Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

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thebuildist United States of America
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Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by thebuildist »

You may have seen it on the other site, but used my new pallet forks to carry "George", my giant nutcracker down to his Christmas display location.
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But when it came time to install his head/hat up on the shoulders, I could barely do it. The height of the pallet was barely high enough, and without going to get a stepladder, I had to reach everything from down below.
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If I had a helper, I could have stood on the pallet and been lifted up in the air with the head/hat. But I was working alone.

So I realized it's time to make one of the final accessories for the pallet forks: A lifting adapter with extension boom.

The first thing is a relatively straightforward lifting adapter. It slides over the pallet forks, and pins in place via a hole in the lefthand fork. It serves to join the two fork tine tips together, and then has a chain hook suspended from it. It's easily as strong as the overall fork tips can lift, somewhere around 800 lbs.
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But that still won't lift high enough to suspend George's head up above his shoulders. That's where the extension boom comes in.

I took a 10' long piece of 1 inch pipe and welded on a series of top, left side, and right side cantilevered tension braces. It only weighs about 35 lbs. The tension braces are 3/8" all-thread.
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Then I created a screw-in stub piece up at the lifting end that contains a D-ring from which to suspend a load.
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Then I welded a piece of flat bar to the bottom of the extension boom right at the fulcrum point where the boom rests on the front flange of the lifting adpater. I drilled and tapped the bar so that it can be bolted to that flange with 1/2" wing bolts.
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Then I made a "tailpiece adapter", a bracket that slides to the back end of the pallet forks, and captures/holds the tailpiece of the extension boom.
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So you slide on the tailpiece adapter, and then slide on and pin in place the lifting adapter. Then you slide the tailpiece of the extension boom into the tailpiece adapter, and bolt the boom's bottom plate to the front flange of the lifting adapter.

You now have an extension boom that effectively makes your fork tines about 10 feet long.
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The boom is strong enough that the tractor will tip forward well before the structure itself will bend or fail.

With the 300lb counterweight on, I could hang all my 220 lbs from the boom's D-ring when it was about 8' in the air and at about a 45 degree angle. If I curled the tines much forward from 45 degrees, my weight was enough to tip the tractor forward.

So in the end, the D-ring can go about 14' high, and has a lifting capacity of between about 100 and about 400 lbs, depending on the tilt and position of the pallet forks.
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I anticipate that it'll be a very handy tool to have, but one that could easily cause injury or damage if you try to lift too much and/or at the wrong angle. Just imagine every "crane tipping over" video you've ever seen, but in much smaller scale. :30:

Bob
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by Eugen »

That's a great tool, I've always thought that a boom attachment is a must have. Nice idea with those strengthening braces. Now, I am wondering about a couple of things. Why did you use the all-thread? I'd have thought that rebar, for instance, would be cheaper and just as strong. Also, how did you decide on the length? If it was me I'd have opted for a shorter one, mainly to be able to lift a little heavier things.

Anywho, it's another piece of nice equipment you built Bob! :thumbsup:
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by Gordy »

Could have used that last week to hoist Bamby for processing :thumbsup:

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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by DavidBarkey »

Gordy wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:41 pm Could have used that last week to hoist Bamby for processing :thumbsup:

:cheers:
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:thumbsup: Did you get a good one ? The father inlaw hunts with a group of about six . They all have tags , some bucks and a couple of does . This year they got a buck and 2 does . Some years they got nothing , while others , a full quota . It all goes to a local butcher after gutting and get split up after that . It won't be too much longer and there will be no one left around too butcher , they are dying bread literally .
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by DavidBarkey »

Bob you could use it to fly and extra flag on those special days .
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by thebuildist »

@Eugen surely you know me well enough by now to know the answer to both of your questions:

I used 3/8 in all thread because that's what I had sitting for free in my scrap materials pile.

And I used a 10-ft stick of 1 in sprinkler pipe because... Wait for it... That's what I had sitting for free in my scrap materials pile!

But you may be right, it may be worthwhile to add an additional d ring in between to split the difference between height and strength.

But with proper angling of the bucket curl, you can already get the higher strength. But it's trickier in practice.

Bob
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by DavidBarkey »

Bob , I am like you . If it is free it is in the budget . Other wise have to talk to my bank manager :wife: .
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by thebuildist »

DavidBarkey wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 3:46 pm Bob you could use it to fly and extra flag on those special days .
I love the flag idea. With the boom vertical and the loader fully raised, the top of the"flagpole" would be right around 16' high. How fun would that be for driving in a parade?

Bob
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by thebuildist »

Gordy wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 2:41 pm Could have used that last week to hoist Bamby for processing :thumbsup:

:cheers:
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I guess it all depends on Bamby. I've seen whitetails in the southern US that barely break 100 lbs. And what I think is the same species up in corn country in the northern US that would be right near the limits of this contraption.

I've never understood why the deer are so much larger up north.

Bob
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Re: Pallet fork lifting adapter/extension arm

Post by JSinMO »

I had the same thought as @Eugen , a connection point in the middle of the boom may be nice for heavier items.
If you did need to lift something heavy with the boom what would happen if you anchored the tractor? It would be stationary but could get a heavy load into the back of a truck.
With your skills and a properly placed block and tackle I think you could have it lifting at capacity!

Anyway another well built project! :thumbsup:
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