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Farm Tractor Forks ?

Started by SPD748, November 04, 2013, 07:24:55 AM

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SPD748

Hello all,

As some know, my Dad picked up a very nice Massey Ferguson 240 tractor with a loader. I'm going to build a fork carriage to attach to the loader. I have a set of 42", 4000 lb forks what will work well in this application. Here's my question; Should I design a carriage with a top clamp (grapple) or a plain carriage like many of the 'skidsteer' style pallet forks. The grapple design, though handy, would add weight to the carriage thus reducing the loaders net lifting capacity. I suppose another way of asking would be; Is the added weight/cost of a grapple worth it for this application?

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

tjhammer


   spd748 I have a 231s its close to the size of your tractor I built a set of forks that slide in the bucket that works well with a drawback you can't see what you are doing in front of you,the bucket blocks the view,I would go with the forks only once you tilt back most logs will remain in place unless you are going down a steep hill,the rear of these tractors are fairly light even with extra wt on the rear,if you have narrow frt tires they tend to sink into shoft ground and makes string all most imposible,the loader will lift more than the tractor will handle you will be surprised how much it will lift,I use my tractor for more than mill work if I have a big log to place I use my jd 455g high lift
tj
hammer

mdrhom1

spd748 i believe i would add the grapple the little added weight wont add that much and you can also fill the rear tires with antifreeze if needed .i added forks that attach to our backhoe bucket for moving logs and a grapple would be nice to keep logs from sliding sideways when moving around but im also moving logs from a 14 acre section of land up and down hills the logs seem to slide unless i have a few  on the forks at a time . you could also make the grapple removable and just use the forks .  my thought it would be better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them if cost or time is not an issue by the way i love the mill setup one day when i get my land cleared i hope to redo all of mine like yours i did a quick setup to get sawing clearing the land logs started piling up fast.

dboyt

A grapple on a loader is about as handy as the thumb on your right hand  smiley_thumbsup.  It gives a lot of flexibility in handling logs, and is especially useful for moving brush piles.  If you don't build the loader with the grapple, I'd recommend that you build it so you can easily add one later.  Just be careful not to lift so much that the rear wheels come off the ground.  I had that happen while going down hill.  Interesting ride.
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Lee, on my backhoe bucket, I just have a set of forks. I have never needed a grapple on the front.
If I need the forks, I just tilt the bucket and hook up the forks and go to work. If I need the bucket for moving dirt, I just tilt the bucket and back away from the forks.
With a set of forks, I can move 4 or 5 medium logs at a time.

And like the Lion says on the commercial.......that's just my 2 cents.  :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

thecfarm

I hope Piston see this. He has a grapple on his tractor. That is the thing to have. But I feel a grapple with forks would work good. Pick up a log and if you have to move it,use the top grapple to keep the log from falling off. Pick up brush,slabs,grapple it down,it will stay there.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

justallan1

I would definitely consider a grapple. Even if you only build a 1 tine grapple you are far better than none. It doesn't take a bunch of bouncing to unsettle a load real easy, especially with more than one log. If you are on anything but compacted ground or concrete a very small bump, dip, rock or branch will get a heavy load bouncing around real fast.
I just got a ranch tractor back to my house and use about foot long teeth on the bucket and a grapple and can tilt forward to where I can see the teeth and close the grapple and am able to pick up as small as a 6" pipe or log without pushing it all over the yard trying to get it in the bucket. I've set a couple 14-16" logs on the mill and am able to SET them there rather than rolling them, hoping they will stop.

Allan

thecfarm

justallan1,yea,I forgot about the push factor. I can push a rock all over The Farm trying to get it into the bucket.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Looks like I've been outbid Lee.  :D :D :D :D :D

Put the grapple on your tractor and get on with it.  :D :D :D :D :D
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Cedarman

Go with the grapple.  It also helps keep logs from going over the top of the forks back on the tractor with disastrous results.  With ours on our skid steers we can pick a log out of the pile.  When logs are wet or icy it clamps them and helps keep them  from sliding sideways off the forks.  If you are slightly off center you can still pick up the log with the clamp.  It works well unloading trucks when you can't get to the center of a log because of the truck stakes.
Take a barrel and fill with concrete and make it so you can attach it to the back of the tractor.  We have that on our 3165 MF industrial loader which allows us to pick up big loads.  Just some ideas.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

SPD748

 

 

Here is the design that I have drawn up at the moment. I have the geometry worked out so that the movable arms will open to just over 48" and close to clamp a 8" log. There would be two movable arms, one on each side (just inside) the forks. Each arm would have it's own 2" hydraulic cylinder. Given the width of the loader arms, the forks would have to be spaced to around 53" on center. I know that's an odd width however I think the extra width would be beneficial for moving logs.

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

backwoods sawyer

No one likes bouncing shifting logs, if you decide not to add the graple weld a couple chain hooks on each side of the bucket, one high one low and throw a chain or two around the log if you are headed across country, or pulling logs out of a hard spot.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

Dad2FourWI

Lee,

Is there a bucket on the arms currently and are you making the new fork carriage to be interchangeable with the bucket?

I have designed something very similar for my Ford 1910 and took it to a friend/welder and he said he could do this so I am very interested in your design!!!

