Great looking machine!! I just got a B26 and had the thumb installed. I've used the tractor only for about 12 hours now and although I haven't used the thumb very much, when I did use it it was great. I'd cut down some trees and needed to cut the logs into mangeable pieces. In that past that meant cutting near the ground and possibly dulling the chain on rocks. I simply lifted the log with the bucket and thumb to knee level and then cut the logs. Really slick . You'll love the versatility of having a bucket and thumb.
I have the thumb on B26 and use it all the time when splitting large logs. I use it to pick them up and set on the splitter and it works fantastic. It is used for many other things also, but that is the biggest help for me.
The Gotcha Man