Tractor to forklift

Brad_bb · Dec 19, 2009

I'm in the market for a rough terrain forktruck for use here on the farm. I am doing timberframing and want to be able to lift multiple 600lb timbers. I've seen older tractors from the 50's and 60's that are forktrucks. Are those usually factory made that way or are the converted after the fact? What capacity do those typically have - 4000lb? How is the lift rating done? Rated with all the weight on the back of the forks? Or is it just the cylinder rating and you have to ballast the back of the forktruck accordingly? Any advice on going about looking for one? I'm interested in gas or lp. Gas I know I can work on. LP seems to be a little less maintenance from my experience. Doing a google search I didn't come up with much on these types of rough terrain forktrucks. Any advice on where to look? Thanks much, Brad

Zachary Hoyt · Dec 19, 2009

I saw an IH 300 that was converted sell for $2000 at an auction here in NY just over a year ago. It was reversed and had a cast iron slab that extended under the full length of the tractor and ended in a huge weight, maybe 18" or 2' on a side in front of the radiator. It was a neat machine, but I don't know any more about it than that.
Zach

rrlund · Dec 19, 2009

Real common here on Michigan to convert IH BNs to forklifts. Mostly farmer conversions. I don't know how much a box of apples weighs,but I've never seen one of those units with a broken axle. That narrow front makes them turn on a dime in warehouses. Just drive down the road and you see them everywhere here. I would imagine they must turn the ring and pinion over to get them geared in the other direction.

dej(Jed) · Dec 19, 2009

I have an AC D15. It is a factory forklift. It will handle about 4000.

Auction · Dec 19, 2009

I'm in Georgia,I've seen a few factory made rough terrian lifts sell in the past few months at what I thought was a good price. Or at least what they were brining a few years ago.
I figured it might be due to the downturn in building??

Paul from MI · Dec 19, 2009

Another common one to convert is an Allis WC. Yes, The ring gear is flipped to get 4 speeds in reverse, 1 forward. Usually they used a separate pump to get live hydraulics. Lots of them used a power steering system from an old combine. I've seen well done ones that made a very rugged unit.

Dalex · Dec 19, 2009

Case makes a line of forklift tractors. Check out model 585E (google)for example. Carefully check the mast of the one you intend to buy , some early models had brass wear strips in the channels , and they are a big job to repair if they are shot .......

sodly · Dec 19, 2009

http://www.edwards-equip.com/

phillip d · Dec 19, 2009

there's a sawmill near here that converted an old ton truck about 35 years ago and still use it all the time.They run it with the lift on what used to be the back and the driver seats backwards in the cab.

old · Dec 19, 2009

I worked for a place about 15 or so years ago that had a couple of ones just like what you want. They where military surplus 4 wheel drive 4 wheel steer. Thoese things where big and the forks moved forward backwards up down and could also be swung to the side about 3 or more foot because of the steering. Saw more then one time they would pull up beside a pick up truck and set it up on a semi trailer and that didn't even make it grunt any

JMS/.MN · Dec 19, 2009

Local salvage yard has had 2-3 AC D17 industrials- they have a shuttle clutch in place of the Power Director hand clutch. Easily lift a car or pickup.

Ecnerwal · Dec 19, 2009

The real RT forks (ie, Lull) are not very amenable to converting from anything else. They are quite versatile and very spendy. The ability to reach with them is extremely useful on a jobsite.

The ones you are talking about (I think) with a normal fork tower on the back of a tractor can drive over rough terrain, but still have to get very close to where you want the item picked up or dropped off.

Another option is to put real forks (not add-on-the-front-of-the-bucket forks) on an industrial loader. Front-of-the-bucket forks are limited because they are much further out from the pivot, so they cannot pick up as much as forks mounted in place of the bucket.

Fork lift ratings are usually for a load centered on the middle of the standard-length fork - ie, if supplied stock with 46 inch forks, load rating is usually for center of gravity of the load at 23 inches out the forks. If picking up 4 foot pallets, that generally won't quite be true, so picking to the max rating is not a great plan - it usually isn't anyway. For beams, you can get a lot closer to the pivot, and pick more.

I suspect a crane would be a lot more use for timberframing than a forklift.

snitkawl · Dec 19, 2009

I built three forklifts using truck parts for the chassis and commercial forklift masts/hydraulics. If you are interested in building, I would be glad to tell you how I went about it. If you are looking for something to buy, I can"t help you.

Clodbuster · Dec 19, 2009

Cool. I have the parts gathered to do that too. If you can post up any photos, that would be great!

Ray · Dec 19, 2009

Rough terrain forklifts are cheap now with the building trade down.I bought a ford 8000 pound lift for 1650 a couple weeks ago.There's a lot of auctions on proxibid that sell them and local construction auctions.

Brad_bb · Dec 19, 2009

I'm looking for something like these:

sodly · Dec 19, 2009

Not sure where you're located but I know of an older IH 2400 (gas) tractor (hydro) with an Edwards lift on the back that is probably for sale. I'm guessing about a 4000# lift, although it only goes about 10 feet high.

sodly · Dec 19, 2009

or look here:

http://www.machinerytrader.com/drilldown/manufacturers.aspx?ETID=1&catid=1037

Just look at the tractor makes like AC, Deere, Case, etc. for off road types.

RayP(MI) · Dec 19, 2009

When I was a college student I worked for a pickle factory - (Remember Aunt Janes in Edmore, RR?) they had a couple Farmalls, C's if I remember right. Reversed operator position, flipped differential so had gearing reversed, added live hydraulics, and a commercial fork-lift type mast. Worked very well for yard work around factory. Would lift a couple 4x4 crates loaded with pickles with ease.

buickanddeere · Dec 19, 2009

There should be off road construction forklifts on the market for less $$$ than trying to mod a farm tractor.

rrlund · Dec 20, 2009

Yup,I do. And there was Vlasic in Sheridan. Every town and ghost town in the county had at least one pickle plant.

mEl · Dec 20, 2009

If you are doing serious work with a FL I would recommend the Case FL's. The D's and after were modular in design and the PS unit and the transmissions were separate units and the PS unit could be removed without splitting castings. The PS unit could be on the bench in 45 min. with a 2WD unit. The 188 CID engine and the later 3.9 Consolidated diesel (Cummins) engines were nearly bullet proof. They were some of the finest FL's built. The D series used the same driveline as the 580D backhoe and the series following were the E's 584, 586, were a couple models that come to mind, the B's were good also but built on a solid tractor that had to be split in to to get to the power shuttle and internal gears major work as compared to the later ones. HTH, mEl

Brad_bb · Dec 20, 2009

Good point about serviceability with the Case's. Unfortunately, all the D's and up seem to be a bit out of my price range. I'm thinking about $3000 to $8500 will be my budget. Serious work? Well I just need to shuttle timbers between my shed and my shop every so often(150 or so feet). Not a business, so not a lot of use intended. I also will need it to load timbers on a semi and take them off as needed, and if I could use the same forklift during assembly(in conjunction with a crane), for lifting girts and other materials, that would be a great plus.

snitkawl · Dec 20, 2009

Email me and I will be glad to help any way I can. I have learned a little about the problems you can run into.

Clodbuster · Dec 20, 2009

That would be great, what is your email?

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