Forklift repair

admin

Hey guys I've got a broken fork to repair. It measures 8'' x 1.5''. How would you do it? I intend to vee it out to acheive 100% and fill er up with 7018 is this acceptable?
Reply:I work on this kind of stuff all the time and when a fork breaks it's time for a new one.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:I would trash it, but if you weld it, it will need to be heat teated and 7018 probably isn't the right rod.  Find out what the fork is made of, but don't tell em you are going to weld it.Forks are hard tempered steel.David....Forklift mechanic for 15 years  Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I'm with JR and David R. It's not worth the risk. Could get someone injured or killed.
Reply:Don't think it's even legal to weld or alter a fork in any way. Even if it was I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, if the origonal unrepaired one broke, you can bet a repaired one will.We had drilled a 5/8 hole in the very end of our forks to secure a pocket made from 2" x 6" tubing with a 2" ball welded to for moving a small boat trailer around, worked great too. Came time for the annual inspection the outfit doing it put it out of service until we bought a new one. Final solution was to get a longer piece of tubing and weld the ball on the end so the trailer couldn't slide up the fork and a shot piece of chain so it couldn't slide off....Mike
Reply:You could use the steel for something else!  We had the local lift place bring us the mast from a fork lift last month, boss said "No way". Last week, A friend that works at the Union Pacific shop around the corner dropped off a very large fork attachment for a front end loader. The forks were attached to a 3" steel bar that allowed them to slid left 'n' right.The bar was bent and they brought a new one with them. No welding involved to replace it, but when we found that the side of the unit was bent, we called them and they told us it was now scrap.Yup
Reply:ive welded the ends back on em where they slide along the bar , but theres no ohs laws taken into consideration where i come from
Reply:Originally Posted by big wormHey guys I've got a broken fork to repair. It measures 8'' x 1.5''. How would you do it? I intend to vee it out to acheive 100% and fill er up with 7018 is this acceptable?
Reply:Heat treatment starts with raising the steel to 1600 degrees to achieve an austenitic state. Hold that temperature for an hour per inch of thickness. Then you would have to follow a (the exact, correct) TTT diagram for proper quenching and tempering. So, go ahead and vee it out for full pen first. Don't forget to preheat and post heat.(Welding forks will void your warranty, your results will vary, do not try this at home, not suitable for younger audiences, never mix Mentos and soda...blah,blah,blah,blah.)[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MJn99EYC4I[/ame](Don't weld the forks.)         <--------------------------<<< Please!! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Let me clarify a little bit more on this. We had a guy come and buy 2 draglines, 1 890 deere exc., and a komatsu track loader for scrap. You probably know that scrappers are hell on equipment. It was one of those if it works or doesn't its fine. The way they used there equipment its a wonder more isn't broken.For the actual process I air-arced off hardfacing ( where it broke)  and welded it with Excelloy 61S 1/8''. This rod is intended for pulling studs. We bought 5lbs. when we had a master pin on our dozer keep breaking. Turned out pretty good and of coarse only time will tell if it works. The rod has a 136,000 psi tensile strentgh with 30% elongation BTW
Reply:The fork will break and you can be held liable for it....forks are cheap....once they are welded or cut on you must heat treat them..... and then they must be re certified for the class they are .....class3 = one ton etc...... I have seen many with holes torched in the ends for trailer balls or chains....no big deal as the tips don't carry the load...... I hate to know that I was responsible for a car falling off the loader after the fork I repaired failed and hurt someone.....and it doesn't matter if the rod you used had 1,000,000,000 PSI tensile strength...it is the HAZ that is the issues here...
