Any Cat 0 3PH Pallet Forks Plans Available?

[SethWilliams]

A gallon on water weighs around 8.6lbs so that means I can lift 178 gallons of water and stay under 1000lbs, probably closer to 160-170gal including the cage, pallet, and tank.

I think your math is off a bit. With a gallon of water weighing 8.6 pounds, you can carry 116 gallons of water before you hit the 1,000 pound limit. Just wanted to point that out before you go and put 178 gallons and the tote on your 3PH.

 

[Fallon]

I think your math is off a bit. With a gallon of water weighing 8.6 pounds, you can carry 116 gallons of water before you hit the 1,000 pound limit. Just wanted to point that out before you go and put 178 gallons and the tote on your 3PH.

3pts are generally able to lift more than their rated capacity, the front wheels loose contact with the ground. Also the rating is either at the pins or 24" behind. So unless the load is centered at or 24" behind, the capacity is reduced. Basically the same for loader capacities. In the real world you just guess & check if you can actually lift whatever. Hydraulics should stop lifting before other parts fail. Just don't lift an IBC tote then fill it or you might break things.

 

[HomesteadOC]

I think your math is off a bit. With a gallon of water weighing 8.6 pounds, you can carry 116 gallons of water before you hit the 1,000 pound limit. Just wanted to point that out before you go and put 178 gallons and the tote on your 3PH.

Youre right, thanks. I redid the math a couple days ago when I was talking to a buddy and realized I did a boo boo. I didnt think anyone would notice, lol. Ive come up with a little design in my head, Im going to put it to paper and let you guys poke holes in it.

 

[HomesteadOC]

Ok, here we go. The drawing is a little crude and Im not sure of the mast height for a cat 1 implement, but it should be standard with the top link close to the top and the lower arm pins at the bottom. Dont really know how heavy this is going to end up being, but I want it to bw strong. If its too heavy, I could switch to 3/8 wall 2 square tubing. I would actually prefer that so my 120v millermatic 135 can do the work without beveling the edges and layering the welds so much. There will be 3x2 ID slots in the botom to adjust my forks from 36 to 24 width. 2 receiver in the middle for towing my trailer in the bottom center, and hooks on the top inside corners and lower center for tying things down or pulling stumps. I want to keep it 36 wide so it stays between the outside edge of the rear tires when theyre flipped around in narrow mode and match the width of the front loader. Please help me out with my design.

 

[Wagtail]

Im not sure of the mast height for a cat 1 implement
View attachment 546513

This may help:

 

[HomesteadOC]

Thanks. How does the rest of the design look? The critical area is where the forks will slip in at the bottom. Will that gusset be enough to hold the 1500lbs I want? Well each has to hold 750 for a total of 1500.

 

[Fallon]

Thanks. How does the rest of the design look? The critical area is where the forks will slip in at the bottom. Will that gusset be enough to hold the 1500lbs I want? Well each has to hold 750 for a total of 1500.

Really it's going to be about the steel you use & quality of your welds. Those carry-alls & bale spears linked earlier are pretty skimpy design wise & rated for around your target 1,500lbs. Nothing on your requirements are ground breaking, so may as well copy established proven designs as much as possible.

Also, what will the failure mode be & ramifications of that? A 3pt won't get over a person, unless somebody sticks a foot underneath. So the biggest risk is to the load & failure point will be the root of the forks, likely your welds. When I modified my 3pt forklift I just eyeballed it then tested it. Kept adding water until failure. In my case failure was the 3pt causing hydraulics to go into relief (best possible scenario). In your case the IBC tote might hit the ground if things break. I'd just go for it. Not like you can't patch it back up & reinforce it when you do.

 

[Fallon]

You may want to consider buying a pre-made one again. I doubt you can buy the raw steel for the price of a finished unit. Even if it doesn't fit, you are still a head of the game on materials. Just need to re-do the brackets or whatever at that point to fit your machine.

Keep an eye on Craigslist too. Can often find used implements for cheap that can be the carcass for a project as well.

 

[HomesteadOC]

It might end up being cheaper, but Im new to welding and want a project. I have a master welder I work with helping me with technique and general welding advise, but hes not a tractor expert so thats where you guys come in. Im always on CL looking for implements, but Im in Orange County, CA and the tractors left long ago. All the good stuff is far north and east of me so they gas to pick it up factors in. Every now and then I get lucky, but I usually have to drive pretty far to get the tractor goodies. We have a lot of weld shops and steel suppliers with competitive prices, but I havent checked material costs since the tarriff.

 

[Fallon]

Not a bad plan then. Good low risk project to work on fabrication & welding skills. You can optimize projects or implements or tools in many ways. Optimizing for learning is always good. In order to get a NICE 2x72" belt grinder, instead of paying $1,500 for one I got a Grinder In A Box... picked up a Multi-thousand dollar lathe & have a thousand dollars worth of measuring gear & tooling I'm about to order. Haven't even gotten the material for all the wheels yet. I'm bad at math, but it's still easy for me to calculate I need to do a lot of learning to make this route pay off. ;-)