This is my Titan 36" weld on thumb install: This did not come with instructions and I'm not saying this is the right way to install one but its how I did it and it seems to work okay. First off my welding is limited by lack of skill and equipment. My welder at home is a Lincoln SP100 mig. I was doing this outside with a light breeze which isn't the best conditions. I turned the heat all the way up, set my wire feed at 4, and cranked the shielding gas up to 28 CFM. Each weld required 3 or 4 passes starting as deep in the groove as I could get and working my way out. This little 100 amp welder has a 20% duty cycle so I have to weld a couple of minutes then let it cool for 8 or 10. Takes patience but it gets the job done. To set it up I curled the bucket all the way in and pulled the dipstick in to a point I could rest it. I assembled the thumb components and set it on the boom resting against the bucket. I set the stow bracket so the thumb was in contact with the bucket teeth. This had an unplanned benefit in that when I went to stow it after use I could curl the bucket all the way in and the support arm holes were in alignment with the stow bracket. Of course I had to set it up and mark the location where I needed to grind off the paint then set it up again to weld. The support arm was rounded on one side but they left the back side flat. Either way I installed it would bind before the holes lined up so I had to grind the ends so they were rounded on both sides. The length of the support arm isn't long enough to set the thumb a full 90 degrees. I was hoping to be able to set it slightly forward but that isn't possible with the supplied support. This is one heavy hunk of metal for the price of $215 shipped. The thumb has 5/8" sides with 1/2" front and back plates. The mounting and stow brackets are formed 1/2" u channel. The support arm is made from 3/4" sides with 1/2" front and back plates. It won't be anywhere near as handy as a hydraulic thumb but will be much better than no thumb at all. It could be converted to hydraulic but the cost isn't in my budget right now.
Seriously, I would have a welder with a truck come over and redo the welding on your thumb with 7018. He might charge you 2 hours (it's about an hour of welding and grinding your welds out) to come over but in my opinion it's just a matter of time before your welds let go. As much as you think your machine gets the job done you are fooling yourself. Your machine is just not designed for heavier welding and won't have the required penetration. An SP100 is about the lowest amperage MIG welder you can get and is designed for material 1/8" and under. The last thing you need is to be picking up a heavy log or something and have the thumb break off. There's over 5 tons of force your bucket could put on thumb, you want good welds! It's money well spent.
I appreciate your concern Welder Dave but in the environment I am working I don't think anyone will get injured if my thumb breaks off. It might hurt my feelings. I purchased this welder in 1993 and have NEVER had a weld crack or break. I have a 5'x10' utility trailer I built with it the first year I owned it and it's still working as designed. I did bend the trailer last year putting some oversized stumps on it with an excavator. I put jack stands under the frame behind the bends and straightened it back with the same excavator. No broken or cracked welds. Go figure? If the thumb becomes my first welding folly I will update so others can be leery of using undersized equipment.
It always amazes me how people will drive a nice vehicle, have nice equipment and a well stocked tool box but when it comes to welding or welding equipment, all of a sudden they want to spend as little as possible.
NH575e Thanks a whole bunch for going to the trouble of taking pictures! I will be ordering one this winter and noted too that it did not come with instructions. Let us know how you find the position of the thumb is. Is it for brush, rock etc? I want mine for fenceline removal of prickly ash and buckthorn and small trees. Good luck.
In the first pic it looks like the welds don't go all the way to the end under the pin, that seems like it would let that bracket flex a little and possibly contribute to failure. You might want to continue the welds to the end. Not across the end, that would change the stress, or whatever. Otherwise it looks fine to me. Mig welding has a way of looking good and not getting enough penetration, but I can do that with a stick welder also, it just takes more experience
Yeah I was being lazy. I might pull the thumb off and run a bead near the end. I have already moved some stumps and limbs with it and seen no signs of fatigue. The force is at least divided up between the bottom pin, support arm, and it's pins. Not planning to curl the bucket against it till it won't move. Just enough to pick stuff up. Here is an example of weld strength versus metal fatigue. This is a debris fork I made out of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 1/4" wall tube. I welded a piece of 1/2" x 1-1/2" flat bar across the back and under the center. I messed up and caught one of the legs under a stump I didn't see. It ripped the square tube in half but the welds didn't break.
