Goodies from Bro-Tek (Ripper & Thumb) for JD 260 BH

[nikdfish]

My package from Bro-Tek showed up the other day & it was good timing. I had ordered a thumb & ripper for the 260 backhoe on our new 1025R (the "house" tractor...).





Just that evening before delivery we had a fast moving storm go through and a few trees go down. A dead one fell across the yard having broken at the roots just below ground level. It was 18" or so across at the ground and 10"-12" for most of the roughly 40' length. The ripper & thumb let me lift it away from the ground enough to make cutting easy & keep the chain out of the dirt. Once down to just the broken stump end, they let me lift, carry & load the large awkward piece into the truck bed for a trip to the burn pile.

Nick

 

[nikdfish]

Some better pictures with the ripper installed:

thumb in stored position

thumb in working position

Both items work as advertised. The ripper definitely makes stump removal quicker & less messy than with using the bucket on the smaller ones (<= 4") I have done so far.

Nick

 

[OrangeJbird]

How thick are the side plates on the thumb? And . . what's the center to center distance on the pins that hold the thumb on?

 

[nikdfish]

The side plates are 3/8" & the pins are on 13" centers.

The ripper has been getting a workout lately. I have been clearing a roughly 1200 sq ft area in a wooded area by the drive for trailer storage. Probably excised a dozen or so 3" - 10" stumps the last few days. Only had to use a chain saw to part a tap root once so far. Been able to either snap or chisel (with the ripper tip) the rest.

Nick

 

[jbeall]

In looking at the pictures, it seems that the thumb is not actually bolted through the dipper, it's bolted around the dipper--meaning, the bolts never pass through the dipper arm. It seems like it would be free to slide up and down the dipper. What keeps it in place?

 

[nikdfish]

Tension from the bolts with friction from the plates against the dipper welds, the shape of the dipper growing larger towards the joint with the boom & binding against the bolts, plus the fact that forces on the thumb are more rotational than an in-line push parallel to the dipper. Any one of the above would probably be enough, but all are true. I've been using it for 30 hours or so and have had zero slippage to date.

Nick

 

[jbeall]

Clever design. Very cool and I think I just may have to get one!