FEL Tooth Bar or BH Thumb?

[dmacneil]

Ok.. another good thread here gives many opinions being that a toothbar is one of the best value adds for your tractor. I could certainly see that. What I'd like to know is if you had a choice between a FEL tooth bar or a BH thumb which would you rather have?

Of course there is the consideration of 'depends on what you use your tractor for'. So, let's try to minimize that question by saying "general use" - tractor is used for:

- digging out tree stumps
- moving wet heavy snow
- digging out garden
- digging holes for trees
- drainage grading and trenching for tile
- landscaping
- leveling hills
- replacing fill with screen top soil
- clearing brush
- etc.

However, if there is a use for either the toothbar or thumb that is not listed that would definetely sway your choice then please list this.

Thanks for any thoughts..

 

[nspec]

I've got a B2630, backhoe with a welded on two 3 position fixed thumb, and no toothbar. My summer project involved ripping out stumps, building a rock retaining wall approximately 8 feet high by 100 feet long, and then backfilling it with 500 yards of fill. Never for one second did I wish I had a toothbar. That thumb got one heck of a workout, though. Thumb any day, hands down. Should be standard equip. on any backhoe.

I placed every rock in the photos with the thumb - and some were huge. Even if I couldn't lift them, the thumb helped in positioning and in keeping them from rolling where I didn't want them to go. That rock wall isn't pretty from the back side, but each rock I was able to turn and position just like I had a small stone in my hands - and let me tell you, it is a very strong wall.

I backfilled in stages, a few feet at a time, packing it as I went. All in all, I added about 5,000 sq. feet of really nice yard. All of the grading I did with the loader bucket. Never felt the need for a back blade or box grader or anything like that.

I do think the toothbar would have been in my way more than I would have used it.

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[escavader]

thumb;
building a rock retaining wall
placing crushed stone in tight places
pulling up berrie bushes
digging out ditches
loading a trailer/or dump cart
filling in around foundation forms
lifting logs to cut for firewood
hauling small brush piles behind tractor
etc etc possibilities are endless

 

[LBrown59]

. Thumb any day, hands down.

YEP Thums up Pun intended.
I have a BX 23 with a BH and a BX1500 with a tiller . If that won't break up the soil what good is a tooth bar gonna do?

 

[TRUST]

I got a thumb and no toothbar. I will probably get a TB eventually, but I got the thumb first. I did a little stump digging over the weekend.

J.

 

[CharlieKtractor]

I got a MARKHAM toothbar bolted on and no thumb and it has only been off once in 7 yrs. to scoop up some muck from the bottom of my pond that was on the concrete patio in the back yard. To each his own. Chas.

 

[dmacneil]

Ok, going to show some of my inexperience. The thumbs for the BX aren't hydraulic? So - in order to use the thumb, you need to position the bucket, get off the seat, lock the thumb, get back on the seat and then the same deal to disengaged the thumb? Is this correct?

I bet I'll get bashed for this, but this just doesn't seem productive to me. Someone help me understand...

 

[BX2230Dude]

in order to use the thumb, you need to position the bucket, get off the seat, lock the thumb, get back on the seat and then the same deal to disengaged the thumb? Is this correct?

All you have to do is position the fixed thumb in front of whatever you're trying to lift and then curl the bucket until it grips.

 

[LBrown59]

Is this correct?

is it ?

 

[dmacneil]

Riiight. Ok, not as bad as I thought. So position the thumb into a good spot for use while needed, then position it back when done. I feel stupid - something so simple, but hard to reason until you see it (or are told). Thanks.

Um.. how the **** did you get your TLB in the drink like that? And how did you get it out?!

 

[BX2230Dude]

oops, screwed up the quote.

Oh well, If I continue to post at this blistering rate I'll catch up to LBrown59 in no time.

 

[BX2230Dude]

Um.. how the **** did you get your TLB in the drink like that?

Those 3/4" PVC sprinkler pipes are surprisingly easy to break with a backhoe.

 

[kthompson]

Ok, going to show some of my inexperience. The thumbs for the BX aren't hydraulic? So - in order to use the thumb, you need to position the bucket, get off the seat, lock the thumb, get back on the seat and then the same deal to disengaged the thumb? Is this correct?

I bet I'll get bashed for this, but this just doesn't seem productive to me. Someone help me understand...

I have a mechanical thumb on small excavator. If I know I will not be picking up anything will pull it into the store position. If digging stumps unless there is a clearance problem which has happened a time or two just leave the thumb in the use position. Small word of caution, be sure your thumb will not hit your cylinder's rod when you curl the boom in. If you have bolts through the pins for the thumb you may want to replace them with pins but be sure you use pins that will not flip open and drop.

 

[escavader]

This post isnt really a fair question ,because one can only assume everyone has a back hoe.If you didnt of course the tooth bar would be the choice.It is true you can grip stuff alot better even with a thumb folded up.But if you design your thumb correct you can dig with it folded out at close range,reaching way out it may hit.Ican dig ditches all day with the thumb out,and it aids in loading the spoils to haul off in a trailer.
ALAN

 

[J0be269]

I would have to say the thumb, for the simple fact the clearing brush is on your list. I have a mechanical, when I go to use it I fold it down into my favorite position, back up when done. Never gotten in the way while digging when folded. But man let me tell you how nice it is to grab a tree with the BH and bring it up waist high for sawing!

 

[Tom_H]

What nobody has mentioned is that if you already have a FEL and not a BH, a great compliment to the FEL and toothbar is a grapple for the FEL, an addition that will cost much less than adding a BH.

American Solutions has this one for the BX:

American Solutions LLC

ATI has one for B series and larger:

ATI Corporation - Grapple Kit Images

ATI also has forks and a variety of specialty FEL buckets:

ATI Corporation - Loader Attachments

Hooks also add versatility for very little cost.

 

[kthompson]

This post isnt really a fair question ,because one can only assume everyone has a back hoe.If you didnt of course the tooth bar would be the choice.It is true you can grip stuff alot better even with a thumb folded up.But if you design your thumb correct you can dig with it folded out at close range,reaching way out it may hit.Ican dig ditches all day with the thumb out,and it aids in loading the spoils to haul off in a trailer.
ALAN

It also must assume everyone has a FEL which is not correct either. To date have not seen enough use for me, to buy one. Now could I use a real FEL oh yeah. Need to move about 3 to 6,000 yards of dirt anywhere from 100 feet to about 300 yards. A FEL on any tractor (or TLB) I have ever seen would just make ruts or a small skid steer.

 

[Brahmus]

Where are you guys getting your mechanical Thumb for the BH? I have a small bobcat mini excavator and figured I could use the same thumb but don't know which ones to look at.

 

[Mowbizz]

Where are you guys getting your mechanical Thumb for the BH? I have a small bobcat mini excavator and figured I could use the same thumb but don't know which ones to look at.

Bro Tek makes the thumb for my BX...you can also google wallenstein for other mechanical thumbs.

 

[AMR]

I went with a thumb first. I really want a toothbar also but it is not fitting in my economic model of being poor right now and having trouble finding work.

I would say that a thumb doubled at least the utility of my BH. I do a lot of stumpin', brushin' and rock relocating, a thumb is a must for all of this.

It really is a pain to dig, deploy the thumb, then stow it, dig again, etc. A hydraulic thumb would be a dream, but an expensive one. So I do all the digging I can then go back and remove the stumps/rocks/brush and then deposit them in their respective piles.

I really want a toothbar because now that my rocks and stumps and brush are removed it is time to do some re-grading and all the bucket does is ride up over the roots, etc. Hopefully business will turn this year for us and I can think about the toothbar.