Forks Pallet forks: How much weight can the tips handle?

[Gypsy Rose]

As I understand it, the weight rating for pallet forks is for a load on both tines at the mid-point. My question is, for a given mid-tine rating, how much weight can be put on the tips of the fork without bending or otherwise damaging them?

I plan to use a set of 1800 lb forks to place rocks on a stone retaining wall. While I may end up using slings for some of the stones, I'll probably place most of them by simply lifting with the tips of the forks.

Have any of you managed to bend your forks by overloading the tips?

Kevin

 

[lawn_king]

Forks bend easier than you would imagine. I myself have bent several trying to pry small stumps & rocks out of the earth! You are only going to be lifting, so you should be ok if you work smart? Use the sling on real big rocks or lift them in the middle of the forks and tilt/manhandle them onto place.

 

[niemeyjt]

Using the tip one fork (60 x 60 x 6 mm angle) to prise some stones out with a low power KBF200 loader I still managed to put a twist in the bar that runs across to which loader arms attach on one side and forks on other.

It may not be the bit you think that 'goes' first.

J

 

[Gypsy Rose]

My loader's capacity is only 800 lbs or so, and I've seen lots of comments about overkill with regard to capacity (i.e. buying forks with a 2K rating for a loader with less than half that capacity), but it seems that the rated capacity on the forks may be misleading if they're used for tasks other than lifting an evenly loaded pair of tines. Thanks for the feedback. Anyone else bent their forks?

 

[wkpoor]

I have a set of Bradco's I use on my JD 520 loader with at least 3xs the lift capacity you says yours is good for and I have been unable to bend the forks. I would say a CUT can't hurt any decent set of forks. In fact I have 8' extensions I use and haven't bent them yet either.

 

[Gypsy Rose]

That's good to know. I recently ordered a set of Construction Attachments forks (1800 lb capacity). (I went back and forth between those and the HLA (Horst). It would have taken more than a month to get the HLA's made up for my loader (not a QA), plus the price for the HLA's was a couple hundred dollars more.)

Before taking on the retaining wall (big stones), I wanted to find out if there's potential for damaging the tines by lifting the load out near the tips.

Kevin

 

[bstrom]

These forks are only rated for 600 lbs, which has got to be conservative. I'm pretty far out on there and did pry this rock up with the tips too. Don't know what it weighs but it's pretty darn heavy. I haven't bent them yet!

 

[Dargo]

Forks are generally pretty tough. I've pretzeled (I made up that word, okay?) some in the past, but I was really, really abusing them. I was using a 40k rough terrain lift to remove old railroad tracks from an area. It seemed to go pretty fast if I used the big life to pry out as big of a section of track as I could rip out and then come back with a D6 dozer to shove the gravel and ties our of the way. I never disconnected any of the track and just used the rough terrain lift to rip sections apart where they were connected. It saved time from getting a torch and cutting them apart. The scrap company didn't care if the track was all twisted up, they only went by the weight.

It went well for until I decided that I could go twice as fast if I ripped both tracks out at a time rather than just a single track as I had been doing. By yanking and jerking in an attempt to rip both tracks off I managed to twist up the forks. Still, I was money ahead with the time saved vs. what the forks cost but in no way was I using the forks in any manner for which they were designed. If you don't yank, my guess is that you wouldn't have any issues.

 

[lawn_king]

I bent a set of 36" king cutters with my kubota B3030 trying to pry out a small tree stump.

 

[beenthere]

I haven't bent my Deere forks (quick attach to 430 FEL) and I've pried with the tips to the max capacity of the curl to curl and the loader to lift. Don't know what they are rated at, but have felt I've gone overboard a few times. Dig boulders, try to lift boulders too big for the FEL, and pry 30 ft spruce tree stumps out. So far so good.
Anyone know what the forks are rated at?

Dargo. Some pics of that project would be great.

 

[Gypsy Rose]

I wonder how much the-tine weight capacity rating relates to the many tasks one might use a pallet fork for. From what I can see, fork profiles can vary significantly, i.e. some that I've seen in photos posted by folks in this forum carry their full cross-section from end to end, while others are tapered quite a bit over their length. On the tapered forks, there may be enough thickness back at the right-angle bend to keep the fork from bending at that point when loaded evenly across their length, but out near the tips where the material is much thinner it seems like it would be more of a chance to bend them up. Or, is it that with the weight out near the ends (and far from the fulcrum), a loader with a weight rating significantly lower than the forks cannot apply enough force to do damage?

