made my forks

[handtpipeline]

Yeppers, here are some pics of the hooks. If you notice, the inside hook on the right side IS bent. Nobody will fess up to bending it, and I really don't have a clue how it could have gotten bent. My only guess is maybe someone actually tracked into it with the trackhoe when blocking it in for the night. It normally either gets parked inside my shop everynight, or if I'm using it everyday, I'll just bring it home with me. But I did have it on a waterline job that took a couple of weeks, in a remote location that was locked everynight, so we just blocked it in with the trackhoe every day, and disabled both the trackhoe and the backhoe, instead of hauling it home everyday.

 

[diggerdave1958]

Thanks, handtpipeline. Those have to be the strongest fork hooks i have ever seen. did you cut them out yourself ?? makes my 3/4" hooks look kinda puny comparied to these.

 

[Yutong]

well, it is incredible to me that you made this all by yourself!

 

[handtpipeline]

Thanks, handtpipeline. Those have to be the strongest fork hooks i have ever seen. did you cut them out yourself ?? makes my 3/4" hooks look kinda puny comparied to these.

Yes, I've got a template I made out of cardboard, I just use a paint marker to trace around the template, fire up the torch and go. I can cut all 4 hooks out in 15-20 minutes.

This setup would be kind of overkill for a lot of people. I know a lot of people just use 3 hooks, and usually a lot lighter material, but I try to over-build things, instead of have to fix them later. If I'm doing a water or sewer line, I'll usually be on the trackhoe digging ditch, and have one of my hands on my backhoe, bringing pipe and bedding material. So I have to take into consideration that I usually don't have an operator with a lot of experience using the forks. I always tell them not to carry more than their comfortable with, and for the most part it works out. Every once in a while, you'll have someone that thinks they ought to be able to carry as many pieces of 8" ductile as they can 8" sdr35 plastic. That's when things get tested.

I've had people ask why we always welded heavy 3/8" chain hooks on all the buckets when the backhoes were brand new. It's so someone doesn't hook or go around something with a chain that shouldn't be hooked to or gone around. Not everyone understands things like pinch points that can break a chain, causing a load to be dropped. You've got to do your best to make things idiot proof.

 

[diggerdave1958]

I know what you mean about the "idiot proofing" your equipment, I am mostly a 1 or 2 man operation. If you notice in my pics of the hooks on my backhoe they stick out about 3 or 4" in front of the bucket edge and they are just 3/4" so they do get bent but i am going to look into get some thicker hooks made up for the next time.
Thanks,

 

[diggerdave1958]

This is a pic of my machine hooked up to the forks, and they are very hard to see when trying to pick up a pallet, almost always need a spotter :Banghead