Hello and thanks in advance for your opinions. I have a lot (100s) of about 3' x 3' x 4' and larger limestone boulders I have to move out of the way after I dig them up. Where I live the cedars (juniper) trees grow through them, so there is no way around it. Interesting to see a rock with a tree/s growing out of it - very Japanese garden look about it. Right now I push them around with the loader and that has added a lot of work time given the uneven ground. Given my skill level (-1), I was looking at the backhoe thumbs and the loader/pallet forks I see on eBay. Given the boulder sizes, a pair of the forks may be the way to go for not much money. Does anyone have any experience with these products? The backhoe thumb is my second choice due to cost, driving backwards all the time, and what I believe a longer cycle time. Is this a correct about cycle time? Any experience with a thumb? Suggestions? :beatsme Thanks, Joe
A heavy set of forks on a backhoe has got to be one of the best attachments. I had a set once made from a pair of forklift forks. They were long(4') and I had the forklift backing plate too. Welded brackets to the back. Cheap to buy at forklift repair shops, they have to get replaced if they are bent slightly. Getting the backing plate really helps, so you might want to look in a wrecker yard also. I used my set for large stones no problem. The fork width needs to be set and must 'locked' for the round stones so they will be 'cradled'. A backhoe will put a lot of strain on a set of forks so heavier is better. Phil
This spring i scrounged around for two sets of forklift forks. Found them for $400 total. I cut the fork so only the flat horizontal portion remained. Drilled 2 holes in each and bolted them inside the bucket with 3/4" grade 8 bolts. They are pretty heavy forks, no chance of busting anything. Increases the bucket capacity a lot. You can scoop up rocks, stumps, logs, carcasses(dont ask They work great, and are cheap cheap cheap.
Great ideas!
What I've found so far: The clip on to a front bucket forks are handy if you dig lots of dirt but don't use forks much. The issue here is you can't see the tips of the forks at all, even when you are standing leaning over the steering wheel. Also they might be bucket benders, I moved a pallet of 24 2 ft x 3 ft concrete walkway squares ( ~ 4200 lb ) and later noticed the bucket bottom is curved. The bucket may have been like this and hadn't noticed as I only had the tractor for a week. Clip on forks limit your load capacity, the further out you get from the front axles the less load you can pick and carry ( leverage ) I'm currently making a set of forks to replace the bucket. Find a fork carriage plate that is 20" tall ( ITA Class III ~10,000 lb ) unless you have a smaller machine as a ITA Class II ~ 8,000 lb ( 16" I think ) might be good enough. ITA forks are the dove tail style slider and the most common for sub 10,000 machines. Class II is the smallest you will find for any modern forklift ( 60's and up ) Mid range / larger stuff uses a round rod and forks with a top eye, sometimes these are used with brackets on loader buckets. Down side here is down pressure isn't possible because the forks swivel upwards. Also I've never seen a side shifter for these forks. Making a forklift carriage fit a loader will allow good visibility and bring the load center line closer to the wheels. Side shifters clip on to the fork carriage then your forks clip on to that. This allows you to move the load left to right, helpful if you are in tight quarters trying to land something in a exact spot. The only tractor mod needed is a hydraulic valve to operate the side shifter cylinder. Fork positioners are popular in warehouses that deal with many different pallet sizes. This device allows the forks to be moved in and out. You can also squeeze items between the forks to pick them up, bit be aware they more suited to getting under a item. ( such as getting under a rock )
OK I am new here and need to get the required 3 posts for my first new one. I agree that bolt on forks can be bucket benders ( I know from experience) but there is a solution that for the occasional user and should not overload the bucket, cylinders or arms. My friend (opld yankee farmer) had a set made for his ford 4500 they are 8' long and made out of 2"x4" heavy wall channel. On teh very back is a welded pin and attatched to that is a 1/2" chain. The chain wraps over the top of the bucket to a ratchet load binder that attatches to a welded ring on the the top of the forks. The ring is attatched to another 2"x4" piece that is welded on top of the forks. This tab extends into teh bucket about 24" and when you use the load binder it prevents the bottom from curving and flexing the bucket. I know this may sound confusing but I can post pics of them if anyone is interested. These workl great on my farm but BIG boulders or materials 3500lbs + may push the ability of my 76 deere 410
Would home made forks maybe be stronger if they were to be attached to the TOP of the bucket with welded brackets, instead of laying them flat on the bottom of the bucket with bolts?