- Thread starter Spudm
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Zachary Hoyt
Well-known Member
I have no welding skills but there is a fellow on Craigslist locally who was making forks and made me a set to go in place of the bucket on our Massey 35 to load logs. They are made of channel with angle iron crosspieces on the uprights to link the two sides. I have been using them for several years and they have been more than worth the $240 or whatever it was he charged.
Zach
Zach
Ivan in Mich
Member
I built my own. I went to a hi Low repair place and bought a set of forks they had replaced, I think it cost me 40.00. I then built the frame to mount them on
fixerupper
Well-known Member
The forks themselves should be factory made. You can make your own frame if you want, but try not to skimp on the forks. A neighbor made his own fork lift attachment for his loader, using home made forks. One of them broke when he was carrying a pallet load of expensive seed beans. Some of the bags broke open and spilled on the gravel yard. Wasn't too many days before he had new factory made forks. Jim
huntingreen2day2
Member
I built 2 quick attach sets using old fork truck forks. Made them to fit a Kubota 3130.
I made a set patterned after a set my buddy had. I custom fit to my bucket. Very light duty. I use mostly for brush and firewood. joe
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All depends on your end usage.....I made some from plate steel for a frame, forks out of 2x3 quarter wall tubing, non-adjustable. Very light duty. Handy for lifting logs, light pallets, etc. 3 inch height is kinda tough for fitting into pallets with 2x4 frame, but it can work. I do plan to buy a REAL fork, width adjustable, etc.
Keep your eyes on CL for a good used set. I found mine one night for $150. Given that they were a $400 plus dollar set of adjustable forks, for the price I couldn't beat them. Heck for the price I couldn't even buy the material to build them.
That said, as others have stated, you may build your own frame, but for the actual forks, spend the money to get actual forks as they have the proper metallurgy to do the job your asking them to do where things like channel iron, etc don't.
That said, as others have stated, you may build your own frame, but for the actual forks, spend the money to get actual forks as they have the proper metallurgy to do the job your asking them to do where things like channel iron, etc don't.
Russ from MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Bemidji MN
I made some out of 4 inch channel, 42 inches long, they are kind of light, but they work. I move cut and split firewood on pallets and also use them for handling logs. I tested them to 600 lbs. on each fork tip but the JD 4600 will lift a lot more than that, so I have bent them a couple of times, hard to bend back! I have them on a quick detach mount the same as my material bucket.
Wheat Farmer
Well-known Member
I have not built any yet, but my 7305 cub cadet will lift 1600 lbs. Even a light set to go onto a bucket uses up a lot of the weight. photo of the one post below looks like the thing to do.
I dont know why most people want pallet forks I have a set but the only thing that gets used for everything is the bale fork. check out http://www.martatch.com/Pages/MBS.shtml
buy the 32 inch 1 3/8 bale spears space them out right for pallets .I have moved hundreds of pallets with mine, they are better for lumber and wood they dont pick up dirt. they are way lighter than pallet forks and very strong way more uses.also quite a bit cheaper the receiver is about $15 and the spear about $50 times 2 and then build the frame. or just buy the martach.
buy the 32 inch 1 3/8 bale spears space them out right for pallets .I have moved hundreds of pallets with mine, they are better for lumber and wood they dont pick up dirt. they are way lighter than pallet forks and very strong way more uses.also quite a bit cheaper the receiver is about $15 and the spear about $50 times 2 and then build the frame. or just buy the martach.
Stephen Newell
Well-known Member
I built some about 20 years ago out of 2"x4" retangular steel. I have the forks now on a old case tractor which I believe will lift 1200 lbs. I use it a lot as it will lift up better than 10' which I used to lift sheets of R-panel to roof level to a building I'm building. I also have modified pallets with ends on them to move firewood around.
The pallet forks I've been around were all bent from one long piece of steel, with a pivot sleeve welded to the top. How do you plan to build your forks?
