwolf]

Boy did I botch the thread title.....not sure what to blame here, my poor typing or the spell check feature.

 

[4get gto]

Know what you're saying. Pretty bad when you have proof read the stupid spell check. Had it happen many times.


Hang on I got to reread!

 

[Dredwolf]

I would toss anything clamp on and get a proper fork attachment, even if you have to pound pins to change it out.

Run a chain bale spear on one loader here and it needs checked constantly to ensure it's tight, and has actually bent the TOP edge of the bucket over the years.

Newer loader has Euro coupler, purpose designed attachments make clamp on or bolt on ones look like a joke.

Good point, but after new hoses, cylinder kit, fluid, a new 16.9x24 tire, and other stuff, the wallet is flat. And I still need an alternator, and to rebuild the other bucket cylinder. I would like to move to a quick-attach system, but the converter for the 232 is about $1K. I have no issue with the pins, I can pull them with my fingers.

Maybe I'll find a used pallet fork set for the MF 232 loader, but that would be rare. I can weld and fab, but so far, even a used fork set from CL is $400 in this area, and it would still need fitting and fabrication to work. I would prefer a "real set of forks", and hopefully that is in the future.

I have had the Paynes forks for years, and used them more than enough to justify the purchase many times over. As I have work I need to get done this fall, I was trying to find something that might work better than trying to fabricate better contact pads for the pressure screws or building my own stabilizer, something I can do now that would mean I only have re-position the forks every other time I am off the tractor.

 

[Dredwolf]

Know what you're saying. Pretty bad when you have proof read the stupid spell check. Had it happen many times.


Hang on I got to reread!

With my accent, I gave up on speech-to-text on my phone, I think the phone was just mocking me after a point.


And if there is a mod reading this, can we fix the thread title? I was trying to write " Bucket FORK attachment options - Deal with or re-engineer?"

 

[Xfaxman]