Buddyo, I am stumping 5 acres so I will be picking up stumps and logs that my BH is capable of lifting. Some are too large and I will have to chain them and drag them out. I need to clear around and make piles that I can burn with some control.
Did you order it through amazon?
ebay
Yair . . . NH575E. Why the stitch welds? To my eyes it looks very odd. Cheers,
Just saving time and materials. Like I said, my equipment is undersized for the job. Even if I had a good stick welder I would not start at one end and make a continuous weld to the other. I always tack on alternate sides and locations to prevent warpage.
Well 575E you have had a chance to use the thumb a while now. Any thoughts you could share about the install, position on the dipper etc.
Haven't used it since the original test. Been dealing with power outage but had a tree down that might see some thumb soon.
I should have known the storm might cause you problems. We too were wondering how bad it was, have a 5thwheel trailer stored near Townsend GA. Good luck, just wondering.
Still haven't done a lot with it but I have moved a few logs and yesterday I used it to rip an 8" pine out of the ground. I had to grab the tree as high as I could get and bring it down then I had to get it in different positions and work it back and forth before getting the roots to let go. I think I put a pretty good stress test on it. No signs of weld fatigue yet. Next I want to try digging with it in the extended position to see if it gets in the way or if I can leave it in a functional position while digging. It's nowhere near as handy as a hydraulic thumb and takes some getting used to but it's better than nothing. You can shake a fair amount of dirt off any stumps and debris you pick up with it. If anyone has added a hydraulic thumb to a tractor similar to mine I would like info on what and how much it cost to add the extra hydraulics.
Yair . . . NH575E . Thumbs are not common here but I mentioned some time back I saw one on a small excavator powered by 12v power-pac such is used on tipping trailers and the like mounted on the boom. It looked pretty simple. . . the bloke reckoned it worked fine and was the cheapest way by far on that particular machine. Cheers.
After some time to use this and getting in and out to reset it I have decided it's just barely better than nothing. I am researching ways to automate so it is more useful. I cannot leave it in a functional position while digging. I would be very interested in finding a 12v linear actuator that could power this thing. Short of that if I had a step by step tutorial on how to add a hydraulic diverter say on the bucket curl circuit I will entertain that depending on cost.
I take it back. This thumb is showing it's worth today. https://youtu.be/hjV8HGCgYls
This is a pretty thorough discussion of how to the hydraulics. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/125912-custom-hydraulic-backhoe-thumb.html Toy size tractor but should point you in the right direction. Joe H
Thanks for the link. I think I have read through that one before. After today I am rethinking and realizing the true value of this for my use will be feeding fires like I did today. With that in mind it might be better to not have a cylinder and hoses under the boom. I reckon I'll leave it as is for now. Sorry to report to the pro welder nay sayers that this has picked up and hauled logs and stumps for several days with nary a crack or broken weld.
Good work. Can't wait for somebody to complain about you backing around with the hoe in the air. Years back I actually sometimes had the loader bucket filled with gravel to keep the front end down while craning things with the backhoe. Even had to have the stabilizers brushing the ground a time or three.
Good tip's.:drinkup
I have had to fill the loader on occasion but didn't have the need for the stuff I was moving yesterday. If the weight I'm working with require that I try to just use the loader. A grapple would be the best tool but also not in my budget. I have to make do with what I have.
I got mine from Jett.com for $199.00 plus 15% off with free shipping, turns out the extra bracket was not with it and I just got it welded on today for $100. I'll have to see how it works tomorrow,...
I got mine from Jett.com No such site, got another URL ? Joe H
https://jet.com/search?term=weld on thumb
You're gonna want that stow bracket for digging.
Cheaper on Ebay. Those jet people screwed me once, never again. Joe H
Titan Attachmemts Thumb I also bought one of the Titan weld on thumbs from Titan Attachments Memphis, TN and they free shipped the thing via Fed Ex. 141lbs. the Fed Ex. driver wasn't very happy he could barely get the thing out of the truck. I had a Pro welder using 7018 rods weld the thing. It is 36"long and is made of 5/8" stock. I installed it on an old Ford 445 TLB works great. I used the thumb to lift a bunch of White Pine logs.
