Hired man and fork frames

Bruno of NH · September 04, 2020, 03:45:23 PM

My hired man did it again.
2nd time with this frame.
2 others are at the welders.
You can't fix stupid.
I do like him but it's starting to wear on me >:(

Southside · September 04, 2020, 04:18:47 PM

That's simply abuse. He would be down the road here, don't care how good he is.

Bruno of NH · September 04, 2020, 04:31:07 PM

That same frame and forks I used myself for 5 years doing the same work as him.
Never did anything to it.

doc henderson · September 04, 2020, 04:35:38 PM

take him off the loader. if he is doing that much damage to the forks, when is he going to smash your hand or foot. Without you, your business will stop and he will move on to the next job. He does not appear to have the finesse needed to move very heavy logs around very expensive equipment like your new mill. Some young guys (like my son for a while) think they are instantly better than everyone at driving stuff, and can go faster and harder than all the other "dumb slow old people". there is a reason why us old people go slow. so we do not harm people or equipment. unless you are getting implements at the dollar store. take him off the skid steer. maybe after he is doing more of the "grunt work" by hand and on the ground, he will come to respect your stuff. how did this one happen specifically if you know. hard to damage the frame like that and not bend the fork, unless I am not seeing it correctly in the photo. anyone can make a mistake, but they need to listen and learn. If he says "it just broke" then he does not get it. If he is otherwise a good worker, then let him do the stuff he is good at. you have to be loosing money in repair cost, downtime and replacing forks and frames.

Bruno of NH · September 04, 2020, 05:07:19 PM

The forks don't bend
He bends every frame just like this.
I can't get in and out of the skid steer.
Therefore I stay cutting with the mill while he does the log and material moving.
When I could get around better I liked running equipment.
I took pride in not breaking stuff.

doc henderson · September 04, 2020, 06:10:33 PM

i will also just say that it is none of my business. and really none of my business at all. We are all just cheering for you and hate to see and employee make things harder. I am sure you will make the best decision. I hope my previous comments were taken in the spirit intended. If the forks were too loose and popping off, it would not damage the frame. if he were abusing it by lifting too much or out on the tip, it would bend the fork I think. hmmm. most of the force should be at the bend of the fork, not at the top and bending the frame. My forks are rated for 4k.

doc henderson · September 04, 2020, 06:13:26 PM

He needs a body cam or a go pro. does he have any insight into how/why this is happening? If he is a good guy I doubt he is doing this on purpose, and in fact I am not sure how to physically do what he has done if I tried. does it happen oh huge logs? Now that we are a little past blaming it all on the operator, I am really curious. Best regards, Doc

Haleiwa · September 04, 2020, 06:14:03 PM

To me that looks like a mismatch between the fork frame and the loader's capacity. Those forks don't look heavy enough to be rated more than a ton. You haven't had that loader five years, and by your account it is considerably stronger than what you had before, so it may be a case of the attachment not being heavy enough for the loader. That said, if he rammed the forks into the ground, that is one thing, if he simply picked up a load beyond the capacity of the forks, that is a different story.

doc henderson · September 04, 2020, 06:28:40 PM

mine tended to do it when sliding under something, and would push up enough that if I tipped or backed up, the one would pop off. I filled in with 1/4" round stock at the bottom, and they have never done it since. on mine to take one off on purpose, there is an open slot in the center.

Bruno of NH · September 04, 2020, 06:37:27 PM

I watch him and he points the forks to far down on the tip when he makes a move.
This was done pushing up a pile of brush.
Doc,
No explanation needed I know where you are coming from.

A-z farmer · September 04, 2020, 07:19:13 PM

I think it is because he is trying to unearth your granite boulders Bruno While moving logs .
We just bought 2 pair of 5500 pound pallet forks from HLA.
And they were 800 each and we still have the other forks but they were almost 20 years old and tired.
Zeke

BargeMonkey · September 04, 2020, 09:42:31 PM

Have you tried a beefed up set of frames ? I've got a set that showed up with the 1st LX665 and it's been 10? Machines later and they are tired but not even close to that beat, diff size class but the same idea applies.

