Truck Thursday: Reader Submission: Hoonable Forklift
Carl sent in the pictures of this very interesting forklift. Now, I only know two things about forklifts and they are both wrong, but this thing sure as heck does not look like any forklift I have ever seen.
According to Carl the owner of this thing is Mike Bennett of Purdy, Missouri. He says “he doesn’t use it so much since he sold his trucking business but it still comes in handy if he needs to lift something heavy.” Hmm, with a 25,000lb lift capacity and over 12 feet of lift height, what sort of stuff does Mike have laying around?
This creation is based on an early 70s model, specifically of what I am not sure, and features a CAT 3208 diesel with twin 6-inch chrome stacks. Total weight comes to 33,500lbs. Insert Tim ‘The Toolman’ Taylor grunt here. 8-foot forks and a heated cab round off this useful, comfy, and hoonable forklift.
One last, but certainly not least, thing Carl mentions is that Mike “was told that a side shift fork positioning mechanism couldn’t be fitted to this model Mike , being a good hoon built his own side shifting fork positioning mechanism that works.” I google’d this and came up with nothing, perhaps someone can explain?
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<-Former forklift operator. A side shifting mechanism moves the forks laterally in relation to the mast. This makes picking up and positioning the load MUCH easier.
I, too, am a former forklift operator. My first real job. If I'd had something like this, I might still be doing that job.
I think "side shift" refers to the fact that on most large fork lifts, the spacing between the forks can be adjusted to fit the load. Unlike warehouse types of fork lifts that deal with standard width palettes, larger machine lift all sorts of non-standard loads. On basic machines, the forks are moved by hand, on more modern or "upscale" models, there is one (or two) hydraulic ram for this purpose.
Here is a picture of a manually adjustable setup:
<img src="http://r1.cygnuspub.com/files/cygnus/image/FCP/2009/FEB/495×330/adjustableforks_10079743.png" width="640/">
Here is an hydraulically ajustable one:
<img src="http://shawbros.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Wheel-loader-hydraulic-forks.jpg" width=640>
Not only larger forklifts, the forks that we use on our Cat skid steer at work are the same design. However, Abe correctly identified what a sideshift mechanism is. It's a handy thing to have on a forklift.
Learn something new everyday. Thanks!
Side shift positioning is a mechanism found on most forklifts that allows the forks to move side to side in relation to the forklift itself. It's a function usually used when placing the load, say, next to a wall in a trailer, warehouse, or some other object without taking the forklift unnecessarily close to the wall itself.
Also, I fail to see how a forklift can be in any way hoonable, with rear wheel steering they're inherently unstable unless they're driven backwards. Moving forwards, even at low speeds, minute input to the steering will translate to a large change in direction. At higher speeds and with pneumatic tires, this machine could easily tip over if handled with the least disrespect.
But it's huge, is bright yellow and has a potentially monster Cat engine in it, so I do concede it's awesomeness.
The only forklift I've piloted was a probably-mid-'80s Cat with its straight-six converted to run on propane. It had no brakes at the time, wouldn't climb any appreciable grade, and was usually a bastard to start. The nickname it came with was 'Jezebel' – good enough for me.
Minimum output for this engine is 210hp and 400lb-ft, max is 435 and 815. I imagine this beastie will pull most things.
At least your lift had an engine, the one I get to drive is electric and is slower than walking with a pallet jack.
Oh, it'd have no trouble whatsoever comparatively. Jezebel, though… yeah, top speed was a moderate walking pace unless you were foolish enough to start down a hill. Shuffling half-ton bales of recycled HDPE didn't throw off the performance much, at least.
I found a way to stop a forklift with no brakes, or at least the other operator at a company I worked for did.
Step 1: Raise boom full up
Step 2: Forget it's there
Step 3: Get a running start towards open bay door from opposite end of warehouse
Step 4: Stop abruptly as fork blades pierce wall above open bay door from inside out
Step 5: Profit! At least in the form of final paycheck, handed to you by angry supervisor
Step 6: Live forever in Alff's memory
Was decommissioning an old grocery store which had an electric walk behind forklift.
