Ask an owner which attachment surprised them most and it's almost always the forks. People buy them expecting to move pallets and end up using them for everything heavy and awkward that used to take two people and a bad idea.
No hydraulics, no flow requirement, nothing to break. Just carrying capacity.
What You'll Use Them For
- Pallets of pavers, block, brick, and bagged material
- Sod, plants, and balled trees
- Lumber, pipe, and long material
- Feed, seed, and mineral in bags or totes
- Moving equipment — plate compactors, saws, generators, pumps
- Loading and unloading trailers when there's no forklift on site
- Firewood in bundles or crates
- Anything delivered to the driveway that needs to be somewhere else
How to Spec Them
Capacity. Forks themselves are rated well above what these machines lift — the limit is the machine's rated operating capacity, not the forks. Spec against the machine.
Fork length. Longer forks reach deeper into a pallet and handle awkward loads better. Shorter forks are easier to maneuver in tight spaces and keep the load closer to the machine, which helps stability. Most mini skid forks run in the 32–42 inch range.
Tine spacing. Adjustable spacing along the carriage lets you match standard pallets and handle narrow or oversized loads. Fixed-spacing forks are cheaper and fine if your loads are consistent.
Backrest. A load backrest keeps tall loads from shifting back toward the operator. Worth having if you're stacking bags or handling loose material on the forks.
Walk-through vs. solid frame. A walk-through frame gives better visibility to the fork tips, which matters more than people expect when you're threading into a pallet at height.
Which Models Run Them
Every Yellow Jacket model. Forks are non-hydraulic, so there's no flow requirement to match — any machine in the lineup takes them.
What varies is how much you can pick up. The YJ1000 and YJ1100 are the workhorses for most fork work. The YJ1200 and up give you real capacity plus the wide-track stability that matters when you're carrying a heavy load at height across uneven ground.
One honest note on pallet weight: a full pallet of pavers commonly runs 1,500–4,000 lb, which is above the rated capacity of every machine in this class — ours or anyone's. Crews break pallets down and move them in sections. That's still far faster than hand-carrying, and it's standard practice on hardscape sites.
Trades That Use Them Most
Hardscaping · Landscaping · Construction · Farm & Agriculture · Nurseries & Garden Centers · Sod Installation
Pallet Forks FAQ
Will forks from another brand fit?
If they use the industry-standard universal mini skid mount, yes. Yellow Jacket machines ship with a universal quick-attach plate as standard equipment, so universal forks built for Toro, Ditch Witch, Vermeer, and most other brands bolt on.
How high can they lift?
That's determined by the machine's hinge pin height, not the forks. Check the model spec sheet — hinge pin height is what tells you whether you can set a load on a truck bed, a scaffold, or the second course of a wall.
Can I lift a full pallet of pavers?
No, and neither can any other mini skid steer in this class. Full pallets exceed rated capacity across the category. Break them down and move them in sections.
Do forks affect stability?
Yes — a load on forks sits farther forward than a load in a bucket, which shifts the center of gravity. Carry loads low, especially on slopes and uneven ground, and pay attention to the machine's rated capacity rather than what it will physically pick up before it gets light in the back.
Are they worth buying if I already have a bucket?
For most owners, yes — it's the most-used purchased attachment across nearly every trade. A bucket can't handle a pallet, and it's poor at anything rigid, long, or already packaged.
Any maintenance?
Almost none. Check the fork retention pins and the carriage for wear, and keep an eye on the tine tips if you're dragging them on concrete.
Get a Quote
Tell us what you're lifting and which machine you're running, and we'll spec the right forks.
Request pricing · Call (330) 825-2307