 

[Johndeere3720]

Amazingly enough, these forks i refurbished can handel up to 4000 pounds easily. How? I had them on the back of my Dad's 3720 and moved trailers and pallets around with them. One trailer i moved had atleast 3500 pounds or more of weight on it. The trailer was full of trash, concrete, and masonry stuff. I was suprised at how strong they were. They originally were used on my Step Mom's Bobcat skidsteer and when she moved out here from utah, sold the Bobcat and ended up bringing the forks with her. Last summer, She decided it was time to get rid of them by scraping them but instead I got them and now they fit on my Yanmar tractor. Long story short, I may never bend these forks when working with my Yanmar.

 

[wkpoor]

Most pallet forks are tapered. The bending stress is at the bend. Just look at your arms. They are smaller at the wrist and larger at the elbows. If you can bend the tips then you can bend the root too. However not possible with a light duty CUT.

 

[IXLR8]

That's good to know. I recently ordered a set of Construction Attachments forks (1800 lb capacity).
Kevin

Kevin, let us know how they work out for you.. I am looking at the same ones.

TIA

 

[Whatswrong]

Just my two cents ,your JD corporation tines could be better but I would say you are lucky ,guys at work have bent one tine on the JD 544TC ,this one would never hold after straightening either ,and also on the old Patric both in the 15000 lb range units by prying rather than lifting.

 

[Gypsy Rose]

Most pallet forks are tapered. The bending stress is at the bend.

The non-tapered forks I've seen are usually ones that have been home built, or inexpensive ones that use box steel. I agree that the stress is at the bend, provided the forks are used for lifting. Pallet forks on a tractor, however, have so many applications. When asking my initial question I was wondering how strong a set of forks with a given rating are for tasks like placing all the weight at the tips, or something more likely to bend the tips such as prying/levering with a fulcrum out near the tips.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I have the same Kubota forks that Bstrom has, and have used them quite a bit digging, lifting, and moving stones, logs, brush, etc. I find they are pretty tough, and haven't damaged them yet. Some of the rocks have been too heavy to lift more than a few inches with my LA364 loader.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

As I understand it, the weight rating for pallet forks is for a load on both tines at the mid-point. My question is, for a given mid-tine rating, how much weight can be put on the tips of the fork without bending or otherwise damaging them?

I plan to use a set of 1800 lb forks to place rocks on a stone retaining wall. While I may end up using slings for some of the stones, I'll probably place most of them by simply lifting with the tips of the forks.

Have any of you managed to bend your forks by overloading the tips?

Kevin

1/2 of the mid point rating is available at the tips since the moment arm is doubled.

 

[beenthere]

.................When asking my initial question I was wondering how strong a set of forks with a given rating are for tasks like placing all the weight at the tips, or something more likely to bend the tips such as prying/levering with a fulcrum out near the tips.

Strongly suspect the fork load rating is a balanced load equally distributed on the forks. Not rated at the tips.

And yes, they are more likely to bend at the tips if prying/levering with the fulcrum out near the tips.

Go careful. Some forks are prolly better than others.

 

[Gypsy Rose]

Kevin, let us know how they work out for you.. I am looking at the same ones.

TIA

My CA forks arrived from Everything Attachments a couple days ago. Free shipping to a Yellow freight terminal a few miles away. Great service all the way from placing the order to delivery. Kudos to Ted and the gang at EverythingAttachments.com.

They look well constructed with quality welds and materials, although the paint doesn't seem like it'll hold up long. (Some of it had already worn off in shipment.) I've tried the forks for a couple of tasks, but have yet to put them through their paces. I did, however, confirm that the lifting capacity of my JD790 with a model 70 FEL is such that I don't have much to worry about with weight out at the tips of the forks. Large rocks that I'd scooped up with the bucket (i.e. in close) simply could not be lifted when placed out at the tips of the forks. In order to get the leverage on them I had to slide the forks far under them to get them close to the rack.

As for the way that the forks slide from side to side on the rails, I do like the way that they're adjustable to any position and the fact that they don't float, but, in my limited use, I've had the forks slide sideways while carrying a load. (There's not a level spot on my land, so everything involves working on a side hill.) I'm not sure if it'll be a problem, but I could see the ability to lock them in position as desirable - perhaps a future modification on my part.

~Kevin