Forks Boy those pallet forks are handy!

[Kubota Tee]

Ok, here's the background. When we built our house, we designed the garage to double as an indoor sports court for volleyball, basketball, etc. I used fiber-rock on the walls and put heat in the floor for the winter. After searching for several months I finally came across a pair of barely used full size basketball hoops from a Middle School that had closed down. These are the professional kind with 3/4" glass and a full 6 feet across the backboard. I never realized how much these things weighed until I went to pick them up - WOW! I'll bet they are easily 200lbs and then another 15 - 20lbs for the heavy duty break-away rims.

I got them home, unloaded them in the corner of the garage and there they sat for almost a full year! Well . . . I finally got around to buying some heavy duty 2" pipe and flanges to mount them to the wall and after careful measuring I had everything ready to go - at least so I thought. I kept racking my brain on how I would get this very heavy backboard lifted up 10 feet off the ground in such a way that I could bolt it to the pipe flanges. I called several friend who I thought might have a pulley system or hoist that I could borrow - no luck!

Then, driving home from my son's soccer game it dawned on me that I own a very capable tractor with a very nice set of pallet forks! Problem solved. It did the job with ease! Just don't report me to the OSHA police.

Next time, I will plan on using the tractor from the beginning!

 

[tommaple]

Those front end loaders are wonderful, aren't they? I've only had my tractor for a month and a half and I've used the FEL for loading supplies in the truck, hauling wood, raising a man high enough to trim a branch off a tree, turning a manure pile and picking apples high up the tree.
I, too, am planning on getting the quick attach pallet forks. They'll be handy for stacking logs and unloading shipments that I have previously had to unload one piece at a time.
I also am planning on reducing my firewood handling by stacking wood on pallets and moving it from woods to shed to outside the house using pallet forks. I just have to come up with a good, easy way to keep the wood on the skids and not fall off when being moved.
I envy your garage, that's really something to play basketball indoors!

 

[lhfarm]

I'm not sure how I would have gotten a number of projects accomplished without a set of forks. I think they easily double the value of a loader.

Great looking garage and a good story.

 

[ToadHill]

After I got my tractor with a FEL, I couldn't believe I'd "tractored" for over 25 years without one. I still can't figure out how I ever got anything done without a FEL.

 

[gwdixon]

Hey, Kubota Tee, from the photo it appears that your QH pallet forks are not locked in!

It is no wonder the safety police are on the lookout for you.

 

[rswyan]

Hey, Kubota Tee, from the photo it appears that your QH pallet forks are not locked in!

It is no wonder the safety police are on the lookout for you.

That ..... and the absence of even a pallet to stand on ...... :laughing:

 

[jgrreed]

My forks are the best $600 I have possibly ever spent.

-Jer.

 

[GGB]

I've recently bought pallet forks and am amazed at how much I've been able to do. They've really been handy lately for moving small limbs after we had several downed trees from strong winds, in addition to being able to move heavier objects easily.

And I haven't even had the chance yet to pick up some old pallets to set my rotary tiller, rear blade, etc. on to be able to move to clean up the barn or reorganize as I think of better ways to utilize space.

I found a used set of JD forks for my JD 210 FEL that where virtually like new, and gave a litte over $700 including taxes. I had thought about clamp on forks, but am glad these came along. Two pins and I'm hooked up. I normally leave my regular bucket on top of the forks when I'm storing the FEL, so again it saves some storage room.

GGB

 

[gpflepsen]

Good job. You may want to consider some cross-bracing for the 2" pipe supports in both horizontal and vertical directions. That's a sweet setup for some wintertime ball!

 

[TripleR]

Who makes good, reasonable QA pallet forks?