Re: Loader forks ideas

Posted by Billy NY on October 29, 2014 at 06:49:25 from (66.67.105.23):

In Reply to: Loader forks ideas posted by Chris Jones on October 29, 2014 at 06:10:45:

I made a set from lift arms that came off a vehicle lift. I welded short lengths of chain on each and use chain binders to "cinch" them firmly in place. The back of the lift arms have 2 projecting sections of steel, actually bent plate, that resemble clamp on forks. I also welded a large nut and used some threaded rod, over 1" in diameter, welded bolts on top of those for handles. They would not work very well without the chains and binders, the "ears" that cup the bucket edge are too short, but were ideal to just add to as is, I could extend them.

They are heavy, hard to see while using, did I say they are heavy LOL..... sure they work, just for firewood logs, but in comparison to the quick tatch set I bought for another tractor, there is none, but you do what you must, and they do work. Not so easy to mount, then cinch with the binders.

I do see fork lift tines fairly regularly listed in CL, as well as quick tatch forks, and is where I found the slightly used set I bought for about $500. I did need them badly, was a huge labor saver too, as I used them often.

You may be able to find tines if you look, if you are handy fabricating steel, it may pay off or at least be a wash if you build a set to fit the tractor loader.

The ones on the bucket are hard to see, and there is no real guard to prevent what is loaded on the forks from rolling back down the loader arms, which is a very real safety concern, ie; round bale, log etc. can roll back and pin the operator once lifted high enough. You don't need the bucket on with forks, the added weight reduces the payload, but with clamp on you have to live with that.

I don't know about the steel, you may be able to accomplish it with C channel, or rectangular thick wall tube. In reality when something like this is built, and you don't know the acceptable working loads, what the safety factor is beyond that before they fail, does have the potential to be unsafe or worse, something to know, more so if someone other than yourself uses them without knowing the above, that information should be determined and the forks marked for capacity.

Also realize the back of the tractor needs to be ballasted, I use a thick cast iron weight, that is almost the size of a 3' stack of suitcase weights and have loaded tires. You can barely see the forks, the binders and chain, and the load that was quite a bit, tractor will move more but, with the bucket on it all adds up.

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