CK 35 bolt on backhoe thumb

[Amvcane]

I understand now, the thumb is a fixed width that tightens at the top and needs to be widened to fit the 3 3/8" dipper boom of the KB2475.

 

[worthb]

I understand now, the thumb is a fixed width that tightens at the top and needs to be widened to fit the 3 3/8" dipper boom of the KB2475.

Exactly. It takes a very easy cut down the middle with a Sawzall and 1 pin. This is the cheapest way to put a thumb on the 2475 out there. And it works!

 

[joefromga]

Couldn't you easily add a hydraulic to that mechanical and have it made?

 

[Buggs67]

Exactly. It takes a very easy cut down the middle with a Sawzall and 1 pin. This is the cheapest way to put a thumb on the 2475 out there. And it works!

It kills me that it misses by 1/8". They also have weld on kits and assemblies.

 

[worthb]

Couldn't you easily add a hydraulic to that mechanical and have it made?

Due to the linkage angles it may be tough to convert. However, I will definitely be trying to figure out how to make it work.

Real world, it is about 1/4 - 5/16 too narrow. By cutting it right down the middle, it keeps the mount from shifting much.

I hope others will see this as a low cost opportunity to the other manufacturers. BTW, the thumb is built tough!

 

[Coyote machine]

I have a DK-40 with KB-2485 hoe. I've used the MIE mechanical thumb, and eventually sold it due to lack of use and it being stationary instead of hydraulic. I bought a second thumb from them, this time a hydraulic bolt on type. I then went the further distance and did the weld on version. This I like, big time. For the way I use my tractor and hoe, I really need something bulletproof and sturdy. The final version I have uses a joystick rather than the foot pedal in the platform design because I converted from the mechanical thumb to the weld on doing it by pieces needed versus a complete new assembly.
Like others with the hydraulic thumb, there is no going back to the mechanical for me.
The bolt on the dipper stick type thumb never worked well for me- I kept moving the bracket with the bucket when applying forces to the object being lifted. YMMV.

BTW, Bob and Tony at MIE are great people to work with. They know their stuff and won't leave you guessing where they went.....

 

[EJP1234]

I have the weld on hydro thumb on my ck30... I wouldn't have it any other way. I use it all the time around the house. When I bought the tractor I was really up in the air about spending the cash on the backhoe all together, but if I was going to I was getting the hydro thumb. Literally, I would say once a week I use the thumb. I got log loads delivered at 8' length, and I pick them up, spin to left or right 90*, hold steady about 3' high and use the stihl to cut them to 20" length to then be split and stacked.

I cleared a small 1/8th acre area in my woods for a food plot for deer hunting this summer, I was ripping full size stumps out....

When we bought the place there was a huge brush pile. No I back the truck and utility trailer up to it, drive Kioti over and grab and dump, grab and dump....

The hydro thumb is the only way to go. If I went mechanical I would spend so much more time off the machine adjusting it. As well, the welded is so much more rigid than a bolt on.

Do it right the first time, and be happy. It's a quality product, and you will be pleased.

 

[Gil Case]

I bought three bolt on from MIE, one for my Kioti, one for my sons Montana and one for my other sons old Kubota with a Woods Back hoe. They work slick, trouble free. Price is less than $400 as I remember, but that was awhile ago.
MIE will make either hydraulic or manual but hydraulic is much pricier and you have to have the extra hydraulic ports. For as many times as I use it, the manual is fine for me

 

[Buggs67]

I bought three bolt on from MIE, one for my Kioti, one for my sons Montana and one for my other sons old Kubota with a Woods Back hoe. They work slick, trouble free. Price is less than $400 as I remember, but that was awhile ago.
MIE will make either hydraulic or manual but hydraulic is much pricier and you have to have the extra hydraulic ports. For as many times as I use it, the manual is fine for me

Error $675 for smallest one.

 

[IXLR8]

I bought three bolt on from MIE, one for my Kioti, one for my sons Montana and one for my other sons old Kubota with a Woods Back hoe. They work slick, trouble free. Price is less than $400 as I remember, but that was awhile ago.
MIE will make either hydraulic or manual but hydraulic is much pricier and you have to have the extra hydraulic ports. For as many times as I use it, the manual is fine for me

You don't need an extra hydraulic port, at least I didn't for my MIE thumb. The thumb valve is just connected in series with the hoses going to the BH. I just needed to tell MIE what fittings were on the BH so they could put the proper fittings on the thumb hoses.