Pallet Fork Extensions?

[Garandman]

The snowmobile dealer has 8-10 long pallet fork extensions so they can pick up a snowmobile from a van or trailer.

Anyone make their own? Out heaviest sled is about 650 lbs but believe our forks are 42 and don稚 extend far enough.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Someone gave me some home made ones. They are ugly and heavy, but have been handy on occasion. I believe they are made of two channels welded together maybe 8 feet long. The end is cut on a bevel and there is a hole cut in the end of each extension for a chain. I have used them on occasion to extend my reach when wanting to lift something, over something else.

 

[RickB]

6 Standard channel with the web facing up. Taper the outer end and box the underside beginning 4” from the back end and extending a foot or so forward. Box another section near the end of the 42 forks. Cut about 3” of the web out of the back end and drill the flanges to accept a 7 x 1/2 pin going through the holes and behind the bend in your 42 forks.

 

[hslogger]

These work for me.

 

[Garandman]

Have to see if I can load fro the front (heavy) end, that might work.

 

[LD1]

You can just buy heavywall rectangle tubing. Easiest way to get it done.

But the further forward you go, you quickly loose hydraulic lift capacity. So with a L3200 and fork extensions, a 650# snowmobile might be a struggle.

Forklifts lift vertically......so extensions dont reduce its actual capacity in terms of hydraulic power at all. Stability.....sure. But not hydraulic power.

 

[Fallon]

You can just buy heavywall rectangle tubing. Easiest way to get it done.

But the further forward you go, you quickly loose hydraulic lift capacity. So with a L3200 and fork extensions, a 650# snowmobile might be a struggle.

Forklifts lift vertically......so extensions dont reduce its actual capacity in terms of hydraulic power at all. Stability.....sure. But not hydraulic power.

My L3200 would lift "1,200lbs" hay bales plop n the forks. But I couldn't lift the the lightest of the bales if they were 1' out. I couldn't lift some of my impliments on the tips of the forks unless I choked up on them closer. I'm guessing I'd lost half the lift capacity at under 4' out from the back of my forks. Add in a couple hundred lbs for extensions & it's going to be very iffy to lift your 600lbs sleds.

 

[Garandman]

I pick up the sleds now without the slightest difficulty.

 

[Tomtint]

Just yesterday I was looking for fork extensions....I'm going to need to move a 2700 pound piece of equipment into a trailer. The machine is 11.5 feet long, 40" wide and 6' tall... it has to go in from the back of the enclosed trailer. I'm reading that extension forks can be no more than 50% of the existing forks..i.e. 4'forks, can only have 2' extensions.. that load I need to move, I think I'm going to need to rent a tele handler to do it...2700 pounds 11 feet out..is going to be sketchy

 

[LD1]

Not sure on the 50% of existing forks. Where did you see that?

I have seen industrial lifts and heavy duty extensions used all the time. 8' extensions on 4' forks, etc.

 

[mykleh]

I pick up the sleds now without the slightest difficulty.

can you please show a side profile or what you are actually using to lift the sled please?

 

[Garandman]

Only pic I have. IIRC I rigged a line through the footwells, then put a plank over the seat as the weight was so far forward. So 6 of the sled extended beyond the forks, including the heavy [motor] end. The sled had overheated so had to fetch it from a nearby trailhead.

Usually we just pick them up enough to put the trailer under them, from the side. Because of the skis, can稚 really lift them from the front, which is where all the weight is.

 

[Tomtint]

Just to update my earlier post, I bought 2 pieces of steel 8x3" x 12' long and slid them over my existing forks, giving me another 8' of reach. the added legnth and thus added weight that far out, certainly made moving my machine tricky.

 

[mikester]

2 x 6 x 0.100 rectangular tube works well, light and easy to handle. I wouldn’t go 10 feet though.

 

[rbtjr]

Palletforks.com (Titan) sells 5', 6' and 7' pallet fork extensions (these lengths are the total length of the fork, so if you have 42" forks and use the 6' extension, your total fork length is the 6'). I have the 6' versions. I have used them very seldom but they certainly are handy when you need them. My next use for them will be to unload a 6' diameter hunting blind for one of our sons and take it to its destination on the edge of a food plot.

 

[Bronco82]

I made a set of wooden extensions to make the entire fork 6'. Used a 2x6 on the bottom, then ripped a piece of 2x4 to act as a spacer for height beside the fork, and then cut 14 5 1/2" pieces of pallet to go across the fork, screwed into the spacer and bottom 2x6. The lumber was scrap, the pallets were free, and the screws I had in the garage from previous jobs.

They lifted my Skidoo Tundra lengthwise, but had to do my wife's snowmachine sideways, with one fork under the skid and the other under the belly pan.

Highly recommend!!!!

Will try and get photos up later.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Just yesterday I was looking for fork extensions....I'm going to need to move a 2700 pound piece of equipment into a trailer. The machine is 11.5 feet long, 40" wide and 6' tall... it has to go in from the back of the enclosed trailer. I'm reading that extension forks can be no more than 50% of the existing forks..i.e. 4'forks, can only have 2' extensions.. that load I need to move, I think I'm going to need to rent a tele handler to do it...2700 pounds 11 feet out..is going to be sketchy

Every junk yard has 10' tubing on forks and move 1 ton diesel trucks with.

 

[LD1]

No problem with continued comments or discussion....but just point out that the comments being replied to are 3-1/2 years old

 

[Bronco82]

I do get that this is an older post, but others have been flamed for posting new things when the topic has been discussed before...

 

[LD1]

I do get that this is an older post, but others have been flamed for posting new things when the topic has been discussed before...

Not trying to give anyone a hard time.

There have been several times I get in depth reading a post.....and thinking about what I am gonna reply to people thinking it is a current conversation, then happen to notice it was several years old and the people I was wanting to reply to havent been on the forum for several years.

Just pointing that out so others in this thread wouldnt find themselves in my shoes.

By all means, carry on a conversation about pallet forks. But be mindful that everyone that contributed to this post has probably long since forgot about it and/or already has a solution to what they were wanting to do