Pallet forks would be helpful

[JeremyBX2200]

I think a set of pallet forks are in my future. While I could do everything I needed with bucket hooks chains, forks would have made it even easier.

Moving brush from some downed limbs.

Unloading railroad ties for another project.

 

[Bmyers]

Grapple would be nice also, but forks would be cheaper.

 

[ve9aa]

I believe I may have mentioned to you that I made a (temp) set while I waited on mine to come in from my dealer.
At the very most, it'll cost you 20 minutes and 20 dollars.

-Cut a 10' pc of good sized pipe in half.....at an angle, so that each pipe has a "sharp" end. (these will be the far end of your forks.
-Drill 1 hole in each pipe at the opposite end from the sharp end
-Install a big eye-bolt in this hole
-Get yourself a large set (2) of ratchet straps.
-Lay bucket down on top of the pipes, which are laying on the ground, where you intend the forks to be.
-Wrap ratchet strap around bucket lip end of the pipes and loop around bucket and attach to eyebolt.

Voila! Instant pallet forks.

I'll look to see if I have a picture (but I don't think so.) I got the idea from Bob KElland on you tube, but used different parts.

Easy Peasy

 

[jimh406]

Another thing about actual pallet forks is that you can store items on pallets and move them or organize them fairly easily.

Since you have a BX, I suppose it would be lighter items mostly.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

I think a set of pallet forks are in my future. While I could do everything I needed with bucket hooks chains, forks would have made it even easier.

Moving brush from some downed limbs.
View attachment 87699

I got a set of the Cheapo Titan bucket mounts. They do make a huge difference.

Unloading railroad ties for another project.
View attachment 87702

Okay, that settles it. Having no point of comparison, I have just accepted that my BX25 is not going to do heavy lifting. Just not made for it.


But I saw something on another thread recently that made me wonder if there is some deficiency with my tractor. Made me wonder if I need to check the pressure.


Your post confirms it. There is NO WAY my BX would lift 4 full size RR ties. I tried recently, and didn't come close.


I need to get a pressure gauge on my tractor!

 

[i7win7]

they make add-on grapples for forks

Pallet Fork Add-a-Grapple for Sale-Ask Tractor Mike

Pallet Fork Add-a-Grapple makes it easy to move brush, logs and limbs. Easy on and easy off for fast results. Stabilizes pallet loads.

asktractormike.com

 

[mcfarmall]

I've used my pallet forks more than my bucket.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

I believe I may have mentioned to you that I made a (temp) set while I waited on mine to come in from my dealer.
At the very most, it'll cost you 20 minutes and 20 dollars.

-Cut a 10' pc of good sized pipe in half.....at an angle, so that each pipe has a "sharp" end. (these will be the far end of your forks.
-Drill 1 hole in each pipe at the opposite end from the sharp end
-Install a big eye-bolt in this hole
-Get yourself a large set (2) of ratchet straps.
-Lay bucket down on top of the pipes, which are laying on the ground, where you intend the forks to be.
-Wrap ratchet strap around bucket lip end of the pipes and loop around bucket and attach to eyebolt.

Voila! Instant pallet forks.

I'll look to see if I have a picture (but I don't think so.) I got the idea from Bob KElland on you tube, but used different parts.

Easy Peasy

I will check it out.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

I got a set of the Cheapo Titan bucket mounts. They do make a huge difference.





Okay, that settles it. Having no point of comparison, I have just accepted that my BX25 is not going to do heavy lifting. Just not made for it.


But I saw something on another thread recently that made me wonder if there is some deficiency with my tractor. Made me wonder if I need to check the pressure.


Your post confirms it. There is NO WAY my BX would lift 4 full size RR ties. I tried recently, and didn't come close.


I need to get a pressure gauge on my tractor!

It may have been hard to see in my pic. I was lifting 2 RR ties at a time, not 4.

Not sure exactly what they weigh, but Google said the used ones are 100-200lbs each. My BX showed no signs of having an issue lifting the 2, although the way I did it I didn’t lift them back up high after getting them off the trailer. Even if I could have lifted 3 at a time I would worry my ballast wasn’t enough. I usually remove the MMM when doing any loader work and just use my BB as the ballast. It usually work fine, but since I was having to raise the bucket fairly high to unload the RR ties on the top of the stack I left the MMM on for some added weight.

