Homemade Pallet Forks

[kubota2630]

I just purchased a Kubota B2630 Tractor with FEL. I have a welder and a metal saw. I'm now considering purchasing the Kubota quick attachment for the bucket. I plan to make my own pallet forks. I will make the forks that will utilize the Kubota quick attach system. I want to make my forks as light as possible but strong enough to lift up to 800 lbs. I will make the forks 48" long. Will 1.5 X 3 x .125 be strong enough to support this kind of load?

 

[Racer71]

Be careful with the 90 degree joint. There is a LARGE force there. 800 pounds at 2 feet out is 1,600 foot pounds of torque. If your tractor has 1,000 pounds of lift and someone just hooks the end of the forks on something that heavy you now have 4,000 foot pounds pulling on that joint.

 

[kubota2630]

Thanks for your feedback. Most of the load will be distributed evenly. I will reinforce the forks at the 90. I'm concerned that 1.5 x 3 x .125 may flex. I don't plan to lift anything at the end of the forks.

 

[kennyd]

Try checking with some forklift service company's in your area, they often have used forks for a good price that are "worn out" for real forklift use, but are great for CUT's. I got a pair of 40" ones for $100.00.

 

[Racer71]

Thanks for your feedback. Most of the load will be distributed evenly. I will reinforce the forks at the 90. I'm concerned that 1.5 x 3 x .125 may flex. I don't plan to lift anything at the end of the forks.

You may not be the one driving the tractor 5 or 10 years from now.

 

[kubota2630]

You have a good point. I'm still trying to decide what to do. I was going to make clamp on forks but don't like that idea for several reasons. I need the 48" forks for a couple of items that I would like to lift. Most of the time I likely won't lift more then 400 or 500 lbs. I don't want to create a dangerous situation for anyone.

 

[Skyco]

I'm picking up the steel to make mine tomorrow. I'm using 2x4 3/16 wall and thats for a BX24 that will lift less than yours. The size of yours is too small in my opinion...why not go with the bigger stuff? Cost and weight isn't that much more to be safe. Weight of the 2x4x3/16 is 3 lbs more a foot than the 1.5x3x.120< note my spec sheet doesn't show .125 as being "standard". Or if you really want 1.5x3 the 3/16 wall only adds 1.5 lbs a foot....
20' stick of 2x4x3/16 is $105 locally.

 

[RedDirt]

I've seen this joint stiffener used quite a bit when structural engineers want to beef up the tube steel connections in buildings. The tubes are slotted for the internal gusset. The gusset protrudes the outside face of tube by the width of the fillet weld, in this case 1/4". All the meeting faces of the tube to tube surfaces are welded (bevel the vertical tube for full pennetration) then both sides of the gusset is fillet welded.

The joint can be even stronger yet if a cap is welded on the horizontal tube.

And stronger again if the vertical tube is set with the wide dimension running in the same direction as the "fork" tube. IE. sketch is drawn with both narrow faces in the same direction. Rotate the vertical tube 90 degrees and the narrow face shows on the horizontal tube and the wide face shows on the vertical tube.

 

[MrJimi]

I just purchased a Kubota B2630 Tractor with FEL. I have a welder and a metal saw. I'm now considering purchasing the Kubota quick attachment for the bucket. I plan to make my own pallet forks. I will make the forks that will utilize the Kubota quick attach system. I want to make my forks as light as possible but strong enough to lift up to 800 lbs. I will make the forks 48" long. Will 1.5 X 3 x .125 be strong enough to support this kind of load?

Is this rectangular tubing measuring one and a half inch high by three inches wide with a wall thickness of one eighth of an inch thick?
Jim

 

[Mith]

I used 2x3x.125" box for my pallet forks. I havent lifted more than 400lbs.
I would think 1.5" would be a bit light, maybe you could up the wall thinkness.
Your best bet would be to find some old fork lift forks. They replace them when they wear, however, even worn forks are good enough for our applications. Should be able to pick a pair up cheap.

 

[kubota2630]

Thanks very much for all the information. Yes I was thinking of 1.5" X 3" X 1/8". Maybe I should go with 3/16" instead. I may also make the forks 36" or 42" long. I was going with 1/8" to keep the weight down. It would also be easier to work with(drill, cut etc.).

 

[keeney]

I got some 36" removed-from-service mini-forks for $75 plus shipping. I too wanted to stay as light as possible. At first, I thought the 36" would be too small, but they are plenty big for pallets, and after running into things enough times to wish they were smaller, I am glad they are not any bigger!

Anything big enough to need bigger forks is probably going to exceeed the capacity of my little JD 4100 ayways. (rated at 800 lbs, probably can do 1200 lbs).

I agree that some used forks are the way to go. Really strong.

- Rick

 

[Rio_Grande]

I would be very concerned with 1/8 inch for a lifting application. Not to say it CAN'T be done as we all know strength of the material is directly proportinate to the amount of stress we put it under.

For my puropouses under no circumstances would I attempt to use anything smaller than 1/2 inch material for forks.

I am a bit of an odball as I break everything I use at some point. What I think you need to be more concerned about than the vertical lift is the push load applied to the forks when they need to push into or under something. your tractor moving forward will exert far more pressure that your lift capacity.