Satamax · September 04, 2020, 10:21:03 PM

Quote from: doc henderson on September 04, 2020, 06:13:26 PM
and in fact I am not sure how to physically do what he has done if I tried. Best regards, Doc

Doc, as i see it, it would be quite possible that he pushed towards the right, with the end of the fork. Like to straighten the end of a pile of planks or something. Or turning tight, backing up too close to something hard and heavy. This seems to be done with an movement of the fork on an horizontal plane.
Just an idea.

Walnut Beast · September 04, 2020, 10:53:29 PM

Switch your help over to contract labor and make him pay for the stuff he is breaking

barbender · September 04, 2020, 10:54:34 PM

I think that if you beef up the frames, he's just going to bend the forks themselves. In my opinion, there's a fair number of people that just have no comprehension of the forces that are created when running equipment. You'll just never train it into them, you can explain everything comprehensively- they'll nod and go right back to doing the same thing that just damaged the equipment.

mike_belben · September 04, 2020, 11:25:49 PM

That aint enough fork rack for a 9 series.

jcbrotz · September 05, 2020, 04:41:00 AM

Don't beef up the forks to much your cylinders will suffer the consequences of those action. He needs a lesson in love tell him he is paying for the next set of fork that'll probably fix it.

stavebuyer · September 05, 2020, 04:43:29 AM

I agree with Mike. You need a higher capacity frame. Picking up knotty logs especially on an uneven surface your sometimes going to do a little digging. Looks to me like a mild steel frame. Good help is almost impossible to find especially if it involves actual work. Buy an OEM(new or used) set designed for your class of machine before you make a decision you will regret. I have some Titan stuff I bought for my little tractor that works fine but no way it would stand up to 12K track machine.

Corley5 · September 05, 2020, 06:23:01 AM

Time for a new operator. If he hasn't changed his style to avoid this damage he isn't much of an operator.

Don P · September 05, 2020, 07:31:08 AM

I think long term you'll be happier beefing the equipment, that does look too light. If it continues then there might be room to talk about the operator.

Bruno of NH · September 05, 2020, 07:31:17 AM

This is my little spare frame
3,000lb
The 4,500 is at the welder made in USA broke like that
6,500 is at the welder same thing

Don P · September 05, 2020, 07:34:10 AM

That is then an operator issue, he doesn't need to be running your equipment.

mike_belben · September 05, 2020, 08:59:11 AM

I suspect he side pushes logs jammed in the pile with a single tip. And if it dont give he gives it more.

"Joe. The next fork rack is gonna cost you a job" is all you need to say.

YellowHammer · September 05, 2020, 10:09:55 AM

I agree, I have seen damage like that, it is usually by side turning and cramming the forks into an immovable object, trying to manipulate stuff sideways, or just clumsy driving while "side cramming". The mounting frame simply cannot take that kind of torquing leverage, so instead of a dead weight load of say 5,000 lbs, or 2,500 lbs per fork, with no torque, it turns into a torquing load with 4 foot forks of 20,000 lbs, generally only carried by one fork. If he is jamming the forks in the ground, or a stump, or whatever, then side turning, something will have to give, and if the earth doesn't give, the fork pocket will.

I'd simply dock his paycheck for the repair, however many hours or days it takes for him to pay it off. If he is useful to have around, he will either learn, or quit.

Ed_K · September 05, 2020, 10:13:16 AM

The forks are to big for the frame. I bought my frame from one place and the forks were given to me from a friend. I had problems with the forks coming off and they bent the frame some, the same way yours are.

This is my quick fix to the left side.

And the right side.
There's 2 pieces of 1/4 rebar one on top of the other next to the flat plate. Then a piece of 3/8 rebar behind them as filler.
Then I ground all of it into a taper to fit the fork holder.
I forgot to take a picture of the bottom part of the forks that hold them from tipping away from the bottom frame. But there wasn't any rebuilding of it. On the left side you can see a slot where the lock goes and how big the fork pocket is.