Process I used was to have the bucket slightly angled down. Wrap the chain so it looped the RR tie evenly at each hook. Then I would curl the bucket to lift the RR tie off the stack. Ease back slowly and lower it as smoothly/slowly as possible prior to transporting them to their final location.

I have shimmed my hydraulic valve to the top of what people on here recommend. I would have to go back and look exactly the psi that was. I used the kit from BXpanded. It was inexpensive and worked well.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

I need to get a pressure gauge on my tractor!

Here is a link to my thread about my pressure tester kit. Looks like mine was low. It was at 1600psi. I bumped it up to 2000psi.

BX2200 BXpanded pressure tester issue

I had purchased a hydraulic pressure test kit from BXpanded to check the pressure on a BX2200 I bought. For some reason I can't get a reading. Since the tractor is older it does not have the 4 quick connect setup like in the instructions. It has 3 of them. The gauge in the kit only fits on 2 of...

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[Outnumbered]

Pallet forks are a good general use tool around the ole homestead. I use mine more than I thought I would and used them just the other day to offload a new washer from my truck to the deck. With the quick attach they are a breeze to put on and take off. I spent about $400 for mine (pre-pandemic) and they are a lot less expensive than a grapple.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

Pallet forks are a good general use tool around the ole homestead. I use mine more than I thought I would and used them just the other day to offload a new washer from my truck to the deck. With the quick attach they are a breeze to put on and take off. I spent about $400 for mine (pre-pandemic) and they are a lot less expensive than a grapple.

I currently have a pin on bucket. My first step will be to convert it to a SSQA. Then get a set of forks for it. Prior to that I may make a light duty pair like ve9aa suggested.

A grapple would be nice, but for the $$ I think forks would work well for me.

 

[ve9aa]

I couldn't find a photo, so whipped up a really cr@ppy picture in Windows-Paint(tm) just now for you or anyone else who wants "$20 pallet forks".
I am no artist.
One end of the (red) strap is "hooked" to the TOP lip of my bucket (not really shown)and other end goes through the aforementioned big eyebolt. Big red squares are the ratchet handles. I might have even gone all the way around the bucket one time. (Can't recall - been 6 months since I've used this method) as I recall I went to remove my SSQA bucket and couldn't as the straps prevented it.

As long as you are not doing any side-to-side motion, I find the forks stay in place and are very strong.

I used some really big straps I bought on sale at Costco that were rated at some enormous amount, like 5tons or some such. I bet they are 3" wide or wider.

Only 1 thing I would do differently if I built again would be to use longer pipes. The one I had was maybe 9' long, and you lose some length due to the fact part of it is under the bucket. I used pretty big pipe. I think it was 1-3/4 or maybe 2" galvanized fencing pipe that I cut in half, at a very sharp angle. You can see the sharp end prevents digging into the ground. (or bottom wood on pallets). If it's not obvious from my horrid sketch up, the forks go UNDER the bucket.

I didn't have extra (eyebolt) nuts, but if I had, I would've adjusted them so there was almost no bolt threads sticking out the bottom of the pipes as anything that hangs down catches on the ground and it doesn't take long to rip up your lawn. It was a minor annoyance. This would be a real driveway killer if you were on asphalt or concrete (compared to real forks). The other thing you might try is only bolting through 1/2 the pipe (nut on inside of pipe) or maybe adapt a U-bolt instead of a through bolt.

I wanted max strength so I didn't try either method, just in case.

Overall I was very impressed with myself on just how well it all worked (except for not much in the way of being able to "see" out front like real forks. For $20 it was awesome to use, until my real forks arrived from my dealer. I didn't lift anything super heavy. I lifted my utility trailer, some light logs, some pallets with maybe 200lbs on them etc. and the "forks" never moved, nor bent. Worse thing that happened was I ripped up a little lawn and driveway until I figured out my u-bolt ends were dragging.

Like I said, not my idea. Got the idea from Bob Kelland youtube channel, but used all different parts, but the idea was his.
Link>> bob kellands forks

I know I am not the first to do this kinda thing. I am sure many others have made forks like this, probably for a long time.
I couldn't believe how easy it was to fab up.

Hope this helps. Someday I'll put it all back on and document it for those guys that want a $20 solution, but for now, the real forks do most of the work.


I also "made" (

made is a bit strong) a "bale spear" when I wanted to pick up a giant roll of very heavy fencing, using an 8x4x4 pressure treated post. "Poor mans bale spear" (w/o a pointy end, lol)

 

[Crash277]

Another thing about actual pallet forks is that you can store items on pallets and move them or organize them fairly easily.

