FEL Tooth Bar or BH Thumb?

[BX2230Dude]

oops, screwed up the quote.

Oh well, If I continue to post at this blistering rate I'll catch up to LBrown59 in no time.

 

[BX2230Dude]

Um.. how the **** did you get your TLB in the drink like that?

Those 3/4" PVC sprinkler pipes are surprisingly easy to break with a backhoe.

 

[kthompson]

Ok, going to show some of my inexperience. The thumbs for the BX aren't hydraulic? So - in order to use the thumb, you need to position the bucket, get off the seat, lock the thumb, get back on the seat and then the same deal to disengaged the thumb? Is this correct?

I bet I'll get bashed for this, but this just doesn't seem productive to me. Someone help me understand...

I have a mechanical thumb on small excavator. If I know I will not be picking up anything will pull it into the store position. If digging stumps unless there is a clearance problem which has happened a time or two just leave the thumb in the use position. Small word of caution, be sure your thumb will not hit your cylinder's rod when you curl the boom in. If you have bolts through the pins for the thumb you may want to replace them with pins but be sure you use pins that will not flip open and drop.

 

[escavader]

This post isnt really a fair question ,because one can only assume everyone has a back hoe.If you didnt of course the tooth bar would be the choice.It is true you can grip stuff alot better even with a thumb folded up.But if you design your thumb correct you can dig with it folded out at close range,reaching way out it may hit.Ican dig ditches all day with the thumb out,and it aids in loading the spoils to haul off in a trailer.
ALAN

 

[J0be269]

I would have to say the thumb, for the simple fact the clearing brush is on your list. I have a mechanical, when I go to use it I fold it down into my favorite position, back up when done. Never gotten in the way while digging when folded. But man let me tell you how nice it is to grab a tree with the BH and bring it up waist high for sawing!

 

[Tom_H]

What nobody has mentioned is that if you already have a FEL and not a BH, a great compliment to the FEL and toothbar is a grapple for the FEL, an addition that will cost much less than adding a BH.

American Solutions has this one for the BX:

American Solutions LLC

ATI has one for B series and larger:

ATI Corporation - Grapple Kit Images

ATI also has forks and a variety of specialty FEL buckets:

ATI Corporation - Loader Attachments

Hooks also add versatility for very little cost.

 

[kthompson]

This post isnt really a fair question ,because one can only assume everyone has a back hoe.If you didnt of course the tooth bar would be the choice.It is true you can grip stuff alot better even with a thumb folded up.But if you design your thumb correct you can dig with it folded out at close range,reaching way out it may hit.Ican dig ditches all day with the thumb out,and it aids in loading the spoils to haul off in a trailer.
ALAN

It also must assume everyone has a FEL which is not correct either. To date have not seen enough use for me, to buy one. Now could I use a real FEL oh yeah. Need to move about 3 to 6,000 yards of dirt anywhere from 100 feet to about 300 yards. A FEL on any tractor (or TLB) I have ever seen would just make ruts or a small skid steer.

 

[Brahmus]

Where are you guys getting your mechanical Thumb for the BH? I have a small bobcat mini excavator and figured I could use the same thumb but don't know which ones to look at.

 

[Mowbizz]

Where are you guys getting your mechanical Thumb for the BH? I have a small bobcat mini excavator and figured I could use the same thumb but don't know which ones to look at.

Bro Tek makes the thumb for my BX...you can also google wallenstein for other mechanical thumbs.

 

[AMR]

I went with a thumb first. I really want a toothbar also but it is not fitting in my economic model of being poor right now and having trouble finding work.

I would say that a thumb doubled at least the utility of my BH. I do a lot of stumpin', brushin' and rock relocating, a thumb is a must for all of this.

It really is a pain to dig, deploy the thumb, then stow it, dig again, etc. A hydraulic thumb would be a dream, but an expensive one. So I do all the digging I can then go back and remove the stumps/rocks/brush and then deposit them in their respective piles.

I really want a toothbar because now that my rocks and stumps and brush are removed it is time to do some re-grading and all the bucket does is ride up over the roots, etc. Hopefully business will turn this year for us and I can think about the toothbar.