Pallet Fork Mods

[Beavis]

The problem:

Heavy pallet forks (rated for 4,000lbs) for my FEL that is only rated to lift about 1,200 lbs.

Solution/Modification:

Weld tabs to the forks which will allow me to use them on the rear 3pt. of my tractor which is rated to lift about 2,200 lbs.

I haven't tried to pick anything up yet, but I have a rock in mind for a test !

 

[Beavis]

Here is the rock to test my welds ?!

 

[RobS]

Nice project, nice rock!

 

[kennyd]

Those pins only look about 12" apart?


Is it just me, or the picture

 

[JB4310]

They look close to me to but I guess the arms can swing in that far, I think.
I'll bet we're gonna start seeing them come equipped to mount on 3 PTs, they lift more and are easy to engage a pallet with (very tricky when mounted on loader) of course you are limited by the height of the 3 PT.

Did mine a little differently but strong enough to lift capacity loads.

My next project is to make an adapter plate to go from i-match to quick tach, as far as I can tell no one has done this yet, (many have done it the other way around) it would be easy and then you could pick up your forks with your i-match equipped 3 pt.
Not sure if anyone would have a need to put a bucket on the 3pt, but I'm thinking all these loader mounted 4-way snow plows out there would have the option of mounting them on the rear, but even for nothing else but the forks it would still be a good idea. IMO. JB,

BTW Beavis, that rock is huge I'm surprised your loader could lift it especialy sticking so far out front like that, your 3pt forks should handle it no problem and you wont have to chain it. so for something like that, you could move that rock around all day with little effort using those forks, the perfect application for a landscape contractor etc etc.

 

[Beavis]

They look close to me to but I guess the arms can swing in that far, I think.
I'll bet we're gonna start seeing them come equipped to mount on 3 PTs, they lift more and are easy to engage a pallet with (very tricky when mounted on loader) of course you are limited by the height of the 3 PT.

Did mine a little differently but strong enough to lift capacity loads.

My next project is to make an adapter plate to go from i-match to quick tach, as far as I can tell no one has done this yet, (many have done it the other way around) it would be easy and then you could pick up your forks with your i-match equipped 3 pt.
Not sure if anyone would have a need to put a bucket on the 3pt, but I'm thinking all these loader mounted 4-way snow plows out there would have the option of mounting them on the rear, but even for nothing else but the forks it would still be a good idea. IMO. JB,

BTW Beavis, that rock is huge I'm surprised your loader could lift it especialy sticking so far out front like that, your 3pt forks should handle it no problem and you wont have to chain it. so for something like that, you could move that rock around all day with little effort using those forks, the perfect application for a landscape contractor etc etc.

Seeing your photos in another post is where I got the idea for the pallet fork modification; thanks. The pins are only about 14"-15" apart, but any wider and they would interfer with the bucket. My FEL wouldn't even begin to lift the rock that is shown, all I could do was drag it backwards.

 

[reasley]

The problem:

Heavy pallet forks (rated for 4,000lbs) for my FEL that is only rated to lift about 1,200 lbs.

Solution/Modification:

Weld tabs to the forks which will allow me to use them on the rear 3pt. of my tractor which is rated to lift about 2,200 lbs.

I haven't tried to pick anything up yet, but I have a rock in mind for a test !

Good evening, Beavis --

I had the same problem recently -- had a bucket, wanted forks. I ended up buying a set of forks, the carriage (holders) and the grid backing plate (to keep items from falling off the back) from a forklift company in Dallas.

I tried to put as much utility in the set-up as possible, so I did the following (after looking through all of the discussions on this site; thanks to kennyd specifically, among others):

1. I used 2.5" square tubing for the horizontal "frame" that attaches the "unit" to the FEL attachments. This enabled me to do two things:

2. For the first, I bought 4 trailer hitch "hooks" and put holes vertically and horizontally in each end of both sets of horizontal 2.5" square tubes. These serve multiple functions, e.g, as a chain hook to pull fenceposts (w/ the hook up), front or back, and to strap loads on the forklift (w/ the hool horizontal/back).

3. Before welding the square tubing to the forklift unit, I made two 4-5" 3" square tubing pieces with Cat 1 hinge pin holes on 1/2" flat stock, with nuts welded on them with bolts installed (just like box blade attachments, but movable). Consequently, they can be slid across the tubing for the proper adjustment. These mounts serve two functions: a. they enable the forklift to be attached to the 3 pt., in addition to the FEL and, just as importantly, they enable a boom pole to be very securely attached to the forklift while being used on the FEL, resulting in a lift of about 17-18'.

I have primarily been using the unit to install 4" steel pipes that are up to 21' long for a building that I am constructing and it works wonderfully.

 

[Beavis]

#3 sounds like a good idea, I may have to make some more mods. Will definitely have to add some weight to the rear end !!!!!

 

[6thgpSF]

nice job,I've been thinking of building something like what you did,I found a web site that sells pallet forks that clamp on the fel but I want them to be more versatile.By the way I got a few of those rocks like what you got.I live in JF county,if you know where that is.I pulled one out of my woods once as big as a volkswagen,took a 9n ford and a little AC to get it out,then I broke it up and made porch pillers out of it.That was a few yrs. back when I was younger ,stronger and dummer.