There used to be an attachment advertised here called "attach a grab". I don't have much experience with hoes and such, but I always thought it had some potential. They claimed the grab could be left attached without interfering with most digging operations. It appears the bloke went to the trouble of applying for US and Aust. patents but, despite searching for an hour, I can't find a photo or even any mention of the company now. http://www.ipaustralia.com.au/applicant/warrick-stanley-pitcher-and-wendy-pitcher-as-trustees-of-the-pitcher-holding-trust/patents/AU1998086082/
I don't think I'd call someone who may weld for a living and perhaps is certified in several methods a...nay-sayer. I would call someone who stuck an non-conventional attachment on the boom of a hoe and it not crack or hurt someone, by not following standard welding protocol...LUCKY.
575 Been super busy of late with soybean harvest. Got going with the 580k the other day with brush removal along field edges, lots of buckthorn and prickly ash. I have the 4 in 1 clam bucket on the loader so that is great for moving debris. Am still thinking of the titan and as I remove brush I try to imagine how one would work for me. I wonder if putting it in the last hole in the bracket (away from the bucket) if their is enough clearance to dig? Not really dig, sort of scrap to get these shallow rooted bushes. Thanks for the great pictures, sure helps.
It is useful for moving light stuff and even some logs and stumps. It only gets in the way if I am digging stumps so I keep it stowed as far back as it goes when I'm doing that. Otherwise it can be left in one of the forward positions and still dig ground and brush. Your 4 in 1 bucket will probably have much more functionality than a mechanical thumb on the hoe end but you might find the thumb useful at times.
Actually, NH575E, the welds are almost all in compression, only tension if something torques, I welded mine on with a stick welder and happier than a pig in a cotton candy factory. Overall, good for the money, under $200 and really speeds up loading crap in the dump truck.
For now I'm just putting the other brace in the cab, although I did dig a little today with it in the grab position, just have to watch out on the curl,...
Or, just yank both pins and remove it alltogether
These things are pretty heavy. I wouldn't want to even remove the arm to stow it. One advantage to the way I mounted mine is the holes on the stow bracket line up with the bucket at full curl. I pull the pin at the boom, curl the bucket, and install the pin in the stow bracket.
It actually is functional to a point in the stowed position. I often clamp things against it while stowed.
Just got done installing mine on a 580c extendahoe
Will the hoe retract fully with thumb installed?
extendahoe is fully functional with my install
I plan on building one of these for my junk this spring.. Been a very interesting topic to read
Might just be cheaper buying one. I paid 225 for mine shipped nice and heavy well built
yes maybe so .I will have to price the materials out and see.
Titan is hard to beat for the price, sure its not AR plate steel but its more than strong enough. I just welded one on a Case extenda last night, plated, 1 1/4 on the lower boom to give the thumb bracket room to slide over the fixed part of the boom, will end up making an arch to attach to the side plates but as of right now the extension piston is missing from this unit. Getting the feel for clamping just enough seems important, over gripping puts a lot of strain on the end of the dipper.
Mine was $176.00 shipped and a Ben Franklin to get welded on,.... I'm happy with it,...
Id like to see how you did yours I made a bracket for mine I got my thumb from palletforks.com 5/8s thick it works really good and tough
I think that's the same company, yeah, the free shipping is something else. I'll get some pictures when its all done. for now I just built up the section of the end of the dipper that doesn't retract into the outer section, built that up so its level with the fixed part of the boom, will run some bracing around to the two side plates.
if you look at page 2 at the very end There is a picture how I did mine. the bucket looks far cause of my quick coupler but it works great
Sounds like we were thinking exactly alike, blocked and bridged to the side plates. Gave the new owner pointers on gripping just hard enough to prevent slippage, with mine at full squeeze, it flexes the dipper.
Yikes. Hopefully you are the only one running it, otherwise you might have problems.
Might need to re-engineer that bracket I dont think it will stay straight for long
I have been using mine to break down large piles of logs and limbs into smaller piles for burning. Haven't noticed any flex but I think the regular boom on my hoe is stronger than an extendahoe. I considered adding side reinforcements but didn't find any others done that way so I decided to weld flat to the boom and see how it worked. I have literally snapped some decent size pieces into when clamping a bundle. Still pleased as punch with my install and changing from stow to extended positions is a breeze. Very pleased with the position I chose to weld mine on. It makes putting it back in the stow position a no brainer.
I noticed the flex on my own non-extenda install, its not flex you'll see unless you slap a straight edge on it, even then its minor but still there. The leverage of the bucket curl piston is pretty high. Bracket on the extenda is 1/2 inch plate but the extenda doesn't function so its window dressing at the moment. If it cracks, I have a plan already. Shimmy, I won't be running it, the owner will, and he needs more practice welding anyway!
