Homemade FEL Bucket Forks-Show Us Yours

[kantuckid]

I'm soon to own a tractor with a FEL to replace my old machine. I've played on goggle searches looking at various brought-on and home fabricated forks. I've seen the ones fastened to bucket ends from wood, steel plate and tubing. I will not use them for pallets.
I'd like to take a look at what you or someone else came up with. I don't need advice on grapples.
Thanks.

 

[Zick]

Here are mine.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Here are mine.

These are the first bucket forks that I've actually liked! I had clamp-ons, but they were a bucket-bending frustration. (On new tractor I have an actual QA pallet fork set.)

 

[kantuckid]

I've looked on some forestry forums and web searches and the homemade version I like best for my purpose is made from 3/4" thick steel bar ~3-4" wide and bolted to the bucket ends with a tapered slimmer extension forward from the bucket lip.
I dislike the clamp-ons seen lots of places as they most certainly will dimple a good bucket.
Some have used plates to protect the bucket others use the round tube (similar to above) and hang them from there. The design above looks OK but not so robust?
I don't need length for a pallet-logs or cants only.
now to find some steel.

 

[California]

If your application - or the tractor - is light duty then these forks I fabricated out of scrap on hand might suffice.
(one installed, the other showing how it is constructed).

But I later bought clamp-on forks. They are easier to drive up to and install in a moment, and have greater capacity. Note the spreader bar that keeps the forks parallel is an essential accessory.

The style of forks suspended from a bar across the top of the bucket looks better than either of these alternatives. Quick to install, and the hinge at the top lets you slide the forks along flat on the ground approaching a pallet instead of digging the tips in (because the curl of the bucket determines how level fixed forks are, and you can't see the tips).

=====
Added: the thread eleven years ago where I first posted that photo discusses the same question as this thread, 'what kind of pallet forks?'.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/86838-pallet-forks.html

 

[CADplans]

My DIY, on the second tractor.
The forks are forklift takeoffs.

I originally had an adapter that pinned to the bucket.
then I converted them to quick connect, after I converted this loader to quick connect.

I have handled 3,000 pounds with them.

 

[kantuckid]

A bunch of ebay seller have the quick attach plates for sale. I'm wondering if I can scrounge a set of salvage fork lift forks for less than market price near me?

 

[mark in portugal]

I bought the forks from a scrapyard and made the mount; I didn't want to add any more weight than necessary, since my FEL will only lift around a ton and I didn't want to eat into the payload.

This will also mount on the 3-point, which will lift around 3.5 tons.

 

[MESSMAKER]

A bunch of ebay seller have the quick attach plates for sale. I'm wondering if I can scrounge a set of salvage fork lift forks for less than market price near me?

Metcalf metal outside Richmond makes chain on forks. Well made and he can customize for additional cost. Not as good a QA forks but plenty strong and several hundred dollars cheaper. He threw in two chain binders when I bought mine.

 

[mark in portugal]

I bought my forks from a scrapyard for $100; the steel for the frame cost about 30 or 40 more.
The forks are 90cm [3'] and rated for a ton; I've lifted 2 tons with a little bounce.

In Europe everything generally costs considerably more than in the US.

So several hundred dollars cheaper??? How much are you guys paying?

 

[kantuckid]

Thanks messmaker-
With the chained on forks I dislike the bucket pinching effect? same for clamp on-s?
I'm undecided but a tightwad that also likes to fabricate when logical. I will likely never lift a pallet so every fork I've seen on the web that's a commercial product is too long for my log lifting chores. Even when lifting lumber I can adjust the loads to narrow enough to fit the forks, as i am in fact gettin past the age of big time jobs-HA!
So far I like the bolted to the bucket end forks made from 3/4" steel bar, made just long enough for my largest logs that are typically ~ 24-30" butt logs.

 

[Sun Treader]

I have some clamp on forks for the bucket but found them nearly useless. No matter how hard I turned the clamps (and with cheater bars) they'd still get loose somehow. The lifting capacity way out there was so low as to only work for the smallest stuff.

