Hello, Was wondering if a pin adjustable thumb could be mounted on a Cat 426 backhoe with extend a hoe? It is an early 426 with a straight boom. Thanks, YC
Hoes where the extension slide inside the dipper (like the series I & IIs, B, C, and D models) can not have a true live thumb installed. Amulet offers a linkage operated thumb for these units though. E series machines have the extension on the outside of the dipper and can have a hydraulic thumb installed.
Yes, I run a 420E at work sometimes and it has a thumb and an extendable hoe. If you are going to do a lot of truck loading as we do sometimes, I find the thumb gets in the way and acts more as an obstruction. However if you are using it for other, or multi-purpose tasks it is a nice feature even though this machine has a four way front bucket, that can be just as handy as the thumb. You also have to really watch the weight of a loaded hoe bucket when extended because it gets downright tippy when loading over the side of trucks, especially when it is wet muddy material!