Just came across this video. It demonstrates a great idea for an adjustable support.
Looks nice but with a full power backhoe, I bet it'd split that extension tube, it looks pretty thin,
The way that guy one handed the thumb while he pulled the pin ain't gonna happen on the Titan 32" thumb. The UPS guy wasn't happy when he delivered it. That's a little toy size unit in the video. Joe H
I said it was a great idea, not a model for a full size hoe. I suspect you could mimic the design with some heavy wall DOM tube and make one functional for our size machines.
dom or even just whip up something out of 1/2 inch plate in and out, easier to weld and drill.
This is a different thumb for you guys. It's home made as you can see. It opens when I extent the hoe and closes when I retract it. It's not perfect as I loose the normal use of the extenda hoe but it works well and it's sterdy. I can remove it for the times I want to dig deep or don't need a thumb. For those that have never seen a backhoe tow a dump trailer, I load the trailer while it is attached to the tractor and dump it by flipping a latch with the bucket and tipping it back with the hoe. I don't get off the tractor seat for any of this. Don't want to hyjack this tread. Just wanted to show a thumb that can work hydraulicly with an extendable.
Nice, and very well thought out setup Deon. I enlarged the thumb cause I couldn' t see how you attached it in the original photo.
Deon I could use one of those dump trailers. Did you buy it or make it? Do you have plans or dimensions for it. Nice set up!
Short video of me trying out my thumb install cant wait to really use it
Pretty awesome looking little trailer and a great idea for shuttling debris around.
176 bucks shipped .. , that is a good deal
Andy 01, I'll start a new threat caller Dump Trailer. See you there.
Since the thumb topic came back up in another thread I thought I would post an update on my experience. I have cleared and moved a couple acres of large pine and sweetgum stumps along with a good many live oak trees the loggers didn't want. So far I have not experienced any weld failures or boom flexing. The model thumb I chose and the way I welded it has proven to be very useful in both the extended and retracted positions. It is pretty easy to change between those positions with no heavy lifting. I lost a couple of hitch pins that secured the pivot pins so I replaced all those that don't have to be taken out with cotter pins. I use a standard hitch pin on the one pin I have to remove to stow or extend the thumb and so far I haven't had that one come out. I have clamped stumps against it that were super large and heavy in both the extended and retracted positions. Here is a pic of a small one with the thumb extended. And here is a bigun with the thumb retracted.
I did end up re drilling my titan pins so they take the 25 cent pins from tractor supply, one size drill hole up.
Think I'm gonna want one of these. 95% of my work will be in timber. I don't think I can mess with building one for the purchase price. Great thread!!!! Thanks guys.
Make sure you get the right length and also get one with the anchor bracket. I don't know how they work out with the extend a hoe. I expect with the anchor bracket you could get the hydraulic version and add a diverter valve to the extend a hoe circuit if you wanted to go that route.
As I was eating my Corn Flakes this morning I was thinking about the diverter valve idea. I'll investigate that more. Not sure there's room for the diverter on the stick without being in harm's way. I have the heavy duty 24" bucket. What length would you recommend? And the length they quote, is that from the hinge pin of the thumb to it's tips? Thanks!!!
Position the bucket 90 degrees from the arm and measure from the arm to the teeth or edge of the bucket. I also have a heavy duty 24 inch bucket and the 36 inch thumb was perfect for mine. If you read my initial post and pics on this thread you might have a better idea of how I did it. Here is some info on measuring . After using my thumb to feed fires I decided I probably would not want a hydraulic cylinder to activate the thumb.
diverter valve will get pricey quick
I've done quite a bit of hydraulic fabrication on my tractors. Diverters aren't too bad. Cheaper than an entirely new circuit. I have this vision of a push button on the left hand joystick handle that would divert the extend cylinder hydraulics to the thumb?? That would leave the other functions operating normally.
Good stuff!!!! Thank you very much. I agree about the heat concern.
I have this vision of a push button on the left hand joystick handle that would divert the extend cylinder hydraulics to the thumb?? That would leave the other functions operating normally http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/125912-custom-hydraulic-backhoe-thumb.html Pretty good write up on how to do that.
