Awesome BX fork option!

NetMagi

Active member

Equipment
BX25D (sold), L2501HST w/BH77 Backhoe
Dec 30, 2014
132
94
28
Pennsylvania
Since I've gotten my BX, I've been a looking at a good option for adding forks.

While I love my little BX, I can't figure out what Kubota was thinking with their factory option for forks. The 3 piece setup is so heavy that you only end up with ~300lbs of lifting capacity.

The many available options for clamp on forks are lighter, but you still have the weight of the bucket, plus, the weights ends up so far forward from the loader pins that I can't imagine the load capacity being any higher than the factory Kubota option. Maybe even less. .

I took a look at this:

http://www.mytractortools.com/forks.html

but it only works with their own proprietary Q/A. . or so I thought. . .

I emailed Jery from mytractortools, and Jery is awesome!! I expressed an interest in his forks, but said I wanted them for the factory Kubota Q/A, and he agreed to make a set up.

The came last Friday, and they're stellar!!!

The details:

Weight - ~110lbs
Price - $659.00

The weight is really important here. The BX doesn't have a lot of lifting capacity, so keeping the implement weight low, and close to the loader pins is REALLY important.

These go right on the Kubota Q/A, and have a shallow depth from the pin to the backframe, so you maximize your lifting capacity.


Here's some action to back this all up:


In this vid I'm lifting a generator on a pallet from my 5x8 trailer. The generator is a Kubota D1005 w/ a Mecc Alte head, bolted to a steel frame. Total weight (frame and pallet included) is in the neighborhood of 700 lbs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgYMNCc9VrU


Over the weekend, I cleaned up some brush:



and moved a tree:



I have no idea what the tree weighs, but it was VERY close to limit. I had to hold the loader valve for a second or two for it to build pressure to lift it. Note how I extended the hoe to maximize my counterweight and increase stability.

max lift height with a pallet is ~64". (Note the pallet in the pic doesn't have a bottom, so that's why I'm subtracting an inch from the measurement):



General shots:





The second set of holes you see higher up on the frame is for mounting on the 3PH.

These forks are a perfect fit for the abilities of the BX. Not to big, not to small. Not weak, and not overbuilt. Jery was a pleasure to work with, and is a real stand-up guy.

I can't say enough in recommendation of these forks. If you talk to Jery, tell him Rich sent you. Make sure he knows you want them optioned to fit the Kubota Q/A when you order.
 

NetMagi

Active member

Equipment
BX25D (sold), L2501HST w/BH77 Backhoe
Dec 30, 2014
132
94
28
Pennsylvania
Man that looks nice!! He should sell a lot.

Doc
I hope so. Kubota makes a solid product, but it often takes the aftermarket to extend the use of something to it's full potential.

These forks, and the piranha tooth bar are perfect examples. I couldn't live without either.

I'm proud to say I've supported both bxpanded and mytractortools, and I hope they both keep making stuff I want to buy :p

-Rich H.
 

NetMagi

Active member

Equipment
BX25D (sold), L2501HST w/BH77 Backhoe
Dec 30, 2014
132
94
28
Pennsylvania
Looks good but the forks look like they are fixed. I found a set on eBay I have been thinking about that have moveable forks and they are made for the BX tractors. I e-mailed the guy and he says they weigh 125lbs for the frame and forks.
I checked those out as well. I liked that they were movable, but the rigidity of the frame and fork mounting points seemed questionable in comparison to the one I went with.

It also puts the load further out in front of the pins by a few inches. If you absolutely need movable forks, I think that's a better option than the bucket-mount options, but for me, the strong build of the fixed option (which also means you can use a little downforce to stay under brush/logs/trees/etc. when you're picking them up) was more important.

I have yet to run into a situation where the fixed width between the forks prevented me from using them, but YMMV.

-Rich H.
 
Last edited:

England14

New member

Equipment
BX23
Mar 20, 2015
15
0
0
Johnson City, TN
I checked those out as well. I liked that they were movable, but the rigidity of the frame and fork mounting points seemed questionable in comparison to the one I went with.

It also puts the load further out in front of the pins by a few inches.


-Rich H.
Are you not using a quick attach to switch from bucket to forks? If not how much of a problem is it to switch out from one to the other. (maybe time for a video)

The one on eBay locks the forks in at top and bottom except for a space in the middle where you have to slide the forks to remove them from the rack. So downward pressure would not be an issue.

I have a set of clamp on forks that work fairly well, but a set like one of these would increase my lifting capacity quite a bit at least a hundred or more pounds.
 

Kingcreek

Member

Equipment
Grand L3010 GST 4wd, LA481FEL, various attachments and accessories
Aug 3, 2011
457
1
18
NW Illinois
I'm not seeing a QA, just a conventional pin mount.
regardless, looks like a decent setup.
 

NetMagi

Active member

Equipment
BX25D (sold), L2501HST w/BH77 Backhoe
Dec 30, 2014
132
94
28
Pennsylvania
Not sure which ones you're referring to, but the set I have are quick attach.

They are available for the proprietary mytractortools Q/A. or the Kubota Q/A.

I ordered mine spec'd for the Kubota Q/A. You can see the Kubota Q/A behind the forks easier in this shot from the side.



-Rich H.