Getting the Right Skid Steer Forks

If you have made the decision to purchase a new or used skid steer loader you are probably thanking yourself and wishing you would have added this machine to your fleet of equipment years ago. These machines are compact and can be quite handy for doing several different jobs within a day at a construction jobsite. These machines are also very easy to run so you do not have to spend a lot of time and money hiring and training a specialized operator.

Another thing that makes this machine so popular is its versatility. Normally when you purchase a skid machine, it will be sold to you with a bucket on the front end. However, the next most popular tool that people purchase for their skid steer to use on the front end are forks. Skid Steer Forks can be quite handy to use around the areas that you are working in.

You may think that if you go looking for a set of forks to use on the front of your machine it will be easy as there is probably only one or two choices. If this is your thought process, you are going to be quite surprised when you visit your local equipment dealer. There are a wide variety of skid steer forks that vary in length, width, and so forth. You can get extra long forks if you need some extra reach to pick up a pallet. You can also get forks with the tines that are moveable so you can space them in the exact width they need to be for your specific job. These work via manual adjustments and are not hydraulically activated. This is very handy thought because depending on the size and shape of the pallet or material you are moving, you can always be sure that your skid forks will be able to handle the job.

If you work in an agriculture application, you can get forks that are specifically designed to pick up hay bails. Or if you are stacking hay, you can get the back of the forks extra high so it can help you stack the hay four or five tall. As was mentioned above, you can get forks designed specifically for the application you need. Think about what you will be using your skid steer forks for and then talk with your local sales rep that can help brainstorm and give you advice on what the best forks will be.