[dfkrug]

And here is the finished cylinder. The glossy black paint and lighting
conditions make the pix not that clear, but you can see the hard line
and the bracket for mounting the solenoid valve.

In the 3rd photo, with everything installed on the backhoe, you can see
the valve mounted on the cylinder and the electrical connections. I made
it so there is no hose or tubing between the valve and cylinder. Strain
relief is provided for the wires.

The 4th photo shows my thumb control switch, which is on the left side of
the control console. When ON, the thumb cylinder operates at the same
time as the bucket. When OFF, the thumb is fixed in the position it was
in when the switch is thrown. BTW, this is a water-proof switch...rarer than
hen's teeth.