Reply:no way, i would have run away from that one. you are not even supposed to cut,drill , or weld on the rops of the forklift(roll over protection system)Millermatic 211weldpack 3200 squirtgunsquare wave 200victory journeyman kitHypertherm 30xptoo much other crap to listtinkerer extraordinaire
Reply:Originally Posted by big wormLet me clarify a little bit more on this. We had a guy come and buy 2 draglines, 1 890 deere exc., and a komatsu track loader for scrap. You probably know that scrappers are hell on equipment. It was one of those if it works or doesn't its fine. The way they used there equipment its a wonder more isn't broken.For the actual process I air-arced off hardfacing ( where it broke)  and welded it with Excelloy 61S 1/8''. This rod is intended for pulling studs. We bought 5lbs. when we had a master pin on our dozer keep breaking. Turned out pretty good and of coarse only time will tell if it works. The rod has a 136,000 psi tensile strentgh with 30% elongation BTW
Reply:My main customers are scrap yards that abuse their equipment. I build fork attachments for them and if you do it right there is no danger, but if anything is incorrect it's a different story. They now know I know what I am doing and if I say replace it instead of repair it they get a new one. Yeah I lose money by doing that, but I also don't have the thought of something I did knowing it would fail and possibly kill someone hanging over my head. Nor do I have the liability.You are probably right mark. There seems to be a lot of those who come here asking advice choosing to ignore it since it isn't what they want to hear of late. Really getting to resemble the Miller board, and that was the main reason I quit wasting time there.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Originally Posted by mark8310Well, from here sounds like he already did it, didn't really want any advice,  I'm thinking he did it before even putting up the original post, just looking at the posting times.
Reply:Most fork tines break from a jam or bind that places a great cantilever load on the fork, away from the heel.Simple overloads usually just pick up the back of the machine, or don't budge.Whenever a fork truck is in operation the forks are constantly "tested" by heavy dynamic loads. I believe  it would be extremely rare, if not impossible, for a tine that stands up to the dynamics of a truck lifting and carrying a given load to then suddenly snap while static.New tine blanks are sold which require field welding of eyes, hooks, ears, plates, etc, so forks are certainly not an unweldable mystery metal. If you watch forks for the tell tail color variation of a weld, you'll notice that fork welding is more common than is acknowledged.I agree people don't belong under forked loads, even with brand new forks. There are many good reasons to stay clear of a forked load, but realistically the potential of an instant fork failure would probably not be at the top of the list.Let's hear how Bigworm did it, and how it works out.Maybe his techniques could be applied to other non-fork applications, that require welding of medium carbon steel.Last edited by denrep; 08-17-2008 at 02:08 AM.
Reply:Keep us posted on the outcome of the fork, I am interested, I had biult a fork attachment for a LARGE articulated loader for a salvage yard a couple of years ago. I had to weld the forks on because the ears were missing, the forks were a ittle over six feet long. Don't worry about some of the smart asses, every place has them.Tim Beeker.
Reply:Denrep this fork will probably break again. It is on a Cat 933 loader. They broke it loading the base of a dragline. While trying to load it they had a John Deere dozer as a counter weight, not sure on the size but comparable to a D5 Cat. With that in mind if this were being used for its original intentions it would probably be fine.Unfortunately when you don't have the resources for proper tools, equipment things get pushed way beyond there breaking point. So in this situation obviously a crane would have been the choice but we know how that goes. This fork was loaded at the tip and had been previously hardfaced no doubt this is probably what caused the break.
Reply:Originally Posted by 84zmikeThe fork will break and you can be held liable for it....forks are cheap....once they are welded or cut on you must heat treat them..... and then they must be re certified for the class they are .....class3 = one ton etc...... I have seen many with holes torched in the ends for trailer balls or chains....no big deal as the tips don't carry the load...... I hate to know that I was responsible for a car falling off the loader after the fork I repaired failed and hurt someone.....and it doesn't matter if the rod you used had 1,000,000,000 PSI tensile strength...it is the HAZ that is the issues here...
Reply:Ok guys I'm not sayin it will last forever but they loaded scrap most of today and yesterday with it and no problems. They didn't load nothing super heavy with it but I'm also sure they weren't easy on it. Thanks for everyones input, have a good one!
Reply:[QUOTE] agree people don't belong under forked loads, even with brand new forks. There are many good reasons to stay clear of a forked load, but realistically the potential of an instant fork failure would probably not be at the top of the list.[QUOTE]very good advice.  I havent seen a fork snap, i have seen them bend, but no instant breaks, and i work around 988's super 30's etc...big, heavy loads on them all the time.  What i have seen is hydraulic lines blow out, and fittings break, sending the forks to the ground instantly, very scary stuff.
