Pallet fork trailer hitch sleeve?

[chili81]

Anyone use pallet forks for towing a trailer with their skid? I see 100s' of them available that slide over the forks, but it seems to me it would be a better design to make something that mounts right to the carraige/rack like the forks themselves do - rather than onto the forks. But I've only found literally 1 of that style available (from skidsteerattachmentdepot).

Wondering if there's a reason I'm not thinking of that this wouldn't be the preferable approach as long as you have the right size/class rack?

Anyone used either methods? Going to move a 24' travel trailer around my yard mainly.

 

[foton]

titan makes one with the 2 inch reciever welded on the main frame, of course to use it the forks pretty much have to be removed, I got one works well and does not interfere with my enclosed cab door.

 

[chili81]

I have actually seen those - pretty handy, but I already have a good set of pallet forks I want to add this to.

 

[873skid]

I cut a hole with cutting torch in one of the pallet forks and bolt the size ball of trailer I'm moving to it. It's worked great for years.

 

[mrbb]

they actually make and sell skid steer trailer movers, and there not that costly (all the more so if you find a used one, seen them for about 200 bucks used) rather than modifying a set of forks!

https://attachmentsking.com/collections/skid-steer-trailer-movers


I also don;'t know how often you move trailers/rv's and such, but they also make and sell trailer movers that are remote controlled and can be used in way smaller spaces than using a skid steer!, some are rated for trailers/rv's up to 12K(higher the weight the more costly they get though!)'

so, depends on the size of trailers you have to move, they might be worth looking at, pending your budget or !

 

[77fixer]

Anyone use pallet forks for towing a trailer with their skid? I see 100s' of them available that slide over the forks, but it seems to me it would be a better design to make something that mounts right to the carraige/rack like the forks themselves do - rather than onto the forks. But I've only found literally 1 of that style available (from skidsteerattachmentdepot).

Wondering if there's a reason I'm not thinking of that this wouldn't be the preferable approach as long as you have the right size/class rack?

Anyone used either methods? Going to move a 24' travel trailer around my yard mainly.

The issue with the one at skidsteerattachmentdepot is that you have to lift your forks off the carriage to mount that adapter, so they don't interfere with the tongue. It's kind of a pain and the forks aren't exactly light.
I built something similar and I would rather have one that is on its own QA.
Mine is a 2½ to 2" hitch adapter welded to a piece of 1/4" angle. I drilled holes through the angle and the carriage. I used some 5/8 bolts with washers to mount it to the carriage. Just stuff I had laying around.

I've also use the ones that slip over your forks, built similar to their fork extensions. They work OK.
Do you have the means to build it or do you have to buy it?

 

[Rayhat]

Use it all the time. Smallest ball I had so it fits all size trailers and my Pintel hook. Fork butts against ball to stop it from sliding down the fork. Top and bottom plate extend about 4 inches so I can slide it on my bucket too. T handle to tighten down on Fork/bucket. Makes it easy to kick loose after it tightens up on you. Through bolted a piece of flat stock to my outside garage wall to store it at the ready. Scrap metal welded up with a sacrificial trailer ball, a nut and bolt. Can’t say the weight rating but empty trailers are a bunt.

 

[Rayhat]

Just saw you want to move a 24 ft TT. I have a more substantial 2 inch receiver tube welded to a flat quick attach plate I made that I would more likely use for a TT. I would still try my small fork adapter so as to not be changing attachments. I believe it would work. Slow but steady. Great on maneuverability.

 

[WBW]

I bought a blank quick attach plate and a 2 inch receiver. welded the receiver on, added some gussets and it works great. Use it to move all kinds of trailers around my yard. I works really well for putting combine headers into a shed because you can manuever them so well and see where you are going. You don't have to crank jacks up and down, just lift a bit, move to where you want it and set it down.

 

[ghs57]

I cut a hole in my forks with my plasma torch just big enough for the bolt of the tow ball, and use this to move my trailer and any number of towable pieces of equipment. The fork can handle just about any amount of tongue weight, and I find that I can maneuver the trailer with greater precision than with my truck. The ball is easily removed when not needed and stowed in the cab.

 

[Gearclash]

Unless you very rarely want to move a trailer with your skid steer, I would not bother with a fork mounted hitch. I built an attachment designed specifically for moving trailers and the like. 2” receiver in the lower frame rail and a 2-5/16” ball on the top bar to move a gooseneck trailer. Some of the equipment I move is far to heavy to move with a ball on the end of a pallet fork.

 

[873skid]

I also made a 2" receiver hitch welded to a bobtac plate. I've moved lots of different size trailers up to 12,000 lbs.

 

[JamQwe56]

Anyone use pallet forks for towing a trailer with their skid? I see 100s' of them available that slide over the forks, but it seems to me it would be a better design to make something that mounts right to the carraige/rack like the forks themselves do - rather than onto the forks. But I've only found literally 1 of that style available (from skidsteerattachmentdepot).

Wondering if there's a reason I'm not thinking of that this wouldn't be the preferable approach as long as you have the right size/class rack?

Anyone used either methods? Going to move a 24' travel trailer around my yard mainly.


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My guess is the fork-mounted versions are so common because they're universal and work regardless of the attachment plate style. Manufacturers can sell one product to a much larger audience.
That said, for moving a travel trailer around the yard, I'd probably prefer a hitch mounted directly to the quick-attach plate. Less leverage on the forks, less flex, and one less thing to slide around. If you're doing it regularly, the direct-mount setup seems like the cleaner solution to me.

 

[rodby554]

Anyone use pallet forks for towing a trailer with their skid? I see 100s' of them available that slide over the forks, but it seems to me it would be a better design to make something that mounts right to the carraige/rack like the forks themselves do - rather than onto the forks. But I've only found literally 1 of that style available (from skidsteerattachmentdepot).

Wondering if there's a reason I'm not thinking of that this wouldn't be the preferable approach as long as you have the right size/class rack?

Anyone used either methods? Going to move a 24' travel trailer around my yard mainly.

Moving a trailer around the yard puts a lot of stress on the attachment point. Direct mounting to the rack sounds like a much more stable approach if you can find the right hardware.

 

[chili81]

I did end up getting that rack attachment. And most people's feedback was spot on - it does work very well except that you likely have to remove your forks from the rack - depending on your trailer and fork lengths. And that's a bit inconvenient. In hindsight I would probably opt for the dedicated QA that just has a centered trailer hitch on it. They were more expensive, but not dramatically - and much more convenient, even with manual QA on my old machine.