Making pallet forks

[fatjay]

I'm making a set of pallet forks for my bobcat. I bought a blank off ebay for $90, picking up forks for $50. My question is, how often do you need to adjust the fork width? The forks are ring type, I was considering welding them in place. However then it's not adjustable. But if realistically people never adjust the fork width, why go through the extra effort of making a ring setup. I can get some flat bar and weld it and some 3/4" round bar and weld a system that allows movement of the forks, but how useful is it?

 

[JK22]

I'm making a set of pallet forks for my bobcat. I bought a blank off ebay for $90, picking up forks for $50. My question is, how often do you need to adjust the fork width? The forks are ring type, I was considering welding them in place. However then it's not adjustable. But if realistically people never adjust the fork width, why go through the extra effort of making a ring setup. I can get some flat bar and weld it and some 3/4" round bar and weld a system that allows movement of the forks, but how useful is it?

I adjust mine quite a bit. Not everything I want to pick up is actually on a pallet. For example, a couple days ago I moved my “portable” (but heavy!) generator. Standard width would have been too wide.

 

[texasranger556]

By "ring type" you mean the top hangs on a pipe/bar?

I'd make them adjustable. Use mine in the wide position for logs and other long stuff, somewhere in the middle for different styles of pallets/drums, then slide together to wrap a chain around both forks or dig out small stumps/rocks/etc. Like most people you'll probably find more uses for forks than you realize (I know I did).

 

[fatjay]

Thanks. That's what I figured. I was hoping for an easy way out, but i figured i was going to have to make something a bit more complicated. Do you happen to know the inner diameter of the standard pipe forks? Steel shop closes at 5pm, picking up the forks at 7pm friday.

 

[Big Barn]

It will be a little more work but make them adjustable. You can thank us later. Lol


Round bar mounted forks have the advantage of being floating making pallet entry easier.

Hook type have the advantage of being able to use the tilt function to apply down pressure on the tips.


I use appropriately sized (1.5”D in my case ) collar clamps to keep the forks positioned for standard pallets.

Here is my home made set for two pallets side by side.

 

[Big Barn]

Oh and 3/4”D bar seems undersized for most Bobcats.

 

[mikester]

I'm making a set of pallet forks for my bobcat. I bought a blank off ebay for $90, picking up forks for $50. My question is, how often do you need to adjust the fork width? The forks are ring type, I was considering welding them in place. However then it's not adjustable. But if realistically people never adjust the fork width, why go through the extra effort of making a ring setup. I can get some flat bar and weld it and some 3/4" round bar and weld a system that allows movement of the forks, but how useful is it?

I have hydraulic actuated fork width on my tractor and only manual position forks on my forklift but a side shift option. I have to adjust widths regularly and I wouldnt recommend welding them in place...I wouldnt. You will end up using the forks for a lot more than picking up one size of pallet. Welding the forks in place is like welding your tractors gear shift lever into one gear. Yes you could live with only second gear but would you want to?

 

[aamyotte]

I made mine adjustable for the reasons noted above. I made myself a wood box out of a skid with plywood side and castors on the bottom. The box is 32" wide to fit through the door of the shop where I keep the fire wood. I needed the forks to be narrow for that use.

One thing I did was to make the forks removable by sliding off the frame and installing upside down. The forks in this setup are 16" off the ground when the loader is lowered. This allows me a higher reach (16" higher) to store winter tires on a high shelf in the garage, I have 9' ceilings.

 

[davedj1]

Yup, make them adjustable, it's amazing how often you want to move them for all the different things we encounter.

 

[fatjay]

That's what I figured. I"m estimating 3/4", i haven't picked up the forks yet. When I pick them up I'll measure and get proper sized round steel.

 

[Big Barn]

That's what I figured. I"m estimating 3/4", i haven't picked up the forks yet. When I pick them up I'll measure and get proper sized round steel.

Aha.

 

[sodamo]

I made mine adjustable for the reasons noted above. I made myself a wood box out of a skid with plywood side and castors on the bottom. The box is 32" wide to fit through the door of the shop where I keep the fire wood. I needed the forks to be narrow for that use.

One thing I did was to make the forks removable by sliding off the frame and installing upside down. The forks in this setup are 16" off the ground when the loader is lowered. This allows me a higher reach (16" higher) to store winter tires on a high shelf in the garage, I have 9' ceilings.

I use mine a lot upside down. And adjustable either direction.

 

[mikester]

Im not sure what kind of fork mounts you have but you can get used fork racks from forklift dealers pretty cheap. That will give you the ability to slide and lock the forks with existing hardware. The only thing you have to fabricate is the loader attachment or SSQA.

 

[fatjay]

Making my own fork mounts. I have a blank plate for my bobcat, I'll make some mounts for the forks and weld them on. I'll take some pictures as I do it.

 

[fatjay]

Finally got started on it. Made good progress tonight, should be finished tomorrow, paint on sunday. $80 for the plate, $50 for the fork, $90 for angle iron, flat iron, and 1ｼ" steel bar.

 

[Big Barn]

Looking pretty freakin’ awesome. . Nice work.

Planning on adding a backrest?

 

[fatjay]

Seat's off at the moment, melted the battery terminal. Battery is in a real annoying place, and the seat isn't hinged, it's bolted on. So i have the negative terminal held on with a pair of vice grips at the moment.

Drilling through those 3 pieces of 3/8" steel was a real pain. 1.25" hole, only thing i could find was a metal hole saw, my biggest bit was 1-1/8". My drill press kept getting bound up. I used my harbor freight double gear reduction drill and was kneeling on it and it was still slow going.

https://i.imgur.com/pQRDLoy.mp4

 

[fatjay]

Forks are working great. Bobcat is tippy with 800lb on them so I'm adding some counter-weights.