Reply:denreps adviceI agree people don't belong under forked loads, even with brand new forks. There are many good reasons to stay clear of a forked load, but realistically the potential of an instant fork failure would probably not be at the top of the list.very good advice.  I havent seen a fork snap, i have seen them bend, but no instant breaks, and i work around 988's super 30's etc...big, heavy loads on them all the time.  What i have seen is hydraulic lines blow out, and fittings break, sending the forks to the ground instantly, very scary stuff.
Reply:They make a fork attachment for a 988? I've seen them move some heavy stuff with just a chain and bucket.
Reply:Most of the time it's fine to do stuff like this but every now and then......  I welded a fork back up around 7-8 yrs ago on a 6000# lift and still holding fine.  And I know it's seen way more than 6000#DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Disregarding whether a welded fork is safe or not but anyone who stands under a lifted load if it is a forklift, ginpoles on a truck, a crane, or whatever ain't too bright. Never saw a forklift drop anything but have seen a set of ginpoles break and a cable snap and you don't have time to do any thing if you are under the load but get squashed. Like a bug.You're definately right oldtimer. We use our loaders as cranes often enough that we're comfortable to do it but noone gets under the load or the bucket for sure.
Reply:I am in California which has tons of regulations that other states do not.  I was sent this comment from one of the forklift trainers at work.If this is a commercial operation, your OSHA and/or workman'scomp inspector may have a cow if they notice themodified/extended forks.Many serious accidents have occurred when using a fork truck withmodified forks and one of these broke or bent, generally becauseof gross overloading.  The load will tip sideways very quickly,possibly tipping the truck on its side.  Fatalities have resulted, and there is an ongoing effort in manyjurisdictions to file criminal in addition to civilcomplains/charges in these types of situations.  Thus, as theresponsible individual the event of an accident, you could get a3 to 5 [year] all expense paid vacation for "recklessendangerment" or manslaughter at a state run facility, inaddition to having a large OSHA fine levied against the company(assuming your company is not large enough to have sufficientsuction/traction in Washington to be OSHA exempt.)  Additionally, there is some move to restrict the "workman'scompensation" immunity to civil suits for on the job injuries toonly the company/employer.  Individual supervisors/managers thatknowingly create egregiously hazardous conditions, without theknowledge of the employer, such as removing guards or lockouts,have on occasion been sued for "wrongful death," and/or injury,and in a few instances been found personally liable.
Reply:Boy, it must suck living in California.Tim Beeker.
Reply:actually it doesnt...expensive, but it definitely doesnt suck
Reply:Originally Posted by matThe Heat affected zone may be the issue but we have a process called Normalising to deal with this issue. You sound like you have been welding for about two seconds.
Reply:I realize this post is a few years old, but wanted to stress the point that forks should be replaced and not repaired. Most individuals / businesses do not have the expertise or equipment to perform this repair correctly. The liability for something like this breaking and causing injury or death is unbelievable. So please, if you do not have the experience and equipment buy new ones.The damaged forks can serve an after life. At work I was told there were a couple forks on a welding table that were in need of repair, and I was supposed to see what I could do with them. I took them over to the band saw and made several 10" long press blocks out of the flat areas of the forks. These are nice and strong. Management was not happy at first, but after showing them information from fork manufacturers and OSHA, they were satisfied that the correct thing had been done.Last but not least, the Excelloy Stud Pull rod mentioned by one of the posters is an excellent rod for removing broken bolts and studs. I have used these to remove bolts that were broken off 2" below the surface. If used within their intended heat range, the special flux on the rods fill in the internal threads protecting them from weld deposit and spatter. Just make sure you have the rod centered on the broken stud or bolt, then place slight pressure on the rod while welding all the way to the top of the hole. Then plug weld a washer with a slightly smaller center than the bolt hole on top og the previous weld after you have removed the slag. Then weld a large nut on top of the washer, let it cool slightly, then remove the broken stuc, bolt, tap, easy out, etc with a wrench. Before using these rods, we were sending things to machine shops a few times a month. With all the money we have saved by using these, it does not hurt as bad when we absolutely need to order new parts.