Forks Inexpensive, but Very Good Fork Lifts?

[reasley]

Good evening,

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a used Dayton pallet jack for $20 (needs cylinder kit) for the second story of a building that I am currently constructing. Today, while working, I looked at this jack in the context of a usable set of forks for someone that wants to build an inexpensive forklift for their tractor with detachable bucket. It seems to me that the advantages are 1) very cheap ($20, they have more), 2) much more lift capacity than all smaller tractors would need and 3) much lighter than traditional forks with the horizontal "retaining members." The only disadvantage would be that the fork width is "fixed" to fit the standard pallet. However, it would seem that this is a small disadvantage to the advantages.

Note that I am talking about cutting off the plate that braces the forks from the lifting mechanism and welding it to a couple of braced 3 x 3 square tubing, and removing the "guts" of the lifting mechanisms under the forks. Here's a link that shows a couple of the jacks: Pallet Jacks...Cherry's 800 350-0011

Also note that I just recently completed building a fork lift for my JD 4300 with parts from a scrap forklift, so I don't need this, just thought that it might work for someone else . . .

 

[kolmstead]

Reasley, the only problem I have with your suggestion is that pallet jacks have those little wheels out near the ends of the forks, so the forks themselves can be much weaker than real pallet forks. On my pallet jack, they appear to be sheet metal instead of solid steel. I would expect a set of forks from pallet jack to fold up pretty easily if you hung some weight from them when the tips were unsupported.

I'll admit to being kind of a forklift freak. I have a QA pallet fork setup for my L39, and a "real" forklift, a JCB 930 6K that will raise the forks 20 feet. I used to think that the tractor loader bucket was the finest tool ever invented by man... until I got my first forklift. Now my whole storage yard is palletized. When it is time to rearrange or clean up the yard, I smile.

-Karl