Suggestions on a 70's madel rough terrain forklift ? Has anyone converted a tractor ?

[geardoc]

Most of the loading and moving of machines and material that I deal with is done on gravel, grass, and I live in the mountains so there are hills everywhere.

I drove a pneumatic tire lift with rough tires and it still did not feel like it would be stable on any sort of an incline or other similar venture.

Most of the rough terrain type lifts I've looked at appear to be tractor based, they call them wheel loaders in Appalachia, so that is a plus for me as I own several and am familiar with all maintenance thereof.

I would likely never lift anything more than 5000lbs, or 6000lbs on a bad day, so I've been told that getting a rough terrain lift is over kill. But, I feel like they're more stable and they're made for grass and gravel. I also realize that my securing of the load and rigging is just as important as the lift, so I'm not going to just rely on gravity to support anything.

I'd like to find one made in the 70's or early 80's, preferably with a 2 3 or 4 cylinder diesel. They are more what I am used to working on, and they are cheaper. Any parts I can't get- I can make.

I have a front end loader on my 60horse tractor and I'm about to put another FEL on my 49hp Iseki, but FEL's aren't really meant for more than 3000lbs. I'm about to split a tractor because someone tested that theory, so I do need a forklift and it seems RTF is the way to go.

I have a 45 horse Ford 4000 copy(a Long) that is no longer used. I was wondering if anyone had gotten the loader mechanism and counterweight off of a rough terrain forklift and added it to a tractor ? I realize most RTF's have the engine in the rear now, but some of the old International and John Deer RTF/Wheel loaders had front engine.

I need it in the next 6 months to move to my new shop and then deal with some large repairs people want to bring me.

 

[tdmidget]

I would not go for the tractor based machines. I don't know if hardly anyone makes them anymore. They are dangerous if equipped with pneumatic tirres. I you have a load elevated and lose a drive tire, you're going over.
You would be way ahead with a real rough terrain machine. 4 wheel drive, telescopic boom, and self leveling are valuable features.

 

[abarnsley]

All the tractor style forklifts I have been on were, at best a poor substitute for a real RTF..

They steer like cr*p, wheelbase is long, no crab, and have no finesse at lifting/shifting. Side hill work would be a no no.

The older military 6k RTF's I ran, were pretty good...

Example: 1968 Military Rough Terrain Forklift Diesel 4x4 6000 Lbs | eBay

Plenty of them made, surplus dealers sell them...

 

[rbent]

I've run a Champ CB-606 model rough terrain lift a fair bit and haven't had any issues with it. Rated at 6klbs, but not much past I don't think.

 

[Ries]

I have rented Champs before, I like em. Big, though. Tall, Wide, and Long. If I had the bucks, I would go for something like a Gradall with an extendable boom, instead- they are just about the same size as a Champ, but a 30 foot reach is very very handy.

 

[traditional-tools]

I own a Caterpillar R-80, it is a 2 wheel drive rough terrain forklift. These are not easy to find as they are not made anymore, I don't think...but Eagle was making them and may still be.

Tractor "style" (with mast) are popular amongst farms, although not entirely. Massey, Case, Deere, etc...many companies make them...I have never seen a tractor converted unless you mean to add a set of forks to them. That is commonly done. Only limitation is the height as which they can lift. Without a mast, that height is limited. My R-80 will lift 30'.

These Caterpillars are great lifts for what you want to do, have a Perkins 4 cylinder diesel in them, and can climb over much tougher terrain than gravel. The RC-60 is a tad smaller and has a 6,000 lb. capacity, the R-80 is a 8,000 lb. capacity.



Cheers,
Alan

 

[jmead]

I had an old Pettibone Super 6 (6000 lb and 33' lift!) I mostly used it with a basket to limb trees on family property and it was great at that, over muddy fields, over small logs, steep hills. 353 Detroit with no oil leaks and it was free. If I didn't need all those features and just needed to unload trucks on the gravel I would look more to a Champ type machine.

 

[James H Clark]

Geardoc: Around here, Allis-Chalmers made forklifts are popular in salvage yards. They have the big farm tractor type tires. A friend has two of them in his very hilly auto salvage yard and likes them. Don't know exactly what size they are, but would guess a least 4000 to 5000 lbs.

JH

 

[Deereahuler]

Some of the farmers around here would buy a forklift mast assembly and mount it to the 3-point arms on their farm tractors. They worked reasonably well for someone who only needed a forklift a few times a year to move seed or chemical totes. I suppose OSHA cracked down on these--I haven't seen any manufactured ones for a while.

Other farmers would buy an old payloader (JD 544C or 930 Cat) and buy a set of pallet forks to either bolt into the bucket or replace the bucket. These worked fairly well but you really had to be careful on sideslopes and turning sharply with a full load. When the payloader is turned (articulated) the ballast is no longer directly in line with the load and a sharp turn could result in upsetting the loader. The other downside is that the end of the forks is kind of hard to see and it is easy to damage freight or a trailer by not being aware of the fork's actual location.

 

[greenbuggy]

Find yourself an older Lull 844

 

[geardoc]

I missed out on an A-C, the idiot owner crushed and got maybe $2000 for it scrap. It ran. It might also have been a midnight auto special, but it ran.

I'm going to go to an equipment dealer in Cleveland TN that has a lot Mil-Surp(over priced at that, too) and try a Hyster rough terrain. The ones he has have C2xx and 4f_1 series diesels and I like those.

I know where a forklift mast assembly is, and I'd like to have it, but I trust the people on here, and I don't need to f*** up any more stuff than I have already in 30 years. If worst comes to worst, I can probably get it very cheaply and then use it to move my big(not big to most of you) lathe.

It looks like I'll need to go to Virginia to get a Champ or even test one, but if the Hyster is a disappointment, I will head that way.

There is a Cat similar to that R80 that has been sitting at an EPA closed junk yard, so I may call him.

I really appreciate the information, and I'm not just asking to waste your collective time. Everytime I have made one of these threads, I've used what I've learned to make a more educated purchase, instead of just looking for confirmation of my preconceived notions. IT HAS PAID OFF TOO !