Hey gang, before I pull the trigger on a set of pallet forks, I'd like to get your Input on various kinds, what you use, best bang for the buck and brands! right now I'm leaning towards the Titan set with 42" blades. I gotta get a set for lifting those big hunks on my splitter come spring. I'm gonna be A$$holes and Elbows getting my 3 year plan back to size come spring. I'm gonna put them on my Kubota. I have the bucket but I want a set of forks for moving the splitter and other things... I'd appreciate all the Input you folks could give me! Thanks! Dave
Forks are very handy. I have an older Massey ferguson tractor and I had to have them made by WL Long. I didn’t want to pay $1500 for them but they have saved me a ton of work, especially with all the hurricane helene cleanup. I was going to buy the clamp on forks for the bucket but my wife said buy the real forks.
After looking at the other titan forks I would spend more to get more fork adjustment and the extra frame gusseting for ramming and pulling. Always go bigger than you think you’ll need.
I have no experience with the Titan forks. I bought a set of Virnig 2200 pound rated forks a year ago and have been satisfied with them. Make sure they adjust close enough to pick up a round. Mine do.
Dunno what your loader is rated at weight wise, but keep in mind it could be less while using forks...the forks hanging out there a lot further than your bucket means that your load center can move out too...and that lowers lifting capacity, quick!
Pallet forks are a good investment for any loader, even if you never go anywhere near a pallet. I would advise against any kind of bucket clip on fork. They are hard on the bucket and give up considerable loader capacity. Some form of quick attachment is the best way to go. 1-1/2” thick x 4” wide fork should be sufficient for your average loader. I have 1-1/4”x4” for my smaller skid steers and they hold up just fine to normal use and mild abuse. Fork length is your call. I have 48” long forks for both my skid steers and my 145 hp loader tractor. I would say 90% of the time I would not want anything shorter, but there are times I have minor problems with the forks protruding past a pallet. And there are some jobs that would be better done with a rather short fork, say 36”. The wider the fork carriage is, the better for jobs like carrying logs or other long objects. Handy trick I found is to put 2 pairs of forks on one carriage to handle a wider size range of objects, like logs and big cut rounds for example where other wise you would have to adjust the fork spacing to accommodate each.
I’ve got 2 sets of forks, the HLA set at home, and the Artillian set at the in-laws. The HLA forks are just standard adjustable forks with a 2k weight rating, nothing special. Bought them with the tractor as my nicer forks went to the in-laws on long term loan with our 1025R. The Artillian forks are 3k weight rating, with receiver hitch built in, and easy to take the forks off the headboard for storage if space is tight. Super easy to adjust as well, when I bought it I ordered 48” forks, and 36” forks showed up. They shipped the correct length forks, and I paid a discounted rate to keep the 36” length. Not the cheapest forks, but nicer than the HLA set I have.
The full load lift rating is, 2,147 lbs. I am not going to be using the forks for and huge items. Mainly to lift logs off the ground to cut and get to the splitter. I'm not picking up those 200+ pounders any more. My body just isn't gonna do that, I did that long enough. My Kubota will be "Babied" and live it's life in comfort.
I was cheap and didn't want to pay big dollars so looked around. Hit paydirt about 40 miles from home when I found a fellow who is big into attachments for skid steer. I don't remember the rating but I will never hurt them. I paid $425.
I just found s set of "Kivel" forks, 2000lb capacity. $650.00 out the door. Might be what I need! About 50 miles away, New from dealer.
So, I called this dealer. Really nice guy, a small business of equipment repair and sell these Kivel forks. He said the 2000# set was $650.00 and the 3500# set was $695.00. HA! This was a no brainer! So, I drove my happy self up the road 56 miles and bought the 3500# set! (with) 48" forks instead of the 42" on the 2000# set. I can't beat this with a big stick!! So the story is, these are 100% American made in Missouri and the company started in Pennsylvania. The family business moved to Missouri for what ever reason. They are an Amish group The guy gave me the rundown briefly. They are beefy and for what I'm gonna use them for, they'll be fine, and for $695.00, you ain't gonna find a set any cheaper!
I have 42" titan clamp on units. You can't see the tips without standing up. Its really only an issue with pallets. If that's a concern, maybe 60" units would be better.
