Install thumb on excavator (cost?)

[torker]

Hey guys...just wondering if any of you have added thumbs to your machines.
Wondering what a "ball park" cost would be if you got someone else to fab up the cylinder mounts, weld etc.
Thanks!
Russ

 

[greywynd]

It all depends on the size of machine and the type of thumb. Other factors include whether or not you have a quick coupler, and what attachments you plan to use it with.

One of these days I plan on building a small thumb for my 2 ton mini ex, but the sort of stuff it will get used for, building it out of mild steel will be just fine. Anything larger and more 'severe' of use, and either AR or T1 steels should be considered. Greaseable bushings and pins are a definite must.

 

[torker]

Sorry...ok, I've got a bit more time now.
This is a thumb going on a Drott 50. Pretty good size machine.
I'm doing the fab/install through my shop.
I cut/machined all the eyes, strengthened the poorley designed thumb(with T-100)and installed it in the field with a portable.
Before this I did a bunch of research on these(for no money). I told the guy what he needed and even give him the phone number of a guy who had owned bush hoes for years to get the right hydraulic setup.
Turned out his cylinder was smaller (in diameter and travel)than he told me...it broke off because he had no relief in the system and the travel was too short.
Now we get to do a "do over".
He's trying to bs me that the $2000 total (includes new 30 ft hoses etc) he's into it for so far is all a new thumb (installed) would have cost him.
I didn't just fall off a turnip truck but I'm wondering what a thumb install would cost on this large a machine.
Thanks!
Russ

 

[John C.]

I used to install the all the hydraulics including the pilot valve, tubing over the boom, build all the hoses, installing the thumb cylinder base bracket, fab mounts for the joy stick control, wire up the mess and install the thumb and bucket for about $3,500. That was five or six years ago.

You did't mention if you are mating the thumb to an existing bucket. I used to buy the thumb and bucket together and install the whole package back then for right at $10,000.

We have three big names we could buy the thumb and buckets from and install our own hydraulics. PSM, HPF and Weldco Beales. I think you can get the hydraulic kits from HKX now for a pretty good price but I had suppliers of my own then and got my parts for less that the kit is sold for.

I would guarantee my work but not the parts, the manufacturers had to do that. I put no guarantee on anything a customer required me to do that I didn't think would work. Basically, you design it, you eat it.

Good Luck

 

[torker]

John...Thanks! This thumb came with the machine. It was mounted with a solid link...two positions...you'd pull a pin and it'd lie flat against the boom or you could pull the link into it and it'd sit down about where it would work. It was twisted up pretty bad and took a lot of time to cut it apart and straighten it. I added extra gussets and a really heavy top plate.
I compared it to factory setups. All the geometry measures up pretty good.
Thanks!
Russ

 

[Kgmz]

Don't know how big a Drott 50 is. But I can tell you PSM thumbs for our JD490D and 690D were about $10,000 each, and this was a long time ago.

http://www.psmcorp.com/

 

[roddyo]

Mounting a Thumb

I have had Thumbs Mounted both ways and I like them mounted to the bucket instead of the stick. The pain is you have to build a thumb for each bucket and hook/unhook the hyd. cylinder each time you change buckets. :Banghead

 

[special tool]

Don't know how big a Drott 50 is. But I can tell you PSM thumbs for our JD490D and 690D were about $10,000 each, and this was a long time ago.

http://www.psmcorp.com/

I would like to see a $10,000 thumb for a little 490 (Hitachi ex100)...
Was it made out of platinum?

 

[nedly05]

I would like to see a $10,000 thumb for a little 490 (Hitachi ex100)...
Was it made out of platinum?

Probably a progressive link hydraulic, they're on most every hoe out that way, back our way they are a bit more rare. I mostly see stick mounted thumbs in my area with a few direct link thumbs. I prices out a brand new HD Direct link for our 70SR and it was less than 3 grand (not installed).If I could get a direct link for 3 grand I don't think I could justify the extra 7 grand for the progressive link, although they are super nice. I've been getting along just fine for the last 5 years on an $800 manual so I think anything hydraulic would be awesome!!!

