Small Brush Forks

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I've been wanting a small set of removable forks for pushing small brush piles around and into the fire using the tractor. My property is so tight I can't really manuver a lot but I can throw small piles of prunings out in the open then push them with the tractor to the fire. Never do a lot. A couple of days a year I go out and half heartedly prune and burn. The actual tractor time is almost nothing. Attached Images"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:That drill stem from a horizontal boring rig. Used to bore under roads. I've used quite a bit of it for cheater bars and handles and such. Pretty rugged stuff. We'll see. The cutting bar was off a small dozer. Dang hard material. You have to go easy on welding to it. The welds are prone to cracking. Attached Images"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:I didn't want to put a ton of beef into this thing for a number of reasons. The bucket material is something less than 3/16ths to begin with. The whole mounting is pretty iffy and doesn't seem rugged enough to do a lot of  heavy work. And as I said, very few real hours of use. Attached Images"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:I'll throw in a couple more pics here. Attached Images"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:Sandy,  I like your idea of a small brush fork.  I'm thinking about something similar for my small Yanmar tractor bucket.  I really don't want to drill holes in the bucket, so my idea was to build something like the "Paynes Forks" advertised in Northern Tools.  I thought for light duty, I could get by with 1"x3"x1/8" tubing for the tines and 3/8" or 1/2" flat bar for the clamps.  Do you think that would be hefty enough?  Like you, I would only be using it for limbs, brush, and such.Your project looks good, and uses scrap pieces effeciently.  I like that.Nctox,  Stickmate LX  235AC/160DC  HH210
Reply:For that type of clamping arrangement I'd go heavier than 1/2" or 1/2" with a strong back on top up to the point where the bolt goes through. You'd need about a 6" opening and with 6 inches there can be some deflection. With the leverage advantage of the forks you could open 1/2" right up with two or three hundred pounds. I'm able to get by with that cutting bar because it is so darn hard and rigid. The forks you're really only looking at a 1 inch web times two, the flat flange section doesn't account for much strength. So with that you'd have to commit yourself to pushing brush only and no lifting heavy objects. If your like me, the sum total of some of the brush piles doesn't amount to anything in weight just bulk and or lot of trips dragging sticks by hand."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:Thanks Sandy,  I will re-think the need for more strength in the clamps, and the tines also.Nctox,  Stickmate LX  235AC/160DC  HH210
Reply:Hey, if it works for you then it works.  Yup, light duty brush piles only.  Don't go lifting a big log with those small diameter 'teeth'.    The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:The neat thing about the drill stem is that it has properties similar to spring steel, it will bend and return to its shape.The bad part is, it becomes brittle when welded. If you had some more cutting edge or some flatbar, you maywant to use another continuous piece on the back of the bucket to bolt through, "sandwich" it. Those buckets are not very strong, I had to rebuild mine after I made a "stump cutter" for it. It worked and gaveme a good reason to "improve" the bucket. (Sorry no pics)Aeromax Service Truck w/ 6,000lb Crane to carry my toys.Miller Trailblazer 302'69 Lincoln SA-200A couple of Victor Jr's to make big pieces smaller..........
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseHey, if it works for you then it works.  Yup, light duty brush piles only.  Don't go lifting a big log with those small diameter 'teeth'.
Reply:Originally Posted by Pipeline MechanicThe neat thing about the drill stem is that it has properties similar to spring steel, it will bend and return to its shape.The bad part is, it becomes brittle when welded. If you had some more cutting edge or some flatbar, you maywant to use another continuous piece on the back of the bucket to bolt through, "sandwich" it. Those buckets are not very strong, I had to rebuild mine after I made a "stump cutter" for it. It worked and gaveme a good reason to "improve" the bucket. (Sorry no pics)