Very good write up. I hadn't even thought about matching the forces. Thru the range of motion the thumb hydraulics must be close to the forces applied by the bucket curl or the thumb cylinder will be damaged. I hadn't thought that far into the project to think of that...... There's a lot more to this than meets the eye.
NH -excellent job showing your installation. I've got a Case 580B with a similar boom/bucket set up. I just bought the Titan 36" thumb and am getting ready to weld it on. $234 delivered to Maine for 140 llbs. of a fabricated piece like this is an an amazing deal. I'm a welder, fabricator, marine mechanic myself and I can't imagine making this thing for that kind of money. Anyhow on the thumb I have the piece in the middle didn't require grinding and you can fold the whole rig tighter to the boom by pinning through the 3 pieces and moving the u-shaped retainer piece farther up the boom before welding. Good to hear that hydraulics may not always be the ideal for an added on thumb given the extra headaches involved. Great info, thanks for the post.
To pin it closer to the boom using the three holes in the mount will require you to remove the middle arm. I have found having it out a little does not get in the way of digging and still provides some usefulness for clamping. I think it's much less trouble to unpin and reconnect the one pin. Mine has worn a little so curling the bucket all the way no longer aligns the pin hole but I can lift the thumb and put a stick between it and the bucket to hold it aligned to put the pin back in the stow position.
My new thumb was broken the first time I used it Saturday. I didn't abuse it , just moving cut up logs to a burning pile. I never run the backhoe with the engine throttle above idle speed. It has adequate hydraulic power at that speed to do about anything I want it to do. Which includes raising and swinging a full bucket of dirt at the same time. The photos will show a weakness in the mounting plate. I repaired it and eliminated any future problems with a piece of 1/2 inch wall 1 inch ID pipe that I purchased online. The first image shows the elongated pin hole on the RH side and the broken one with a piece missing on the LH side. Image 2 is the repair. I painted it yellow to make it easier to see. Image 3 is the heavy wall pipe I used to strengthen the mount. I replaced the soft and distorted pin that the thumb mfr. supplied with a 1 inch x 8 inch grade 8 bolt. Hoprfully my sad experince wil help someone else that has the same problem.
that sucks man Mines holding up great on the 580c I used it the other night feeding a fire
I'm looking at pic # 2 and seeing a mount bracket that looks to be much thinner than what I have. Mine is the same thickness as the thumb, yours looks like its half that thickness? You might send a picture to Titan & see what they think. Joe H
I just got one delivered about a week ago.. The weld on bracket is 3/8, the toothed thumb is 5/8.. Damm, that thing is heavy..
The mounting bracket welded to the backhoe boom is a measly 5/16 thick plate. That is totally inadequate when you consider the small amount of steel on the outer diameter of the eye for that bottom pin. Just think about how much pressure is generated not only by the hydraulic force, but the additional pressure of a log 24" x 10 feet long all of it pushing against that area. It may have enough strength for a Case 580 size T/L/B but certainly not a 680 . showrguy ; Who is the manufacturer of your thumb ? I am curious if it the same as mine.
I got mine from Titan directly..
I got it from Titan also. Made in China, no marking at all on it. And you're right, the bracket is about 3/8". Had a look at it yesterday and I was wrong. First time ever. Joe H
Mine is a Titan also. Bought it on eBay. I sent those images of the damage only, to them this morning. I hope, but I doubt if I get a response from them.
the bracket on mine is pretty thick thicker then 5/16s at least
Tinkerer which model/size did you buy? Mine is also holding up great. Was pulling small stumps out with it today and thinking what a great tool it has been. Dug and picked up several larger stumps but the small ones I clamped onto and pulled with the thumb and bucket.
My pet peeve is the pin latching system. I have lost all the pin clips. I'm actually running large nails inserted and bent around the pin to reduce the chance of snagging. Not handy at all when wanting to change the position of the thumb. The pins are so short you can't even install a bolt with locknut...….
It is a 32 inch. I followed the measuring instructions that are on the internet in regards to fitment. It is not too small for the bucket I use with it. You can see the grade 8 bolt in the new bushing I installed
Where did you find instructions for fitment ?? I looked everywhere to no avail, figured we could figure it out with a little common sense ..