With something safety related, widely available, relatively low cost, and heavily regulated like pallet forks, a make/buy decision depends on how it will be used and what kind of problems will happen if they should ever fail.
If anyone else's personal safety could be put in danger, I'd buy them, simply to avoid potential liability problems. If you are the only person around when you use them and they will not be heavily stressed, I'd try making a set. But I would never completely trust my safety to them, homemade or purchased.
With something safety related, widely available, relatively low cost, and heavily regulated like pallet forks, a make/buy decision depends on how it will be used and what kind of problems will happen if they should ever fail.
If anyone else's personal safety could be put in danger, I'd buy them, simply to avoid potential liability problems. If you are the only person around when you use them and they will not be heavily stressed, I'd try making a set. But I would never completely trust my safety to them, homemade or purchased.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Stop by a forklift repair or sales yard, they often have old forks, laying around. Around here, about $150/set is the going rate. Some are worn on the heels past where osha calls them safe, but still good enough to lift 700 lbs...
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
I too made mine out of 7 inch channel. They go under the bottom however there is a lip that goes over the top. I can bolt both the front and back. Can move to different locations too. This is just one pic. I lift about anything, even big logs. I just have to add ballast for the big stuff. Forks stick out 4 ft and one foot under bucket, 5 ft total.
George
George
With those, I'd opt for the "bought" attachment. I see these almost on a regular basis, listed on craigslist. Regular pallet fork tines, or whole with the quick tach set up for a skidsteer. $500 seems to be a fair price for a complete set, but I see them up to $700 locally. Once in awhile I have seen a deal on them, and as well as plain fork tines or other odd arrangements.
I needed a quick tach set for our tractor at the other place, for many years, and while I worked there, I went and bought a set. The tines were actually some sort of boxed in steel, hollow but from a manufacturer, possibly out of ND/SD painted yellow and red, can't recall, but a U.S. manufacturer. So I'm sure some engineering went into these, but the materials used, a person could make these, but given what they do, you had best know what you are doing. I'd have preferred the typical style, solid fork tine, whats on a fork lift, but surprisingly the ones I bought worked just fine, I unloaded many tractor trailers of pine shavings by palletizing them, heavy skids, no problems with those hollow ones, but... if you make them, they had best be right, when these break its never good.
The other thing was with the set I got was the spill guard on it, thick steel rungs high enough to prevent a round bale from rolling back, this set is universal, so if I built same, it could be used on any quick tach loader frame, so if you did build something, make sure it has a stout guard on it, someone else uses it, does not know and the load rolls off and back onto the operator, the set I bought was $500 and worth every penny, I could have just changed the tines, but they worked out to be plenty strong, these sure are a labor saver.
I needed a quick tach set for our tractor at the other place, for many years, and while I worked there, I went and bought a set. The tines were actually some sort of boxed in steel, hollow but from a manufacturer, possibly out of ND/SD painted yellow and red, can't recall, but a U.S. manufacturer. So I'm sure some engineering went into these, but the materials used, a person could make these, but given what they do, you had best know what you are doing. I'd have preferred the typical style, solid fork tine, whats on a fork lift, but surprisingly the ones I bought worked just fine, I unloaded many tractor trailers of pine shavings by palletizing them, heavy skids, no problems with those hollow ones, but... if you make them, they had best be right, when these break its never good.
The other thing was with the set I got was the spill guard on it, thick steel rungs high enough to prevent a round bale from rolling back, this set is universal, so if I built same, it could be used on any quick tach loader frame, so if you did build something, make sure it has a stout guard on it, someone else uses it, does not know and the load rolls off and back onto the operator, the set I bought was $500 and worth every penny, I could have just changed the tines, but they worked out to be plenty strong, these sure are a labor saver.
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
You can"t buy new material strong enough . Vs the price of purchasing a used fork lift from a shop.
Fork lift prong steel is no ordinary stuff.
Fork lift prong steel is no ordinary stuff.