I still have the camp ons and use them occasionally to carry around long stuff and whatnot.

No quick attach on the Case but I did have an old hay spear laying around. Cut off the spears and welded on a set of forks that were on their way to scrap. Changing the pin-on bucket to pin-on forks is a huge pain. Quick attach is probably in the future and adjustable forks would be nice too but this works and besides the paint and welding wire was all scrap.

Not exactly what you asked but that was my experience with clamp on forks.

First welding project, it'll pickup the tractor so I figure its good!

 

[kantuckid]

The Chinese effect raised steel prices a bunch for several years now. I built a bed maybe 5 years ago or so and was amazed to learn how much the steel bed rails cost! Furniture store guy told me he had some that were pre-Chinese effect for $70 while others had gone to way more. I wish I had some of those yard sale $5-10 hollywood bed sets now.
I suppose the forks $$$ vary a lot in USA depending on where they are sitting.
I'm gonna look for a piece of bar stock (to use on edge) as my mind sits now.
A set of cheapo forks would change my mind...

 

[LD1]

Too lazy to repost pics.

So here is a link http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/322807-made-some-pallet-forks.html?highlight=Forks

 

[mark in portugal]

I was paying 1 euro per kilo [about 57US cents/pound] for new hot rolled steel, delivered to my [very rural] door and including 27% tax.
Last year it was down to .80 per kilo.
I haven't bought steel this year.

Steel is just really really cheap if you buy in whole lengths from a steelyard. Special stuff like drawn rod [very round and straight] or higher carbon material costs a little more.

Those forklift forks seem to be hardened, they're just really strong. I make everything at home, but I recommend getting manufactured forks if you can find them.
Pallets, rocks, trees, attachments, barrels, cars, you never know what you'll want to lift.

 

[kantuckid]

"real forks" are forged steel not regular hot or cold steel. Drawn steel is what I call cold rolled, FWIW.

LD1 forks would do my work. Thanks.

 

[kantuckid]

Sun Treader-I was talking forks with the web seller from wheat ridge, CO. they sell Chinese same as Titan but design their own product line. he said all the cheaper bucket clamp forks made from tubing use rolled threads on clamps whereas they use machined threads, thus better clamping force.
For my use the Titan QA's with 2,600# tubing forks will provide fuller usage of my FEL's power than any clamp on placed at the bucket front. That's where I lean for now as i don't want to spend the next $400 to move up to a forged steel fork /QA set up. My loader's rated @ ~ 1,400#'s so those are overkill IMO.

 

[LD1]

he said all the cheaper bucket clamp forks made from tubing use rolled threads on clamps whereas they use machined threads, thus better clamping force.

I think you got fed a line of BS with that one

 

[kantuckid]

FWIW, explain how you know that a rolled thread is as good as a machined thread in a clamp? No, I'm not looking for a web argument at all!
I was simply passing along a statement made by a seller who seemed to know his product line pretty well. i will add that i'll never pay his $400 price point for a bucket clamped fork no matter what threads they might have. The Titan QA's @ $279 are a better choice for my FEL. For contrast, when I called Titan I got a friendly young guy who knew zero when asked any question.
Moving on... I'm currently looking for a product thats not overkill for my FEL yet is QA w/o buying up above $400 to the next level of QA forks. I may have to fab something to suit my tightwad self. I'm gonna find out where the nearest forklift graveyard might be located before I buy anything.

 

[kantuckid]

My forks short list for now: Ansung PF-200; Tomahawk 42"; Carolina Attachments; Paladin/FFC; Virnig V30; Loflin Fabrication(NC); CID in denton, NC; Kodiak pallet forks; Spartan Equipment/Economy forks

???? maybe others
Ebay has lots of QA backplates and fork slide bars for sale so a small set of solid forks makes that a great choice to save and end up with a better set than the Chinese version from Titan with not too much fabrication work.