Did something dumb today.

[doc henderson]

Amen!  MM

[SawyerTed]

When adjusting forks, I typically raise them high enough so I can point the forks to the ground.  They slide easier that way.   They don't slide well when they aren't high enough aka with tips on the ground. 

[doc henderson]

they have pressure back when flat, as you tip them down you will see a transition and that is a neutral point.  

[woodman52]

If you spray a little chain and gear lube on the rack just behind the notched bar they will slide easier.  Works better than grease and lasts longer 

[KenMac]

Fluid Film also works pretty well for this and isn't messy. Not saying that anything else is messy............... ;D

[doc henderson]

mine are set to a standard pallet width 95% of the time about 40 inches.  move in for small pallets, and out to the edges for a wide pallet or log.

[Rhodemont]

 

If a log gets over the backstop I did something really dumb.
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Position I got stuck in.  Some oil and tilting sounds like good idea when I want to adjust next time 

[Southside]

That's not nearly as much of a backstop as you think it is. Depending on the angle your loader will go you absolutely can roll a log over those. 

I would check with nothing on the loader how much she tips back at full lift. 

Speaking from experience here. 

[Nebraska]

I really really like my grapple attachment for logs, and leave the forks for sawn stuff.  Logs on forks are kind of scary, I would vote for bolt on  extensions to catch a disaster  from rolling over the edge  at you it happens in a flash. Ask the side of  hood of my my bigger tractor.  Too long to explain now   happened  years ago with a brush pile of odd firewood logs. Grapple buckets are money well spent in my opinion...

[Resonator]

and out to the edges for a wide pallet or log.

Yes X2. Having recently tried picking up freshly debarked pine logs (slippery) with the forks slid together narrow... :

[doc henderson]

the top guard looks a little light.  sorry to criticize your attachment.  I would consider going strait up the sides and go higher to increase the strength and height of the guard.  To be blunt, if a log up in the air rolls over the guard, it will be in your lap and it will be much worse than the arm.  I will try to get a pic of mine.  what is the weight rating for that set?

[Crossroads]

Frozen logs with no bark on forks are like trying to catch a greased pig and can get a bit frustrating. 

[aigheadish]

I assume the issue you guys are worried about is when stacking or unstacking logs high up on a pile? 

My loader bucket has an anti-back-dumping position (surely not the official name) that decreases the tilt of the bucket as the bucket is raised to help prevent such an issue. This is on my backhoe and may not be a feature for other tractors and such. 

I've moved some logs around with the forks or while chained to the loader bucket but it's never appeared to be close to an issue of having them roll back on me. I understand what you are talking about and any of my piles are typically way shorter than some I've seen in lumber yards or around mills...

I'm by no means saying that you guys aren't right! Just curious to know the situation this becomes a problem.

[doc henderson]

tractor loaders arms are not designed originally to have forks and at top height and tipped back, a log can roll down the loader arms if the backstop goes below horizontal.  to find out, you raise it up as high as they go and tip them back.  if you are aware, it is safer, but not assured.  

[doc henderson]

 

 

on a slight uphill grade so still a bit of slope to keep a log on the forks.  if a log did roll back, I have a cab to protect me some and the log at full up would roll past the cab and crush the motor compartment although more likely hit the loader arm attachments.



 

 

 

 

 

guard made of square tubing and 3/8th inch flat bar.  the carriers are half inch material with lots of reinforcement.  rated at 4K.  my first set were 2k and I bent them in the first week.  if you can, lift to the top and tip back, and lets us see that pic.  with an open cab, and only ROPS, the operator would have to be keenly aware of the limits of the setup.  We all tend to push the limits sometimes and worse if a naive operator jumps onboard.  My brother called it monkey proofing, so even the most inexperienced operator could not destroy the equipment and hopefully also not get hurt.

[Andries]

Some fel setups have a range of positions for the pivot points. They can be changed for height or for strength. The manual for the machine will point those out to you.
Another option for 'monkey proofing' the fel is to put ram stops on the hydraulics (they stop the back tilt before it gets dangerous)or to have a hydraulic arm on the forks' backstop to pinch logs.
As they say in the chainsaw threads: "know your risks, then manage those risks."

[Magicman]

If a log gets over the backstop I did something really dumb.

That is not good enough.  It needs to be impossible for a log to roll over the backstop.

[Old Greenhorn]

What MM is stating is spot on. There should be no "IF, then Maybe" involved. There are lots of reasons for lifting high, even without tall stacks. I do it all the time to navigate the ends of a log over tall stuff like between other log piles, or the skidder tires that stick out in the way as I pass. It needs to be impossible for it to roll back. These things happen really fast, generate an incredible amount of force, and are deadly in an instant. Many of us have seen good operators have the worst day of their lives in just a few seconds. Some things you just don't mess around with and this point is one of them.
 Please, think it through.

[Resonator]

Warning label on my Kubota tractor on the loader frame. When I bought my tractor new, the salesman said a guy 2 weeks previous had a log roll back down the loader arms while lifting. Luckily he didn't get hurt, but it did major damage to the tractor when it hit the hood and dash.

[Rhodemont]

I agree with the safety issues all have pointed out.  Actually I do not plan to lift logs with the forks.  I like the log tongs hanging by chain from the bucket which I find very versatile in maneuvering logs.  Sometimes I can even lower the tongs right on to the log and not even get off the tractor.  I ordered the forks for handling beams and sliding slabs onto off the mill making it easier to cut to firewood. And also for moving pallets of firewood to the outdoor boiler.

Now as I am thinking this over I am going to order the jig with chain that can be mounted in the backstop receiver.  That will, when I do not follow my plan above, allow me to chain the log against the backstop. 

[customsawyer]

I was trying to help a friend with this same problem on his Kubota tractor. In this first picture you can see where I have added 6 inches of cylinder stops and it still went further than I was comfortable with.





In this next picture you can see where I lowered the lift cylinders to the bottom pin hole and this helped a lot. I was even able to remove some of the cylinder stops. The other plus to lowering the cylinder to the bottom hole is that your tractor will have stronger lift capacity.

[firefighter ontheside]

Rhodemont, I have the same forks.  I'm sorry you got stuck in them, but glad you didn't get hurt.  I put grease on the top bar when I first got them.  I thought there was somewhere that said to do that.  I didnt think of it on my own.  I like the forks.  They are very versatile.  I ordered mine from Amazon. 

[doc henderson]

Rhodemont, it sounds like a plan.  Thanks for letting us review the potential dangers of having a 1-ton log high in the air on forks.  It is a good reminder for all of us.

[SawyerTed]

I simply don't lift logs much above hood height on my tractor mounted forks.   It can be a pain but I work around it for the very reasons already stated plus my tractor is light for lifting much above 2,000 pounds.  

I once dumped a partial load of manure off the back of a skid steer bucket with an open station skid steer.  It only takes once.  

[Resonator]

I can guess what you yelled when you saw it spilling at you... :D