I've got a scissor lift (Snorkel) at my ranch and was considering whether
it's feasible to add a pair of removable forks to use it occasionally inside
buildings as a fork lift. The scissor lift has a pull-out platform on one
end that can handle at least 250 lbs of live load (the pull-out platfrom
itself must weight at least 150 lbs). So, forks mounted on the opposite end
should be good for 400 lbs or so. It would be used inside a couple of
buildings for moving pallets around including in and out of racks. For
outside work, I have a forklift attachment for one of my tractors, but the
tractor is too big for some inside work.

Has anyone heard of something like this? What is the (falling) downside?
How would you go about it? Where to get the materials? I've got good
welding skills (torch, mig, stick). I was thinking of a couple of Z-shaped
forks. One end of each fork would slide into a steel casing that I would
weld to the floor of the scissor lift; the other end would slide into a
pallet.

Mike

wrote in message
...
I've got a scissor lift (Snorkel) at my ranch and was considering whether
it's feasible to add a pair of removable forks to use it occasionally
inside buildings as a fork lift. The scissor lift has a pull-out platform
on one end that can handle at least 250 lbs of live load (the pull-out
platfrom itself must weight at least 150 lbs). So, forks mounted on the
opposite end should be good for 400 lbs or so. It would be used inside a
couple of buildings for moving pallets around including in and out of
racks. For outside work, I have a forklift attachment for one of my
tractors, but the tractor is too big for some inside work.

Has anyone heard of something like this? What is the (falling) downside?
How would you go about it? Where to get the materials? I've got good
welding skills (torch, mig, stick). I was thinking of a couple of
Z-shaped forks. One end of each fork would slide into a steel casing that
I would weld to the floor of the scissor lift; the other end would slide
into a pallet.

Mike

Sounds like you maybe an entrant for the Darwin Awards this year.

Probably not a good idea. A forklift generally has a capacity that is 1/2
of its weight, and the design is such so the loaded fork lift has enough
ballast to keep it from tipping.

A scissor lift is designed to lift loads straight up, and is not designed to
be off balance.

Doing so will probably bend something and or cause it to fall over.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.


wrote in message
...
I've got a scissor lift (Snorkel) at my ranch and was considering whether
it's feasible to add a pair of removable forks to use it occasionally
inside
buildings as a fork lift. The scissor lift has a pull-out platform on one
end that can handle at least 250 lbs of live load (the pull-out platfrom
itself must weight at least 150 lbs). So, forks mounted on the opposite
end
should be good for 400 lbs or so. It would be used inside a couple of
buildings for moving pallets around including in and out of racks. For
outside work, I have a forklift attachment for one of my tractors, but the
tractor is too big for some inside work.

Has anyone heard of something like this? What is the (falling) downside?
How would you go about it? Where to get the materials? I've got good
welding skills (torch, mig, stick). I was thinking of a couple of
Z-shaped
forks. One end of each fork would slide into a steel casing that I would
weld to the floor of the scissor lift; the other end would slide into a
pallet.

Mike

Roger Shoaf wrote:
...
A scissor lift is designed to lift loads straight up, and is not designed to
be off balance.
....

He said that this one is designed to hold a 250# load off center. Bob

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
. ..
Roger Shoaf wrote:
...
A scissor lift is designed to lift loads straight up, and is not
designed to
be off balance.
...

He said that this one is designed to hold a 250# load off center. Bob

Actually what he said was:

"The scissor lift has a pull-out platform on one end that can handle at
least 250 lbs of live load (the pull-out platfrom itself must weight at
least 150 lbs). So, forks mounted on the opposite end
should be good for 400 lbs or so."

So if the pull out section was on the left side he wants to put forks on the
right side. I do not assume that it is just as safe to off center load on
the side that it is not designed for.

Roger