Excavator Thumb Attachments: Which to Get

A thumb on an excavator can make it a versatile tool in landscaping, construction, demolition, or recycling. A thumb attachment makes it easier to pick up, move, and hold irregular objects like concrete, rocks, construction materials, debris, and branches that do not easily fit into a typical bucket attachment. At Rockland Manufacturing, we offer seven different models of excavator thumbs in two mounting configurations.

Pin-Mounted Thumbs

Our pin-mounted thumbs are perfect for picking and placing material. The thumb body rotates on the same pivot pin as a bucket or coupler. Our pin-mounted excavator thumbs are among the most durable, dependable designs on the market.

We offer pin-mounted thumbs in non-link, progressive link, and full-rotation styles. The non-link thumb attachments have up to 120 degree rotation, while the progressive link thumbs rotate up to 180 degrees. Last but not least, as the name suggests, the full-rotation thumb follows the bucket through its full range of motion.

To ensure quality and peak performance, we comprehensively test our hydraulic cylinders in-house using rigorous methods. Our pin-mounted and progressive link thumbs are often faster and easier to install than most of our competitor’s models.

Here are some of the advantages of our pin-mounted thumbs:

• They can precisely pick and place material
• They keep loads securely clamped during rotation
• The heat-treated pins and bushings are lubricated and replaceable
• They contain a heavy-duty, dual-cushioned thumb cylinder
• The thumb design matches the teeth of your bucket
• A mechanical locking pin prevents downdrift when the thumb is not in use

Stick-Mounted Thumbs

Stick-mounted thumbs feature a mounting pad welded to with a separate pivot pin mounted to the underside of the excavator stick of the excavator. We offer two types of stick-mounted weld-on mechanical thumbs — hydraulic and solid strut.

Hydraulic Stick-Mounted Thumbs

Our hydraulic thumbs come in wide hydraulic thumb and narrow hydraulic thumb design options. They offer a range of benefits:

• The narrow design minimizes overall equipment weight
• The wide design is ideal for handling fine debris & bulky, loose materials
• Both use a dual-cushioned, hydraulic cylinder between the mountain pad and thumb body
• Operators can adjust the position of the thumb hydraulically from the cab
• Our hydraulic thumbs feature a mechanical lock that prevents frustrating downdrift when the thumb is not in use

Solid-Strut Stick-Mounted Thumbs

(also referred to as Mechanical or Stiff-link thumbs)

The solid-strut thumb attachments are our most economical options, and we offer them in wide solid-strut thumb and narrow solid-strut thumb designs. These hydraulic excavator thumbs also offer several benefits:

• The narrow design keeps weight to a minimum while providing a positive, three-point pickup.
• The wide design features thumb tines that mesh with most common bucket widths
• Solid-strut thumbs are ideal for operators who do not need to reposition often or don’t have auxiliary hydraulics
• Both feature a mechanical pi that stores thumb out of the way when not in use
• The thumbs ship preassembled for easy installation

Whether you’re looking for a pin-mounted thumb, a stick-mounted thumb or any other excavator attachment, Rockland Manufacturing has the perfect solution for your application. Contact us today to learn more about our products or to request a quote.

Updated January 2024