Forks forks

[jarbill]

Does anybody have any experience with these forks that bolt on to your FEL bucket?

Spring Valley Forks -- Spring Valley Equipment

They look kind of handy in that you can take them on and off quickly without having to take the bucket off. I was thinking about using something like that for carrying all the piles of brush around my place that a previous owner's bulldozer left everywhere and also for lifting and moving downed tree limbs and stuff like that.

It says that they extend 10" inside the bucket and 14" underneath the bucket and clamp on with two 1" clamps.

Jerry in Texas

L3240DT, LA724 QA loader, R4 loaded tires, LandPride RCR1872 rotary cutter

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

I know a guy who uses them - and likes them, but he also reinforced the edge of his bucket first.

 

[jarbill]

Yeah, I thought about that, also. It also seems like the clamps ought to be closer to the sides of the bucket. They're pretty close to the edge, but it seems to me like that almost ought to be a custom measurement for your bucket to get the clamps as close to the sides as possible.

Jerry in Texas

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

what style of QA loader do you have?
universal (skid steer) or brand specific?
why not just buy a set of dedicated pallet forks?
saves wear and tear on the loader bucket, gets the load closer to the pivot points, and would probably save you some time when switching back and forth between the 2.

 

[jarbill]

Hi, Erik:

I have a Kubota LA724 loader with QA bucket. It's a skid steer QA system. I haven't ruled out a dedicated set of forks yet. I was just thinking about some piles of brush I have on my place that the former owner left after bulldozing, and I thought that might be a handy way to quickly put on some forks and then move the brush around a little easier and then take the forks off and use the bucket to clean up the dirt. I just didn't know if anyone had had any experience with them. I don't think I would put the same stress on them as I would a dedicated set, though. Just for the brush moving.

Jerry in Texas
Kubota L3240, R4 loaded tires, LA724 loader, Land Pride RCR1872 cutter, canopy.

 

[cschlaps]

Jarbill,

As I sit here still waiting for my L3240 to be delivered, envious of you, I wanted to let you know that I've been looking around for pallet forks as well. I figured that I'd get enough use out of them to justify a dedicated set. With the QA bucket, it makes it even easier.

Anyway, I found a local New Holland dealer that is sitting on a bunch of Bradco light(er) duty pallet forks that they want to get rid of. They deal more in skid steers, and these are better suited for tractors, so they want them gone. They'll get rid of them for $500. That seemed pretty reasonable to me, so I'll be picking up a set as soon my tractor shows up (maybe tomorrow).

Anyone know if that's a decent price?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[JB4310]

sounds like a decent price, my Horst cast fork set cost around a grand.

 

[virgil]

they work good for light duty work. Be verry careful you do not bend your bucket.

 

[LBrown59]

I like my $269 pains light duty clamp on forks very well.
I used them for moving a very large brush pile to the burning area.
Worked real good for it.
I have used them to move many pallets of stuff.
Bending the bucket has not been a problem.
One of the best 269 dollar expenditures I've ever made.

Does anybody have any experience with these forks that bolt on to your FEL bucket?Spring Valley Forks -- Spring Valley Equipment
They look kind of handy in that you can take them on and off quickly without having to take the bucket off. I was thinking about using something like that for carrying all the piles of brush around my place that a previous owner's bulldozer left everywhere and also for lifting and moving downed tree limbs and stuff like that.``It says that they extend 10" inside the bucket and 14" underneath the bucket and clamp on with two 1" clamps.**Jerry in Texas~~L3240DT, LA724 QA loader, R4 loaded tires, LandPride RCR1872 rotary cutter

 

[Beavis]

I kicked around the clamp on forks and also the idea of building my own but ended up buying the real thing. These are MDS 5,200 pound forks and my dealer sold them to me for $700. They are actually OVERKILL for my little tractor but I like em'

 

[Sniggle]

I strapped on my Ebay special chain on forks today. They worked great to pick up and carry my 60 inch MMM from where I dropped it (driveway) to the pallets I am temporarily storing it on as I prep for lots of ground work.

I was pleased with myself

-------------------------------------------------
2003 Kubota B7800 (new to me), FEL, Woods RB72, GB60, LR72, PHD, Chain on forks, Pats Easy chain still to be installed.

1980's KUbota G1900

 

[CurlyDave]

I kicked around the clamp on forks and also the idea of building my own but ended up buying the real thing. These are MDS 5,200 pound forks and my dealer sold them to me for $700. They are actually OVERKILL for my little tractor but I like em'

I agree with you. I got a used set of JD forks for $600 and with the QA system on my tractor, they are easy to use. And, I do not have to worry about bending the bucket or overloading the forks.

I also bought a clamp-on trailer hitch receiver from Paynes', which works on the same clamping mechanism as the clamp-on forks, and I have been a little disappointed with it. The problem is that it will easily move from side-to-side, pivoting around the clamping point under the screw if I apply any side force to it. Inevitably repositioning a trailer in my yard produces enough side force to get 2' or 3" of side movement in the ball.

I suspect the forks would have the same problem. 90% of the time this would not be an issue, but the times it is an issue, I can foresee a real safety problem. For instance, if you were to carry a pallet over a surface which had a side-to-side slope of more than a few%, you might encounter a sudden sideways shift of the load to the downhill side, which would really destabilize a small tractor.

 

[wedge40]

This has info about member JMC who went to the local salvage yard and picked some used forks then had Markham welding ship him a frame with QA bracket.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/112990-homemade-pallet-forks.html?highlight=pallet

He ended up with under $400 in a set of pallet forks. I have few projects going right now and would need to convert my FEL to QA setup first. I think even doing it that way it would cost me almost a grand, because of the QA switch. But once moved to QA the skies the limit.

Wedge

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

Chris,
$500 for a new set of light duty forks is a pretty decent price.
I paid $450 for my used set of "heavy" forks with headache rack and found out later that it weas a steal -- used forks from the rental yards around here were around 6 2 years ago and new ones $750-1000.

good luck with the new tractor when it shows!

 

[Mighty Dodge]

If you have farm or used equipment auctions in your area you can get a set fairly cheap and adapt them.

 

[jarbill]

Hey, Beavis:

Yeah. I like the look of that better. I decided to go with my dealer's forks. His were more expensive than yours, and they're rated at more than my tractor can lift, and they're 48" forks, but they have a high grill on the back on them, and I like the idea of that making it a little harder to dump something back in my lap than with the clamp-on forks, and the clamp-on forks weren't all that much cheaper by the time you added shipping to the price.

I also know with rising metals prices that almost anything metallic is getting really expensive

Jerry in Texas

 

[jdbower]

Another benefit of the full forks instead of the clamp-ons is that there are a lot more tiedown points and a flat backstop for actual pallet work. For brush removal this may not be a big deal, but I'm sure you'll find that there are a lot of uses for pallet forks once you get them. No regrets from my Frontier forks, even if I can't claim a fantastic deal like some others in this thread got