Hey guys I've got kind of an odd question. Are Trapezoidal or "V" buckets not recommended for use with an hydraulic thumb and if so why is that?
i use a trap bucket all the time..we have smaller ones for our komatsu 300's & 400's and larger ones for our 600's & 750's. while we don't have thumbs for our excavators,i don't see why you couldn't, if its what you need for the project
I know a fella who uses a small manual thumb on his V-bucket w/ no problems.
It's because they are generally thinner and therefor weaker. With a thumb you are pinning hard objects between (or in) the bucket and the thumb and it's hard on them. You can do it, especially if you're aware of the issue, it's just not recommended (same deal with not lifting over the sprockets etc, sure you can do it but...).
Sounds like BS to me, unless the bucket is made out of tin. There are things to be mindful of, such as the bucket going inside the thumb and 'spreading' the thumb but an operator with half a brain should have no problems.