Adding Hydraulic Thumb to Excavator

[liberty2701]

Looking to purchase a 1995 Cat e70b excavator. It presently has a mechanical thumb. Any ideas what the material cost would be to add a hydraulic thumb. Labor i can do myself. I believe nothing is set up for it. Thanks

 

[Piston]

I'm interested in doing this to my,older hitachi 22ton ex. I was thinking all I'd need to do would be add a electric/hydraulic diverted valve to one of the circuits, probably curl?
I think the main expenses are the valve, hoses, and fittings. The rest would be your own labor.
Since my excavator is older, the pressures aren't as high as the new ones, so I could get away with 3k psi hoses from surplus center.

Interested to see the other replies so I'll be following along.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Looking to purchase a 1995 Cat e70b excavator. It presently has a mechanical thumb. Any ideas what the material cost would be to add a hydraulic thumb. Labor i can do myself. I believe nothing is set up for it. Thanks

Have you operated a hoe with a fixed thumb? I personally like them better than a hyd as it's one less thing to break and works fine. Could always try it for a while before adding a bunch of stuff you might not need.

Brett

 

[liberty2701]

Have you operated a hoe with a fixed thumb? I personally like them better than a hyd as it's one less thing to break and works fine. Could always try it for a while before adding a bunch of stuff you might not need.

Brett

No i have not. I am taking the advice of friends that have been operating for along time.

 

[rustyshakelford]

No i have not. I am taking the advice of friends that have been operating for along time.

My $.02 is to run it like it is and go from there. You don't have a personal preference might as well get used to the fixed thumb and not be out several thousand. I think I could run a fixed better than a hyd and have a softer touch. Hyd thumbs are a novelty to me. Kinda like cruise control on a beater farm truck. You don't need it but because your used to it you have to have it.

Brett

Edit to add

Unless you're switching from high production dirt digging to clearing with trees it won't save much time at all.

 

[liberty2701]

My $.02 is to run it like it is and go from there. You don't have a personal preference might as well get used to the fixed thumb and not be out several thousand. I think I could run a fixed better than a hyd and have a softer touch. Hyd thumbs are a novelty to me. Kinda like cruise control on a beater farm truck. You don't need it but because your used to it you have to have it.

Brett

Edit to add

Unless you're switching from high production dirt digging to clearing with trees it won't save much time at all.

Sound advice. Thank you

 

[treemuncher]

I just ran a hoe with a fixed thumb for the first time just this past week. How loud can I yell " I HATE A FIXED THUMB?" Never where I needed it and always in the way where I did not need it, I found myself having to re-position the excavator constantly in order to properly reach or avoid objects because of the fixed thumb.

20 years ago, when I ordered my thumb, it was a hydraulic unit. Sure, I could have saved money and gone with a fixed unit but I purchased a hoe with the accessory plumbing for such applications. I was after job efficiency and did not need to pin and unpin an attachment - that's why I went with a hydraulic operated quick coupler and I sure as **** was not going to have a thumb in the way slowing me down.

You want to reason this out? Try operating your hand and picking up items with your thumb taped inside of your palm so it is useless - that is a plain bucket. Now, try taping a splint to your thumb and working with your hands while your thumb in a fixed position so that you can't move it - there is the efficiency of your fixed hoe thumb. Now, try using your hand as you normally would to pick up items with a mobile thumb. I've used electric over hydraulic and hydraulic over hydraulic thumb systems. You could not pay me to own a fixed thumb in my business. If you are clearing land, picking objects or doing demolition work, there is nothing better or more efficient than a hydraulically operated thumb. Tuck it out of the way or position it in the perfect position no matter the boom position relative to the main house. If you are in this for a business, it is all about efficiency. If your reasoning is that it is slower and you make more money on hourly work, you are cheating yourself as well as your customers.

 

[liberty2701]

I just ran a hoe with a fixed thumb for the first time just this past week. How loud can I yell " I HATE A FIXED THUMB?" Never where I needed it and always in the way where I did not need it, I found myself having to re-position the excavator constantly in order to properly reach or avoid objects because of the fixed thumb.