I like the fact that the forks are not "hidden" behind the bucket!! and you lose the weight of the bucket too...

As for the grapple, I was going to use a set of chains welded to the forks with some way to quickly attach/detach but now you have me wondering!!! :)

Keep the pics coming!!!

-Dad2FourWI

LT-40, LT-10, EG-50, Bobcat T750 CTL, Ford 1910 tractor, tree farmer

SPD748

Dad didn't get a bucket with the tractor. The fork carriage I've drawn will pin on the loader arms without modification to the loader itself so a standard bucket would still work. With the forks set at 53" in width, the fork tips will be visible from the seat, even at ground level. I've ran a tractor with 'over the bucket' forks. It was a little trying on the patients, if you know what I mean.

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

Larry

I built quick attach forks for my FEL 15 years ago.  When I built it, I made the forks adjustable out to 72" or so.  That was really a mistake as I never extend them out that far.  Most of the time there sat around 36" and I would think with a thumb, I would never change width for logs.  I do adjust them closer together to handle pallets a lot more than I ever thought I would.  You also want to make sure the width will work if you stack lumber bundles on sticks.

You might think about your fork length also.  A 3,000 pound log rolling off the tips of 4' long forks might stress the loader...I'm not sure what you can pick up with that tractor.  Maybe 2,000 pounds?


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Cedarman

I noticed the grapple tines extending below the tines.  If you happen to have them closed like the picture and you put the forks on the ground and back up, you can overstress your cylinders as you will be trying to force the clamps open by backing up.  Just something to watch for.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

MSSawmill

And I don't think you want the pivot points for the grapple in front of the vertical portion of your forks, either. Keeps you from picking up boxes/crates with it.
Home-built bandsaw mill
2004 Kubota M110 with LA1301 loader

DaleK

I'd consider making your grapple so that it can fit between the loader arms and the forks so that you can take it out if you want. ie brackets on the posts of the grapple that will fit on the loader arms and cylinder, and on the front of the posts that will fit the fork bucket and also the solid bucket so you can use the grapple with either bucket or take it out completely.
Alternately you could weld a couple of trailer hitch receivers on the back of each bucket so that your grapples can be slid in and pinned or removed.
Hud-Son Oscar 330
Wallenstein FX110
Echo chainsaws and a whole bunch of tractors

kevin19343

I bought some new pallet forks for our JD 6810 last year. I wish I had gotten grapple forks instead.

  Grapple forks are  especially useful for moving small branches, brush and other junk around the farm.

T Welsh

SPD748 I would purchase a mounting plate that receives all skid steer attachments on the tractor first. I did it with my Case385 and I am glad I did it,lift the locking levers and set the bucket down and back away from them and go get the forks,just that easy! The company that I purchased them from is called ATI in New Holland Pa, As for a grapple on the forks YES,they help! But do not let the top clamp travel below the forks,you will bend them.

  

  If you look close at the first picture you can see the Quick attach plate pined on the loader arms and the tilt cylinder. here is the web site take a look around and see if the make one for your tractor http://www.preseeder.com/tach-all/. Tim

lyle niemi

I would add the grapple Lee, you wont regret it

maple flats

grapple is a plus. Among other things you can hold a log on with the forks tilted even straight down and just set it where you want. That also brings the load closer if you are working close to the weight limit. Whatever you do, make sure you add enough weight for counter balance on the rear of the tractor, or load the tires AND add wheel weights. I find that a rear weight box actually takes some load off the front end.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

Carpenter

I don't have a grapple, just the forks.  Infact I have an actual forklift and a tractor with just forks.  They work well most of the time.  It would be nice to have a grapple.  I can borrow a tractor with a grapple some of the time but, that's a pain in itself.  Either set up works if the operator makes it work.

francismilker

I would add the grapple and still make the forks quick detachable like piston said. 
"whatsoever thy hands finds to do; do it with thy might" Ecc. 9:10

WM LT-10supergo, MF-271 w/FEL, Honda 500 Foreman, Husq 550, Stihl 026, and lots of baling wire!

bandmiller2

Lee,I'am a little late on this fray we all have our beliefs.I have and use boath,I modified a multitec log grapple to fit my old Deere,and I have plain adjustable forks.If you will be using it in the woods and moving tree tops and odd shapes go grapple.For the log yard where everything is ready for the mill I prefer just the forks.The big thing is visibility,thats where forks in the bucket fail,on my tractor I sit high and can see the ends of the forks.I must admit the grapple is handy to pluck logs off a trailer with sides,but outherwise seems to be in the way. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

SPD748

Thanks for all the input guys! After some consideration, I think I'm going to install a quick attach adapter on the loader and re-draw the fork carriage to mount like the rest of my skid steer attachments. This way all my attachments will be interchangeable in case I ever upgrade to a skid steer in the future (which, by the way, is in the works :)) I can buy the conversion adapter for less than I could design/build one however the grapple forks are a different story. I'll keep you all posted on the progress.

-lee
Frick 0 Handset - A continuing project dedicated to my Dad.

410 Deere, 240 Massey... I really need a rough terrain forklift :)

Sawing Since 1-19-2013 @ 3:30 pm
Serving Since 2002
"Some police officers give tickets, some gave all."

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