Use hoe for both utility work and demolition are the pro links the way to go
Do you run any sort of coupler or quick-attach system? Do you plan on leaving it on indefinitely?
Yes the pro links are the best if you are going to do a lot of thumb work. Cat thumbs are built good. They are expensive and heavy though. We have had good luck with Geith and Esco. Try to find out how many degrees of rotation you are going to get as you price from different people.
have factory cat coupler would need to remove for extended water or sewer project are the cat thumbs way overpriced they look time consuming to remove in field and keep parts together
The Cat thumbs are heavy and built good and yes a pain to remove. Do you have a pin grabber or wedge lock coupler. You might be better off with a thumb like shimmy has if you plan on removing often.
rewrote
pin grabber have a krypto claw bucket 42inch just not as rugged thinking 2 tine cat would be better for compact out of way fold up appreciate the robustness of cat don't know price yet thinking 10k uninstalled stick has mounting pad from factory
This is just my personal opinion but I do not care for the 2 time style thumbs. They tend to make it hard to pick up small debris especially when do demo work. Cat should be a able to tell you exactly how much rotation and weight for whatever style thumb you get. Our 320 has a 4 time tooth bar on which you could unbolt to loose weight if you wanted.
thanks for info do you have cat pro thumb do you ever remove it would you do any thing different if setting up a hoe again
I have a cat thumb on my 320D. My only complaint is its very very heavy. The cylinder Is bigger then the bucket cylinder. I had to take it off once when installing a pin grabber and it wasn't fun. I use my thumb quite a bit but do wish it was quicker to remove then I'd take it off more often because in the summer I think the hydrauilc heats up to much from the extra weight
We never take it off. We use it all the time because of what we do but once in a while I wish it were off. If we are lifting a heavy box we will drop the bucket. As for setting up a hoe, I guess I would do it the same. For us, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Shimmy is kinda the opposite of us. He doesn't use his thumb all the time and he has his so can take it off. It really comes down to what you are doing.
Thanks for the plug, L/C. If I only were to take my thumb on and off twice a year, I'd have a pin mounted pro-link. Few other points. Agree completely about 2 tine thumbs. Only useful for whole trees, large concrete, more specifically bigger, bulkier stuff. What kind of buckets do you run? If your biggest bucket is a 48", weight will be a non-issue. If you periodically have a 5 or 6 foot ditch bucket on, weight comes into play and you might find yourself pulling the thumb off more than you'd like. My opinion, you should base your decision on how often you're going to be pulling it on and off. Maybe once or twice a year, go with a pin mount. 3-4 or more times a year, I'd get one like mine. Also keep in mind that having a thumb along with a coupler does present another problem, having your thumb tines interlock with the bucket teeth. I have the longest stick offered and my tines will interfere with the bottom of the boom when the thumb is pulled up tight to the stick. Probably only an issue with a stick-mounted thumb like mine, but just wanted you to be aware of the possibility.
should probably use my kryptoclaw bucket it is 42inch just don't like hoses and cylinders in the way have to be careful cat pro link would be much more durable and productive biggest advantage to thumb grapple krypto claw is load out or sorting initial large tree removal or heavy concrete demo to me I don't need or want the thumb on