Toyota 2FGL7 forklift tines or forks

[forhire]

Last week I picked up a clean little Toyota 2FGL7 forklift. It's clearly a gray market import as all the markings are in Japanese. I picked it up cheap because the clutch was stuck. It took all of 30 minutes to pull the cover, slide the throwout bearing back, unbolt the pressure plate, and pop the disk free. Yeah! Of course it's taking a LOT longer to sort the brakes. After rebuilding the master cylinder and adjusting the brakes I discovered one side was adjust all the way out. New shoes are on their way. Aside from a stuck clutch and brakes it runs strong and is darn cute. It's only rated at 450kg (1000 lbs) but it's super maneuverable in the shop and doesn't take up much parking space.

It has a D mast, for dumping, which is really neat except the installed forks are very short. They appear to have started out as 30" forks and the dumping use has worn them down a few inches under that. Short forks are fine in the shop but they are proving too short to use with standard pallets. I hung a set of 36" class 2 forks today and moved a few of my typical pallets around, 36" is fine but 42" would be better. Yeah I know it was sketchy but it was for science.

At first glance the forks appear to be FEM/ITA Class 1 with one small exception, unlike a typical class 1 fork that has 13" hook spacing, this one has 9" hook spacing. Hooks and everything else are correct for class 1 aside from the spacing.

The manual lists a 1070mm fork (42") but I am having a real problem finding these forks. Heck, I'm having trouble finding any class 1 forks. Does anyone know of any forklift junk yards that may have some of these small machines rusting away? I have quote for some custom forks but they are not in the budget.

I'll post some pictures of the machine tomorrow. I know boostjdm and a few others have messed around with these small machines. Maybe someone with some experience will chime in.

[farmersammm]

When I built my forklift attachment, I salvaged the top carriage rail (with the notches), then built a new bottom rail to fit the hook spacing. I'm wondering if you can just slice the top rail in half or 1/3, move it up on the frame, then make a new bottom rail. Throw some Class II forks on it, and be done. Used forks are pretty cheap.

[forhire]

I have a set of class 2 forks sitting in the back of the pickup. I was going to cut them down and reweld the hook but they are only 36" forks. The class 2 forks are also heavier, they are 3/4" of an inch wider and 1/4" thicker. They look kinda big on the little machine. The pallets I typically load are under 600 lbs so the added weight of class 2 isn't a real issue but they are tall and the 36" fork was just barely long enough. I'm afraid if I get a weak pallet it could be an issue. The big forklift has 48" forks and I've never had an issue.

I ordered a set of fork extensions on the 22nd and they drop shipped from the mfg on the 25th via FedEx. They made it to Troutdale, OR on Monday and have been sitting there all week. I was in Portland yesterday... maybe I just need to pick them up myself. And to think I bought them because I thought it would be faster than making them.

[forhire]

The fork extensions arrived after being stuck in Troutdale for a week. These look like they will work until I find a proper set of forks. Because some of the pallets hangover is nice to have the added length. The machine appears to handle them no problem. I also snapped a few pictures of the dump. I think I'll build a small bucked for it. The machine is only 34 inches wide so I'm thinking a 36 inch bucket should be about right... of course if I keep it at 34 inches I could still fit through doorways.

[Lis2323]

Those fork extensions should work fine for now.

They are most likely thicker than the OEM forks you want and may need a little extra care occasionally when using broken or sagging pallets or unloading flatdeck trucks on unlevel surfaces.


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[forhire]

Those fork extensions should work fine for now.

They are most likely thicker than the OEM forks you want and may need a little extra care occasionally when using broken or sagging pallets or unloading flatdeck trucks on unlevel surfaces.

I hate using extensions but these were about 1/5th the cost of new custom forks and available now instead of 8 weeks out. I really want to load a couple trucks to decide if this little machine will work before I invest in proper forks. I'm still on the hunt for a set of forks.

[Lis2323]

If your 36” forks hang properly on that moldboard, why not taper and weld a 6” piece of flat bar to extend the tip?

If OSHA doesn’t normally visit and you are the only one using the machine you will be fine as you know better than to lift using only the tips.

If the forks are inserted into the pallet fully you will never have a problem.

You may need to trim a bit of the tapered end of your 36” forks to get a nice square area to weld to.


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[forhire]

If your 36” forks hang properly on that moldboard, why not taper and weld a 6” piece of flat bar to extend the tip?

Yeah, I have friend that extended his forks by welding a length of heavy truck leaf spring to the end. I think they are now about 6' long and have held up for many years. I'm not opposed to it but the short forks are really handy in the shop where space is limited. I parked the forklift in the same place it was yesterday with the fork extensions installed and it was super tight. Maybe a set of fold up forks is in my future.

[forhire]

Here are the the carriage and fork dimensions. Does anyone know what standard Toyota was using back in the 80s? The clips are 20 degree but it's definitely not FEM/ISO Class 1. Was there a JIS standard back in the day?

[12V71]

Try Vance lift trucks in Ellensburg, Wa. They used to have acres of scrapped out machines of all makes.

[forhire]

Try Vance lift trucks in Ellensburg, Wa. They used to have acres of scrapped out machines of all makes.

Is Vance still open in Ellensburg? I'm pretty sure Lakewood was absorbed by Papé. I'll try calling them in the morning.

[Lis2323]

NICE!!!


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[forhire]

I finished the second fork today. I remembered to snap a photo of the lengthwise operation. The final thing I needed to do was to cut off the hooks. They were two big for the cutoff saw and the little band saw so I started after it with the cut off wheel and while I struggled to get the wheel into the part if dawned on me the porta-band might be able to slice these off. Sure enough, the porta-band made quick work of it. Now I can start making the hooks. I think I'll make them out of the drop. I can't find a source for class 1 hooks.

