Forklift Attachment (NOT Bucket Forks)

[MDNick]

All,
After casually mentioning my forklift attachment in another thread (see remote couplers) I was asked for some pics and a description. Here you go.

Time to shout. I KNOW. I KNOW. IT'S DANGEROUS. GO SLOW. BE CAREFUL. My C of G is somewhere above the hood. Don't try this at home. Keep the kids and wife away (I only have a dog and some occasional help). Etc. I am an engineer, majored in physics. I do appreciate the hazards involved. I only use it up in the air straight forward and back, on almost level terrain.

This pic shows the forklift in use picking up the studs for the 2nd floor of my garage. I think there are 42, the stack used to have 56 on it, the wall is only a 6' wall (vaulted ceiling trusses). The shot is staged. The studs were up there once already. The second floor is at about 12' from the ground.

 

[MDNick]

The next pic is with the tractor and load in the same position. Provides some scale. Yes, the load is up there a ways. I usually use my boxblade as ballast, but for light loads, the scraper blade works ok. And it was one for snow removal.

 

[MDNick]

Next shot is a view from the rear of the tractor looking at the load up in the air.

 

[MDNick]

The next shot is over the hood. Note the long hydraulic hose to the top of the cylinder.

 

[DUMBDOG]

Re: Forklift Attachemnt (NOT Bucket Forks)

Nice forklift for a tractor.

 

[MDNick]

This pic shows the bottom of the chains where they connect to the carriage, and the forks. The carriage rolls in a welded up mast on cam follower rollers. The mast is 7'-5" tall. I do not have a quick tach, so it and the bucket go on and off the hard way. I can switch from one to the other in about 20 minutes. Not as handy, but cheap.

 

[hazmat]

Re: Forklift Attachemnt (NOT Bucket Forks)

Nick, thanks for the pics. Looks pretty cool. Thanks for the safety disclaimer.

For those who do want to try it at home (or if Nick wants more weight capacity) I came accross a company that builds a forklift attachment for Front End Loaders that had its own wheels that project out in front. It looked like the setups you see hanging off the back of a lumber truck. Of course I can't find the website now/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif Basically you pushed it around with the tractor & used the tractor's hydraulics to power it. Maybe somebody else has seen this and can post the website.

 

[RobS]

Re: Forklift Attachemnt (NOT Bucket Forks)

That's a pretty slick set up Nick! I'm impressed with your fabrication skills /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MDNick]

This shot shows the cam follow rollers in the left mast track. They have a 2,750 lb load limit. Yes, I did all the welding with 7018 rod and a lincoln electric AC/DC 225/125 stick machine, almost exclusively using DC. I ground weld chamfers on the big stuff.

 

[MDNick]

By special request, here is my hideous hydraulic connection. Far and away the worst part of the entire system. I am sharing the hydraulics for the boom lift. The way I did it is to put a ball valve shut off in both circuits. Only one. Both circuits stay connected, but since it is a circuit, one valve keeps the circuit (mostly) from moving. I close one and open the other, never having both valves open at the same time. It works, poorly. I want the tractor remotes, but at $1457 for all 3, that is coming at some point down the road. I do not recommend anyone use this method. Especially for something like my application. It's dangerous. I burst one hose somewhere and the whole thing is coming down. Having said that, I've done it. Not real bright, I know. I called them diverter valves. Well, they do that, sorta. I wanted real solenoid valves that would seperate the system, but again, they are expensive. And wouldn't be useful to me once I installed the tractor remotes.

 

[MDNick]

The last shot is of the garage still under construction. You can see one wall up on the second floor. There is a walk in door to the left of the lights. The garage doors are 8x10's. The french doors go on the 2nd floor at the back. That way I will have forklift access to the second floor. Putting my woodshop up there. Didn't want the ship in the bottle problem.

 

[grainger12002]

Nice pics, Nick. Looks like a real good set-up,must be nice to get the mterial where you need it, looks like you will have a nice shop befroe too long-keep up the good work-Lloyd

 

[MDNick]

Since I messed up and posted the wrong pic in an earlier post, here is another forklift shot from the front. It is a standard forklift setup, for every 1 foot of cylinder travel there is 2 feet of fork travel. The cylinder is a 50" stroke, 2" bore. It goes up pretty quick.

 

[dummy]

That's pretty neat. Where did you luck into the forklift carriage assembly?

 

[dummy]

Re: Forklift Attachemnt (NOT Bucket Forks)

I've seen them on a couple of Amish farms around here. Very beefed up pieces.

 

[MDNick]

Hazmat, Yeah, some wheels under the front would sure help support the load. That cylinder is technically capable of picking up nearly 2 ton (after the mechanical-disadvantage). Of course the L3010 would be on it's nose were that attempted. The tires would require a fairly radical re-engineering effort, though.

RobS, thanks for the complement. I am much better at dreaming up ideas than putting into practice with a welding rod, though. It helps immensely to have 2 machine shops at my more or less disposal. I have limited personal machining capability, but know 2 good machinist, and 1 excellent tool & diemaker metal parts guru. What that guy doesn't know about metal machining ain't worth knowing.

Grainger, yeah, it beats the heck out of a ladder or muscle power, especially the 3/4" T&G OSB decking.

Dummy, the only thing I lucked into was the hydraulic cylinder, one hydraulic hose, and most of the metal, except the long pieces of the mast. Had to buy the mast steel, one hydraulic hose and all the connectors. Everything, including the mast and carriage was welded up with my welder with me as the weldor. And yes it is very beefed up. I wanted my inability to pick it to be the limiting factor, that way I know the forklift will not fail once the load is up there. It is probably 50% heavier (duty) than it needs to be. Weighs 400 lbs or so, but anything that the loader can lift, the forklift will stand. The loader can pick 1200 lbs or so. I have ZERO interest in getting 800 lbs that far over my head, so I think I am happy with the beef. Over engineering, the Russian way. Great, me and the Amish. Are you down in St. Mary's county? I am near Indian Head, used to live near Dentsville, address was Charlotte Hall. There is one more TBN'er over my way, we both bought twin L3010's from Gardiner's. And another down St. Clements way that bought a L3710 also from Gardiners.

Nick

 

[dummy]

I'm near Smallwood State Park in Smallwood Estates. Hugh Gardiner is an Ok place to go, not very convenient though. If you get to know Theo, sometimes he'll bring parts home with him, but it can't be out of his way, I had to meet him at Ironsides Rescue Squad.
My running partner is good friends with Joseph at J&M Gazebos and he has one of the massive wheeled forklift attachments. Of course, everytime I go there I have to chuckle looking at the steel wheel and tires. Always think about the great tire debates on TBN, which tire does what. No comparison, those are not turf friendly.
<font color=blue>Over engineering, the Russian way. Great, me and the Amish.</font color=blue> Are steel tires optional on Kubotas too?

 

[gerard]

Outstanding job! Only thing I didn't get was your comment about bursting a hose and the the thing coming down. Isn't that true of the loader itself on a regular setup?

 

[MDNick]

Dummy,

Heck, you are just down the road from one of my machinist buddies. He's a few miles from Smallwood Estates on Smallwood Church Rd. I am on Bicknell up from the Pisgah General Store. A base electrician here at IH also lives in Sm. Est. He does some occasional work for me on base and will also be wiring my garage. All, I work on a Navy Base, as a civilian. A federal employee. Nice of you all to pay my salary.

Nick

 

[MDNick]

Gerard,

Absolutely. It's always true. Only difference is, I have 20 more feet of hose, and a whole lot farther to fall./w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif
Nick