A Google search for "how to measure a backhoe for a thumb" will bring up a few websites that have pictures and instructions. But, when I was looking on ebay for a thumb, there is a brand named Linville listed along with Titan. Any of Linville's listings will have a picture and instructions about measuring for the correct size. It is quite simple. Position the front of the bucket at a 90 degree angle to the dipper. Measure from the inside face of the dipper to the end of the bucket teeth. That is the size thumb you need. I wasn't exactly at 90 degrees in the image I posted. I had just finished welding the new reinforcing bushing in and it was hotter than h** outside. That is why the connecting link is not mounted when I snapped that photo.
I replaced the supplied hitch pins with cotter pins except the one I remove to stow it. I drilled the hole in that one to the next size hitch pin and haven't lost one since.
Oh, I already have the 36" thumb, I was smart enough to figure out what size I needed.. My quest is for the position of the weld on bracket location info...
That was my reason for starting and updating this thread. The method and position I used on my 36" has worked perfectly for me.
NH575E shows his located in the correct position earlier in this thread. A professional welder has a YouTube video showing all you need to know about doing it correctly. The video quality is poor the advice is excellent !
Thanks fellas!!
I'm reviving this old thread because I had another design flaw rear its ugly head a couple of weeks ago. Maybe someone will benefit from my problem ! I am posting a photo of the pin that bent in the thumb link and had to be cut off. The link is tooo narrow for the thumb and allowed the damage to occur. I still had enough of the heavy wall pipe to make two bushings to hopefully eliminate any more pin bending. I bought another grade 8 bolt to replace the bent pin.
Sounds like the 32" is not the same as the 36" in beef and quality.
I hope a 36" is a heavier assembly. I can say I never abused this thumb. Engine idle speed only when using it. It certainly is a disappointing attachment so far although it does function well.
I'm reviving an old thread with an update on my pos thumb. After all the work and time it took to beef up and repair the holes for the pins, the arm on it has bent. I picked up a log, but didn't have the thumb centered on it. The arm looks better in the photo than it really is. I now have a new extreme duty thumb welded in place. Time will tell if it will hold up to the job it was designed for. It has turned out to be a very expensive and disappointing ordeal for me.
Sorry to hear about your thumb troubles. It does look a little on the weak side (your old one). FWIW here's a few photos to show how mine is constructed. The sides are 3/4" AR400 plate. The bigger cross tube is ~2.5" outer diameter, the smaller one (at tip of thumb) is ~ 2" outer diameter, the pivot pin (at the bucket) is 30mm. The mount for the upper end of hydraulic cylinder (thats welded to the stick) is made from 3/8". The lower mount on the thumb is 3/4", on the 2.5" tube. Overall width is 14". I've had this thumb for 5 years now. No problems. It is manufactured by Showetime Fabrication ( www.showtimefab.com ) out of Minnesota. At the time cost was ~ $1200 US including cylinder and shipping (within USA). I just used it the other day to move some maple logs...
Awesome thumb ! Tooo pricey for me tho. Beautiful dog ! Unless its a male dog. Then he is a handsome bugger !! Nice video to ! The thumb that I bent was fabricated from 3/8th inch steel pate. The new Extreme Duty (I hope) is fabricated from 5/8th plate. It has 1 1/4"diameter pins. It weighs 128 lbs.
Thanks Tinkerer, he's going on 13 years soon. Looks a lot better than the old one. Hope it works out.
Deon, Looking to make a similar setup with the thumb using Titan's 36" thumb on my JCB. The thumb seems very heavily built for one that is cheaper than dirt (literally cheaper than a load of dirt). JCB's extra dig design however poses a few installation challenges. I guess I have a few options. The first is to weld the thumb bracket to the outer dipper as low and close to the bucket as possible. The outer dipper however does not come very close to the bucket so the bucket and thumb will not meet in a parallel fashion (see pic). Not crazy about this setup but it uses the brackets as intended. The second option I'v considered is to swap the long bracket for the shorter thumb storage bracket (same gage steel and width) so that I can get the thumb pivot much closer to the bucket pivot by welding it to the inner extending dipper instead. Sound like a good Idea or should I stick with the installation as Titan intended? Thanks
I think if you go with your second option, you'll eventually tear something up. You are essentially tying your inner and outer dippers together with the diagonal arm. If you accidently extend the dipper, something is going to give. If you could come up with a really beefy, longer mounting plate that would move the lower pivot point closer to the bucket, it might work. It would be cantilevered out there, so I don't know if you could make it strong enough.
The only viable option I see for a extended hoe arm is the Amulet design.