[forhire]

Now I need to make the hooks. I pulled the pin mechanism apart and took some measurements. I also messed around with a few replacement springs. In my opinion these springs are too small and tend to rust away to dust after a few years. I may rework the design a bit. It appears they welded the hook, then drilled through the weld and hook for the pin, and finally welded on the top slot cup.

[Welder Dave]

I'd guess the forks could be T-1 steel so preheat and 11018 would be the rod of choice. If not sure of the fork material a specialty rod based on 312 stainless would be a good option. Something like Supermissleweld rod or other rod designed for difficult to weld steels in the 120,000 to 130,000 tensile range. You can buy these in small packages is why I suggested them.

[forhire]

I'd guess the forks could be T-1 steel so preheat and 11018 would be the rod of choice. If not sure of the fork material a specialty rod based on 312 stainless would be a good option. Something like Supermissleweld rod or other rod designed for difficult to weld steels in the 120,000 to 130,000 tensile range. You can buy these in small packages is why I suggested them.

I think your right. I was planning on 11018 because that's what I have on hand. The supermissleweld looks pretty good but I've never used it. I've been too busy to start machining the hooks.

I installed the new steer tires and tried out my $5, garage sale find, electric impact wrench. I then moved some drums of used oil. The black drum of hydraulic oil is nearly empty. All in I'm probably close to 900 lbs. No issues. Before I replaced the tires I would spin a lot on the gravel now it's great. I wasn't sure buying new tires would make much difference but it's been worth every penny.

[Lis2323]

You can always foam fill the tires.


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[forhire]

You can always foam fill the tires.

Good point. I suppose if I have issues that would be easy enough. I normally have to air up the neighbors big forklift every time I use it. Maybe he should foam fill his tires?

I finished machining the first side of the hanger based on the FEM/ISO Class 1 specification this morning. Now I need to check the fit.

[smithdoor]

Nice forklift
If was not retired I would want one.

Dave

Last week I picked up a clean little Toyota 2FGL7 forklift. It's clearly a gray market import as all the markings are in Japanese. I picked it up cheap because the clutch was stuck. It took all of 30 minutes to pull the cover, slide the throwout bearing back, unbolt the pressure plate, and pop the disk free. Yeah! Of course it's taking a LOT longer to sort the brakes. After rebuilding the master cylinder and adjusting the brakes I discovered one side was adjust all the way out. New shoes are on their way. Aside from a stuck clutch and brakes it runs strong and is darn cute. It's only rated at 450kg (1000 lbs) but it's super maneuverable in the shop and doesn't take up much parking space.

It has a D mast, for dumping, which is really neat except the installed forks are very short. They appear to have started out as 30" forks and the dumping use has worn them down a few inches under that. Short forks are fine in the shop but they are proving too short to use with standard pallets. I hung a set of 36" class 2 forks today and moved a few of my typical pallets around, 36" is fine but 42" would be better. Yeah I know it was sketchy but it was for science.

At first glance the forks appear to be FEM/ITA Class 1 with one small exception, unlike a typical class 1 fork that has 13" hook spacing, this one has 9" hook spacing. Hooks and everything else are correct for class 1 aside from the spacing.

The manual lists a 1070mm fork (42") but I am having a real problem finding these forks. Heck, I'm having trouble finding any class 1 forks. Does anyone know of any forklift junk yards that may have some of these small machines rusting away? I have quote for some custom forks but they are not in the budget.

I'll post some pictures of the machine tomorrow. I know boostjdm and a few others have messed around with these small machines. Maybe someone with some experience will chime in.

[farmersammm]

Coming along really nice. You have some nice machines to work with

[forhire]

Coming along really nice. You have some nice machines to work with

Thanks. Unfortunately, after I milled off the carrier and checked the fit on the machine I discovered that it wasn't a 20 degree taper as specified in the FEM/ISO/ITA standards. Everything else looked right so I assumed everyone used 20 degrees from the dawn of time. Turns out the Japanese were doing their own thing in the early 80s. I never could find a JIS standard from the 80s to compare. I suspect this is why my local Toyota dealer wasn't helpful. I had received quotes from a couple places and nobody ever suggested the hooks would be anything other than 20 degrees.

I used a simple plastic angle gauge and discovered it was actually 25 degrees. Doh!
You really should look at the patent for this simple parallel arm protractor: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4766675A/en


The new part fits well. Both the angled face and the base now make contact.


I created a modified version of the FEM/ISO class 1 hook with a 25 degree taper. I verified the spacing by measuring over a pin, in this case 0.62" (sorry no metric gage pins). I then simply changed the angle. This should give the forks about 1 mm of space to facilitate moving them. My drawing is kinda messy but this should give you an idea of the design.


I clamped the hooks top and bottom to a chunk of cribbing and the hooks appear to hang properly, and most importantly, you can slide it on the carriage. I can now see just how worn out the old set of forks really are.

[whtbaron]

Nice forklift
If was not retired I would want one.

Dave

That's when you need it the most. Tired of lifting heavy stuff...

[Lis2323]

That's when you need it the most. Tired of lifting heavy stuff...

I’ve been spoiled. I grew up always having a forklift on the farm. Had seven here when I packed it in not counting all the sets of forks for the wheel loaders and telehandler.

I kept one.


Here is a typical example of getting the barbell rack I built from my shop to my home gym…








Without a forklift I will cease to exist.







I will cease to function without a forklift.


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[whtbaron]

I'm thinking skid steer with quick attach's .... that gym would be a tight fit for my CAT loader...

[Lis2323]

Wow. Not a pleasant way to find that "you learn something new everyday"

I've bought replacement forks before and never even thought to verify the hook angle.

I do know that height varies for pin style hanging forks though.

Nice job!!


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