Since you have a BX, I suppose it would be lighter items mostly.

thats my favorite part.. i drop everything onto pallets, snow blower, box blade, mower etc.. i keep a couple empty ones around.. when i switch from my bucket to my forks i often drop the bucket on a pallet just because.

truck winter/summer tires are stored in a shed at the back of my property. BX and a pallet move them for me.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

I couldn't find a photo, so whipped up a really cr@ppy picture in Windows-Paint(tm) just now for you or anyone else who wants "$20 pallet forks".
I am no artist.
One end of the (red) strap is "hooked" to the TOP lip of my bucket (not really shown)and other end goes through the aforementioned big eyebolt. Big red squares are the ratchet handles. I might have even gone all the way around the bucket. (been 6 months since I've used this method) as I recall I went to remove my SSQA bucket and couldn't as the straps prevented it.

As long as you are not doing any side-to-side motion, I find the forks stay in place and are very strong.

I used some really big straps I bought on sale at Costco that were rated at some enormous amount, like 5tons or some such. I bet they are 3" wide or wider.

Only 1 thing I would do differently if I built again would be to use longer pipes. The one I had was maybe 9' long, and you lose some length due to the fact part of it is under the bucket. I used pretty big pipe. I think it was 1-3/4 or maybe 2" galvanized fencing pipe. You can see the sharp end prevents digging into the ground. (or bottom wood on pallets). If it's not obvious from my horrid sketch up, the forks go UNDER the bucket.

I didn't have extra (eyebolt) nuts, but if I had, I would've adjusted them so there was almost no bolt threads sticking out the bottom of the pipes as anything that hangs down catches on the ground and it doesn't take long to rip up your lawn. It was a minor annoyance. This would be a real driveway killer if you were on asphalt or concrete (compared to real forks). The other thing you might try is only bolting through 1/2 the pipe (nut on inside of pipe) or maybe adapt a U-bolt instead of a through bolt.

I wanted max strength so I didn't try either method, just in case.

Overall I was very impressed with myself on just how well it all worked (except for not much in the way of being able to "see" out front like real forks. For $20 it was awesome to use, until my real forks arrived from my dealer. I didn't lift anything super heavy. I lifted my utility trailer, some light logs, some pallets with maybe 200lbs on them etc. and the "forks" never moved, nor bent. Worse thing that happened was I ripped up a little lawn and driveway until I figured out my u-bolt ends were dragging.

Like I said, not my idea. Got the idea from Bob Kelland youtube channel, but used all different parts, but the idea was his.
Link>> bob kellands forks

I know I am not the first to do this kinda thing. I am sure many others have made forks like this, probably for a long time.
I couldn't believe how easy it was to fab up.

Hope this helps. Someday I'll put it all back on and document it for those guys that want a $20 solution, but for now, the real forks do most of the work.


I also "made" (
View attachment 87714 made is a bit strong) a "bale spear" when I wanted to pick up a giant roll of very heavy fencing, using an 8x4x4 pressure treated post. "Poor mans bale spear" (w/o a pointy end, lol)

Did the strap go through the eyebolt or did one end of the strap hook to it?

From the pic I was thinking one end hooks to the eye bolt. Then the strap runs up and over the top of the bucket. Then it wraps under the front part of the pipe, back up to the bucket and hooked to the top of the bucket lip.

 

[Crash277]

I couldn't find a photo, so whipped up a really cr@ppy picture in Windows-Paint(tm) just now for you or anyone else who wants "$20 pallet forks".
I am no artist.
One end of the (red) strap is "hooked" to the TOP lip of my bucket (not really shown)and other end goes through the aforementioned big eyebolt. Big red squares are the ratchet handles. I might have even gone all the way around the bucket one time. (Can't recall - been 6 months since I've used this method) as I recall I went to remove my SSQA bucket and couldn't as the straps prevented it.

As long as you are not doing any side-to-side motion, I find the forks stay in place and are very strong.

I used some really big straps I bought on sale at Costco that were rated at some enormous amount, like 5tons or some such. I bet they are 3" wide or wider.

