Forks Pallet forks - opinions on size

[IslandTractor]

My thinking as well... Here is the response from the seller when I messaged him about the weights.

"The frame on the 42 weighs 150 lbs and the frame on the 48 weighs 180 lbs. The 42 fork blades weigh 62 lbs each and the 48 fork blades weigh 103 lbs each. The 48" blades are a little thicker and the steel is more dense because of the weight/length factor. The frame on the 48" forks has more material and the bar the forks hang on is thicker on the 48 frame. However both frames have a huge safety factor on them and they will hold well over 4,000 each. The (48") forks are 4x1.25 inches."

So I'm guessing that, since the 48" forks are 1.25 inches thick, that the 42 inch forks are probably 1 inch thick and maybe a bit slimmer.

Pull the trigger!:thumbsup:

 

[droptop]

I'll let you know what they look like on Monday. I ordered a set of the 42" forks last Monday from Palletforks.com and have been tracking their progress with the shipping info that they emailed to me on Tuesday when they shipped. I don't know about the product yet, but the shipping service seemed pretty good.

 

[Hilltop Hillbilly]

I'll let you know what they look like on Monday. I ordered a set of the 42" forks last Monday from Palletforks.com and have been tracking their progress with the shipping info that they emailed to me on Tuesday when they shipped. I don't know about the product yet, but the shipping service seemed pretty good.

Please do, as I'm interested as well. If I don't get a set of forks for a reasonable price at an auction tomorrow (they're brand new), I'm ordering the 42" from palletforks.com.


HH

 

[RJD2516]

I have a set of bradco 42". Very well built. I use to work in a big warehouse. All our forklifts had 42" forks. All of our Reach trucks had 42" forks. Almost all of our pallet jacks were 42". The reason? Because if you pick up a pallet from the side, then the forks don't stick out another 6 inches. A full size pallet is 48x42. Only those crappy euro pallets are 36" wide.

 

[droptop]

I got my new 42" forks and am quite happy with them. Are they as nice as the $800 set at the dealer? No, but I don't need a set of forks with a 4000 lb rating when the tractor will only pick up 2k. I'm sure that they will work fine for any CUT with the skid steer mount. Everything looks strong with good welding, I will need to get a little black paint to touch up some areas that rubbed thru while strapped to the pallet. Overall a good value.:thumbsup:

 

[IslandTractor]

I got my new 42" forks and am quite happy with them. Are they as nice as the $800 set at the dealer? No, but I don't need a set of forks with a 4000 lb rating when the tractor will only pick up 2k. I'm sure that they will work fine for any CUT with the skid steer mount. Everything looks strong with good welding, I will need to get a little black paint to touch up some areas that rubbed thru while strapped to the pallet. Overall a good value.:thumbsup:

Sounds like a good and appropriate match. 4K rated forks would actually lift less than the ones you have so don't lose sleep over that issue. Happy forking.

 

[JoeBuyer]

I have 48" forks and as previously mentioned by others, it is useful when loading and wanting to get another bite to move the load farther onto the bed to close the tailgate, put up the rail or whatever. Also in back dragging the pallet off of the bed if it was loaded too far from the edge, etc. We have 2500lb and 3000lb lift on the two tractors we use it on, so weight of the forks is not an issue. But we have a cattle operation so not everyone needs what we have. We also use it for lifting with a strap over the end of the forks and it is nice to have the load a little farther from the loader when it swings back and forth. Just match your needs.

 

[dustinfox]

I got my new 42" forks and am quite happy with them. Are they as nice as the $800 set at the dealer? No, but I don't need a set of forks with a 4000 lb rating when the tractor will only pick up 2k. I'm sure that they will work fine for any CUT with the skid steer mount. Everything looks strong with good welding, I will need to get a little black paint to touch up some areas that rubbed thru while strapped to the pallet. Overall a good value.:thumbsup:

I'm curious about the thickness of the forks. Are they 1"? or 1 1/4" thick?

 

[droptop]

I'm curious about the thickness of the forks. Are they 1"? or 1 1/4" thick?

I looked at the forks, they are labeled as 4 x 1-1/4 x 42, but I measured them using a set of calipers and they are more like 1-3/8 on the vertical section and before it starts tapering down toward the end of the fork. :thumbsup:

 

[dustinfox]

I looked at the forks, they are labeled as 4 x 1-1/4 x 42, but I measured them using a set of calipers and they are more like 1-3/8 on the vertical section and before it starts tapering down toward the end of the fork. :thumbsup:

Good solid forks! Thanks!