Forks pallet forks

[California]

We may be talking two different markets here. Commercial vs hobby. Roxy has a 1600 lb (?) tractor while Rankin's smallest forks weigh 185 lbs, probably more than she wants to rassle around.

I think she needs junior size hardware for her compact tractor. Does anybody build small versions of this stuff?

 

[monkeymonk]

I do alot of heavy lifting with forks just keep it balanced and maybe use your BH as balast on slopes,be ready with your hand on the FEL stick to drop the load. You and your friends will love them! you can even use them to change your oil!

I would and will recomend a quick attach type as your lift ratio is rated at your link pins and not the front of your FEL bucket. So if you want to lift heavier things or have a smaller tractor? it will help considerably also when lifting(very important!) place your forks under the load fully then curl the forks/load then lift. remember you ratio is at the pins and the closer to them the easier the lift. its much easier to lift heavy loads when you curl first.

I use Gearmore forks and am very satisfied.

good luck.

 

[Neophyte]

We may be talking two different markets here. Commercial vs hobby. Roxy has a 1600 lb (?) tractor while Rankin's smallest forks weigh 185 lbs, probably more than she wants to rassle around.

Keep in mind that the light duty clamp-on bucket forks, like Timber's, weigh 90 lbs each for a combined weight of 180 lbs and Timber's B7800 weighs around 1700 lbs.

You shouldn't need to "rassle" the quick attach bucket forks as you shouldn't even need to get off the tractor to put them on and take them off. When off, they usually remain standing by themselves. To be safe, you could simply leave them in a loaded pallet when not in use.

I'm sure they make even lighter duty forks out there. Here is a quick attach bucket fork kit with a total weight of only 110 lbs and they are saying it can lift 3500 lbs.

Quick Attach Bucket Forks on Ebay

 

[PineRidge]

We picked this set up from the NH dealer when we made a package deal. I use them quite a bit, and they have stood up well so far.

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm not sure how I would turn my bucket or loader into a quick attach. I would probably be better off with either clamp on forks or the ones with chains and binders. If they are heavy and hard to move around I can always make a dolly for those too like I did for my rotary cutter and box blade.

The empty weight of my tractor without fluids or loader is just over 1400lbs.

Mad Referee sent me some plans to make some nice ones. I am running that idea past my neighbor who welds to see if he thinks we can do those.

I will try to get a pic up of my bucket to see what you guys think.

 

[roxynoodle]

A picture of my front end loader.



I suppose you could call this a picture of my "garage" too, Timber. My garage though is a corncrib!

 

[California]

Here is a quick attach bucket fork kit with a total weight of only 110 lbs and they are saying it can lift 3500 lbs.Quick Attach Bucket Forks on Ebay

Neophyte, those look ideal for the smaller tractors. 1) Not too heavy 2) They have the vertical bars so the load won't slide back into the bucket when it is curled to shift the weight back, like monkeymonk illustrated, and 3) they should be the easiest style to attach, simply drive into them. Good find!

 

[Timber]

A picture of my front end loader.

View attachment 60518

I suppose you could call this a picture of my "garage" too, Timber. My garage though is a corncrib!

Yea slip fork will be perfect for you they will do everything you want and more. Mine are fairly light but mads design is very similar.
By the way sorry about your barn, those pics broke my heart. Glad your animals were OK

 

[roxynoodle]

That barn has made the biggest mess I've ever had to deal with. Yes, thank God my animals moved into a pole barn a few years ago and that that was ok. I suspect this tornado (pretty sure that is what it was as straight line winds don't change directions and one neighbor lost 19 trees and most of them were twisted) wasn't on the ground the whole time. Might be why the 40 foot high barn was hit and the pole barn, which is a short distance away was not. Also across from the guy who lost all the trees, 2 other barns were hit but their roofs were ripped off and the walls stayed standing. The guy who farms behind me caused $1200 worth of damage to his rotary cutter a couple weeks ago hitting a tree that had fallen into the field that he didn't see. He is back in business now and is cutting as I type this. I'm still not used to the barn being down. It was always the first thing you could see driving down the road towards my house. Even if I decide to replace it with another pole barn, it just isn't the same. It is amazing to me that people managed to build these things before cranes and heavy equipment. I can't even lift one of the oak 2x6s that made up the frame of the roof by myself. At this point we have taken apart nearly the whole roof except for a section that went behind it because a wall is on top of it. We are almost done taking apart that wall. We have taken apart the entire front wall and at least half of the end walls. The other big issue is the number of nails that flew out when it hit the ground. They are all over my horse pasture. Magnets can find the steel ones but the aluminum ones that were in the roof are another story. So far the tire toll is one puncture on the lawn tractor (and I was nowhere near the barn when I picked up that one) and one puncture in a friend's car tire (ok and 6 in my feet!). See, pallet forks would come in handy for moving those 2x6s too!

Oh, if I were to get the ones on ebay, what would I have to do to my loader bucket? Weld some hooks to hold that bar they are on?

 

[Timber]

I know the ones I have work fine on the bucket alone. I don't use any binders to hold them up at all. They go under my bucket more than 1/2 the depth and bite inside behind the tooth bar. Your right though they would be a great help cleaning up your barn. Did you have any insurance on that also the old weather veins are worth quite a lot if its an antique. I'll go take some bottom pics for you so you can see were it sits on the bucket









I have them all the way to the edge of my bucket because I have been laying fence so I wanted a stable load I hope this helps

 

[roxynoodle]

I think I would be better off with clamp on ones like yours, Timber, or the ones with the chains and binders.

