I have a 2005 SK80 and would like to add a hyd. thumb. The machine is plumed so that's a good head start. Any experiences/advice would be helpful. Are the Gentec or similar on ebay any good? Whats the difference between the weld-on ones vs pin-on? I like the idea of a progressive link, but don't want to spend a fortune, are they worth it? Are they available in this size? Are any made specific to this machine or do you just get the closest size? Thanks for any help.
Pin on are the way to go, bucket and thumb pivot on same pin and allow you to rotate in or out with out repositioning or dropping load. Another important thing to myself at least is how tight the thumb tucks up to the boom so that its out of the way when not needed. Progressive are great but for smaller machines I don't think they are as needed and like you said they cost more. I ended up making my own thumb but an 80 will require considerably thicker steel/welder than my 3.5t