Brush fork length?

[Fishstiq]

I'm seeing the value of brush forks that attach to the FEL for my BX25, but I'm curious, what length should the forks be? These will be used for brush piles and brush clearing, I don't intend to move any pallets or anything with them. I've looked at the designs others have used, sold and built on here, but I don't see much on fork length. I want the forks long enough to be able to lift a good amount of brush, but not so long they stress/damage the FEL. I would rather make multiple trips than bend/dent/break anything!

I'm thinking 5 forks, but how long? 16inch, 20, 24...? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Bulldog]

Looks like standard length for a BX is 32". It will amaze you how handy they will be in the brush. I think hanging 5 forks off the front will end up hurting you in the long run. MHO

I would go with the standard length and try that to start with.

 

[Fishstiq]

Why would 5 forks end up hurting in the long run?

 

[Bulldog]

The first thing that comes to mind is all the added weight from having that many forks on a tractor with such limited lift capacity. A quality set of forks are heavy and the more you add the less your tractor will be able to lift.

Lift cap @ 500mm forward is just over 500lbs. If 5 forks and the back plate weigh 250lbs that's 50% of your lift capacity used up just on the implement it'self. Loose 100lbs off the forks and gain 20% more lift.

You know better than anyone what you will be doing with the tractor so my input may not be correct for your needs. I will say this, the first thing I run out of on my tractor is lift capacity. I have plenty of power and traction in most every situation so that's why I feel every pound counts.

 

[Fishstiq]

Gotcha, that makes sense. Lift capacity is for sure a consideration! My thoughts were on something like this...

http://gwgroundworks.com/Debris_Rake.html

...but with a little longer forks. I won't be moving pallets or logs, just brush piles and occasionally hay/straw.

 

[DonDC]

Here is a link to what I did on my B7001. These chain on forks are 26" past front of the bucket and made from 1/8" square tubing and extend about 10" under the bucket to provide lift. They are strong enought to lift a good sized piles of brush and yet light enough to not greatly effect the 500# lift capacity of my FEL. Hope this is helpful. Cheers
http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9056&highlight=brush+forks

 

[Bulldog]

Gotcha, that makes sense. Lift capacity is for sure a consideration! My thoughts were on something like this...

http://gwgroundworks.com/Debris_Rake.html

...but with a little longer forks. I won't be moving pallets or logs, just brush piles and occasionally hay/straw.

That's a nice looking setup you posted. Just be carefull not to pry on something real hard. Clamp on forks can put excess strain on the cutting edge and bend the bottom of your bucket. The original owner of my B7100 had bent the bucket. It looked like it was smiling. The center of the bucket was about 2 inches low and made any kind of quality grading almost impossible.

I don't see why those won't work for you just watch when you get in a hard push so you can protect your bucket. Keep us posted on what you deside. I'll be interested to see how those forks work. I have teeth on my bucket and they only stick out a few inches but make a big difference pushing brush.

 

[Fishstiq]

Oh nice, the teeth look like a great idea!

Bending the bucket was actually my biggest concern before I asked this question, since I use it for a lot of grading and smoothing of loose dirt areas. I hoped with the wider clamp points that would be preventable. I for sure understand not prying on anything too hard, for now all I have are loose brush piles but in the future you never know what jobs will come up....

I'll let you guys know what I end up doing, and how it works out for me. Thanks again for the advice, and if anyone else has any knowledge to share, please chime in!