Picked up a nice used 2020 Kubota U35-4 yesterday, came with the Kubota style quick coupler and 24” bucket. I’ll be adding a 16” trenching bucket and maybe a 36” clean out bucket along with a hydraulic thumb. I don’t really care for the thumb Kubota offers these days, it’s too narrow and in the retracted position sticks out too far. What thumb is everyone running on these 3.5-4 ton Kubotas? Did you just go with the factory thumb or aftermarket? My uses will be cleaning up brush, moving logs and rocks.
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What’s your favorite thumb for Kubota KX033/KX040/U35?
- Thread starter MG84
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Senior Member
I put one of these on a Kubota KX71-3. Haven’t broke or bent it yet and it sees several different operators.
You’ll just want to make sure your machine has the relief cartridges installed in the valve, chances are it does not. Kubota thumbs come with the cartridges . They are not cheap to buy independently. You could always install a crossover relief instead of the factory reliefs, if you don’t protect the thumb cylinder from the bucket force, it won’t take long to make it look like a banana.
You’ll just want to make sure your machine has the relief cartridges installed in the valve, chances are it does not. Kubota thumbs come with the cartridges . They are not cheap to buy independently. You could always install a crossover relief instead of the factory reliefs, if you don’t protect the thumb cylinder from the bucket force, it won’t take long to make it look like a banana.
I had not thought about the relief cartridges, could be (partly) why the Kubota thumb is that much more expensive. My machine does have different settings you select on the little screen for different aux. functions, one if which is a grapple/thumb setting. I’m assuming this only controls the flow however, don’t see how it could be controlling relief pressure.
csthompson12
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I have bought these for mine, and have been happy with them.
Keith Merrell
Well-Known Member
I put a factory thumb on mine, I really liked it.
Paul Wilson
Member
I have a factory thumb on my 040 and love it. I tear out honeysuckle, move brush piles, load logs, pick up boulders, limb downed trees - it seems to accomplish all tasks except opening beer cans and changing baby diapers. I use it mostly with my factory 24" bucket. The relief is extremely important with the thumb.