The barn was insured once when tornado #1 took off the back half and drove it 3 feet into the ground in the neighbor's field. I used the money to build the pole barn. It was also very underinsured I learned. Got enough money to build a pole barn but not enough to have it built for me or take down the other barn. The animals were moved temporarily to the corncrib which is why there are stalls in there until their new barn was done. The front half remained intact and just needed a few new supports where it was attached to the half that flew away. Well, if tornado #2 comes it doesn't matter what you did to fix it! So no insurance this time. I guess actually this is the third tornado to hit it because it was pretty much demolished in 1948 also and then rebuilt. That storm took one of the large beams and threw it right through the house across the road. You can still see where the wall was repaired from the inside of the house. How many people do you suppose have (or had) a barn that was hit by 3 tornados? People are telling me not to put a new barn there because it's bad luck. Seems a waste though not to reuse the cement floor and I do have things that could go in it like my Corvair, manure spreader, trailer and extra hay storage.

As for antique, the beams are hand hewed and I don't seem to be having any trouble selling some (I kept some too to make something out of, not sure what yet). I also salvaged nearly all the siding. The 2x6s and larger lumber can always come in handy, so keeping all those too. The roof was aluminum and I scrapped that out. The cable to ground the metal roof was copper and that brought quite a bit at the scrapper too.

 

[Neophyte]

Oh, if I were to get the ones on ebay, what would I have to do to my loader bucket? Weld some hooks to hold that bar they are on?

That's the down side to the quick attach bucket forks, you need to weld the hooks to your bucket. We would need to see a picture of your bucket from the side to see how difficult this would be. If the bucket has a top flange, people will sometimes use "L" brackets to create a flat surface for the hooks to be welded to.

The other option would be to have your neighbor weld the hooks to a long piece of flat bar the width of your bucket; this flat bar with hooks could then be bolted to the top of your bucket. This would allow for removal of the hooks later on, if needed.

Clamp-on bucket forks may be your better choice (no welding). I would lean towards the type that Timber has as opposed to the chain on type. I haved also seen clamp-on forks that allow for a vertical 2x4 (wood or steel) to act as a back stop. One example can be seen here:

Medium Duty Forks with Backstop Slot

Here is a pair of light duty clamp-on forks from a TBN advertiser. They only weigh 70 lbs and have a lift capacity of 800 lbs. They are made for subcompact tractors.

Light Duty Forks
.

 

[HangtownMatt]

I recently purchased an above ground pool. When I went to pick it up the guy had the pump on one pallet and the folded up liner on another. To load it into my truck he simply brought his tractor around, slipped the FEL bucket underneath the pallet, and used a rope to secure the front of the pallet to the bucket via two hooks welded to the bucket side plates. I'm not suggesting this is a solution for someone who does a lot of this type of work, but for some of us it can be a cheap and effective solution.

Matt

 

[Neophyte]

I recently purchased an above ground pool. When I went to pick it up the guy had the pump on one pallet and the folded up liner on another. To load it into my truck he simply brought his tractor around, slipped the FEL bucket underneath the pallet, and used a rope to secure the front of the pallet to the bucket via two hooks welded to the bucket side plates. I'm not suggesting this is a solution for someone who does a lot of this type of work, but for some of us it can be a cheap and effective solution.

Ahhh, the old bucket and chain trick. I have been using this method thus far. Like you said, it's OK in a pinch but it's getting old, which is why I have been looking for a set of forks. It can also do more damage to your cargo (scratches, etc.).

 

[roxynoodle]

I moved an old refrigerator by chaining it to my bucket but I think forks would work easier. Especially since I buy about 100 bales of hay at a time. 85% of them will stay on the loader as I raise it but the other 15% drive me nuts. I'm not willing to tie up every bale. You may have noticed in the pic that my loader is small (about 38 inches) so it is hard to balance things that are bigger than it is.

 

[Timber]

On one of those pics, I think the 1st one has the make model and Phone Number. There in Yakima Washington so give them a call. The shipping can't be much from there. If you going to lift like 10 bales at a time on a pallet make sure you have some ballast so you can stand on your pallet. I would make a pallet with a 4 foot high back rest too so you don't have to worry about dumping bales down your loader arms into your lap. Sounds like you have plenty of material kicking around

 

[roxynoodle]

That is a great idea! I hadn't even thought of moving more than one bale at a time. I have plenty of pallets and we know I have wood coming out of my ears these days. In fact, I don't see myself buying lumber for years. We made a lot of headway this week and all the walls of the barn are now dismantled. What is left are the haylofts, which now sit about 2 feet off the ground and my old stalls. Shouldn't be too much longer I can get the cement floor cleaned off and make a decision about whether it is worth saving and if I should rebuild. Given what cement floors cost I have a feeling I will be putting it to use sooner or later, rather than smashing it up and burying it. Unfortunately we had a massive storm Tuesday night and now my 50' x 15' x 4' deep hole out back that I've been using to burn unsalvagable wood is completely filled with water.

 

[grsthegreat]

you know...i can buy a set of these ..usa made to install on the skid steer attachment for about $695.00 all over the place. but im still thinking of making my own set. i hgave all equipment to make my own....and do love doing this kind of stuff. the only part id like to buy is the actual forks, as id like a hardened set. i wonder how hard these are to find? now all i have to do is go take some pics of a set detailed enuf to get ideas of how to copy.

 

[California]

I've seen the bare forks in truck junkyards for $150/pair and up. But larger than I could use.

A 'Wanted' post on Craigslist might find them cheaper.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

If you can weld or have a friend that does you fan build them fairly easily.
I bought the bare forks and frame at an auction for $80. Bought the attaching hardware from Deere. I figure the total cost was around $160.

M.D.