Forklift fork uses

[Ernie42141]

Team. I have access to some old forklift forks and was wondering if they are worth getting and what's theiron best uses.

[House of D]

Ernie,

They have lots of uses, if you have the means to cut them into what you desire. Striking anvils, regula anvil, a floor mounted upsetting block for the bigger, longer pieces. Hardy mounted block fuller...all sorts of hardy tools, swages, etc. The possibilities are endless. With a torch and welder there's not much you can't do with them. Definitely worth your time I'd say.

D

[SmoothBore]

The last 2 sets I had, ... were bought by guys who wanted to mount them on the buckets of front-end loaders.

I'd rather see them "re-purposed" in that fashion, ... than just cut them up for the material.

It's a fine thing, to turn "junk" into something useful, ... but less so, to destroy something useful, in order to make something else.

If no other material was available, ... it would be different, ... but the $200 you can get for a pair of forks, will buy you a piece of steel that's even more suitable for your intended use.

 

.

 

[Ernie42141]

I buy this stuff at 25 cents a pound at a salvage yard.

[ThomasPowers]

And many fork lift tines in salvage yards should NOT be re-used for load bearing purposes.  Generally they are a good quality medium carbon steel and so great for tooling, dies, anvils, see http://www.marco-borromei.com/fork.html ), etc.

[Ernie42141]

Yep I would never reuse for load bearing. I thinking hammers Flatters and handy tools

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

They can be welded into an anvil, used as an anvil as is, made into a post vise, used as stakes, and other items that 4xxx series steels are used. I believe Glenn saved the information I got from some forklift manufactures as to what alloys they used, I believe they are in a scrap steel sticky. I do remember that after a certain load range they used a different series of steel alloys.

If I had a pair of them, and wanted to make an anvil I would cut a section as the top plate. The tapered ends would be cut long enough to make the body, and horn when stood on edge, and then welded under the top plate. If the welds were controlled the original heat treating would be left intact on the top. A base could be done out of any plate. That should produce an anvil in the 150# range depending on the size of forks used.