A "Mechanical Thumb" is an attachment commonly used on excavators, backhoes, and sometimes even compact tractors with a front-end loader or backhoe attachment. It’s designed to give the machine a gripping function, almost like a human thumb, to help it grab, lift, and move irregular or bulky objects like logs, rocks, brush, scrap, and debris.

Key Features of a Mechanical Thumb:

• Non-hydraulic (passive): Unlike a hydraulic thumb, a mechanical thumb doesn’t use hydraulic power. Instead, it's manually adjusted and fixed in place.
• Mounted on the dipper arm: It usually mounts opposite the bucket on the dipper arm of a backhoe or excavator.
Adjustable angle/position: Most mechanical thumbs can be folded back out of the way when not in use, or manually pinned into different positions depending on the task.
• Simple and affordable: It's a low-cost, low-maintenance alternative to hydraulic thumbs, great for users who only occasionally need that grabbing function.

Use Cases:

• Picking up logs or branches
• Moving boulders or scrap metal
• Cleaning up brush piles or construction debris
• Landscaping and small demolition tasks

Limitations:

• No real-time control from the cab it needs to be manually positioned.
• Less precise or strong compared to a hydraulic thumb.
• Usually best for light- to medium-duty work.

The Bro-Tek mechanical thumb has been designed for easy installation and pre-painted grey and has a Sticker to match the color of your tractor. This bolt on Thumb is shipped complete in a box, with high quality grade 8 hardware included. Unit is foldable and offers 3 adjustment to prefect to grab. With this thumb your tractor can move rocks, stumps, small trees, and just about anything else you can think of. This thumb will dramatically increase the functionality of your backhoe, large or small.

Looking for something specific? Use the search bar on the top and if you don’t see the part you need, contact us and we’ll be happy to custom-build it for your machine.