Which length fork tines should I choose?

It is common to think that longer forks are always better. But this is not always the case. The kind of work you do with your tractor should guide your selection. The lighter the attachment used on your loader means the more you can lift with it. Because we use only premium strength US made Steel, Artillian attachments have the best Strength-to-Weight ratio in the industry!

Here are a few examples to help.

Reasons for favoring longer fork tines:

• Lighter weight increases load capacity
• Moving items like brush piles, stacks of logs
• Reaching deeper into an enclosed area, like a truck bed
• Moving large evenly distributed palletized loads needing extra support

Reasons for favoring shorter fork tines:

• Moving smaller, denser items,
• Moving loads where the center of gravity can be favored closer to the loader (should be anyway)
• Tips of tines are easier to control as they are adjusted up and down
• Ground engagement work (digging/tilling)
• Building stone walls, patios, and other landscaping work
• Prying up objects like roots and stones, slabs of concrete or asphalt
• Working in tight areas, such as around trees, buildings and vehicles
• Moving heavy loads that require the least amount of dead weight as possible
• Shorter tines, being lighter, are easier to lift and handle
• Less storage space required

As a starting point, appropriate fork size would generally be:

• Subcompact Tractors (Deere 1000 Series): 36″ tines
• Midframe Tractors (Deere 2000 Series): 42 or 36″ tines
• Compact Tractors (Deere 3000 & 4000 Series): 42″ tines

The 36″ tines work fine for moving pallets.