Bent Forklift Forks..

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Ok so I was asked to fix this by a friend  Or to straighten and strengthen these forks...their main purpose is for demo work.. Not to pick skids up.. That's y they bent...I was wondering on ur thoughts on how I wan strengthen the bent section of forks? And I know it would take a while but heating it with oxy acetylene and hammering it straight would work correct? I was thinking on welding 3/8 plate along the top and bottom where the bend is...Let me know ur thoughts
Reply:go to the scrap yard and buy a new set,   those are toasted. you will never bend them with by heating and hammering. you would need a press to straigten them,  and after that they wouldn't be worth using anyway.
Reply:Originally Posted by jdbuckshotgo to the scrap yard and buy a new set,   those are toasted. you will never bend them with by heating and hammering. you would need a press to straigten them,  and after that they wouldn't be worth using anyway.
Reply:I heated and straightened tips that were bent about 4" from the end. Within a day of work they bent in exactly the same place with very little force put on them.As the others have said, those are done. Heating the metal seems to take all temper out of it and it becomes soft and easy to bend.
Reply:If we bent forks that much we would junk them. Your only real option would be to take them to a place that makes forks and see if they could straighten and re heat treat otherwise like GWD said, they'll look like that in a day.Millermatic 200Hobart Handler 120Victor O/A & Ramco BandsawLincoln 225 ACSnapOn AD HoodMiller XMT304/22AHypertherm Powermax 1650 G3Lincoln Idealarc DC600 w/Extreme 12 VSMiller Digital Elite "Joker"
Reply:2 guys, 2 torches, & a guy in the skid steer applying downward pressure to the forks using the bucket..Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:for beefing them up, get some 1" plate, apply 1 vert (pie shaped piece) to each side of each of the forks.Cut the tips flush on the end, but at the bend end make them about 6" tall up the sides.Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:Also keep in mind that forks have a rating and if you exceed that they will only bend again. The way those are mounted puts the stress in a different location on the fork compared to if they were sitting against a mast like they are intended to be. And if you weld on forks or cut holes in them generally you void any warranty that might come with them. Anyone else can chime in here but I have to agree with the advice you have gotten so far. Maybe approach it in a different way if you are doing demo work.Dutchman
Reply:I straiten a set of forks on a 544 John Deere loader a year ago and still staight and in service. Keep in mind that they where bent about a foot from the end. I had guys say that it wouldnt last and again still in service. I heated them with a rose buddy torch red hot and used the machince to bend them back. Good luck!
Reply:I'd be interested to know how they are being used. Maybe it's possible that a different implement may work and hold up better.Like others have mentioned... it will likely be cheaper (and safer) to replace the forks.Most forks are made of low alloy high carbon steel like 4340. They are forged and then heat treated. 4340 heat treat is done quench and temper for up to 260,000 psi ultimate tensile strength. It has very good ductility, like 10% elongation. It is also capable hardening through several inches of thickness. This makes it an ideal material for forks. Of course there are any number of other materials a manufacturer could have used.I imagine the forks could be straightened if they were heated in a furnace, straightened, and then re-heat treated. The real issue is not knowing the exact material and correct heat treat process for the fork design. Most materials are taken though several steps to get the right blend of hardness and ductility. It's possible that different heat treat and temper is applied to different parts of the fork based on it's function and material characteristics. Get it wrong and something that needs to remain soft for ductility becomes brittle and cracks.I have always been amazed at how tough forks are.
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireI'd be interested to know how they are being used. Maybe it's possible that a different implement may work and hold up better.
Reply:anyway you could use round stock to replace the forks?tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:You need a lot more heat than a torch! I would stick them in the forge, bend them straight with a press, then re-harden and temper. I don't remember, off the top of my head, the alloy used  for forks but it is fairly easy to harden and temper, you just need a lot more heat. Since these are already junk, and are going to be junk again in the future, I would straighten them the best I could by putting them on blocks and using the skidsteer to put down pressure on them. Then I would weld some 1"x4" plate on each side with 7018 ( keep the skidsteer on them while tacking the bar on if needed to keep them straightish.)
Reply:Send them to china to be recycled and get another set. If I had someone working for me doing demo and I saw that Id be PISSED! Wrong tool for the job!Learning one rod at a time
Reply:TIGger305  -  Cut 20" off the ends and tell your friend he now has a trencher attachment  -  Opus
Reply:Tell the operator to straighten the dayem things. Just do whatever he did only the other way. Or he can take them off and drive on them, lay them off the edge of a curb and push down with the bucket -----------tons of things he could do, get creative like he did to bend them. He managed the 1st time easy enough."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:cut them in half and throw them in the bin, they are JUNK nowVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Originally Posted by Dualiecut them in half and throw them in the bin, they are JUNK now
Reply:WOW!!!!...thanks guys...yea I decided that it wasn't worth straightening...I could do it but I didn't want to do it and it happens again....Their used for pulling roots on trees and demo work...Pulling a root or stump on a HUGE tree did this bend...he's just gonna get another set. And use this till the totally unusable....THANKS AGAIN GUYS!!!!...u been a MAJOR help!!!!!...
Reply:Originally Posted by TIGger305WOW!!!!...thanks guys...yea I decided that it wasn't worth straightening...I could do it but I didn't want to do it and it happens again....Their used for pulling roots on trees and demo work...Pulling a root or stump on a HUGE tree did this bend...he's just gonna get another set. And use this till the totally unusable....THANKS AGAIN GUYS!!!!...u been a MAJOR help!!!!!...
