I'm considering buying and old ford tractor to help move a few pallets around hence the need for the pallet forks! I was wondering what kind of sucess people have handling logs on the forks? Is a grab type system more suitable? Thanks
I use a 3 pt.h forklift I made for moving my biggest logs, if you get them balanced your o.k. I use a hydraulic cylinder for a top link to get tilt on the unit, that helps. Lift is limited but I can load my mill with it. I have 6 foot long 6 inch wide forks [industrial ones, not something I made] They are 40 inches apart. If it was on a front loader, I would built a top clamp, too much danger of one rolling back at you once you can lift higher. If you have rough terrain I think you are going to want a grab system, much safer.
We have a 4wd tractor and a Cat wheel loader both with forks and no top clamp. We get along fine, but might like the clamp better if we ever tried one :)
I use forks regurlary for smaller logs and they work ok because I make sure my uprights stop the roll of the log as I gingerly tilt my forks and allow the log to gently roll off. That doesn't alsways work so smooth but usually.
For bigger logs like the one below, I use a chain because they are just so unwieldly, sometimes they don't want to roll "gingerly" and it only takes a few inches of momentum for a log this size to become a freight train.
I need to make a top claw for my forks. Bottom line: forks are handy but they aren't ideal.
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I've used regular pallet forks on a couple of skid steer loaders and they work fine most of the time. The only time i've ever had trouble with the logs slipping and sliding off the forks is in the winter. Once the logs get iced up or even when the weather gets down in the single digits its like trying to move ice cicles, it can be done but its slow going. Good thing it doesn't take much sunshine to cut the ice and snow on logs.
My concern with the grapple or top clamp is will it interfere with use of the forks for pallets?
I have both forks and a root rake type grapple for the Bobcat. Each has advantages but the forks are more universal. The grapple is great for pulling logs off the pile by the end, getting customer logs out of trailers or p.u. beds, and for cleaning up slabs, but the forks do a fine job moving logs from the pile side on and moving lumber.
Think I would take up knitting iffen I had to give up my pallet forks.
Use em to load trees on wagons while logging, unload trucks, load logs on the mill, throw slabs on the forks as I saw, and the lumber goes on pallets or 4 X 4's if sawing orders.
My forks are home made...made the forks adjustable from narrow out to a 6' spread. The 6' spread was a mistake unless your messin with 30' long sticks. Mind are set for normal pallets 99% of the time. No problem handling logs up to 16' (if the tractor will lift em).
Brad brought up a good point about the grapple...I can do the same thing by hanging logging tongs on but have to drag the log off.
One caution...logs on a 2WD tractor FEL and hills are a recipe for disaster.
Order ready to go out tomorrow. I'll have the guy loaded in bout 10 minutes.
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I don't have any problems handling logs with the forks. I unload the logs from the trailer, load the mill, and move slabs and piles of lumber with them. My back really loves 'em :D
Kevjay, did you consider setting up some kind of deck for your sawmill ??? When I first got my skidsteer I would load the logs one at a time, but it was a pain to start that thing up after every log, and as you mentioned, it doesn't take much of a roll for the big logs to do some damage. I had two large knotty 8' spruce logs that I milled into 12x12's and set perpendicular to the mill on a little bed of gravel. The cants are far enough away from the mill so I can walk past them when milling, but they're close enough that I use a couple short pieces of sign post from the cants to the mill rails to roll the logs across with the cant hook. This way I can have at least three logs ready to load, and a lot more if they're small logs :)
if you have trouble with logs sliding off sidways in the winter, try welding a peice of 1/4" or 5/16" round bar along the 2 outer edges of the forks. we did that to the 24" forks we have on our skidsteer, and solved almost all the sliding problem, and it doesn't seem to affect the normal operation of them
I just got a set of pallet forks for my Ford 5600 tractor. Worksaver is the brand name. They have saved me lots of time and energy. Iuse them for for both logs and stacking hay up to 16'.
ohsoloco,
Yes I definately have it on my "list" but I haven't had (taken ::)) the time, and I also haven't put much thought about how I want to do it. Your idea sounds appealing, could you post some pics for me?
Larry,
Quote from: Larry on September 06, 2005, 04:56:00 PMMy forks are home made...made the forks adjustable from narrow out to a 6' spread. The 6' spread was a mistake unless your messin with 30' long sticks. Mind are set for normal pallets 99% of the time. No problem handling logs up to 16' (if the tractor will lift em).
Mine are homemade too and I notched 'em where I could go out as far as 6' as well. You are right, you can scoop up a log in a jiffy without having to worry about getting it "dead on" close to center, or trying to figure out where to place them on a heavily tapered log.
When I was using the factory made fork that only spread out to standard pallet width I would sometime have to take a second or even third stab at it to keep the log from rocking up and down on the rough terrain.
The home made forks are very handy.
KJ
becarefull of how off center you get with those wide forks. i've seen a couple tractors with cracked blocks due to that same use.....