Tucker,
Congrats on the purchase. I have 2 excavators myself and they are both equipped with hydraulic thumbs, which would allow you to do exactally what you want, it works in conjunction with the bucket to create a pinching effect. If your machine is not equipped with auxilliary plumbing (an extra hydraulic circut, usually operated by a pedal) you could purchase a rigid mount thumb. It still gets the job done, but instead of using a hydraulic cylendar it stays in a fixed position but still allows you to grab stuff. There are some for sale on Ebay, just search for "excavator" then go thru the listings and you'll see em', they are pretty reasonably priced too. Happy hunting, and digging for that matter!