Convert a loader bucket to forks

[Dirtsmith]

If I can find a rusted out no good bucket that will fit my loader, I am thinking it should be possible to convert what is left of the bucket into a frame for a set of forks.

There are forks that can be to attached to a bucket, but I just dont like them. I they project too far out in front of the tractor, and despite have rear wheels full of weights, a full bucket already can bring the back end up enough to not make good ground contact. Extending something another three feet in front of the bucket just has no appeal.

I dont have a rusted-out bucket yet, I am still looking for that, but in the meantime, have any of you done this or something like this before?

This project will require me to do some out-sourcing; I have no welding equipment (or experience) and am certain even Duct Tape would be outmatched with this job.

Despite my current obstacles (no bucket, no experience, no clue) this still seems like a project worth pursuing as forks would be really helpful for me.

If you have insight into a project like this, please tell of your experiences. I am not above learning from anyone else.

 

[Fawteen]

In general, forks on a loader are VERY handy and well worth the price of admission.

In your case, it would be helpful to know what tractor you have, what type and brand of loader, whether the bucket is pin-on, skid steer quick attach or proprietary (like the John Deere system).

Depending on the answer to the above, it may be just as easy to build a set from scratch.

 

[M-MAN]

Reminded me of a customer we had once.
He brought his Zetor with a loader over
and wanted us to build brackets and add
channel iron forks to it so he could
move a brush pile. Not just forks, he
brought two ten foot sections to mount
out front. Tried to tell him it was a
bad idea but he knew what he wanted and
wasn't changing his mind. Funniest thing
you ever saw watching him drive away
with those ten foot forks sticking out
front.

 

[Dirtsmith]

Good morning. Thank you for replying. The tractor is ford 4000, 4cyl. The loader has no markings or manufacturer tags on it, but ever indication I have points to it being a Ford 720.

The bucket is held on with pins, no quick connect system.
Swapping the bucket for forks will be a PITA, but it still might be worth it.

The reason I am looking to start with an old bucket is that it will likely have bracing and mount points where I need them. The goal is to strengthen what exists and then remove the old bucket leaving just the mount points. The rest of the frame would need to be fabricated with supports for adjustable forks.

Thats the vision, reality is TBD.

 

[MJMJ]

The angle the bucket is attached is usually not a good angle for forks, if that makes sense. In theory it could be made to work, but I think when you are done you will wish you had just built a set of forks.

 

[Jim.ME]

My thoughts are that you would be as far ahead to buy a set of forks already mounted on a carriage, such as a skidsteer fork attachment, have a fab shop duplicate the mounting ears on your bucket, and put those on the forklift carriage. Or go all the way: buy a quick attach base with the forks and have mount ears to fit your loader, installed on the quick attach base. Then get another attachment plate and have it installed on your bucket so the quick attach base works on both, forks and bucket.

My reasoning for this is even if you find a rusted out bucket with the right ears to fit your loader (there are many different mount ear arrangements in existence, so you could be searching a while), the bucket material thickness and shape most likely will not be right to attach forks to. Look at forklift carriages, they are pretty substantial due to point loads from the forks. Bucket shape, and spread of the loading, for the most part allows for lighter material.

Talk to the shop you plan to use for this work and get their ideas and estimate, their input should help you decide the best route to go.

 

[moresmoke]

I'm with Jim. Save up some $$ and have it
converted to skid steer mount. The skid
steer mounts can be bought dirt cheap.
It's the shop labor that will cost you.

Once your loader is skid steer compatible,
you can also rent attachments that fit.

 

[Dirtsmith]

Thank you for the proper description of forklift carriage. I checked out some images to get a better idea I agree with the assessment of the project. It makes more sense to go with a fork lift carriage for this project.

I see the point of having a skid-steer attachment and it would add a lot of additional flexibility.

Like I said in my initial posting, I had a vision but reality was TBD.

Now its time to start looking for skid-steer parts that can be re-purposed instead of some stupid old rusty bucket!

Thank you.

 

[centash]

Quick attach plate on the loader with quick attach brackets on the bucket,
forks,and any other attachment. Your back will thank you for it.

Ben

 

[cjunrau]

I have built 3 forks for tractor already. Not hard if you weld but you say you don’t.
You are better off taking 4x2 heavy tubing for the sides and 4x4 for the bottom and top
Frame is 2 inches wider than Loader arms.
And bottom is 4 inches more than the height of bottom of loader arm to top of where your tilt
cylinder is mounted on buffet. So approximately 42 inches by 20 inches.
In the 4x4 tubing you cut holes and weld in bale fork holders. Mine are always 36 inches outside
to outside.
You need 4 1/4 inch steel plates. I use 5 inch
They need to be the height of frame.
You need the correct size holes drilled through the plate for loader pins and tilt pins
Same distance apart as bucket.
Weld onto frame.
I always drill tilt holes closer to frame than loader arm holes so when all the way down I still can tilt
up a bit.
I buy the bale forks and holders here for about $125 each.
If I was you I would buy what they call a universal mount bale fork as it adjusts to your loader with
no welding or drilling.