Only 1 thing I would do differently if I built again would be to use longer pipes. The one I had was maybe 9' long, and you lose some length due to the fact part of it is under the bucket. I used pretty big pipe. I think it was 1-3/4 or maybe 2" galvanized fencing pipe that I cut in half, at a very sharp angle. You can see the sharp end prevents digging into the ground. (or bottom wood on pallets). If it's not obvious from my horrid sketch up, the forks go UNDER the bucket.

I didn't have extra (eyebolt) nuts, but if I had, I would've adjusted them so there was almost no bolt threads sticking out the bottom of the pipes as anything that hangs down catches on the ground and it doesn't take long to rip up your lawn. It was a minor annoyance. This would be a real driveway killer if you were on asphalt or concrete (compared to real forks). The other thing you might try is only bolting through 1/2 the pipe (nut on inside of pipe) or maybe adapt a U-bolt instead of a through bolt.

I wanted max strength so I didn't try either method, just in case.

Overall I was very impressed with myself on just how well it all worked (except for not much in the way of being able to "see" out front like real forks. For $20 it was awesome to use, until my real forks arrived from my dealer. I didn't lift anything super heavy. I lifted my utility trailer, some light logs, some pallets with maybe 200lbs on them etc. and the "forks" never moved, nor bent. Worse thing that happened was I ripped up a little lawn and driveway until I figured out my u-bolt ends were dragging.

Like I said, not my idea. Got the idea from Bob Kelland youtube channel, but used all different parts, but the idea was his.
Link>> bob kellands forks

I know I am not the first to do this kinda thing. I am sure many others have made forks like this, probably for a long time.
I couldn't believe how easy it was to fab up.

Hope this helps. Someday I'll put it all back on and document it for those guys that want a $20 solution, but for now, the real forks do most of the work.


I also "made" (
View attachment 87714 made is a bit strong) a "bale spear" when I wanted to pick up a giant roll of very heavy fencing, using an 8x4x4 pressure treated post. "Poor mans bale spear" (w/o a pointy end, lol)

if you added an L bracket to the front to sit over the bucket lip, you would then only have to chain or strap up, the rear.

 

[JeremyBX2200]

Unloading the trailer. Lifting stuff with the bucket that high always takes a little extra caution.

The guy I bought the RR ties from had a fork truck and just set the whole stack on the trailer at once. Took me a little while longer to unload it, but happy I didn't have to do it by hand

 

[ve9aa]

Did the strap go through the eyebolt or did one end of the strap hook to it?

From the pic I was thinking one end hooks to the eye bolt. Then the strap runs up and over the top of the bucket. Then it wraps under the front part of the pipe, back up to the bucket and hooked to the top of the bucket lip.

My straps have big "hooks" on them. Not traditional hooks, but kinda doubled up. (someday I'll post pics) but here's a picture that similar to my straps.

I hook them on the top lip of my bucket, go down and around the pipe 1 revolution, come back over the top of the bucket, then behind the bucket and hook into the eye of the eyebolt with the other hook.
That's the best of my recollection.

The reason I used eye-bolts on the back-end of the pipe was I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I could've just tried wrapping the strap around the back of the pipe, same as the front of the pipe, but seemed risky, like it could slip off.

When I <ahem> made (made! ha ha) my bale spear, I used no eye-bolts. The wood seemed rough enough (friction-wise) and my strap never slipped when I wrapped it around. I wouldn't trust that method on a slippery metal pipe. I only had 1 small job for my "spear" and took it very easy. All went well.

HTH

 

[ve9aa]

if you added an L bracket to the front to sit over the bucket lip, you would then only have to chain or strap up, the rear.

True. Very true. This was a $20 and 20 minute set of forks using 3 types of parts (6 items)....pipe, bolts, straps. No welding, no L-brackets, no nuttin'
p.s.- by hooking completely around my bucket, I don't put undue stress on just the lip either. No "smiles" here, lol

 

[Ridelght]

I think a set of pallet forks are in my future. While I could do everything I needed with bucket hooks chains, forks would have made it even easier.

Moving brush from some downed limbs.
View attachment 87699

Unloading railroad ties for another project.
View attachment 87702

View attachment 87703

I have the Landpride set. Wasnt happy at first but they have grown in me. I use for a few things beside the actual forks. Just completed adapting my 6 ft Polaris snow blade ti the backrest. Top link in lieu of winch. I recommend a set, i actually looked at the Titan ones for the price and material. Landpride are ok but not much more sturdy. Have a safety cage to to skip.ladders. My point is they are very handy to have.