Wheat Farmer
Well-known Member
I have went back and added two more forks so I can lift small sq bales. Does work on some pallets. Once you get 100 lb forks out in front of your loader bucket your not going to be able lift much. We tried it with our bobcat 453. Make it as light, but strong as you need.
Thats in the ball park, I was quoted $700 almost 10 years ago by the dealer who sold us the tractor. I worked there on/off for years and it got to the point I just needed forks, so I spotted a slightly used pair, from a seller I've bought from before on CL, got a 2 bottom plow from him. I needed these for the work I did, it was a simple decision to pay that price, they paid for themselves many times over now, that was '10 when I got them.
Look in those ads daily, few times a day if you can, around here good used ones come up often.
I am glad I did not go for a clamp on set, hard to see with the bucket on, = the extra weight of same, it had quick tach, so it made sense, at home here, I made a clamp on set from old vehicle lift arms I got off a demo job I did. I use those on wagner loader bucket, and they work, hold more than enough weight, given the logs I have moved in the past, but there is nothing like a quick tach set, so much easier to use and see with than a clamp on bucket set or a poorly made set one builds, not to say that you could not build them, really just need proper fork tines, but I will say again it was money well spent. First time I had to use them, we had a huge pile of old roof tin that came off our barn when we repaired the section that collapsed due to snow. I went in, put those forks under the pile, did the manuever to get somethign overwidth out the door, trick I learned when I worked at the lumber yard, moved that gnarly stack to where it had to go and never touched one piece of it, before it would have been a labor intense task, sharp edges, you will like forks I sure did LOL !!!
Look in those ads daily, few times a day if you can, around here good used ones come up often.
I am glad I did not go for a clamp on set, hard to see with the bucket on, = the extra weight of same, it had quick tach, so it made sense, at home here, I made a clamp on set from old vehicle lift arms I got off a demo job I did. I use those on wagner loader bucket, and they work, hold more than enough weight, given the logs I have moved in the past, but there is nothing like a quick tach set, so much easier to use and see with than a clamp on bucket set or a poorly made set one builds, not to say that you could not build them, really just need proper fork tines, but I will say again it was money well spent. First time I had to use them, we had a huge pile of old roof tin that came off our barn when we repaired the section that collapsed due to snow. I went in, put those forks under the pile, did the manuever to get somethign overwidth out the door, trick I learned when I worked at the lumber yard, moved that gnarly stack to where it had to go and never touched one piece of it, before it would have been a labor intense task, sharp edges, you will like forks I sure did LOL !!!
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
You can make good strong forks by nesting two pieces of channel together, one up and one down. Weld in some old bolts or rod into the gap. This way they'll a little under 2" thick. The weak place is where they attach to the frame. I was thinking about manufacturing them before I retired until I looked into liability insurance. Premium was 5K a year 10 years ago.
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
Billy NY,
I bought it used 6 years ago. It's a 2004, had 435 hours on it. I looked at the clock today, 1460 hours. In a years time, I put more hours on the terramite, than my Jubilee, IH C, and all my riding mowers put together.
You can rent one at many DIY places for around $160 a day. Not only can I push snow, I lift many things with front and back hook. It's extremely handy doing yard work. Not to mention, it can move and dig dirt.
My back would be a lot better off today, if I had one of these when I was younger.
I have a 10k dump trailer. The combination of the two together is priceless.
george
I bought it used 6 years ago. It's a 2004, had 435 hours on it. I looked at the clock today, 1460 hours. In a years time, I put more hours on the terramite, than my Jubilee, IH C, and all my riding mowers put together.
You can rent one at many DIY places for around $160 a day. Not only can I push snow, I lift many things with front and back hook. It's extremely handy doing yard work. Not to mention, it can move and dig dirt.
My back would be a lot better off today, if I had one of these when I was younger.
I have a 10k dump trailer. The combination of the two together is priceless.
george
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