I like this one even better ! Notice that it is a hydraulic operated thumb compared to the Amulet in the video above this one.
I gave the amulet some thought, but man they were spendy! They look as though they would work well though. If I remember correctly, one member on here commented that they are not too heavy duty.
Those are both waaay nicer. But out of my price range. I paid $246 shipped for the 36" titan mechanical. I figured at that price I'd make it work.There is a design from RSL in england I looked at but it was over $1000 and I dont think they shipped to the US. It has a friction pad that hangs over the dipper and braces against the extender.
The problem with a fixed thumb is that the tractor has to be moved so that the thumb will be in a good position to pick up anything without gouging the ground with the bucket teeth. If you are too close the rock or log will roll in front of the bucket because the thumb is to high from the ground. They are also in the way when you want to dig around tree stumps and other in-ground objects. I am seriously considering converting mine to hydraulic. I would use a diverter valve on one of the stabilizer circuits.
I wondered about that. That's why I was curious to hear more about how Deon's design has been working out. The dippers have a locking pin, but I guess you would have to be good about using it.
Got a thumb on my Baby Backhoe. Very handy, but I am working on a plan to go hydraulic. It does get in the way
Well I welded the 36" Titan on today. I used the storage bracket with a piece of pipe welded inside of it for the thumb pivot. I pinned the extender and bumped it to max extension before welding. So as long as its pinned the dipper cant extend at all. Used 5/32 rod @ 175A. It stows up nicely against the dipper with the brace tucked inside.
Keep and eye on the lynch pins. I replaced the ones I would have to unpin with large cotter pins. The only one I would need to unpin seems to stay put but the others would come loose and fall out. How far does it extend to function? It doesn't look like you can get it 90* to the bucket.
Where does the thumb meet the bucket when pinned in position to use? I had lynch pins on my bucket linkage and changed them to cotter pins as well. Too easy for them to come out and you don't notice.
Yea the lynch pins are not the greatest. Ill get another pic with it in work position. I also want to drill holes for another work position maybe half way between the hinge holes and the holes it uses now. Just to jive more angle to the thumb if needed.
Just be careful the sliding portion the thumb mount is on doesn't get bent or distorted. It could cause problems if you removed the thumb and wanted to use the extradig feature.
I welded the small bracket to the inner boom near the bucket pivot (making sure it cleared the bucket when curled, then pinned the tines and large bracket in, and then braced the whole assembly against the outer boom to be welded.
Let us know how it works out once you use it for a couple of jobs.
Pay careful attention to where the stiff arm pins on the boom. That's where I thought there might be potential for damage on the boom. I also wonder if a longer stiff arm that extends further out on the thumb would add strength. I would imagine the bucket has about 10,000lbs. of curl force.
I'm certainly not smart enough but that picture above makes me wonder if there's a way to rig the extendahoe in a way such that the thumb would actually open and close... There's some physics there I can't quite picture. Maybe starting with mounting the pivots upside down? Seems like a silly idea but...
Welder Dave- Yea ill have to keep an eye on that. I imagine the more the angle between the dipper and thumb brace can be reduced, the more in line the bucket forces will be with the bracket. I can still mount the thub and brace on the intended bracket if i need to. aighead - There is an earlier post from someone that did operate their thumb this way. I dont know how it would work with mine. I just wouldn't want to accidentally max out the travel.
It looks like you could extend the hoe to retract the thumb if you were careful not to go too far.
Yea I suppose it's possible. Extend releive valve is set at 2000 psi right now. Maybe i could back it off to prevent damage.
It looks like you got it all figured out Are you in love with it or is it just ok?
I would say in my case it's a bit of a pain to use for just one rock or stump because the extradig has to be in just the right spot for the pin holes to line up. Wouldn't be an issue on a one piece dipper tho. As far as function tho it works great and it's not in the way when stowed.
I just ordered one; a 36" for my 310C. From what I have seen on the forums, this is a well built piece of gear. I got the Titan Attachments one for $279 shipped. I can't wait to get it installed.
Thought I would cap this thread off with the eventual demise of this install. After 8 hard years of use it finally failed and ripped open the crowd arm at the welds. Not a catastrophic fail but a fail nonetheless. HeavyEquipmentForums
Sounds like you have a solid plan, the couple I put on are still working great and like you, an excavator with a hydraulic thumb is much nicer!