Backhoe Should I ad a Thumb to my backhoe purchase today?

[Industrial Toys]

I have used my hoe for probably twenty years with no shortage of boulders around here. I'm the first one to get something if I figure it will be easier or just more fun, but just don't see it. I hardly think all my hoe work was done at 50% efficiency. Usually, boulders go right back in the hole or trench once a covering of nice fill has been introduced. I could see, if I had to pick a bunch of boulders out of a pile and put them in a loader bucket or trailer, but that's kind of rare.

 

[fried1765]

How do you figure that? I dig holes and trenches mostly. I can pick out large rocks without a thumb. Please explain your math.

Without a thumb:
On a flat surface you can pick rocks up after you first chase them around for a while.
You can place a rock, but first you must drop it, and then try to push it into place.
If a rock falls on the back side of a pile you need to reposition the machine to try to pick up again.
You can dig stumps, but depending on size they can often be just pulled with a thumb.
You cannot drag a beam, log, or pole from it's end.

My L48 thumb is quite robust.
I love it, and will likely find new uses for it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah, I think if I had to do all that individual rock moving, it would be a benefit. But mostly they are just part and parcel of removed spoil, all handled at the same time.

If I had anything I wished for, it would be a rotating logging style grapple. For the loader, not hoe.

 

[4570Man]

I try not to put bigger rocks back in the ditch. I’ve had to fix too many lines busted by them. If it’s a deep enough trench I’ll put a foot of dirt in and then set the rocks back. The thumb makes it much easier to throw them aside to deal with later. But I use the thumb for much more than moving rocks.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Typical little digging job around here last summer, burying a couple of pets. Put limestone sreenings back in first and then all that junk went back in. Don't remember any really large stones.

 

[4570Man]

What’s that Kubota hoe? I don’t recall ever seeing one that big.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah, a little too big. Made by Bradco. The R510 was supposed to have a smaller fold-in type hoe generally, but a city decided to order the larger hoe for a cemetary. They loaded the front wheels right to the top to try and offset the weight!

Hoe has AUX hydraulics. Painted color of city equipment. Shame!

 

[4570Man]

What’s it mounted on?

 

[Industrial Toys]

It would have been sweet if the hoe went up higher against the cab. It was a bit of a rube-goldberg! It's also nothing close in size to a "real" construction TLB. Case 580 or similar.

 

[GeneV]

What purpose other than to pick up occasional odd debris does a thumb provide on a backhoe? Also, would a pneumatic be necessary or will a mechanical one suffice? Does one foot digging depth and 130# difference in the digging force make a real difference? Just want to know before the purchase today. I have my thoughts but wanted to know what other "users" think.

Thanks for replying.

I installed a thumb on mine. It's handy for stuff like picking up big tree limbs which then I can position over a cart to saw up and haul away with my garden tractor. I find a bunch of other uses for it, and it's not a very expensive addon, so all good. Yeh, if you got a backhoe, why not? When not using it, it folds up out of the way.

As far as getting a powered thumb, I don't see much point. If I needed that option, I'd sooner get a grapple on the loader.