Question on Pallet Forks

[dragoneggs]

Hey Diggin It,

I am not familiar with your tractor but I am dang happy with my Jery's QA and adjustable forks. Being that I have a SCUT, I wanted to make sure I maximized my pallet lifting load, I steered way clear of clamp ons. I can swap out my bucket for forks in less than a minute. I also love the adjustable sliding forks that adds so much versatility. My QA and forks are very light but plenty strong to lift anything my hydraulics can handle.

Again, I vote for a QA arrangement!

 

[deezler]

my chain on titan forks are doing great handling the 1200 lb concrete hog slats

Well, duh, your loader is rated for what, 3000+ lbs? Us guys on compacts have a bit more of a struggle.

 

[Diggin It]

I don't even know if any type of QA gizmo is possible for these littler machines, but even if they are, I'm pretty sure they'd cost more than a set of forks. Kinda wish people would move away from that angle.

 

[tomplum]

I don't even know if any type of QA gizmo is possible for these littler machines, but even if they are, I'm pretty sure they'd cost more than a set of forks. Kinda wish people would move away from that angle.

The Q/A stuff does work well without lots of effort so they're a popular solution- but I think some folks don't realize that you have a pinned on bucket. The clamp ons are the most popular solution for these pin on buckets. I think that you would be fine with them. All that being said, I'm watching this thread thinking you just may come up with something kinda slick to have forks w/o adding a bunch of weight.

 

[Xfaxman]

I don't even know if any type of QA gizmo is possible for these littler machines, but even if they are, I'm pretty sure they'd cost more than a set of forks. Kinda wish people would move away from that angle.

The Q/A stuff does work well without lots of effort so they're a popular solution- but I think some folks don't realize that you have a pinned on bucket. The clamp ons are the most popular solution for these pin on buckets. I think that you would be fine with them. All that being said, I'm watching this thread thinking you just may come up with something kinda slick to have forks w/o adding a bunch of weight.

Do what I did, made some pin on forks:

 

[deezler]

I don't even know if any type of QA gizmo is possible for these littler machines, but even if they are, I'm pretty sure they'd cost more than a set of forks. Kinda wish people would move away from that angle.

Yeah sorry, though that might have been helpful to make clear right up front. The LS website, perhaps intentionally, doesn't show any clear pics of the back of the bucket. So it was hard to tell if you had SSQA or not.

While adapting SSQA to your loader would be somewhat expensive, it would also be HEAVY. Relatively speaking, anyway. So it really isn't so practical for the littler machines. some cheap clamp-ons should do you just fine.

 

[4570Man]

I don't even know if any type of QA gizmo is possible for these littler machines, but even if they are, I'm pretty sure they'd cost more than a set of forks. Kinda wish people would move away from that angle.

It’s the far better way. But if you’re happy not being able to see the forks and lifting maybe 300 pounds are possibly bending the bucket than have at it.

 

[deezler]

It’s the far better way. But if you’re happy not being able to see the forks and lifting maybe 300 pounds are possibly bending the bucket than have at it.

Eh, chill out a bit there. He doesn't have SSQA now. Should he try to fabricate it all himself? We're talking hours and hours of work, hundreds of dollars invested, and probably 150+ lbs of loader capacity lost for the adapter and bucket mods needed.

I've used my clamp-on pallet forks to lift my entire loader capacity hundreds of times now, no bent bucket yet - but I do have a beefy toothbar that the forks clamp onto.

 

[4570Man]

Eh, chill out a bit there. He doesn't have SSQA now. Should he try to fabricate it all himself? We're talking hours and hours of work, hundreds of dollars invested, and probably 150+ lbs of loader capacity lost for the adapter and bucket mods needed.

I've used my clamp-on pallet forks to lift my entire loader capacity hundreds of times now, no bent bucket yet - but I do have a beefy toothbar that the forks clamp onto.

If this was going to be a frequently used tool it would be well worth the couple hundred dollar investment. If it’s going to be used once a year than probably not. I personally don’t see how you could not use forks all the time. If I could only have my bucket or the forks I’d pick forks. I doubt a SSQA would weigh 150 pounds for this size machine but even if it did your forks would lift a lot more like that.

 

[k0ua]

The desire for some SSQA forks was my initial reason for converting my previous tractor a Kubota L3400 from pin on to SSQA. I should have bought it with SSQA from the start. But I just didn't understand the importance of SSQA and how it allowed for versatility to add forks, grapples or boom poles or anything else your mind can think up and you can build. I paid dearly for the conversion where it would not have cost that much up front if I had the brains to buy it in the first place.

I had a nice pair of clamp on forks, and in my opinion, they sucked. I did get some use out of them, but they certainly were of limited use as compared to an actual set of SSQA forks. The bucket being out there in the way limiting your vision is only one of the problems, and of course the ever popular loss of lift because of the forks stuck out in front of bucket is another, BUT another problem not mentioned is the fact you cannot put ANY side pressure on these clamp on forks as they will fold up like an accordion. This happens a lot and is quite annoying. Another annoying factor for clamp on forks, or at least the ones I had was if you drag them backwards just a little bit on the ground as you pull out of a pallet the forks come off. Yeah, happened a lot to me.

Bottom line, clamp on forks, yes got some use out of them,. They were a pain to use for many reasons, and they were "weak" in lifting ability. I couldn't wait to convert to SSQA and get some forks.