Forks for my FEL

[Renze]

Alchemysa, nice thinking in that pic, but have you thought about getting them out when you dont need forks but a standard loader bucket ? sure they dont slip out when dumping, but from what you show in the pic, you'd have to grind them in half to get them out anyways....

 

[alchemysa]

How much do the forks weigh and how easily are you able to get them in and out?

I dont know the weight. Maybe 40 or 50 kg. They were way over engineered really. Theyre pretty heavy. I can lift them,but I don't need to because i just lay the bucket flat and slide them on.

 

[alchemysa]

Alchemysa, nice thinking in that pic, but have you thought about getting them out when you dont need forks but a standard loader bucket ? sure they dont slip out when dumping, but from what you show in the pic, you'd have to grind them in half to get them out anyways....

I just slide them sideways to get them in and out. Its not just an idea.They really do exist. See message 6.

 

[alchemysa]

Interesting and inovative design, but how did you engineer out the shadow?

A assume you're looking at the picture of the forks in the bucket. Thats just a drawing i put together because i dont have a pic of the forks on the tractor. (Thats why theres no shadow). The steel is abou 5 x 2". its not as heavy as it looks in the drawing. If you go back to message 6 you'll see some pics of the forks on the ground.

 

[alchemysa]

alchemysa - that is a really innovative design on those forks! Building a set of forks has been on my to-do list for quite a while. I've been holding off because I've been searching for a design that suited me. Until I saw yours, I didn't know what the design I wanted was, but I do now! Would you mind if I copied it for a set of my own forks?

Corm

Be my guest. The design won't suit everyone. A lot depends on how flat and deep (from front to back) your bucket is. And I have a 4in1 bucket so I already had a convenient and strong cross bar across the top of the bucket.

 

[EddieWalker]

I spent a few hours working on it last night. First I cut out three notches in the cross bar. This is what the forks will be welded to, so the longer pieces will stay intact and I'll weld them into the notches.

Then I cut out a triangle with my cutting torch from the ends of two forks. I'll do all five, but ran out of gas for my torch. Then I heated up the steel and beat it down with my hammer to create a point. It's probably overkill, but I welded the tip together with some 7014 rod to make it a little harder.

Eddie

 

[SkunkWerX]

Eddie,
Looks like it is coming along nicely!

I'm due to start on my forks for the BX2350 FEL this weekend.

Thanks for the pics.

 

[TRUKFXR]

Quite a few years ago, I bought a used set of forks from a company in the area that services lift trucks. Seems that get quite a few in that for
whatever reason they sell very reasonably. I bought the forks and with a little welding fabricated a mount to use with my bobcat loader. A lot cheaper than new, and they work very well. If you have a forktruck dealer in the area, he might have used forks that they part out. Just an idea, for what it is worth.

 

[philbuilt]

Eddie,
Good project but you should consider at least a portaband saw. ( 4.5" throat ) I just bought a Milwaukee for $250 at home depot. It was one of those moments that I was there to pick up more wheels for my abrasive saw like yours. Dude there is no smoke or that smell and every thing is clean. Where do you find all the time?
Phil

 

[EddieWalker]

Here are the latest pics of my forks. They are almost done, but not quite. I still need to finish welding up the brackets, and then add some bracing to make the weak points allot stronger.

My bottom of my FEL is twice as thick along the front nine inches then it is on the rest of it. There is also a cuttinb blade that's bolted onto the FEL that makes it even thicker and stronger. This is where I've lined up the bolts that will hold the forks in place.

My thinking is that the front edge of the FEL will handle the majority of the weight of the fingers. The bolts will mostly be there to keep it in place.

The pictures should explain what I've done.

Thaks,
Eddie