backhoe thumb

[Taylortractornut]

I thought id post a picture of my thumb grapple i built for my old 3550 Ford backhoe. It took 15 dollars and 4 hours to figure out how i wanted it. I think i was 17 or 18 when i built it. Ive loaded logs scrap iron torn down and loaded old barns, and placed rip rap with it. also handy about grasping small 4 inch diameter pines and pullin them from the ground. I made 4 tines on the thumb becaus the bucket has 5 teeth. that way i cand use the horizontal bar to hold against the web between the bucket teeth. when pullins small itemes like rebar scraps.

[Taylortractornut]

thump pics

[Taylortractornut]

grasping combine fuel tank

[bubenberg]

thanks for sharing your work and idea with us ... my mechanic has been looking for an inexpensive way to make his own thumb ... yor pictures hit the nail on the head.

[Carl_NH]

This too is what i have been looking for - it's great and inexpensive to boot.

I am thinking about a swing up design with a bracket on the BH arm so you can store the thumb on the arm when not in use. Also doing it so the atachment link folds into this bracket too and then gets pinned in.

Great idea, now off to the drawing board.

Carl

[wroughtn_harv]

Evening Carl,

The other day somewhere I noticed a deal where you have a solenoid valve to change the operation of a lever on a tool like your hoe. What happens let's say is you're using your clam action on your bucket. Then when you want to engage the thumb you hit the solenoid switch and the lever operating the clam action becomes a lever to activate the thumb cylinder.

I've been looking at all the thumb designs like those in Rock and Dirt magazine also. I would like to have one that is operated by linkage off the clam action. That way when you open the bucket the thumb folds back and when you close it the thumb folds down to meet the bucket.

Didn't you think his idea of having the teeth interlock just ingenious as pockets on a shirt?

[Taylortractornut]

WroughtnHarv I think the Solenoid valve you were talking about is made by PWCE Paul Weaver Construction Equipment. They make alot of neat after market attachments. Here its called a rabbit valve. I used to operate one on 790 JD excavator with a thumb. It had a foot button just apply pressure then clam in and when the thumb got right release button and the bucket moved in on the load, excellent for production work. The 300 Komatsu on the same job had 2 sets of these, for using a thumb and tilt bucket. PWCE site is at www.pwce.com
Thanks for the comment about my teeth meshing together it means alot to us younger weldors when they get good comments from master weldors. Best regaurds Taylor Lambert