Making Fork Extensions, Box or channel section?

[Farmer_Joe]

most forsale is made from 'c' section with just plates at back to stop it falling off if it over balances, but box section is virtually same price and must be stronger but possibly much harder to get over tines?

what do you have and hows it made, also what thickness steel is it made from, tines on my jcb are 100mm buy 40mm so has ti fit over that with ease

making them 8ft or 2.4 meters

Many thanks Joe

 

[milkloss]

most forsale is made from 'c' section with just plates at back to stop it falling off if it over balances, but box section is virtually same price and must be stronger but possibly much harder to get over tines?

what do you have and hows it made, also what thickness steel is it made from, tines on my jcb are 100mm buy 40mm so has ti fit over that with ease

making them 8ft or 2.4 meters

Many thanks Joe

I think you’ll find c section to be much stronger as it has a web.

 

[tinman]

I have home made extensions out of 5"x3" channel iron which has iirc 3 plates welded under it as it sits on the forks to keep it in place, towards the last 20" odd they are tapered out to a point so to speak.
They are heavy but easily enough bowed all the same, There's a reason the genuine ones are the price they are.
If your talking along the lines of box, which with respect I wouldn't even dream of using for fork extensions, thin is the key here mind.., your not going to be interested in getting the likes of weldox or hardox cut and folded so at the very least I'm afraid it's channel iron but they will bend slowly or quickly depending on the weight that's on them and how they are treated.
My mistake was not plating the Lth of them and cutting out elliptical holes in that plate round abouts where the short toes end so as to negate packing them with crud over time.
Like I say, personally box iron I'd never even cross my mind for this job.

 

[Farmer_Joe]

I’ve priced up 5 by 3 channel yesterday (seems like optimum size) , that what I’m gonna use just checking if I need any other steel to add to my stores Before I order!

 

[Exfarmer]

Channel is much stronger than box.
Trailer makers always used channel, sometimes welding two together to make a box.
Depends what work you want to do with them.

 

[Badshot]

Channel is miles stronger than box. Just make sure it's heavy section.
Few plates across the forklift end and jobs a good un

 

[Exfarmer]

most forsale is made from 'c' section with just plates at back to stop it falling off if it over balances, but box section is virtually same price and must be stronger but possibly much harder to get over tines?

what do you have and hows it made, also what thickness steel is it made from, tines on my jcb are 100mm buy 40mm so has ti fit over that with ease

making them 8ft or 2.4 meters

Many thanks Joe

2.4 m that is a little optimistic.

 

[roscoe erf]

Channel and strengthen it both sides and underneath

 

[Lazy Sod]

Each of mine are made out of 2 pieces of angle. I can't remember the size offhand, but something like 3" x 2", with the wider sides on the top of the fork, one laid on the top of the other to get the right width, with plates underneath.

 

[ACEngineering]

most forsale is made from 'c' section with just plates at back to stop it falling off if it over balances, but box section is virtually same price and must be stronger but possibly much harder to get over tines?

what do you have and hows it made, also what thickness steel is it made from, tines on my jcb are 100mm buy 40mm so has ti fit over that with ease

making them 8ft or 2.4 meters

Many thanks Joe

I think you will bend your forks very easy. Get some 100x50 section forks.
Also proper fork extensions are not that expensive! Have all nice rounded edges too.

 

[Farmer_Joe]

It’s purely for Moving 20 ft containers there not that heavy it’s and only just over balance on forks as is

 

[Robert K]

It’s purely for Moving 20 ft containers there not that heavy it’s and only just over balance on forks as is

Get some decent lifting chains

 

[traineefarmer]

I made some 2.5m extensions from pressed 5mm section with a filler plate welded underneath. Having them custom pressed allowed me to get a nice taper and a snug (but not too snug) fit on the time.

 

[Jim75]

Struggling to find some extensions that are 9ft long to remove a Stewart livestock box from the trailer with out needing 3 vehicles (2 lifting and 1 driving out). What’s everyone done for similar?

 

[Hard Graft]

if you can keep the box in one spot use 2 rails concreted in to the ground to lift it

 

[Highland Mule]

Struggling to find some extensions that are 9ft long to remove a Stewart livestock box from the trailer with out needing 3 vehicles (2 lifting and 1 driving out). What’s everyone done for similar?

Two pairs of Acrojacks, modified with outriggers to keep them upright, and a couple of scaffold poles? Shouldn’t need any machines to lift the box then.

 

[Jim75]

Two pairs of Acrojacks, modified with outriggers to keep them upright, and a couple of scaffold poles? Shouldn’t need any machines to lift the box then.

Would need to be 100% safe as would probably be left in a situation where general public walk dogs a lot of the time. Hadn’t really thought of a way to leave it in situ but could be an option.

 

[Jim75]

And windswept @Highland Mule

 

[Mur Huwcun]

Get some decent lifting chains

Would guess the op feels it’s much nicer and easier and safer to move containers with the forks underneath with the boom right down and fully retracted than having the boom in the air half way extended with a box hanging and swinging on chains though.

Most fork extensions I’ve seen and used have been cold rolled channel with extra 12mm flat bars welded inside to strengthen the channel along its length with the front tappered as mentioned above.

 

[Courier]

If you are making your own keep them out of sight during a Loler inspection 'coz they wont be certified.