New QA Forks

[George2615]

Well, I picked up a new set of forks the other day. I got mine locally from a skid steer place. I would have bought a set from Titan Attachments but these were same price and didn't have to wait.
Used them to unload a 6' landscape rake I borrowed from a trailer. Mine are rated for 5K which is way more than my loader will lift. I also have a fixed fork set I made for my previous tractor. I'll adapt them to fit the 3 pt. I'm still shopping for a box blade, rake, and going to buy a thumb and fit adapt it to use on the forks or the bucket. I still have my 5' back blade and rake for sale. Lots of tire kickers but no buyers yet.

 

[Underdog57]

Nice forks George, I think I like the red forks, I bet that helps a lot with visibility. I have new Titans, thinking about painting them now!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Green Power]

Good looking forks!

 

[Underdog57]

Hey George, I noticed you posted a pic of "The Thumb Grapple Attachment" the other day, is that what you are thinking about buying? That looked like a pretty nice unit. Would it have enough movement to lift high enough to get out of the way so you could use the forks on a pallet. I liked the looks of that unit you could mount it with bolts and mount it on the FEL bucket as well as the forks.

 

[George2615]

I do like the red forks. Better contrast than plain black. I'm going to repaint the back plate due to scratches on it from being stacked in the warehouse. Maybe I'll use a contrasting color around the quick connect area to make lining up the quick connect easier. I sprayed some white lithium on the fork slides but think I'll use regular grease tomorrow for a better coating.

 

[George2615]

Hey George, I noticed you posted a pic of "The Thumb Grapple Attachment" the other day, is that what you are thinking about buying? That looked like a pretty nice unit. Would it have enough movement to lift high enough to get out of the way so you could use the forks on a pallet. I liked the looks of that unit you could mount it with bolts and mount it on the FEL bucket as well as the forks.

That is my thoughts too. Buying the thumb grapple and mounting it to the fork back plate. When I get one I'd make a second bracket to mount on the bucket. Replace the bolts with pins so I could swap the cylinder and thumb from bucket to forks as needed or take it off when not needed. The thumb is 18" wide and available in 32" or 36"length. Cylinder is 2" bore with a 6" stroke.

 

[TSO]

Looks good, seem like good forks.

 

[the whispering oaks farm]

Nice forks, they sure do come in handy. I use mine a lot more than I thought I would.

 

[GManBart]

Those look like a nice set of forks. It seems like the back plate for forks from skit steer companies are shorter than the ones often seen from tractor implement companies....maybe to prevent blocking the operator's view? I kind of like the tall back plate, as it seems handy for stacking stuff, but it's not a big deal.

Do you have a pic of the back side of the plate where the SSQA attaches? My neighbor was saying that I could add a reinforcement that would strengthen the plate (his has it, mine doesn't). Essentially, it's a vertical strip added on the inside of where the SSQA makes contact (hard to describe). I'm wondering if that's more common from skid steer companies as well?

 

[George2615]

Those look like a nice set of forks. It seems like the back plate for forks from skit steer companies are shorter than the ones often seen from tractor implement companies....maybe to prevent blocking the operator's view? I kind of like the tall back plate, as it seems handy for stacking stuff, but it's not a big deal.

Do you have a pic of the back side of the plate where the SSQA attaches? My neighbor was saying that I could add a reinforcement that would strengthen the plate (his has it, mine doesn't). Essentially, it's a vertical strip added on the inside of where the SSQA makes contact (hard to describe). I'm wondering if that's more common from skid steer companies as well?

Attached are pics of the back of the back plate. The tractor QA mates in each corner (where the white grease marks are) of the horizontal bar welded across. A vertical bar could be welded in from the top to bottom as you mention but I don't think they need any more strength added as mine is rated for 5K as built and my loader will never come close to lifting that amount.

 

[GManBart]

Attached are pics of the back of the back plate. The tractor QA mates in each corner (where the white grease marks are) of the horizontal bar welded across. A vertical bar could be welded in from the top to bottom as you mention but I don't think they need any more strength added as mine is rated for 5K as built and my loader will never come close to lifting that amount.

Thanks....that's interesting. My neighbor said he's seen fail from twisting/uneven loads, not necessarily overweight loads. He welds a vertical support on the inside of where your grease marks are.

Mine looks very different, and would probably be easier to brace on the inside with just some angle iron. Yes, the top of mine is bowed down...heavy tree section I'd that

 

[George2615]

My top lip (A in attached pic) goes all the way across where yours doesn't. If I were to add support it would go where I colored it in from top to bottom. I can't tell from the pics but your back plate looks to be made of thinner lighter duty metal than mine. Mine was made for Skid Steer equipment.

 

[GManBart]

My top lip (A in attached pic) goes all the way across where yours doesn't. If I were to add support it would go where I colored it in from top to bottom. I can't tell from the pics but your back plate looks to be made of thinner lighter duty metal than mine. Mine was made for Skid Steer equipment.

Yeah, where you colored is pretty much where my neighbor mentioned, but mine has the boxed plate area there, so I'm not sure it would make much difference. You got me thinking, so I measured the metal thickness used for the boxed plate area at .230", and the top lip (and side lip) were .380". Granted, steel thickness doesn't directly equate to strength without knowing what kind of steel, but it's a place to start.

I had to look it up online, but the manufacturer of my forks seems to make mostly SS stuff. They list the body/plate assembly as being rated for 4,500lbs, but my dealer went with the heavier tines that are normally used for 6,000lb setups (nearly 2" thick). His theory was that if you mess up, and put 100% of the FEL load on one tine, you won't bend/break it...probably not bad insurance. I've certainly beat the heck out of mine, and other than the massive tree section denting the upper area, it hasn't show any wear other than to the pain!