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

[putt_putt_green]

This is for a 3x20 series tractor on a 300CX loader.

Would you get the 42" or the 48" frontier forks and why?
Would you get floating or fixed frontier forks and why?

Currently I'm thinking fixed and 42". I' thinking the fixed forks would be better for getting under things like logs. As far as 42" or 48", I'm not sure other than the 42 inch forks are cheaper and would be slightly more manueverable.

 

[plastikosmd]

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

 

[ragkar]

plastikosmd - here's some suggestions on your sticking forks
Buff off the rust on the horizontal sliding bar with coarse emery cloth
Liberally lube this bar with good quality grease
when adjusting the forks, lift the forks to belly height with the tractor, then with one hand on the top and the other lifting the tip of the fork, push the fork with your belly

 

[Runner]

I got the 42 inch fixed tine forks for exactly the reasons you mentioned. I can see the advantages to floating tine forks, but for my purposes, the fixed does the job.

 

[plastikosmd]

ya i think solution is grease...hate to get it all over that nice green paint!

 

[bigtiller]

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

I used to operate a 6000 pound fork lift with 72 inch long forks. The easiest way to adjust them is to raise the forks a few feet off of the ground then tilt them as far forward as they will go and then lower them until they just touch the ground with the tips. This will take the weight off and they will slide very easy.

 

[radman1]

I have both fixed and floating. I use the fixed about 90% of the time. The floating ones get used other 10% is because the fixed are not available. With the fixed, it can be used to dig under something or used with a trailer ball to move a trailer. Fixed just seems much more handy and common. The fixed can apply downforce if needed.

The 42" vs the 48" is a little more difficult. In general, I like the longer forks better. However, if you move pallets frequently, the longer tips sometimes stick out too far and can lift or ram another pallet positioned just behind.

 

[dirt ditch]

I bought 48 inch fixed Horst forks last December along with my tractor. I like them because the forks are sold when locked in. I wanted 42 inch forks but the JD dealer ordered me 48 inch. I thought they would be too long, but after using them a lot (more than my loader bucket) I would not want anything shorter. As far as maneuverability if you can get a tractor with 42 inch forks into a place to work then you can do it with 48 inch forks. At work we have swinging forks for the loaders. You can not dump with them because the forks always want to stay level. I can dump limbs with my fixed forks but cant with the swinging forks at work.

 

[plastikosmd]

maybe i dont understand your floating forks, or the definition, but mine hook underneath and on top, i can pick up the front end of my tractor without an issue, no issue with dumping. they engage with a channel on top and reverse on bottom, no issues with downpressure

on edit i re-read your design, i assumed by floating..they are moveable, and fixed=fixed...i guess by floating..that means they hook on a round bar, as to stay level? i dont own those..just the JD ones that you can move to different positions, but firmly lock into place

 

[tuolumne]

I have a 3520 and got the 42" fixed forks. With the limited loader capacity of the 300cx, the 48" forks do not create a real advantage in my mind. The longer tines are heavier, which means less lifting capacity left for the goods. Also, anything with a center of gravity further out will be harder to lift with this loader. I find that the fixed forks are nice for digging under things. It is only on occasion that I am grabbing a pallet on uneven ground and wonder if floating forks would help...more of a help would be a disable switch for the seat cutout so I can stand up and see where those buggers are! I would make the same decision again next time.

I'm sure you've seen them, but this is what they look like.

 

[MrJimi]

I have all of the above, floating and fixed and 42" and 48" I love my 48" fixed above all
Jim

 

[putt_putt_green]

Thanks for the replys everyone. After reading this, I'm about 50/50 on length. I'm 95% sure on fixed however.

 

[MrJimi]

With 48"s you can pick up a sheet of plywood with a tire on it, end ways

 

[ragkar]

putt_putt_green this is for you

 

[tuolumne]

With 48"s you can pick up a sheet of plywood with a tire on it, end ways

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. I could do about 12 sheets of 5/8" Advantech at a time this way. I could not go full height with this many sheets until the end would rest on the rafters to take up a bit of the load.

 

[JCB]

Putt Putt,

I'm 36" forks floating on a 2210. Floating because that's how I built them. Sliding floating forks into a log pile can be both advantageous and a PITA at the same time. They follow the ground contour of a nice lawn or pickup bed without too much damage, but sometimes you really wish you had some down pressure.

42, 48, fixed or floating. The only sure thing is that you'll appreciate either of them more than your bucket.

Joe

 

[Superduper]

I just bought mine a couple months ago, the 42" fixed ones. They are fine for what I use them for and reach seems good enough where I don't see 6" making all that much difference. It's not like the 42" forks aren't long enough to lift a 48" pallet anyhow. Having longer forks seems like it's just going to make turning more difficult (and unlike a forklift, it's NOT NEARLY as manueverable).

Like Tuolomne said, when the forks are low to the ground, it's nearly impossible to see where they are and if you try to stand while moving, the operator presence switch on the seat cuts in. I know I couldn't see the tips when the forks are down and needed a spotter to guide me but this was my first time operating with them. I guess with experience, I'll have a better idea but it will always be a guess as again, unless the forks are at the widest position, you can't see them.

One issue to keep in mind that others have not mentioned: the 300cx is not a self leveling loader. You will likely be using the bucket curl/dump function often to keep the load level. During curl, you can feather the load up but the dump function is much more abrupt and the heavier the load, the more jerky/abrupt the dump action. I recently unloaded a 850 lb mower from my truck using the frontier forks and they functioned fine but I did promptly discover that the dump function doesn't operate with anywhere near as much control as the loader lowering function. 850lbs centered 30" away from the loader pins amounts to a LOT of loader observed weight.

 

[putt_putt_green]

When low to the ground, do you think you could see the forks if they were the 48 inch forks instead of the 42 inch forks?

 

[Superduper]

When low to the ground, do you think you could see the forks if they were the 48 inch forks instead of the 42 inch forks?

Definitely not. My guess is that the forks would have to be 6' long before you could see them from a sitting position. I am 5'7". If you are taller, your visibility might be marginally better. Of course as the forks come up, visibility improved dramatically though with a large load, sometimes it's a little hard to judge whether the load is perfectly level. A rigged up tiltmeter might be of value here. This might be as simple as dropping a plumb bob from a bolt mounted on the side of the fork frame. When unloading from a pickup bed, I had no problem with visibility. Picking up a pallet on the ground: that is another matter. If the forks are set at the widest position, you can sort of see by looking from the side but then the pallet would have to be wide enough to accept the forks at that position. Again, I am new to the forks so I'm sure if you are an experienced user, you may feel more comfortable stabbing the forks, especially for non-sensitive materials such as a pallet full of sod, for instance. Picking up a pallet with a gasoline drum or sensitive machinery mounted on it? I would definitely try to find a spotter.

 

[B8FISH]

I've got the 48" on a 3320 and am 6'2"--I can just barely see the tips when they are on the ground--I usually get pretty close and then stand up for a better view (and raise/lower if needed) then pick up whatever I am getting.