Which Pallet Forks Do I Need?

[arrabil]

I get pallets delivered a few times a year. I'm sick of having to unload the item onto my truck instead of using the tractor.

I think I'd like to get some JDQA, light-duty, infinitely width adjustable ones.

I don't want FEL attached ones. I want to have the maximum lift capacity of my loader available. So I need forks rated to about 1000lbs that weigh as little as possible.

I think I'd really like some 48" ones because the two pallets I have, and would like to work with, are 48". But never having used forks... would 36" or 42" be good enough with my 48" pallets?

I don't care if they are fixed or floating. I have a grubber bucket to dig with. But what is floating for anyway?

I've seen the EverythingAttachments ones but they're 42" and too strong. I saw some even lighter duty ones but they are also 42".

Watchyall think? Thanks.

 

[kennyd]

42" forks are good, I think 36"er's are to short. The EA ones are the lightest I think you will find at 220lbs, the Frontier ones from JD are 350lbs or so.

The other possibility is to make your own if can...I did.

 

[arrabil]

I just found these:
Micro-Max Forks
Opinion? 900# capacity plus 130# fork weight makes them an exact fit for the loader specs which is something I like. But I'm stuck on 48". Is 42" okay because the crossbeam on a 48" pallet is still 6-10" from the edge of the pallet itself?

I can totally build my own but my welder has a back log as it is. I find that the right product is always within $100 of what I can build it for so I generally build the things I can't buy. I got a shoe rack, winch bumper, transmission mount, and dog food table ready to build as soon as the weather warms up another few degrees.

 

[kennyd]

I find the 42" a good fit for my machine-but yours is a bit bigger...You will still have to adapt the ones you linked to your JDQA.

 

[kennyd]

I just looked at the link again...35" width is pretty narrow I think. Mine are 48" wide.

 

[arrabil]

Yeah, I was wondering about that too. They just don't make the "perfect fit" that I can find....

 

[Villengineer]

42" forks are a good length to use with 48" pallets. They support well past the centerline of the pallet, but won't stick out the other end and damage things behind the pallet being picked. 35" wide might be OK depending on what the resultant max fork spread ends up. Remember that a pallet will have stringers that limit the actual pick width. ie a 48" pallet might have 2" stringers on each end thus making the max fork spread 44" or less.

 

[beenthere]

I get pallets delivered a few times a year. I'm sick of having to ...........................


I don't want FEL attached ones. ..............


Watchyall think? Thanks.

???
So you saying you don't want the bucket attached ones?

...........or don't want the loader attached ones?

 

[rdln]

Yeah he could have worded that better, I am sure he means that he does not want bucket clamp on forks.

I always eerrr on the heavier, whats the difference in fork weight between 1000# and 2000# caps?

They might sell more 2000# and be cheaper for the fact.

 

[arrabil]

Yep, didn't word that right. Don't want clamp-on forks.

I'd also rather not have 2000# forks because they will weigh 100# more than 1000# forks. That 100# is 10% of my loader lift ability gone to nothing.

I can't believe no one has found any forks like this.... I got a common setup. Maybe I do have to find some forks and build the frame.