Low-Cost Tractor Forks

Low-Cost Tractor Forks MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Forklifts 30-6-35 f you could use a forklift around your farm, you might want to take a look at the low-cost way Paul Dietz mounted a forklift on his old Allis Chalmers WD tractor. He used a pair of forks from a conventional forklift and the toolbar carrier for a 4-row rear-mount cultivator, mounting the forks on it. The toolbar carrier mounts on the tractor's snap coupler hitch and extends underneath the tractor. "We can't stack stuff very high with it, but it sure comes in handy for moving stuff around on pallets," says Dietz. He built another forklift that can lift up to 6 ft. high, by salvaging the mast off an old Clark forklift and mounting it on the 3-pt. hitch on his Oliver 1800 75 hp tractor. He mounted the mast on the 3-pt.'s lower lift arms and mounted a hydraulic cylinder in place of the top link so he could tip the forks. The forks are raised and lowered by a 4-in. dia. hydraulic cylinder. "We have a wood-burning stove in our workshop and use the forklift to bring in wooden scrap boxes that we get from factories. It really comes in handy," says Dietz.""We use one of the tractor's hydraulic valves to tip the forklift forward and backward and another valve to raise and lower the mast. The 3-pt. itself can be used to do some of the lifting, but we usually don't use it for that because it might overload the tractor's hydraulic capacity." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul J. Dietz, 8538 Lake Rd., Hicksville, Ohio 43526 (ph 419 542-7250).

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