SSQA fork build

[Mysfyt]

I also recommend more rollback be built into the frame, especially for going downhill. :thumbsup:

Here is a visual from my 3 point adapter.

View attachment 452804

Jim T alluded to this also. Thanks! Good stuff!

 

[Mysfyt]

More progress. Welded the blocks to the forks and next up will be the vertical mill.

 

[davedj1]

You could do a single cylinder and have a cam lever, no chains or rollers.

 

[Mysfyt]

You could do a single cylinder and have a cam lever, no chains or rollers.

Sounds interesting. Any pictures or links for reference?

 

[Jim Timber]

Rack and pinion would work too. You'd need another bar to keep them from binding, but a little hydraulic motor would turn that pinion with ease and speed. Put the motor in the middle between the SSQA pads.

 

[Mysfyt]

Rack and pinion would work too. You'd need another bar to keep them from binding, but a little hydraulic motor would turn that pinion with ease and speed. Put the motor in the middle between the SSQA pads.

And I was just finishing up my redesign using chains and sprockets! Now you've got the gears and racks spinning in my head. How about a hydraulic motor running a RH/LH leadscrew? I think I saw this setup on a huge old forklift somewhere.

 

[Jim Timber]

I think the R&P would be easier to keep clean enough to not jam (looser tolerances wouldn't hinder function). Screws and dirt make me nervous.

 

[STx]

Good point. How do they do it on forklifts?

I don't think I've ever seen a forklift with hydraulically adjusted forks spacing but if they exist, I'm sure they have 2 cylinders. Forklifts aren't cheap so they're not likely to try to save the money on 1 cylinder and control if they have that feature.

 

[Mysfyt]

I don't think I've ever seen a forklift with hydraulically adjusted forks spacing but if they exist, I'm sure they have 2 cylinders. Forklifts aren't cheap so they're not likely to try to save the money on 1 cylinder and control if they have that feature.

This forklift has it and yes, it is run by two cylinders. The forks are supported on the top and bottom where they slide by fairly wide supports to prevent binding, which is my biggest concern with my design. I'm guessing this forklift uses a flow divider between the two cylinders, but I don't know for sure.

 

[Jim Timber]

I've used several hydraulically adjusted fork carriages, I just never bothered to look at how they did it. Usually the whole frame was caked in grease.

 

[STx]

This forklift has it and yes, it is run by two cylinders. The forks are supported on the top and bottom where they slide by fairly wide supports to prevent binding, which is my biggest concern with my design. I'm guessing this forklift uses a flow divider between the two cylinders, but I don't know for sure.

Sweet, I'll definitely have to look for that on my next forklift. The one I have is pretty basic, single stage container lift that doesn't even have side shift.

 

[Mysfyt]

Well, here goes rev A. Not 100% fully drawn but it shows what I'm after. I included 10 degrees more tilt back along with adding the chain and sprockets. Chain I already have and the sprockets are from McMaster. I moved the cylinder up top to the block to reduce the leverage for binding the block on the support bar. I'm thinking maybe the chains will help keep the forks from binding by the pulling action when the cylinder moves. What do you think?

 

[Jim Timber]

If they do bind, you could probably fix it with another bar on the bottom and 2 more guide blocks.

 

[Mysfyt]

I welded the cylinder mount on top of the block and while that is cooling down, I set up the other fork on the mill and ran the boring head through it. I left several thousands so the reamer could take care of final sizing. The plan from here is to powder coat the forks and then hone the bore to final size for a sliding fit.

 

[Fallon]

I think painting or coating the forks themselves will be a waste of time. They get subjected to some pretty gnarly scraping forces. I've never seen a used set of forks with paint left on them, just light rust.

Nice build so far though.

 

[Jim Timber]

I think painting or coating the forks themselves will be a waste of time. They get subjected to some pretty gnarly scraping forces. I've never seen a used set of forks with paint left on them, just light rust.

Nice build so far though.

Mine were used. I was mildly amazed how the bottoms hadn't been ground off like the other 100+ pair of forks available for the same $100 bill price. Needless to say, my sorting process went pretty quick once I narrowed down the acceptable options to 4 pair. :laughing: They must've come from broken machines or stores where the manager didn't let drivers scrape them all over the floor.

 

[Mysfyt]

I think painting or coating the forks themselves will be a waste of time. They get subjected to some pretty gnarly scraping forces. I've never seen a used set of forks with paint left on them, just light rust.

Nice build so far though.

Reason for coating the forks is that I do not have any space to store them inside. In fact, I'm running out of room on my cement slab outside.

 

[Mysfyt]

Did the machining on the other fork today. One thing I want to be sure of is the alignment of the cylinder threads to the fork block. I left the hole smaller so I could bore it straight and also face it so the jam nut doesn't introduce a bind. I don't have a collet to hold the 1-14 tap so I had to tap it by hand. I use an 1/8" hardened rod sharpened to a point to act as a center on the tap while using a wrench to turn the tap. The bungee cord keeps down pressure on the tap to free up both hands.

 

[Xfaxman]

Nice :thumbsup:

 

[Mysfyt]

Located and welded the chain anchors to the back of the forks. Tried to keep the welds small here to minimize stresses and warping. This should be it for the forks except for coating and honing and my back is grateful. Welded the support bar collars to the side plates and tomorrow they go on the mill to get bored to size.