Reply:Gerry, that idea won't really work for what they did to bend these. My original guess on how they screwed them up was pretty close, except I guessed crete since he said demo. If he'd said the guy was a landscaper, tree stumps would have been my 2nd guess behind ripping out sidewalks.  They jam the thin forks under the roots and heave. A good operator will have a "feel" for the machine and know when to stop before he rips the machine apart. The solution was a bigger machine, but I know that's not always an easy option. A good operator can make a smaller machine work often if they use finesse vs brute force. Jam the blades in and shift side to side a bit and try to lift, reset and try again some where else, try to push from above if they were smart enough to leave a good sized portion of the trunk up for leverage.. Keep working it and chances are it will come loose if you are patient. A poor operator will simply jam it in and go at it as hard as they can and tear things up.Good operators are good for companies running equipment. Bad operators are good for those of us who make a living fixing the stuff they tear up all the time. .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:TIGger,  I don't know about New York, but down here in Delaware you can buy forks as cheap as $100.-150. a pair. I don't think you could come close to fixing them for that everything considered. The problem is can you trust the repair? You won't know until they break or bend again. Just a thought.
Reply:What about using a jack a big hydrolouic jack maybe welding some temp tabs to get the chain in and use the jack to straighten it out. ?
Reply:Good operator will feel, I wonder what the pins look like on the skid steer. Ill bet the boom arms are sloppy as all get out. Nuttin I hate to see is a piece of equipment abused like this. I know Cat has tree spades for skid steers, Ive deliverd them on track units.Learning one rod at a time
Reply:"Junk"   and if you think you can straighten them with jacks and other prying methods think about that, if you can bend them back with a jack , how easy will it be to tweak them again after the steel has been bent at least twice,     Only solution is not economically sound, Forge furnace and heat treat, would be for item that is non replaceable.  For the guys that aren't familiar with skid steers, down pressure is very weak, front end just lifts off.  I can't even break most tire beads with mine without lifting front end, Picking power is good, down pressure just aint there."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400Those used bent forks work great to cut them and make a poor man's anvil.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:you will never bend them with by heating and hammering.
Reply:junk, a wast of time to try and fix, around here good used forks are about 100 - to $150 a set.....
Reply:I aint a demo expert, but those don't seem like the correct tool for the job. They make stump buckets, slab lifters, etc for a reason.He is gonna keep replacing forks all the time and if he was doing work at my house I would think he looks like a idiot who doesn't have the right tools.PROUD   AMERICAN
Reply:I'd sell them to a local blacksmith. They'll make striker anvils out of them and be happy to take them off your hands. Probably get more than scrap for them too.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Ah you do know that this thread is about a year old rightBacked my CATMA over your CARMA oops clusmy me  What would SATAN do ?? Miller Trailblazer 302 AirPakMiller Digital Elite  Optrel Welding HatArcair K4000Suitcase 12RC / 12 VSHypertherm PM-45Rage 3 sawRusty old Truck
Reply:lol. oh well. I'm not the one who dug it up. thats all I know.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:What the fork ?
Reply:I agree that the bent section of your Forklift Forks is beyond repair! Get a new piece and sell the current one in the scrap market. The cost incurred in heating and hammering will be a waste and they will never be as good as they were originally. Thanks for sharing!
Reply:Originally Posted by TIGger305Their used for pulling roots on trees and demo work...Pulling a root or stump on a HUGE tree did this bend...he's just gonna get another set. And use this till the totally unusable....
Reply:Does he realize there are dedicated root digging attachments? Nothing like being a lazy cheapass.
Reply:If you have employees and anyone gets hurt because of repaired forks, they'll throw you under the jail. Don't believe me? Burn a hole in the end of a fork then show an OSHA inspector, then look at your watch to see how fast he red flags the equipment. Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Some people can mess up a crowbar in a cottonfield as they say..     Actually I wonder how good these were to start with.  I've seen lots of messed up skidloader forks, but its almost always the mast that gets messed up first.  As they've said, he's using the wrong tool for the job.  A skidloader certainly isn't the best digging tool.  Its more like a scoop shovel, better suited for loose material.Miller 250x & Lincoln V205-TSmith Oxy-Prop torch
Reply:FYI most skid steers come with 1.25” thickness x 4” width forks, those are rated for 4400 pounds per pair.  If you really want to beef up capacity if you think you’ll be using your machine like this in the future, try 1.75” thickness x 5” width—capacity on those is 9020 pounds!  I found this site has more info - Store.intellaliftparts.com
Reply:sweet spam broVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Gosh,Do you have access to a 100-150ton press???Should straighen them right out....Been there.~JohnJust a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:Since I don't think you necessarily need thin. After you've straightened the forks, take a piece of maybe 1+1/2 inch square steel the width of the fork and a piece of 1/2+ flat bar the width of the fork, maybe 2 feet long, secure the square across the middle of the flat bar, center the square over the bend, weld one end of the flat to the fork bend the other end down to the fork and weld. Creates a truss. Plate the sides if you like. Try this when they bend the new forks.---MeltedmetalLast edited by Meltedmetal; 04-17-2014 at 09:00 AM.
Reply:Google stump bucket for skid steer.  I have built a couple work great for demo, digging out big rocks, and stumps.
Reply:this thread is long dead and gone boys.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger