Adding thumb to backhoe.

[woods]

If you have forks for the bucket you can lift the logs up and place them in a better position to cut. I am probably going to build a PT wood frame with some small notches to help the log stay settled. Lift it up roll it on and then cut. I have used an Ex to hold the logs and its the best way I have found. But if I can get the log on a platform at a comfortable cutting height then thats a win in my book.

I want to add a thumb to my 480C but I have other backhoe projects like brakes to do before I work on a thumb. Until then I am going to buy some forks and try my technique.

I do have a set of Titan pallet forks. There is a bit of a challenge with it. I need to keep bucking the log on alternating sides so it remains balanced. Then the center I can't really cut because it ends up pinching the bar. I was shooting for clamp the log, pivot the log by the splitter, buck it up at the splitter, and swivel back to the pile.

 

[larboc]

Thread the eye bolt into the log, stick the chain on the eye bolt and hang it up at a convenient working height using your machine.

Know how I know you've never made firewood?

 

[woods]

Know how I know you've never made firewood?

 

[larboc]

Ah, I gotcha.

This thing with that, it still sways. I need like a fixed, solid clamp.

That guy's comment was stupid. Thumb with bucket works good as long as you've got someone else running the machine otherwise you'll spend way more time getting in and out than if you'd just cut the log on the ground most of the way through to firewood lengths, then roll it over by hand and finish the cuts.

When I cut up a lot of 8'6" logs for firewood I set 3 logs down spaced 2'2" apart for stringers, then set more logs on top of them 90* to them. Then I just cut over each stringer and am able to keep cutting without rolling the log I'm cutting because the cut opens away from the stringer and there's no fear of hitting the dirt, or in my case the deck of my gooseneck parked next to the splitter (minimizes lifting by hand). I use forks on the loader of my tractor to move them around and I can carry 3-4 logs at a time on 48" forks. Much faster than one log at a time with the mini-ex, tried that, too slow.

 

[[486]]

obligatory this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldKYnctaTmg
since we're talking about firewood now

 

[aczlan]

See, I was hoping to run a valve that I could control with my foot.

Iunno. I don't see this going very well. Perhaps I'll just do the mechanical.

Get a open center valve power beyond, plumb it inline before the main valve and tee the tank line into the output of the main valve.
Then you can put it where you can plumb a foot pedal into it.

Aaron Z

 

[rockota]

That guy's comment was stupid. Thumb with bucket works good as long as you've got someone else running the machine otherwise you'll spend way more time getting in and out than if you'd just cut the log on the ground most of the way through to firewood lengths, then roll it over by hand and finish the cuts.

When I cut up a lot of 8'6" logs for firewood I set 3 logs down spaced 2'2" apart for stringers, then set more logs on top of them 90* to them. Then I just cut over each stringer and am able to keep cutting without rolling the log I'm cutting because the cut opens away from the stringer and there's no fear of hitting the dirt, or in my case the deck of my gooseneck parked next to the splitter (minimizes lifting by hand). I use forks on the loader of my tractor to move them around and I can carry 3-4 logs at a time on 48" forks. Much faster than one log at a time with the mini-ex, tried that, too slow.

I just do the grapple on the skid steer. Grab one end, cut from other end to grapple... done.

My mini-ex will not pick up nearly the amount of weight as the skidsteer and grapple, so I agree it's more work than it's worth.

 

[Blacksheep10]

Get a open center valve power beyond, plumb it inline before the main valve and tee the tank line into the output of the main valve.
Then you can put it where you can plumb a foot pedal into it.

Aaron Z

This was going to be my redneck suggestion. As long as in/out are sized correctly. Maybe drop in the return side? Hard to steal priority from a critical function. Used to do rear steer valves this way.

 

[woods]

yea, I'm going with mechanical. $160 shipped. send it

 

[vetteboy79]

yea, I'm going with mechanical. $160 shipped. send it

Hopefully yours actually arrives, I'm pretty sure that's the same company that DozerDan82 got his from and he can tell you about the shipping experience

The one he ended up with is a bit longer than the bucket (the 'right' one was backordered) but there's no reason you can't cut it down if it's annoying or the geometry doesn't work with your machine.

 

[woods]

Hopefully yours actually arrives, I'm pretty sure that's the same company that DozerDan82 got his from and he can tell you about the shipping experience

The one he ended up with is a bit longer than the bucket (the 'right' one was backordered) but there's no reason you can't cut it down if it's annoying or the geometry doesn't work with your machine.

We've ordered from there before. Pallet forks, my uncle got a few things including a thumb and a grapple. meh

 

[DozerDan82]

Hopefully yours actually arrives, I'm pretty sure that's the same company that DozerDan82 got his from and he can tell you about the shipping experience

The one he ended up with is a bit longer than the bucket (the 'right' one was backordered) but there's no reason you can't cut it down if it's annoying or the geometry doesn't work with your machine.

Yes it was a nightmare. They did not box the item anywhere near where it should have been to be shipped. Even the second one (hence why its longer as noted) was boxed horribly, luckily I had already established a connection at Fed Ex and was able to give them a heads up, bc if not that one would have been lost in the mail as well.

 

[aczlan]

This was going to be my redneck suggestion. As long as in/out are sized correctly. Maybe drop in the return side? Hard to steal priority from a critical function. Used to do rear steer valves this way.

The only reason I would not recommend doing that with this valve would be that it might be one that cannot handle much pressure on the output side. Some are only rated for 500 PSI on the output of the valve.

Aaron Z

 

[A_G]

The only reason I would not recommend doing that with this valve would be that it might be one that cannot handle much pressure on the output side. Some are only rated for 500 PSI on the output of the valve.

Aaron Z

I agree

A function also doesnt really actually have a return, your just changing the direction of pressure at the valve.

The only return in a hydraulic system is a gonna be a 1inch hose and its low presure

 

[rockdog57]

Here’s the one I put on my hoe. It came as pieces and ended up being too short. I ended up adding on to it. It’s pretty heavy and has held up well to loading concrete into dump trucks. No idea why the pic loaded sideways.

 

[aczlan]

I agree

A function also doesnt really actually have a return, your just changing the direction of pressure at the valve.

The only return in a hydraulic system is a gonna be a 1inch hose and its low presure

I was referring to adding this as an true 3rd function valve in the flow before the main valve block, not as a diverter valve that runs off of another function on the main valve block. For for that it would need a return.
​
​​​​If you were using it as a diverter valve (such as to change what the swing lever does so that when you push down on the diverter lever with your foot the valve that would normally control the swing controls the thumb) it would not need to return fluid into the tank line.

Aaron Z

 

[BUCKLAND]

I bought a grapple and added another circuit to the front of my tractor before buying the excavator w/thump. Worked well, but I only use the excavator now.
What’s with the 8’6” log lengths? I’ll drag out firewood as long as the tractor will handle.

 

[woods]

I bought a grapple and added another circuit to the front of my tractor before buying the excavator w/thump. Worked well, but I only use the excavator now.
What’s with the 8’6” log lengths? I’ll drag out firewood as long as the tractor will handle.

Yea, I added a third function from EverythingAttachments to operate my 9' plow. Works great. Grapple for the front is something that made the list. Just a bit too pricey right now. I also need the bucket to load the split stuff to the wood shed. So the backhoe will lift the logs, swing them to the splitter, buck them up, once I get a pile going, spin the tractor around next to the splitter, split the logs, load the FEL, and into the woodshed.

 

[woods]

mmk. update here. The mechanical thumb arrived the other day. Spent last night grinding the boom down a bit. Went to see how this thing is going to mount up.

Well, the mounting holes to lock the thumb up in the most upright position for when its not in use don't line up. Only being three pieces, I tried every configuration to get them to line up and they don't. Called Titan today, and the guy told me the updated version is stuck in the engaged position due to "structural issues". Only way around it is to somehow tie it up or something. Not sure if he was just bullshitting me or not. But, I guess I can weld up a tab or something to latch it up when not in use.

 

[woods]

Got around to installing this last night.

Not the best welds I guess. Welding bottom to top sucks. But that's how I laid the root. The pass over it I went top to bottom. It wasn't until I shut the generator off, that I realized I could have just angled the boom horizontal.

Also had to mount the thumb higher up on the boom. The PO must have moved some decent boulders around with the backhoe since its pretty dented up. The bracket for the thumb would have all these gaps and whatnot if I welded over it.

Works well. Need to adjust a little bit with it. I'll get it down though. Moved a bunch of logs and is going to make bucking up the wood a bit easier.

Going to have to come up with something to lock it up in the upright position though. Shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[sdmuleman]

Personally, I find a hydraulic thumb to be much more useful, though mechanical is better than nothing. As long as the system is open circuit, it's quite easy to tap into and add another control valve. Closed circuit may be as well, just never done it on one so can't say.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Personally, I find a hydraulic thumb to be much more useful, though mechanical is better than nothing. As long as the system is open circuit, it's quite easy to tap into and add another control valve. Closed circuit may be as well, just never done it on one so can't say.

Ya, and a thumb with a linkage (has a much greater range of motion) makes one without look useless, but sometimes you gotta figure out usage vs cost.

 

[woods]

I would have gone hydraulic, but for $160 I couldn't beat it. I didn't see myself rigging up the hydraulics working out too well.

 

[ThePanzerFuhrer]

How small of a object can you grab. With it being that high on boom you are gonna have a huge hole
between bucket and thumb. You could have slid it down and filled the gap lol. Post up a picture of it with the bucket closed against the thumb.

 

[woods]

How small of a object can you grab. With it being that high on boom you are gonna have a huge hole
between bucket and thumb. You could have slid it down and filled the gap lol. Post up a picture of it with the bucket closed against the thumb.

I'll get a pick tomorrow.

The gap was all (| I could stick a couple of fingers in there. I didn't feel comfortable welding it there because I wasn't sure with the force of the bucket on the thumb, it'd "peel" off the boom.

The PO did a decent job on the bottom of it. Almost like he was using it to beat on something.

The bucket hits the thumb no problem though. Lower would have been better, but this works just fine.

 

[2big bronco]

Welds look fine but as a general rule you should never weld downhand.

 

[Black Sabbath]

Welds look fine but as a general rule you should never weld downhand.

Unless you are a pipeliner

 

[woods]

Used it a bunch today.

So yea, its a trick picking up the smaller stuff with it mounted so high. You just need to pinch it in the teeth which I got the hang of.

I'm happy with it. Cut down my pile quite a bit. Makes bucking up wood 100 times easier. Now I just need to work on chainsaw sharpening skills.

 

[sdmuleman]

Got the fab work for mine done, now just need to do the hydraulics, but for the moment it works as an adjustable fixed thumb. Don't know how anyone manages without one.

 

[DozerDan82]

I should just add a d ring mount, as I have them on the shelf, but the thumb does a good job too...