 

[showcrop]

For around ten years I cleaned out the manure pack in our sheep barn with a set of forks that bolted temporarily into the bucket. They extended maybe 14 inches. They worked GREAT for getting under and pulling the manure/straw pack out. You may be making two erroneous assumptions about the weight that you will have in your bucket. First, it is very difficult to get anywhere near the HEIGHT of manure in a bucket as with an easily flowing material such as gravel. Second, manure, even with plenty of moisture is substantially lighter than gravel. You won't have the amount of weight out there that you think that you will. I used the forks for a good ten years until the sheep went away.

 

[caterpillar guy]

We bought a frame from a forklift, then added the plates on the back side with hole for the loader to pin on. Works good for hay the forks can also be slid in or out to fit pallets. Also have a set of the round spear type forks for hay when not wanting to remove the bucket for just one or two bales. The ones on the bucket work good for loading wood on to ads a lot of capacity to the bucket for longer lengths.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

If you don’t already have a old bucket to convert,
why no just look for a manure fork to begin with?
Put a quick plate on your tractor, and your buckets
and you can switch easily any time. Even bolt on
forks that only stick out 8-10 inches will make a
material bucket work for cleaning pen pack manure.
Best advice I can give is, find out what a new fork
attachment will cost, then you can figure how much
you have to budget a rebuild/conversion on a old
bucket. Might be better just buying a new
attachment

 

[Dan in North Houston]

Lots of good comments here. I'd think that converting an old bucket to a fork lift would require a lot of welding and fab work, because the geometry it all wrong.
By the time you finished, you would have discarded everything but the mounting tabs and basically re-created the same fork frame that you could buy cheaper.
Unless you had the forks given to you and you were a good welder, I don't see any cost savings. And then there is the safety factor.
I have a loader with pin-on bucket, and I bought a pin-on hay spear. It was a real pain to change over, so I finally bit the bullet and bought a MDS shur-lock
quick attach that would work with the pin-on attachments. It was worth every penny, I can easily change from the bucket to the spear in a few minutes.
And the hay spear has two big spears side by side instead of the single spear with a couple of short ones. I use it to move logs, brush, etc. I can move pallets
with it if the spacing on the pallet is just right. I don't see why anyone would buy a single spear hay spear anymore.

 

[moresmoke]

Check EBay for skid steer quick attach. There are plenty new parts available for cheap to customize with.

 

[paul]

I think the topic is covered well already.

If you were welding things up yourself your idea can work well.

If you have to hire the welding done, you will be well ahead to let the welder fella Star with new iron and build the forks from scath. Hen you ave to pay him to cut up the
old iron, and then weld up and onto the old iron to cobble something together, you will end up paying a lot for a cobbled up, less than perfect set of forks. If you let him
work with his steel and make the right angle and bracing from the start, you will spend about the same and have a much better finished product.

A bucket uses the edges of the bucket as strength. When all that is cut away you end up with very little, and very flimsy, left to build the fork onto.....as a hobby welder
it’s fun to do such things yourself, but a pro welder will do better from scratch with new materials.

Paul

 

[Dirtsmith]

A lot of sage advice here, thank you!

I found a device that claims to be designed for my loader frame. It still requires some welding but it comes with what is needed for a welder to complete the work.

It is far from inexpensive, but it could be worse, I suppose.

https://asktractormike.com/product/ford-new-holland-712-720-725-730-735-front-end-loader-pin-on-bucket-to-skid-steer-quick-attach-conversion/

No matter I say here, it still has to meet with my wifes approval. I already got my Christmas gift this year, too. Getting something like this would require me to accomplish a feat nearing the magnitude of achieving world peace.

 

[DeltaSteve]

I agree with the others,better to start from scratch with new that try to scab something up from junk.Especially if you are hireing
the work done by a pro. BTW,most if not all professional welders will refuse to do such a hack job.Your idea of installing a
'quiktach' plate to your loader and changeing buckets/attatchments is by far the best. Cheap? Nope. but the best way

 

[Fawteen]

"It is easier to obtain forgiveness than permission."

YMMV, posted for informational purposes only, no warranty written or implied.

 

[26Red]

Can speak from my own personal experience building pallet forks and an adapter to fit an DuAll loader- I spent more time and money, building and fabbing up non adjustable forks (tubing) for a 3 point and loader. Which worked ok, but in the end I scrapped it all after a few years and bought the proper attachment plate and adjustable pallet fork implement for the loader. Now my only regret is the lack of side-shift function.

 

[Bill(Wis)]

What you're looking for already exists. I bought a brand new set of pallet forks from Land Pride with a capacity of 5500 pounds
with 48" forks. They have models all the way from garden tractor size to 6400 lb capacity with 48" or 60" forks. They will fit
right onto your loader mount in place of your bucket.

 

[504]

I agree skid loader quick attach mounts are cheap and sold by lots of people. I have pallet forks on a tractor and a bucket for it,I have never used the bucket.(I have another loader tractor too..)

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

If you go to any decent-sized consignment auction, implement distributors "chum" the auction with all kinds of skidsteer attachments including pallet forks. These generally sell for about 1/2 what you pay for the same thing at a dealer. You can probably buy one premade for what you'll spend cutting up an old bucket and cobbling together a set yourself.

 

[Determined]

Whatever you go with make sure you have tilt travel stops properly fitted.

I have seen many modified set ups that when tilted forward would either cam over center and lock up or badly bend, twist or snap off the tilt cylinder rods.