pallet forks - 42" or 48", floating or fixed

[SPYDERLK]

well, went the other way..just got a 3320. got the floating 48". having owned a forklift before, there is no substution for length. i still want to add 2 ft extensions on these. not for heavy lifting...but things like garden tractors, etc it is great..back them on..move away. also can never plan the oddball loads, so want to be able to move the forks. i rarely lift pallets, but things like my chipper, tractors, junk etc..need to move them in/out. also when gettin something out of my pickup..sometimes i cant get quite to the end with the shorter forks..it is nice to have the longer ones, go in..lift and move back..then drop and reset. i do have to say they are not the easiest to move..the forks are heavy and as they slide they bind a bit so you are usually kicking the top or the bottom to get the lagging side to catch up. maybe i should use some grease on the runners. anyway..my dealer price difference between the 42 and 48 was about 80 bucks or so..i also plan to weld on some rod to allow me to use the forks/mount in my imatch like someone did on this site, in slick fashion...
good luck

Agree completely. Short forks are virtually always a built in limitation. For your sticking use Slip Plate Aerosol by Superior Graphite. No mess.
larry

 

[putt_putt_green]

I loaded all of my roof sheathing onto the roof the long way with 42" forks. I put a sturdy pallet on first that was 48", then the sheets on top of that. They would just balance, so a ratchet strap holds down the pile until the end was set on the rafters. - tuolumne

Thanks for everyone input. The above quote was the final deciding factor. I have a few places that I can get some nice hardwood pallets. I ordered the 42" frontier fixed forks for ~ $700. The bradco and Horst forks were ~ $900. Somehow I was expecting the Frontier forks to be more expensive.

 

[dirt ditch]

You will never regret purchasing forks. It was surprising to me after I bought my tractor with the forks that I use them so much more than the bucket, probably a 90/10 split. The local JD dealer priced JD fixed forks at $790.00. The JD dealer I purchased my tractor from sold me Horst fixed forks for $650.00. Enjoy the forks.

 

[JCB]

You will never regret purchasing forks. It was surprising to me after I bought my tractor with the forks that I use them so much more than the bucket, probably a 90/10 split.

90/10 Split. That's about right. I'm always amazed how much more I use the forks than the bucket.