Lightweight pallet forks

[JJZ 109]

Just purchased a QA 8295 from Washburn for a Kubota B3030 with LA403 loader. It's sitting on my garage floor uninstalled at this point until I can get the bucket to a welder to remove the factory pin on brackets and attach the QA plate. The Washburn crew was good to deal with and will make the brackets for this unit with pin holes sized to your specs. It comes standard with 1 inch holes but I had to get them smaller for my loader arm pins.
Now I'm in the market for a lightweight set of QA pallet forks that won't break the bank. Lightweight because the LA403 only has around a 900# lift capacity to begin with.
Here's the lowest price unit I've come up with so far, from Skid Steer Express. Actually, this link prices it at $485 with free shipping but they list the same unit on ebay for $474 with free shipping. Does anyone have any experience with this product or suggestions for another vendor?
They also do business as ATV Express and I once bought a clamp on receiver hitch from them on ebay. I still have it and had no issues with the quality.

 

[gwdixon]

If you have a Ritchie Bros. Auction nearby they usually have several brand new ones at about half that price. They are not the HD monster kind but would fit your purpose well. They also have a variety of other skid steer attachments.

You can also get an idea of who else makes them from the auction listings. Search for "skid steer pallet forks" or something similar.

Industrial Heavy Equipment Auctions | Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

 

[JJZ 109]

If you have a Ritchie Bros. Auction nearby they usually have several brand new ones at about half that price.

I've taken a look at Richie and any upcoming U.S auctions aren't remotely close to me. Shipping would probably more than kill any potential savings.

 

[IXLR8]

I got mine from EverythingAttachments, who have a sticky is at the top of this forum. I think a little more than what you are looking to spend, but shipping was included at the time.

 

[Yandaddy1110]

the seller ATVXPRESS on Ebay sells 36'' forks 2000lb cap. I purchased a pair with the mounting rails last month for my B2400 with the la351 loader and am very pleased with them. I had previously purchased skid loader forks and found them to be quite heavy(90lbs apiece) and way to much overkill for a tractor. $229 for the complete set, and that includes shipping, hard to beat and the perfect size tothers on TBN have purchased these as well.

 

[JJZ 109]

the seller ATVXPRESS on Ebay sells 36'' forks 2000lb cap. I purchased a pair with the mounting rails last month for my B2400 with the la351 loader and am very pleased with them. I had previously purchased skid loader forks and found them to be quite heavy(90lbs apiece) and way to much overkill for a tractor. $229 for the complete set, and that includes shipping, hard to beat and the perfect size tothers on TBN have purchased these as well.

There must have been some fabrication work if the items you bought were the same ones that I saw. It was a set of forks and the 2 mounting rails. No provision to hook it to the loader arms.
I've already got the SSQA here for the tractor and the bucket just went to the welder last night to get the SSQA adapter plate put on. So it's looking like I buy a set of forks ready for SSQA. But thank for providing an alternative to look at.

 

[tommaple]

I just received the 42" pallet forks from ATVxpress/SkidSteerExpress today. I put the forks on the plate, dropped my bucket, drove up to the forks and they slipped right on the quick attach plate. Flipped the locking levers and everything lined up fine.

Just like you, I don't need 3500 lb. forks, my loader only picks up one half that amount. These will work fine for me. I'd recommend them.

Tom

 

[JJZ 109]

I just received the 42" pallet forks from ATVxpress/SkidSteerExpress today. I put the forks on the plate, dropped my bucket, drove up to the forks and they slipped right on the quick attach plate. Flipped the locking levers and everything lined up fine.

Just like you, I don't need 3500 lb. forks, my loader only picks up one half that amount. These will work fine for me. I'd recommend them.

Tom

Good to know, Tom. I'll probably go for the 36 inchers to save a little weight as the LA406 loader is only rated for about 900# and I want to stay as light as possible.
I'm hoping that I can lift a little more than with the Payne's forks I used to have because the forks will be much closer to the loader arms than the clamp ons were. On the other hand the SSQA and forks will be heavier than the factory bucket and Payne's. Even if the lift capacity is close, that's good enough because I'll be able to see so much better when I don't have to stare at the back of a bucket.

 

[JJZ 109]

The Washburn SSQA is now installed. Adapter plate welded to factory bucket and all is operational. Looks like a pretty decent unit for the money.
One bit of advice for anyone making this modification: The factory pins from Kubota have a bolt through one end. With the factory pin on setup of the bucket this bolt also runs through pre drilled holes on the factory loader bracket.
There is no such provision on an aftermarket SSQA (at least on the Washburn model). This would allow the pin to slide clean through the holes on the SSQA because there isn't a shoulder on one end of the pin or another hole for a bolt or lynch pin. I wound up putting a small bead of weld on the side opposite of the bolt to avoid such a situation. I thought about drilling/lynch pinning the other end, but there is a recessed grease fitting and I think a hole with a bolt or pin through would interfere with greasing.

 

[Ductape]

The bolt is not just to keep the pin from sliding through the other side, it also keeps the pin rotating with the bucket / SSQA as it is designed to rotate @ the wide surface inside the ends of the hydraulic cyliders where the grease is.

I bought the Bradco light duty forks. Rated @ something like 2300 lbs. (don't have the manual handy), with 48" forks. I'm very happy with them and use them as much, or more than my bucket. I think I paid $525, but it was a 'sale' during one of the country fairs going on. I bought fron my local Kubota dealer so there was no shipping to worry about.