Thumb Woods BH90-X Hyd Thumb pics

son69 · Jul 7, 2009

Did that price include subframe and hose kit or pto pump

BJN644 · Jul 8, 2009

I was quoted $5200 for the BH80X, $900 for the subframe and $500 to ship it. No hydraulic thumb available for the BH80, they have a mechanical thumb for $400. Is a mechanical thumb very useful? I know a hydraulic one is.Pretty much on par with what I have been quoted for a Kioti hoe, now which one is better?

IslandTractor · Jul 8, 2009

BJN644 said:
No hydraulic thumb available for the BH80, they have a mechanical thumb for $400. Is a mechanical thumb very useful?

I have the BH90x with mechanical thumb. I also have a grapple for my FEL. If I were to do it again I would not get the mechanical thumb but would have to think real hard to decide if the expense of a hydraulic thumb was worthwhile. I use my mechanical thumb occasionally but find it gets in the way when digging and not so labor saving if I need to get off the tractor each time I want to use it to pin it into position then again to raise it out of the way.

A grapple on the front loader can do many of the tasks that a thumb does and it is a more versatile piece of equipment. If I were primarily digging with a BH then I would not bother with the expense and hassle of a thumb. If I ran a wood lot and was using the BH to stack logs then by all means I would get a thumb. Same if I were building a long stone wall. I find it next to useless for digging out stumps however. Much easier to dig around the stump then use the grapple to lift it out and move it to whereever I want in a single step rather than using the BH to dig then get off the tractor to set the thumb to lift out the stump and then use the FEL anyway to move it.

Bottom line for me is that I would not order a mechanical thumb again and I would not pay close to $2000 for a hydraulic thumb. If a hydraulic thumb cost close to $1000 I'd probably get one.

On your other question, I used to have a Kioti BH. They are fine and I think generally comparable to Woods in quality especially since the new 24xx series came out. I found the Kioti subframe a bit quicker to hook up although I did need to dismount more often to do it (and I cheated the safety police a lot by operating the HST when I was on the ground). The Woods subframe/4pt system is nice but the tolerances are quite fine so it is a bit fussy in the lining up stage and requires finer control.

BBull · Aug 13, 2009

Thanks all for the great info on BH. I'm contemplating purchase of a Woods BH90X, installed with mechanical thumb for $7500. I have a grapple on my FEL and am still thinking the pros and cons of the mechanical thumb on the bucket. If/when I want to switch out bucket sizes, is the mechanical thumb a hinderance?

If want to dig a ditch, for a water line for example, do I manually remove the mechanical thumb or just latch it out of the way?

Finally, anyone know where a list of Woods buckets can be found for the BH90X? I think I want a narrow one as well as the "standard" 16" or so.

Thanks again for your shared experiences.

IslandTractor · Aug 14, 2009

The mechanical thumb just latches against the dipper and is pretty much out of the way. I have an 18 inch bucket which seems to be fine for general duties. I sometimes think of getting a narrower bucket but dirt can get clogged in those so I haven't. I'm sure Woods can tell you about their standard buckets.

nickel plate · Aug 14, 2009

BBull said:
Thanks all for the great info on BH. I'm contemplating purchase of a Woods BH90X, installed with mechanical thumb for $7500. I have a grapple on my FEL and am still thinking the pros and cons of the mechanical thumb on the bucket. If/when I want to switch out bucket sizes, is the mechanical thumb a hinderance?

If want to dig a ditch, for a water line for example, do I manually remove the mechanical thumb or just latch it out of the way?

Finally, anyone know where a list of Woods buckets can be found for the BH90X? I think I want a narrow one as well as the "standard" 16" or so.

Thanks again for your shared experiences.

BBull,
Not sure about the MECHANICAL thumb but I do know that the narrowest Gannon bucket offered by Woods for the BH90-X is 12" but it will not work with the optional HYDRAULIC thumb-a meshing problem. Call Woods tech support. 800-319) 6637.
Also-I am building a 4 wheeled concrete shop dolly with 6" wheels @ 800 lb per wheel for my BH90-X. I have NO welding experience but have extensive woodworking capabilities (homes, shops, sailboats and barns). The platform is done and I am now working on the bucket resting nest.

BBull · Aug 15, 2009

Checked on that smallest Woods bucket at 12" I 'bout fell off my chair when they said the list was over$700 for it!! Guess I'll make do with the 16" one that comes with the BH90x just fine.

N. Plate: Would like to see some pictures of your home built concrete shop dolly when complete. Sounds like it will be the perfect fit for the BH90x.

nickel plate · Aug 15, 2009

BBull said:
Checked on that smallest Woods bucket at 12" I 'bout fell off my chair when they said the list was over$700 for it!! Guess I'll make do with the 16" one that comes with the BH90x just fine.

N. Plate: Would like to see some pictures of your home built concrete shop dolly when complete. Sounds like it will be the perfect fit for the BH90x.

Please let me clarify-the dolly is being built out of "glued and screwed" lumber and plywood. It will be rolled about on a concrete floor. I will post pics of the finished product but for now it structurallychanges periodically due to being a prototype.
Base price of my Woods BH90-X including Hydraulic thumb and 18" bucket (my choice of any bucket 12" to 24") was $7000.00 6/09.

wedge40 · Aug 15, 2009

nickel plate said:
Base price of my Woods BH90-X including Hydraulic thumb and 18" bucket (my choice of any bucket 12" to 24") was $7000.00 6/09.

They have dropped their prices considerably since the last time I looked. That system would have cost between $9-$10K a few years ago.. I'm guessing the mini excavator business has put a dent in sales.

Wedge

Charles Billings · Aug 15, 2009

Today was sunny and hot. Perhaps, summer has arrived in Vermont. Not sure why, but today I started to worry about getting started on firewood. I removed the 3 pt hitch BX42 chipper and re-installed the Woods BH90-X with mechanical thumb onto its subframe. A little over a year ago I paid $9400 installed with taxes from the local dealer. It looks like there are better deals out there this year, but my cost pain is now almost gone and forgotten. I don't have a grapple bucket, so I can't comment on hoe with thumb versus grapple. However, I have found that the reach, lift and grasp of this backhoe with thumb suits it well for picking up logs out of a pile mixed with brush, and then holding the log while being chain sawed to firewood length. I have also used it for brush removal, and transporting quite large boulders. Because of this I am very happy with my decision to purchase the mechanical thumb, and find that it performs very well without needing to do much seat hopping to make adjustments. The hydraulic version would have been nice, too. However, I decided against that because of the added cost (about $2000 at the time) and the fact that it would have required adding another remote. I have used the BH with a 24" bucket to ditch both sides of an approximately 1/4 mile driveway and have done many more excavations. During that time I have not found a real problem with the thumb being in the way. Someday, I will probably own a bucket grapple, but still think that I will also be using the BH/thumb to pick and hold firewood logs, and to do other chores.