Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo Auction Link (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Crawlers, Dozers, Loaders & Backhoes Discussion Forum

Forks for track loader bucket

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
RLFox

02-09-2008 19:29:57




Report to Moderator

hello, I have a cat 941 trackloader, and I"m wondering where I could locate some forks to put on the bucket something like pallet forks but stronger, and also how to put a bale spike on it. Any input or experience would be appreciated.

Thanks!




[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
bc

02-14-2008 13:50:52




Report to Moderator
 Re: Forks for track loader bucket in reply to hectorgemme, 02-09-2008 19:29:57  
I'm getting ready to build my own set of forks for a bucket. I've been down to the welding shops doing some farmroengineering. Probably have a $100 in steel before I'm done. I wouldn't use these at a business that regularly moves heavy pallets but around the farm to move posts, limbs, pallets to set stuff on to move around is what I'm going to use it for. I could stack some square bales on a pallet and move them, etc.

My bucket already has a cutter bar on the front that takes 5/8" plow bolts at 1 foot spacing. I will just use those holes. Forks will be 2" x 4" x 1/4" wall steel 6' long. 4' to stick out front and 2' to ride under the bucket for leverage and support. My bucket depth is 2' underneath.

At the 2' point, I will weld a short 4" piece of 4" heavy wall (1/4") square tubing to the fork. These 2 short sq. tubings will be the slides.

My bucket is 75" wide. I will get a piece of 3 1/2" heavy wall tubing about 74" long, slide the forks on and cap the ends. Then I will probably weld some 4' angle iron on for brackets at each end to bolt to the bottom of the bucket. I will also weld a bracket in the middle to bolt to the middle of the bucket for extra support. The 3 1/2" square piece will be hung just far enough below the bucket so that the bales plus the thickness of the slide tubing will still allow it to slide easily but not too much. The square tubing has an inside weld so I will want to make sure they fit into each other and slide so they will not be a perfect fit.
I suspect the forks will take quite a bit of weight before bending. Like I said, these wouldn't be for trying to pry tree stumps out of the ground or any other heavy duty work. Another option would be to angle cut the sides at the front ends to create a tapered end fork. I also suspect I could go underneath a big bale and move a bale with these as well.

I already built a bracket for a 3 point bale mover. I used 5' 6" by 1/4" flat bar with holes cut every foot to bolt to the top of the cutter bar of the loader. I then welded 3" by 1/2" thick about 4" long pad eyes a little wider than the bottom brackets of the 3 point bale mover bought from the tractor supply store. Make sure the eyes are up high enough so the bale mover pad eyes would turn. I had to round off the corners of the bale mover pad eyes. I then had 2 more pad eyes that will be (I haven't done it yet) welded into the bucket. Then I'll just buy a short standard pivot adjustable pivot arm to pin to the top of the hitch. Right now I am moving bales with the top point chained to the bucket and it works good. Before I had this bracket and pad eyes made (about $35 from a local friendly welder), I just used 3 chains and boomers and chained the 3 point hitch to the front of the bucket and moved 1500# bales with it which worked just fine but not very permanent.

If I had to do it over again, I probably would just get a couple 4" pieces of 4" heavy wall angle iron and just bolt them to the bottom of the bucket for pad eyes for the bottom of the 3 point mount and mount them just wider than the bale mover brackets and then just buy some new 7/8" pins to pin them in. Another thing I wouldn't do is I had widened out my pad eyes so I could use the bolt on pins from the bale mover and try to just slide them in. That didn't work so well and I have to unbolt one pin to put it in or take it off. Putting the pad eyes closer to the bale mover brackets with new pins will make it stronger. Another option would be to weld the center pad eyes for the top point up on top of the bucket and use an L shaped piece of square tubing to pin in at the bucket and the top of the bale mover which saves using an adjustable link which you probably don't really need for a bale mover. It never hurts to have some pad eyes on top of the bucket to hook a chain to.

My next project is to mount a 3 point adjustable pitch (both front to rear and up & down) blade for doing some light grading.

My next project after that is to weld and bolt a bracket on the front and may be able to use the 3 point bracket I've already made to put a trailer hitch bar and ball on the front to move my trailers around.

After that, my next project to to make a 3 point bracket to hook to backhoe bucket brackets. I can cradle a big bale with the back hoe bucket and pick it up but if I don't watch out, the bucket will dig into the bale and it will fall apart while moving it.

Hope this helps and if anyone has any better ideas I would like to hear them.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
2x4

02-09-2008 20:44:24




Report to Moderator
 Re: Forks for track loader bucket in reply to RLFox, 02-09-2008 19:29:57  
search for the Westendorf Manufacturing site, then look for loaders, then attachments. They make many different attachments for buckets, hay spears included.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
135 Fan

02-09-2008 20:15:22




Report to Moderator
 Re: Forks for track loader bucket in reply to RLFox, 02-09-2008 19:29:57  
Most of the forks that attach on larger loader buckets have hooks on the top of the bucket that the L shaped forks can hook onto. The forks hang down enough that the back of the vertical part of the fork pushes against the cutting edge and then the horizontal part of the forks sticks out front like all forks. You need heavy forks. Preferably commercial forklift forks that I think are made out of spring steel to resist bending but not sure exactly what type of steel it is. It is a special steel though. Standard bar stock would bend easily on a 941. A bale spear could be mounted the same way. Mounting just on the bottom of the bucket might cause the bucket to bend. Dave

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Thomas R. Spivak

02-09-2008 19:57:08




Report to Moderator
 Re: Forks for track loader bucket in reply to RLFox, 02-09-2008 19:29:57  
I can tell you from experience they have to be very heavy duty to stand up to the kind of lift a loader will put on them.
If you check ebay you will find some, but they can be pricey and the shipping will be dear as they are so heavy. Try one of the tractor and equipment salvage yards, they usually know where a dead loader is with scrap forks.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy