Thumb Does a thumb get in the way when digging with a BH?

[dfkrug]

I have a Woods BH7500 (not the new X model)
I emailed Woods aand asked if they had a thumb for my BH

They responded with...

"We do not offer a thumb of any kind for the model BH7500 backhoe.
Thank you,
Steve Wells
Special Accounts Coordinator
stevew@woodsequipment.com"

Do you think I can make the thumb for the BX70 work on the BH7500? The bucket is a 16" Gannon (16" wide & 18" from stick to tooth tip)

I like the idea of using the existing bucket pin

If Woods had retrofit-able hydraulics for a hyd thumb for the GB7500,
that would be one thing. But a mechanical thumb from Woods would
offer no advantage over a custom or after-mkt thumb as you would
still need to weld on brackets. Or use the bolt-on type.

You can use the existing bkt pin HOLE, but not the existing bkt pin
because a longer pin will be reqd. Not a trivial problem, made more
difficult if the pin size is 1.000" and not 25mm. A 1.000" pin will
require thumb holes to be just over 1.000". I do not recall if Woods
used 1.000" pins and not 25mm, as my 7500 clone hoe uses. A 25mm
pin is perfect fit for a 1.000" HOLE, as some clearance is necessary.

 

[cny]

But a mechanical thumb from Woods would
offer no advantage over a custom or after-mkt thumb as you would
still need to weld on brackets.

I agree, but who sells an after market thumb that uses a pin-on connection for the thumb with 1 weld-on bracket for the brace (like the BX set-up)

 

[dfkrug]

Back to the original question......
I spent a few hours digging a 2-ft deep trench for some electical
lines and that soil was HARD (as expected). For that reason, I
was very dependent on curl force to make any headway. When the
digging is easier, I can use more dipper action for good efficiency. The
hard soil made it so I needed to remove my thumb (a 30-sec endeavor)
cuz it was in the way. It would have been in the way if I had a
park position up against the dipper, too, though less so.

 

[bindian]

I originally posted this question in a Kubota forum, but then thought I should make this a general thread.

I'm probably going to get a BH for my tractor, and I can see how a thumb would be really useful for some of the work I have planned. But although I've got a few hours in a JD 310, I've never run a backhoe with a thumb, or even seen one so equipped in use.

Does a thumb get in the way when digging?

CavinMan,
Does a thumb get in the way when digging? That all depends on what brand backhoe you have. I have a mechanical thumb on my Bradco 511 that is either in the stowed position where it doesn't interfer while digging or in the deployed position for picking objects. The thumbs teeth only mesh with my 24 inch bucket. It will not mesh with the teeth on my 12 inch bucket. It pivots on the same pin as the bucket does. I am in the process of ordering a hyd kit for it, as it is a major pain to manually position the thumb, especially while playing in the mud. The attached photo shows my thumb in it's stowed position. It is way heavier than it looks.
hugs, Brandi
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Here is a photo of my Bradco 511 BH with the thumb deployed.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Here is a better photo of the thumb stowed.
hugs, Brandi

 

[3RRL]

Brandi,
That is a great looking thumb. With it pivoting where the bucket does, it could easily be modified to become an articulating mechanical thumb....without the need for the hydraulics.

 

[bindian]

I agree, but who sells an after market thumb that uses a pin-on connection for the thumb with 1 weld-on bracket for the brace (like the BX set-up)

Bradco's backhoes come with a bracket for thumbs welded onto the dipper.
It has three holes. The forward hole is for the hyd cylinder, the second hole is for the mechanical articulated brace, and the rear hole is for stowing the mechanical articualted brace. The holes are 1.25 inch diameter for the hyd. cylinder and 1.38 for the mechanical brace. They are really big and heavy duty.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Willl]

For comparison, a Rankin UAT-50 on my Bradco 3265.