20 years ago, when I ordered my thumb, it was a hydraulic unit. Sure, I could have saved money and gone with a fixed unit but I purchased a hoe with the accessory plumbing for such applications. I was after job efficiency and did not need to pin and unpin an attachment - that's why I went with a hydraulic operated quick coupler and I sure as **** was not going to have a thumb in the way slowing me down.

You want to reason this out? Try operating your hand and picking up items with your thumb taped inside of your palm so it is useless - that is a plain bucket. Now, try taping a splint to your thumb and working with your hands while your thumb in a fixed position so that you can't move it - there is the efficiency of your fixed hoe thumb. Now, try using your hand as you normally would to pick up items with a mobile thumb. I've used electric over hydraulic and hydraulic over hydraulic thumb systems. You could not pay me to own a fixed thumb in my business. If you are clearing land, picking objects or doing demolition work, there is nothing better or more efficient than a hydraulically operated thumb. Tuck it out of the way or position it in the perfect position no matter the boom position relative to the main house. If you are in this for a business, it is all about efficiency. If your reasoning is that it is slower and you make more money on hourly work, you are cheating yourself as well as your customers.

That is what makes this forum great. Difference of opinions. Makes sense when you put it that way. No money making here. Just an excavator here for my own land.

 

[downsizingnow48]

If you are clearing land, picking objects or doing demolition work, there is nothing better or more efficient than a hydraulically operated thumb.

I made a hydraulic thumb for my backhoe, agree with this 100%. What exactly would a fixed thumb be better at, or frankly even useful for. What work would you want to do outside of picking objects and demo?

 

[rustyshakelford]

I just ran a hoe with a fixed thumb for the first time just this past week. How loud can I yell " I HATE A FIXED THUMB?" Never where I needed it and always in the way where I did not need it, I found myself having to re-position the excavator constantly in order to properly reach or avoid objects because of the fixed thumb.

20 years ago, when I ordered my thumb, it was a hydraulic unit. Sure, I could have saved money and gone with a fixed unit but I purchased a hoe with the accessory plumbing for such applications. I was after job efficiency and did not need to pin and unpin an attachment - that's why I went with a hydraulic operated quick coupler and I sure as **** was not going to have a thumb in the way slowing me down.

You want to reason this out? Try operating your hand and picking up items with your thumb taped inside of your palm so it is useless - that is a plain bucket. Now, try taping a splint to your thumb and working with your hands while your thumb in a fixed position so that you can't move it - there is the efficiency of your fixed hoe thumb. Now, try using your hand as you normally would to pick up items with a mobile thumb. I've used electric over hydraulic and hydraulic over hydraulic thumb systems. You could not pay me to own a fixed thumb in my business. If you are clearing land, picking objects or doing demolition work, there is nothing better or more efficient than a hydraulically operated thumb. Tuck it out of the way or position it in the perfect position no matter the boom position relative to the main house. If you are in this for a business, it is all about efficiency. If your reasoning is that it is slower and you make more money on hourly work, you are cheating yourself as well as your customers.

You started with a hyd thumb and that's what you're familiar with. I can run a fixed thumb and not have to constantly have to reposition the hoe to do what I need. I'll give ya efficiency to switch from digging dirt to switching to clearing. However, it takes about 5 mins to pin it where you want it. These are 30k and up machines I'm talking about. The longer reach makes them easier to use maybe?

I made a hydraulic thumb for my backhoe, agree with this 100%. What exactly would a fixed thumb be better at, or frankly even useful for. What work would you want to do outside of picking objects and demo?

They can dig fine with the thumb in a useful position. Just not good at getting heaping buckets and can be in the way in certain times. Set the thumb in the ground and take the pressure out, pull the pin, reposition the arm so the thumb is out of the way and Re pin it. Very easy and quick.

We would hardly ever go from production dirt and loading dump trucks back to clearing. It was one of the other. The fixed thumb takes away the hoses, fittings and cylinders as fail points. In production clearing, that will shut you down. Another example is power windows. On a work truck where you need it to work all the time, you want manual t-case and manual windows. Hardly see any professional outfits with hyd thumbs on the bigger hoes around here. Just have operators that can run them

Brett