What poundage pallet fork to buy

milkie62 · May 8, 2015

I was ready to buy a set of 2600 lb pallet forks from Northern Tool since there was free shipping.They were right at $400.Now after looking at sponsors here I am seeing better prices and some even with free shipping.Mostly I will be lifting logs,pallets etc.What should I be looking for or am I missing something at the cheaper prices.I think the 2600 lb is all that I will need.They weigh about 102 lbs for the pr.Also these are just the clamp on style for my bucket since I do not have a quick detach bucket yet.Can someone steer me in the right direction ? Looking to order some asap.

DuckSlayer1017 · May 8, 2015

You may want to go heavier than that if you ever plan on using them for prying stumps or things other than lifting logs and pallets. Since you are using clamp on forks they may be fine because your bucket can only take so much. Also, I recommend getting the stabilizer bar that keeps the forks from spreading.

milkie62 · May 8, 2015

I was thinking of the stabilizer bar.So really brand will not matter as long as the poundage is there ? Thanks

bdog · May 8, 2015

Get the heaviest duty you can afford within reason. Obviously you don't need 10,000lb forks on a sub compact but this is not the place to cut corners. At a minimum get forks rated slightly above your tractors lifting capacity.

With the bucket mount it will be somewhat different. Your lifting capacity is going to be reduced that far out still get something stout. My forks are 4,000lb rated and I have bent them by putting too much load on a single fork near the end.

Stonehaller · May 9, 2015

Are you using these on your M6800? If this was a set of forks replacing the bucket, I would say the 2500 lbs is significantly under sized for the M6800. However, with clamp on forks you will probably be ok as you should limit use to just lifting. You will need to be careful if use the clamp on forks for digging where it is not just the loader hydraulics exerting force, but the tractor as well. Like bdog, I tweaked my 4000 lb rated forks digging concrete with my DX45, a smaller tractor than your M6800. I originally got the pallet forks for moving logs and pallets as you intend, but I found them quite useful for a variety of digging tasks.

k0ua · May 9, 2015

Just something to think about, but IF you intend to go to SSQA, (and I highly recommend doing that very thing) any money you spend on these bolt on forks is just wasted, or it is leaving you with trying to sell them to someone else. SSQA forks are MUCH better than clamp on forks. You can see so much better, and they don't come off unexpectedly, don't "scissor" in or out unexpectedly and don't bend your bucket, and you can lift more because they are closer to the pivot pins.

This little piece of advice comes from someone who had clamp on forks, and went to SSQA on a previous Kubota. I bought the Kubota "tool carrier" from a Kubota dealer and converted my bucket myself, and got some SSQA forks and never looked back.

You can read about it here if you like.