BX25D Forks for FEL

[Little Orange]

copied this from an old tread, hope the pictures come through.

Hi Folks, here are five in progress pictures of the new forks for the FEL.

First pictures shows dealer installed W.R. Long Inc. wear bar (good investment, saw a bucket without one and looked like 50 years of use in only 5 years), the three chain hooks, and one side of the forks. Next, is close up detail of fork support pipe and hole in bucket (washers not welded yet). Next, is the full 42" spread of both forks (42" lift surfaces). Next, shows them rotated up and temporarily tied back for travelling, and last picture is the forks exchanged sides and slid to an 8" spread for those funny little light jobs that just need a little lift other than using my wife's arms.

Forks are made of USA steel sq. tube 2x2x0.25" over engineered and the pipe is 1.25" galv. thick wall. Note, bevelled front ends to flex up and the spring pins on the outside of bucket to allow easy quick install or removal.

Cheers


see pictures on next post

 

[Little Orange]

ok here are the pictures

 

[Dr Honda]

Wow....


Like those. I know some may say... "Looks wimpy" or something like that... but lets face it... the little BX isn't going to pick up 2000 Lbs. (LOL) I may run out and buy materials to build that design today !!


AND... if you put small hitch pins on the end, instead of the cotter pins... you can have it off the bucket in less than a minute.

 

[sjd50575]

@Little Orange. Looks nice. Have you used them much as of yet.


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[Little Orange]

Yes, I use them when need too about once a month so far, but then been doing a lot of digging, loading and backfilling. However, this summer they will get a lot more use with the projects planned.....by you know who.

And, yes have spring pins on the end and they are on/off in a jiffy.

The material I used is, like said, a little over engineered but then they could lift 2k if on a big tractor.

 

[man00]

Nice work!

 

[Lennyzx11]

I like these too! Do you have any "flex" in the round pipe without a center support?
This is going into the "let's make something" stack.


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[Little Orange]

The design works great as the square tube is very strong and keeps the round thick wall tube straight, where there maybe some flex is when the forks are slid into the center position and then there is no wear blade on your front edge of the bucket. My wear blade is very strong from WR Long.

Note the round tube is exactly the right height for the bottom of the angle bracket to rest on the bottom of the bucket but still able to swing the forks up.

The only thing is the fork themselves are heavy and take a little away from the lifting capacity of the FEL, but for what I use them for, moving loads around and lifting stuff like big sheets of heavy plywood, scooping up tree branches and lifting bales of hay up to loft height they work perfect.

Hope this helps

 

[Kingcreek]

I'm going to look into fabbing something like that up for my L3010 but with my HD round-back bucket it might have to mount a little further forward. Great idea. I don't know how I missed this post before.

 

[Piker]

I think I basicly copied your idea from your original post for the bucket on my B2320. Slid sched 40 1/2" black iron pipe inside sched 40 3/4" pipe & welded up the ends to tie them together before drilling for lynch pins. The forks are 36" & were orignally fabbed up for a 3 point lift on my ford 8n. Useable length on my kubota is 2' past the bucket & so far have not needed any extra length. Can easily carry a plastic 45 gal barrel of water to the garden by laying it sideways axross the forks & using a ratcheting strap around barrel/bucket. I plan on welding in a small angled brace in the center of the bucket to prevent any possible flexing. So far works awesome & easy on/off.