Day to day, most of us take our thumbs for granted. Yet without these simple, biological attachments how would we pour that cup of coffee in the morning?
Flip open the cell phone to answer that all-important call? Or give a co-worker the age old “thumbs up” on a job well done? Truly, the thumb is the tool that allows us to live our lives productively. Why wouldn’t we want to extend this productivity to our compact excavator?

Much like their human counterparts, compact excavator thumbs come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and functionality. The most basic models are separated into two groups: rigid thumbs and hydraulic thumbs. While both are mounted directly onto the arm of the excavator, a rigid thumb is static and dependent on the curl of the bucket to grab an object. On the other hand, a hydraulic thumb can be installed through the auxiliary hydraulic lines, which can be controlled from the cab, allowing both thumb and bucket movement.

Deciding between the two depends on the excavator, the job and the expense. Although a hydraulic thumb may seem to be the wiser choice, a rigid thumb is easier to install and use despite the inconvenience of having to exit the cab to adjust the thumb’s position. A rigid thumb is also cheaper due to the simplicity of the unit. Nevertheless, if your job requires a great deal of object moving and placing, a hydraulic thumb may be a better selection. Either variety of thumb makes quick work of moving debris, pavement and any other objects that doesn’t overload the arm’s lift capacity.

“If you get into a situation, like many landscapers do, where you need to place shrubs or rocks — things that need a precise setting — you get a much better set with a hydraulic thumb,” says Wendell Moss, vice president of marketing for Paladin brands of attachments. “You have more control and versatility with the hydraulic [thumb].”

As with any attachment, it is important to keep your machine in mind when installing your thumb. Be sure that the thumb is sized correctly for your machine and that it is compatible with the geometry of your bucket’s curl, recommends Mike Lumbers, Ditch Witch’s senior product manager of compact utility products. Thumbs come in many sizes and it is important to check the compatibility with the make and model of your compact excavator. The thumb manufacturer should provide a list of compatible excavators.

Not only does the thumb allow you to grab objects and move them, but it is also capable of folding up against the excavator’s arm with minimal interference to ensure normal bucket use. This versatility puts the thumb at the top of the list of popular attachments, according to Lumbers.

“The handiness of a thumb, like that on a human hand, allows workers to move and lift debris and most objects easier,” says Lumbers. “It’s quickly becoming a necessity.”

The attachment is so widely used that it has potential to come as a standard feature on some models of excavators in the next several years, according to Curt Unger, general sales manager at Yanmar CE.

“The problem is that different people want different thumbs with different machines, making it difficult to offer a machine with a thumb that would satisfy all of them,” Unger reports.

At this point, options within the thumb attachment realm remain a good thing, allowing operators to choose the thumb that fits best with their equipment, job
requirements and budget restraints. A basic rigid thumb can start at $800 and a hydraulic thumb generally starts around $1,500.

Jason Morgan is editorial assistant to Compact Equipment.

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