Repair your soon to fall off clamp-on bucket forks

[showcrop]

One of my forks was falling off and no matter how well I tightened them they would still fall off. I was sure that I would have one fall off into my burning brush pile. Inspection revealed that the 6M screw that holds the heavy disc onto the end of the big screw which turns down onto the bucket was extending beyond the disc. Only the head of the 6m screw was holding the fork. Every time that you clamp them on there is just a half inch diam. by half inch long end of the big screw pushing against the thick disc. It wears down into the disc causing slack which makes the 6m screw take the force. I picked up a new 6m screw and put in a thin washer at the wear point but this is only temporary. I drew a v shaped bead of weld just forward of the point where the heavy disc engages so that when it loosens it will catch there. Maybe I will have to permanently separate the heavy disc from the big screw so that I can put adequate clamping force on it.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Why not just weld a chain to the end of the fork and bring it around under the bucket and tighten to the bucket so it can't fall off and not be hard to get off. We do that with a pair of bale forks just flop the chain over the bucket and tighten to a loop on the top of the fork frame when off the chain can be unhooked from the forks for other uses if wanted. forks are in a heavy angle piece that slips over the front lip of the bucket. chain fastened to the back of the frame and tightens to the loop on the top of the frame to support the bucket when in use.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 04:37:12 12/05/23) Why not just weld a chain to the end of the fork and bring it around under the bucket and tighten to the bucket so it can't fall off and not be hard to get off. We do that with a pair of bale forks just flop the chain over the bucket and tighten to a loop on the top of the fork frame when off the chain can be unhooked from the forks for other uses if wanted. forks are in a heavy angle piece that slips over the front lip of the bucket. chain fastened to the back of the frame and tightens to the loop on the top of the frame to support the bucket when in use.

I will probably end up doing some form of that. I will want to weld hooks to the back of the top of the bucket and get some turnbuckles so that they will still be quick on and off. The main reason for my post is to warn others. A couple weeks ago there was a thread about this type of fork and most guys were using them for brush and branches as I do. I am hoping that I keep someone from losing one in their fire.

 

[caterpillar guy]

We use a ratchet binder on the chain just hook it to the loop at the frame for the forks and then to the chain tighten up. A snap binder could be used but it would need to be pretty tight so it didn't get tripped every time it got bumped with a limb. We don't have any hooks on the bucket the loop is in the top of the angle used to hold the forks. Ours is home made so it just has a bar that a chain can hook over to hold it under the bucket. Flops over the bucket to the front of the bucket where the loop is at. Chain encompasses the entire bucket. Our bucket is pretty heavy so no reinforcement is used for the top of the bucket. Has not bent the bucket in 10 or more years of use.