Lastly If you are near southeastern Indiana I have a distributor that sells brand new 48" pallet forks (real ones like you use on a forklift) for 150.00 a set (that is 2) I ended up getting my entire rack and fork set from him for under 500.00 Figuring my time and materials I couldn't build it that cheap.

Forgot to mention in my first draft of this. Some may say that the manufactured pallet forks are not 1/2 inch thick for the smaller ones. This is correct, but the reason is they are a tempered material. the same thickness of material in cold rolled dosen't have near the strength as the material they use. I have had to blow holes in the end with a torch because I couldn't get through them with a cobolt bit.
Again just further info not wanting to start any fights..

 

[kubota2630]

I'm in Ontario, Canada. I may look into buying forks but I love making things. I've made snowmobile lifts, pwc lifts and a few other things. I just like playing with metal. I think I can make them for around $200.00 complete. I will use them mainly to lift my docks at the lake. My docks are 4' wide and weigh 300 to 400 lbs. I may use them to lift logs in the bush when I'm cutting firewood. Thanks for all the information.

 

[Skyco]

I got some 36" removed-from-service mini-forks for $75 plus shipping. I too wanted to stay as light as possible. At first, I thought the 36" would be too small, but they are plenty big for pallets, and after running into things enough times to wish they were smaller, I am glad they are not any bigger!

Anything big enough to need bigger forks is probably going to exceeed the capacity of my little JD 4100 ayways. (rated at 800 lbs, probably can do 1200 lbs).

I agree that some used forks are the way to go. Really strong.

- Rick

Well one of the reasons I made my set is to offload a large load that doesn't way that much I plan on ordering a 1000-1500 gallon poly water tank that will arrive by truck. Maybe a couple of hundred pounds but more than I can handle alone manually, will be easy with my forks and the BX24..at least that is my plan.

 

[Mith]

I would be very concerned with 1/8 inch for a lifting application.
For my puropouses under no circumstances would I attempt to use anything smaller than 1/2 inch material for forks.

We are talking about 1/8" wall box. 1/8" plate would be very flimsy.
Your loader arms probably arent even 1/2" wall box?

Buying a set or fork lift forks is the way to go.

 

[Rio_Grande]

We are talking about 1/8" wall box. 1/8" plate would be very flimsy.
Your loader arms probably arent even 1/2" wall box?

Agreed to a point.

My loader arms are not 1/2 inch they are 1/4 tube and gussested at every bend and doubled by 2 (two arms). I don't want to argue engineering, heck I probably spelled it wrong, but comparing the forks to the arms isin't compariing apples to apples. If you are only lifting 400lb I guess it would be fine, for my purpouses A real pallet fork is the only way I can go.

1/8 box is much stronger than plate, but I still think it is gonna fold up. These smaller tractors may not put that much force on them. The smallest thing I have is 57hp. It may be fine for his purposes. I had a 155d Yanmar years ago and it had more Hydraulics than the tractor had weight. I was routinly amazed with the ability and wouldn't want to weight it down with "real" palet forks. But I think 1/8 box woul be be found lacking on it.

 

[Mith]

I dont have any figures, but the strength of even lighter walled box is quite impressive.
I think 60HP might be pushing it though, not so much in terms of the lifting forces on the forks, but the general beating, they'd probably fold up if you caught them on the ground as you were driving forwards. You could probably even bend up a pair of normal forks with a tractor that size too though. I had assumed we were talking 30Hp tops
For the thrashing I'm sure they'll recieve, I dont think box is for you

 

[kubota2630]

My tractor is 26 hp only with a lift capacity of approx. 800 - 900 lbs. I know it will likely lift much more. I'm amazed at the strength of 1/8" tubing but will go with 3/16 or 1/4 tube and keep the forks around 36" long. I will make fork extensions to lift my docks.

 

[wedge40]

I would be very concerned with 1/8 inch for a lifting application. Not to say it CAN'T be done as we all know strength of the material is directly proportinate to the amount of stress we put it under.

For my puropouses under no circumstances would I attempt to use anything smaller than 1/2 inch material for forks.

I am a bit of an odball as I break everything I use at some point. What I think you need to be more concerned about than the vertical lift is the push load applied to the forks when they need to push into or under something. your tractor moving forward will exert far more pressure that your lift capacity.


Lastly If you are near southeastern Indiana I have a distributor that sells brand new 48" pallet forks (real ones like you use on a forklift) for 150.00 a set (that is 2) I ended up getting my entire rack and fork set from him for under 500.00 Figuring my time and materials I couldn't build it that cheap.

Forgot to mention in my first draft of this. Some may say that the manufactured pallet forks are not 1/2 inch thick for the smaller ones. This is correct, but the reason is they are a tempered material. the same thickness of material in cold rolled dosen't have near the strength as the material they use. I have had to blow holes in the end with a torch because I couldn't get through them with a cobolt bit.
Again just further info not wanting to start any fights..

I live up by bloomington and I'd be interested in learning more of the $500 pallet fork attachment. Right now it's a toss up getting a FEL grapple or Pallet fork attachment. I'd still have to spend about $200 to get a quick attach bracket from koyker. I need to get one and take it to a weld shop to see if they can make em cheaper.. I'm sure they probably can.

You can post here or send me a private message.

Wedge