They loaded it onto the enclosed truck trailer towards the front.
I asked if anyone disconnected the battery, which they assured me they did.
I go home and catch the 11pm news to see the truck/trailer stuck under an overpass. Turns out they didn't disconnect the battery. So a box shifted, the forks rose through the trailer roof and plunged into the concrete overpass. Peeled the roof off that trailer like a sardine can.
If you want it done right, do it yourself.
Forklifts are totally hoonable. Go around corners on two wheels! Lift a heavy load and do reverse wheelies! See how long your burnout is on the shop floor! They are also a good way to lift a car onto a trailer or hoist an engine.
Ramps? I don't need no stinking ramps
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6809391683_432c1e899b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="the pick 009">
At first, I thought it was a hay sqeeze, used to load and unload big flatbed semi trailers with bales of hay. It squeezes the forks tightly on the bottom layer of hay, and picks up a whole stack of bales up and moves it. They run down the highway like a truck to wherever they're needed. Unloading a semi trailer of hay bales manually really sucks, no matter how many guys you have, so these are just a splendid invention.
<img src="http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/dean_docter/ca2002/maggini/squeeze_at_work3.jpg">
I've done it, in addition to my dad having owned a feed store a trucker friend used to bring a couple squeezes over from Nevada. One for him and one for us.
There's a saying in my family, "There's a lotta waste in them big bales."
Yeah, the cows just take them apart, trample and shit all over the loose hay. However, they're nice if you're lazy. You can pick them up with a forklift, just stick the forks in them and put them wherever you want them, and let the damn cows stuff their faces. Repeat a week later. I like that system more than feeding 125 pound bales of hay to the ingrates every morning, like I'm their freakin' waitress.
Please explain to this ignoramus why forklifts don't tip over when they lift something really heavy. Danke!
"Total weight comes to 33,500lbs."
They do. It just has to be really really heavy.
See that axle by the forks? If there is more load on one side than there is forklift on the other, it's tippy time.
Not necessarily – the forks will likely bend first. See my story about how to stop a forklift with no brakes, above. That was operator's strike 2. Strike 1 was attempting to lift one forklift with another of equal size. All that amounted to was a pair of hideously bent forks.
The "rear" bumpers are solid counterweights.
I own the yellow cat 25,000 lift, it doesn't have side shift just fork postitioners. because the forks weight about 400lbs each.
Once it has weight on it you can't move them. i have have smaller lifts that do have side shift but that is built in to th carriage.
also wil run down the road i 3rd or high gear with no trouble at all, i have had about 8 yrs and had to drive it a few miles to a bad truck wreck for lifting trailer etc. off of other car. I enjoy the lift, though i don't use it much [should sell it but ican bring my self to do it]
thanks for input
That's one hell of a nice forklift, Mike. Thanks for sharing it with us. The world is a better place, knowing that there are badass forklifts like yours out there, and you're just like the rest of us, not wanting to part with it. Why do that? I wish I had one, myself. I don't know what the hell I'd do with it, other than lifting a big rock or two, but still, you know what I'm saying. Cheers.
It's awesome, thanks Mike! Well done!
I once changed a street light bulb while standing on a stool in a shipping crate on a forklift that was maxed out on lift. Yes, small operator inputs are good at that height.
Please put that in a blender with this. I want those wheels.
<img src="http://hooniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/100_1302-01-480×360.jpg">
http://hooniverse.com/2009/12/04/mystery-yard-tru…
That's why you never see a forklift lifting a heavy load purely vertical. it's usually under an angle towards the forklift so that when the load gets high up, the center of gravity of the whole thing (forklift and load) doesn't shift to far forwards but stays over or behind the front axle.
On a summer job I used to drive the forklift around without a permit (required) and got pretty good at it. At some point they needed someone to put a tall and wide load on a truck. They asked me to help, and I was more than happy to. It was probably 15ft wide and 6 feet tall. Very carefully I managed to get it on to the truck, and afterwards they told me that it was a multi million dollar electronics cabinet that everyone else was didn't dare to move because they knew the value….. To this day I'm happy I didn't drop it!