I made my BH77 thumb hydraulic My son made me a couple test knobs with 3d printer for the bh levers that I mounted a button in the top of each, one opens one closes. I have a wire going to an old style 4 pin round trailer connector on the ropes for that and 2, 1/4" hose couplings there. It is teed into the 3rd function switches and hydraulic outputs I figured I didn't need both end of the tractor at the same time. I think it works quite well. Usually don't have the grapple on with the backhoe , need the bucket. One thing I added was a relief valve on the line feeding the base end of the thumb cylinder at the 3rd function. It is teed into the tank return at the loader valve. I didn't want to wreck things with the bh bucket pushing and over pressurizing the hose etc.I know... late to the party. Just thinking about the concern of control with the electrically operated thumb valve. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't see it as a big issue because the bucket has all the control you need. Position the bucket and thumb over the object. Run the thumb in till it contacts and use the buck to control grip pressure.
No question about that.Stacking stones for a stone wall with a BH on a tractor! A couple here and there isnt too bad but, if you have many stones to stack you will find yourself working a very slow tedious aggravating pace. Think about this! Even if you piled the rocks within reach of the BH after two or three you have to move the tractor so you can continue down the wall and now your pile of rocks is too far away to reach! Its a constant on and off the tractor out riggers up and down from the drivers seat to the BH seat back and forth back and forth! NOW a hydraulic thumb really shines on an excavator for this job. Easy to move around grab stones relocate stack and repeat many many times while staying in the seat and moving around to collect stones to move where needed!! Just sayin!
Couldn't say it better, even if I have to get on and off the tractor and backhoe seats! But sometimes I have my wife on the tractor to move it.No question about that.
A tractor mounted BH is not nearly as good as this.
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But it sure beats the hell out of this....
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