My grandpa is need some forks for his tractor, It a Kubota L3400, Its a compact trator. We'll be using it for building our motel. Lifting materials up to the 2nd floor. How do you guys feel about the ones ive attached. My load cap. on the bucket is just 1000 pounds. We use it for everything, we though it would be handy for the contractors... Any info is appreaticated...:)

The farmer I worked for in high school had a set somewhat similar to that-only 30 years older-for the loader on his JD 2630. They were okay as long as you were careful about how much weight you had on them (and where you had that weight). I wouldn't have wanted to pick up much with them, though, as it puts a lot of stress on the bucket mounts. The length of the forks turns them into quite a good lever to start multiplying forces.

I think forks for a front end loader are the handiest attachment to have. The ones in your picture are nice because you can change the widths. But in addition to what habanero said about the leverage of the forks on the end of the bucket, the forks also put stress on the front lip of the bucket. I have borrowed a tractor setup that way and having the bucket still mounted makes it difficult to see what you are trying to pick with the forks. The wieght of the bucket will take away from the potential weight you can lift. As much as my father and I have used the forks on our tractors I would get some made at a metal fab shop that pin right in to the loader arms. Just my two cents.

I think forks for a front end loader are the handiest attachment to have. The ones in your picture are nice because you can change the widths. But in addition to what habanero said about the leverage of the forks on the end of the bucket, the forks also put stress on the front lip of the bucket. I have borrowed a tractor setup that way and having the bucket still mounted makes it difficult to see what you are trying to pick with the forks. The wieght of the bucket will take away from the potential weight you can lift. As much as my father and I have used the forks on our tractors I would get some made at a metal fab shop that pin right in to the loader arms. Just my two cents.

Thats what i was thinking, he's thinking about buying this set and having them made to have a better "connection" to the tractor...There priced at 500 shipped...

I really couldn't tell you if that is a good price or not. The two sets we have came with the tractors. One set looks homemade out of pipe the other set on the big tractor looks manufactured. I would suggest going by a welding shop tell them what you want and see if they could ball park you a price.

Sorry the picture isn't better, this is our big tractor with the forks.

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=29487&d=1164670787

They should work fine, just watch what your picking up they can tip quick

I bought a set from Horst Welding for my JD 4300 tractor. They replace the bucket entirely, which lets you see where the tips of the forks are from the seat. This type also lets you carry the load much closer to the tractor than the bucket type forks, which allows you to lift more weight safely. I think it is the handiest attachement for a loader. Here is a link to a similar set to the ones I have: http://www.horstwelding.com/hla_items.php?id=43 Mine have solid steel forks instead of the tubular style shown in the link. They use a quick attach setup so I can switch back and forth between the bucket and the forks in about 2 minutes. The cost was around $750 through my local Deere dealer.

You'll be fine with those type designed forks and for $500,it's a decent deal.Like previously mentioned,visibility sucks,so when I have mine on and someone is around,I'll ask for guidance.Just watch your weight and make sure you're in all the way to the cutting edge before you lift.