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Nashville, TN

OK, hubby used my new fascination with strange giant squash/pumkins as an excuse to buy a toy he always wanted!

We are now the owners of a small New Holland Skid Loader (bobcat). We are planning to get forks made to bolt onto it's bucket in order to stack hay rolls three high - and get them down as well. Figure these forks will also work with the GPs for picking them up to put in the horse trailer for transport.

Now the logistics is a bit of a mystery. Should we store a bunch of pallets, and plan to roll the GPs onto them and tie them down, then pick up the pallet with the bobcat?

Because the garden soil can vary due to rainfall, should I start arranging 'beds' in the garden, then let the hubby make gravel pathways in between - so we've got a solid path for the bobcat?

12/8/2005 7:44:38 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

Can you unattach the bucket easily? if so it may be worth considering a seperate fork as it would create less leverage on the front depends how much you plan to use it really as to if this is economical.

12/8/2005 8:18:38 AM

Mulino, Oregon

Using a chain off the bucket with a lifting ring is the best way to go to 'lift' not 'roll' the pumpkins onto pallets. You can even set the pallet into the truck and then set the pumpkin onto the pallet in the truck. This method keeps the weight closer to the center of the machine thus giving it a larger lifting capacity. I would not trust the bolt on forks to lift a lot of weight. If you are going to be doing that, I would suggest buying the fork attachment for the loader.

12/8/2005 8:59:08 AM

Western NY

lifting harness. test it out on the bobcat first.

12/8/2005 9:36:51 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

You can tell I'm a grassland farmer,I got my priorities wrong and put the hay bales first lol.

12/8/2005 9:46:53 AM

Norton, MA

I (not just me!) lift mine with a tarp on to a pallet in the patch, and then use the forklift to put it all in the truck. AleX Noel.

12/8/2005 5:50:12 PM

Nashville, TN

AXC - know how you feel. My livestock/horses come first.. I use the pumpkins 'merely' as a waste recycling 'natural machine'..

But at the end of summer, I don't know which is more popular with the public that comes here: the horse riding -OR- those monsters growing next to the barn!!

**grin** created quite a stir here locally! Had alot of people come and bur 50-200 pounders so they could be the talk of their neighborhood - and the three schools we dropped some 200+ pounders off: reported that alot of the teachers/parents had to touch and knock on the pumpkins to prove they were REAL!!

12/9/2005 7:02:55 AM

Ca

Regarding getting the bobcat onto the patch without causing excessive compaction, especially in wet weather, check out
Ground Protection Mats
Mats to protect lawns from vehicle
damage. Never get stuck again!
www.alturnamats.com

12/9/2005 4:16:26 PM

Montoursville, PA

All lifting devises have load facts per the lifting conditions. For instance I checked out a small tractor. It had only a three hundred pound verticle lift capacity. The further, from center lift would decreace any bucket, or fork load lift rating. Check those facts ahead, of the purchase.

12/10/2005 6:36:25 AM

Alaska

I've owned a Bobcat for quite a few years now and love it. I don't know how I got by without one all of those years ago. Some of the things you need to consider are, when lifting a large heavy pumpkin with a set of forks the less weight you can lift. The further away from the main body of the unit your pick point is the less you can lift. If you drop a rope chain or lifting ring down from the ends of your forks you will lose allot of the machines lifiting capacity. And because they are so big you will probably have to do that. My suggestion is to grow them on a pallet to begin with. Or when attempting to lift one tie as close to the main body of your Bobcat, pick it straight up just enough to slide a pallet under it. Then again I could be all wrong? It all depends on how big the pumpkins are and how big your Bobcat is? Good luck, Scott.

12/10/2005 4:03:21 PM