Backhoe BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic????

   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic???? #1  

leeinmemphis

Gold Member
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
283
Tractor
Kubota 5040 with FEL
Hey everyone,

I have decided to purchase a Woods BH90-x groundbreaker bh mounted on a subframe on my kubota m5040 tractor. I am wanting to get a thumb for it also and I am wondering if there is any significant benefit for going to a hydraulic thumb? I am going to be using it on our farm digging ditches/uprooting and moving trees/general cleanup around a farm that hasn't been maintained in years. So my question is would you pay the $1400 additional difference between the mechanical vs. hydraulic thumb? In the past I haven't really had any attachments that had hydraulic cylinders on them but last year I bought a couple implements that had them and I immediately noticed how much easier it was to operate the equipment. I didn't know if I would get any real benefit from the hydraulic thumb. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic???? #2  
First, let me say that I have been operating, installing, modifying
compact tractor backhoe attachments for several years now. I
have built and installed several mechanical thumbs, too. I have
operated an hydraulic (foot pedal controlled) thumb on an industrial
track excavator. THAT was a very valuable experience.

IMO, adding a mechanical or hydraulic thumb to any backhoe
at least DOUBLES its usefulness. Hydraulic is the ultimate, but
an additional $1400 is too much for me. Even Woods "only"
charges $500 or so for their fixed mechanical unit. My mechanical
thumbs are nearly as useful as an hydraulic one, and they are
much less $, weigh a lot less, and there are no extra hoses
attached to the outsides of my hoe.

You could also consider an articulating mechanical thumb, as posted
recently in the DIY section. I will post my articulating mechanical thumb
soon. They are even closer to the hydraulic ultimate, without the
disadvantages.
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic???? #3  
if you can afford the hyd.thumb get it.the mech one will work but when you don't want it you have to get off and move it, hyd one just folds back.As for the operating think of picking up something with just moving your fingers to your thumb vs. using your thumb to help pick something up:)
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic???? #4  
I think your question was well answered by the responding posts. I opted for the mechanical thumb on the BH90-X for two reasons. First, one reason I chose the HB90-X was for the hydraulic hose configuration being contained and thus protected by being mostly internal to the boom. This advantage would be somewhat defeated by having exposed hydraulic lines to the thumb. Secondly, I had great difficulty swallowing the cost effectiveness of the added $1,400 for a hydraulic version. I also felt that should I feel the need I could add hydraulics myself sometime in the future. That said, if it’s in your budget the hydraulic version certainly provides more versatility and manually moving about that big chunk of iron on the manual thumb can be a bit of a pain if it’s on a repetitive basis.

Ken
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic????
  • Thread Starter
#5  
THanks for the info guys. I have called today to ask for a firm price on a hydraulic thumb. If I can get it for $1500 more than the mechanical thumb then I think I'll probably go on ahead and try it. I've recently learned how nice it is to have the hydraulics on the 3pt tools and I think it would be a nice addition to this backhoe if it isn't too expensive. Thanks again.
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic???? #6  
Yesterday I was Woods BH-90x shopping, the prices that I was given were $600-800 more for hydraulic over mechanical thumbs.

I have no remotes or lines to the rear of the tractor, installed price with 16" bucket, hydraulic lines, hydraulic thumb, the works, $9100. Then I asked about how much cheaper for the mechanical thumb and they both said $600-800 cheaper.

steve
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic????
  • Thread Starter
#7  
InlineDieselFan said:
Yesterday I was Woods BH-90x shopping, the prices that I was given were $600-800 more for hydraulic over mechanical thumbs.

I have no remotes or lines to the rear of the tractor, installed price with 16" bucket, hydraulic lines, hydraulic thumb, the works, $9100. Then I asked about how much cheaper for the mechanical thumb and they both said $600-800 cheaper.

steve

Lets make sure we are comparing apples to apples here:

I am getting a price on a bh90x with a subframe and a hydraulic pump to run off of the pto for $8052.00 The mechanical thumb is a $600 option and the hydraulic thumb is a $2350 option. (in other words it is about $1700 more than the mechanical). Is your prices on a subframe or 3pt and did it include the pump or are you gonna run off of your tractors hydraulics?
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic???? #8  
leeinmemphis said:
Lets make sure we are comparing apples to apples here:

I am getting a price on a bh90x with a subframe and a hydraulic pump to run off of the pto for $8052.00 The mechanical thumb is a $600 option and the hydraulic thumb is a $2350 option. (in other words it is about $1700 more than the mechanical). Is your prices on a subframe or 3pt and did it include the pump or are you gonna run off of your tractors hydraulics?
Lee,

Give or take a couple of hundred bucks due to negotiation or regional differences the HB90-X costs $8,000 to include sub-frame. Again, give or take a couple of hundred bucks due to negotiation or regional differences the manual thumb runs for about $700 and the hydraulic thumb runs about $2,200. These figures assume that you already have two remotes in place to power both the backhoe and the hydraulic thumb. If you do not have any remotes in place then consider $600 each for DEALER installed remotes to power each unit. The figures I provide are from ten dealers in four different states local to Vermont.

Ken
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic????
  • Thread Starter
#9  
K7147 said:
Lee,

Give or take a couple of hundred bucks due to negotiation or regional differences the HB90-X costs $8,000 to include sub-frame. Again, give or take a couple of hundred bucks due to negotiation or regional differences the manual thumb runs for about $700 and the hydraulic thumb runs about $2,200. These figures assume that you already have two remotes in place to power both the backhoe and the hydraulic thumb. If you do not have any remotes in place then consider $600 each for DEALER installed remotes to power each unit. The figures I provide are from ten dealers in four different states local to Vermont.

Ken

Ken,

My price is based on a self sufficient hydraulic pump that mounts on the pto to drive the hoe. I am sure that adds a few dollars to the mix. All in all my price sounds about right. I am probably gonna ask them to order it early next week because I'll need it by the end of February to install some underground utilities at my farm.
 
   / BH thumbs.....mechanical vs hydraulic???? #10  
leeinmemphis said:
THanks for the info guys. I have called today to ask for a firm price on a hydraulic thumb. If I can get it for $1500 more than the mechanical thumb then I think I'll probably go on ahead and try it. I've recently learned how nice it is to have the hydraulics on the 3pt tools and I think it would be a nice addition to this backhoe if it isn't too expensive. Thanks again.

You will not regret this decision.

I have a hydraulic thumb, and I think it is much more useful than a mechanical one. Especially if doing anything like moving a pile of rocks, where different thumb positions are required in a short period of time. The ability to push an object into the bucket as well as pull it into the thumb is very valuable.

A seldom-mentioned issue is that I think hydraulic thumbs are much safer than mechanical. Every time I don't have to dismount to adjust the thumb is one less chance for an accident. Plus, if I am using the thumb, it is most often in an area of broken ground, with a lot more chances to trip and fall. And, I know if I have to mount & dismount often, I get lazy, and sometimes leave the engine running. IMHO this is just an accident waiting to happen.
 
 
 
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