 

[coopers]

Prog. linked thumbs are the thumb of choice here. I like many back here in the West, DO NOT understand your guys's stiff mount type mechanical thumbs. A waste of money. Kubota sales guy I talked to last week said one time Kubota talked to them and said they would "teach them how to sell an excavator with a thumb." Kubota apparently is trying to teach that to their people back east. The sales guy here said "we don't sell an excavator w/o a thumb!" PSM and CWS make great thumbs and buckets.

 

[special tool]

Prog. linked thumbs are the thumb of choice here. I like many back here in the West, DO NOT understand your guys's stiff mount type mechanical thumbs. A waste of money. Kubota sales guy I talked to last week said one time Kubota talked to them and said they would "teach them how to sell an excavator with a thumb." Kubota apparently is trying to teach that to their people back east. The sales guy here said "we don't sell an excavator w/o a thumb!" PSM and CWS make great thumbs and buckets.

I will give you some positive points of a deadman thumb - I use Flecos with the A-frame.

-The A frame type is much more resiliant to side loading than a single pin hydraulic thumb.
-Used at the widest opening, it is easy to fill the bucket while digging, yet retain the thumb's grappling ability to remove potatoes
-Less moving parts and greater simplicity
-It is expensive to retrofit a hoe with a TWO-WAY auxiliary hydraulic circuit
-Much easier to remove a deadman tumb to gain extra carrying capacity of machine, when necessary
-Thumb itself is less expensive at initial purchase

I have extensive experience using both types, and paying the bills, I prefer the mechanical thumb. Just my opinion.

 

[nedly05]

Prog. linked thumbs are the thumb of choice here. I like many back here in the West, DO NOT understand your guys's stiff mount type mechanical thumbs. A waste of money. Kubota sales guy I talked to last week said one time Kubota talked to them and said they would "teach them how to sell an excavator with a thumb." Kubota apparently is trying to teach that to their people back east. The sales guy here said "we don't sell an excavator w/o a thumb!" PSM and CWS make great thumbs and buckets.

I love that 120 in the pics coopers, I def. like the prog. link set up but it is a ton of money, I def. agree that PSM and CWS are great products. I dont have any hands on but you can see from the pics and the websites they are well built.

Do you know about what the cost was for the thumb, coupler and 2 buckets on that 120 was?

 

[coopers]

Do you know about what the cost was for the thumb, coupler and 2 buckets on that 120 was?

You know, unfortunately I do not. I am always happy when I get to use an excavator with these set ups. Luckily my old boss had this very set up to the T with his new Hitachi 160. When the time comes and I'm in the market for my own machine, it'll have the CWS package.

 

[Hendrik]

This may be of help for some
http://www.equipmentland.com/products/amulet/brute.shtml

 

[tootalltimmy]

It is good to know that you guys like the CWS setup as that is what I have on my Case .CX135 SR. I also bought this rake to deal with trees and brush.

 

[Hendrik]

Has this mob been mentioned?
http://www.excavatorthumb.com/

 

[Monrad]

Check this thumb out then, these are the types used by us in New Zealand,
Very very strong and can change the ends to whatever is needed. I will put some more pics of them in use for ya.
Have only just come back online in here so gidday all from the land of the long white cloud

 

[dirthog28]

Monrad, my guys would have that thumb ripped off in no time, hell I'd probably break it myself. Looks like a tire jack with a cylinder on it. I do like the tilt bucket.

 

[ionnutz]

I'm sorry to bother you with my problem, but since I do not have permission to post a new topic I thought I'd rather write in your topic to help me. I have a Komatsu pw 130 es-6 and I think I have an electrical problem with an electro-valve witch I can't seem to find because I do not have a service manual. Can you or anyone else who reads this replay help me by telling me where to find on the net a service manual or if you have one, can you give it to me please? the pistons on the front axle of the excavator have remained blocked and I can't seem to unblock them because I can't find the right electrovalve.

 

[coopers]

Monrad, my guys would have that thumb ripped off in no time, hell I'd probably break it myself. Looks like a tire jack with a cylinder on it. I do like the tilt bucket.

I agree, that thumb wouldn't last an 8 hour day in a clearing operation or any other heavy thumb application job around here. Like the tilt bucket though...