Pallet Fork Extensions?

[Garandman]

The snowmobile dealer has 8-10 long pallet fork extensions so they can pick up a snowmobile from a van or trailer.

Anyone make their own? Out heaviest sled is about 650 lbs but believe our forks are 42 and don稚 extend far enough.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Someone gave me some home made ones. They are ugly and heavy, but have been handy on occasion. I believe they are made of two channels welded together maybe 8 feet long. The end is cut on a bevel and there is a hole cut in the end of each extension for a chain. I have used them on occasion to extend my reach when wanting to lift something, over something else.

 

[RickB]

6 Standard channel with the web facing up. Taper the outer end and box the underside beginning 4” from the back end and extending a foot or so forward. Box another section near the end of the 42 forks. Cut about 3” of the web out of the back end and drill the flanges to accept a 7 x 1/2 pin going through the holes and behind the bend in your 42 forks.

 

[hslogger]

These work for me.

 

[Garandman]

Have to see if I can load fro the front (heavy) end, that might work.

 

[LD1]

You can just buy heavywall rectangle tubing. Easiest way to get it done.

But the further forward you go, you quickly loose hydraulic lift capacity. So with a L3200 and fork extensions, a 650# snowmobile might be a struggle.

Forklifts lift vertically......so extensions dont reduce its actual capacity in terms of hydraulic power at all. Stability.....sure. But not hydraulic power.

 

[Fallon]

You can just buy heavywall rectangle tubing. Easiest way to get it done.

But the further forward you go, you quickly loose hydraulic lift capacity. So with a L3200 and fork extensions, a 650# snowmobile might be a struggle.

Forklifts lift vertically......so extensions dont reduce its actual capacity in terms of hydraulic power at all. Stability.....sure. But not hydraulic power.

My L3200 would lift "1,200lbs" hay bales plop n the forks. But I couldn't lift the the lightest of the bales if they were 1' out. I couldn't lift some of my impliments on the tips of the forks unless I choked up on them closer. I'm guessing I'd lost half the lift capacity at under 4' out from the back of my forks. Add in a couple hundred lbs for extensions & it's going to be very iffy to lift your 600lbs sleds.

 

[Garandman]

I pick up the sleds now without the slightest difficulty.

 

[Tomtint]

Just yesterday I was looking for fork extensions....I'm going to need to move a 2700 pound piece of equipment into a trailer. The machine is 11.5 feet long, 40" wide and 6' tall... it has to go in from the back of the enclosed trailer. I'm reading that extension forks can be no more than 50% of the existing forks..i.e. 4'forks, can only have 2' extensions.. that load I need to move, I think I'm going to need to rent a tele handler to do it...2700 pounds 11 feet out..is going to be sketchy

 

[LD1]

Not sure on the 50% of existing forks. Where did you see that?

I have seen industrial lifts and heavy duty extensions used all the time. 8' extensions on 4' forks, etc.