Many people have questions about installing a Kubota hydraulic thumb kit with the correct auxiliary hydraulic couplings. Operators can turn a mini-excavator from a digging machine into a big tool carrier, capable of efficiently performing a variety of work tasks. Stucchi offers a solution with excavator auxiliary coupling kits that hold up to demanding workloads with easy attachment changeover.
Excavator Hydraulic Thumb and Clamp Capabilities
Adding a hydraulic thumb attachment (also called a clamp) equips a compact excavator to reach areas that may be difficult for other machines to access. A hydraulic thumb kit can be used on demolition sites to remove big blocks of concrete after broken up with a hydraulic breaker. Hydraulic thumbs help the landscaping contractor to move large decorative rocks, debris, or tree stumps. Some attachments provide versatility for operators and can be used with three tine grapples or trenching buckets.
Some things to consider before installing your Kubota hydraulic thumb kit or any excavator thumb attachment include the weight of the attachment, hydraulic pressure, the thumb cylinder, and the tool dimensions.
Kubota Hydraulic Thumb Kit Considerations
Hydraulic pressure
Before installing your Kubota hydraulic thumb kit you want to be sure that the thumb’s cylinder delivers adequate clamping pressure for your application. It takes a higher pressure to move large boulders or trees than to move scrap materials. Check the pressure on your auxiliary hydraulic relief valve and talk to your equipment dealer about making adjustments from the original setting.
Auxiliary hydraulic couplings
Stucchi offers brand specific plumbing solutions such as Kubota auxiliary hydraulic kits that include flat face couplings which are easy to connect under pressure, threaded flat face couplers for heavy-duty performance, hydraulic adapters, ball valve and mounting brackets. We also provide our customers with innovative plumbing solutions specific to installing a hydraulic thumb, with a 45° adapter that keeps hydraulic hoses out of harm’s way of a rotating thumb.
The auxiliary hydraulic hoses and coupling installation is often an afterthought when installing a hydraulic thumb kit, although serious problems can occur if the thumb comes into contact with the auxiliary hydraulic hoses. We have seen cases where the rotating thumb will actually snap the hydraulic hoses. Our excavator hydraulic thumb kit provides a solution to prevent downtime and damage as explained in this Case Study – Hydraulic Thumb Plumbing Solutions.
Our hydraulic specialists can recommend the best auxiliary hydraulic kit solution to meet brand specific requirements such as Bobcat, John Deere, CAT, Kubota, and others.
Thumb Dimensions
You can measure the distance between the tines of your thumb to make sure that it is compatible with and will not interfere with your bucket.
Thumb and Cylinder Weight
The weight of any attachment is an important consideration regarding the overall stability of your equipment, especially with a hydraulic thumb and cylinder over the side of the machine. The way of your thumb and cylinder should be published by the equipment manufacturer along with the weight class the equipment is intended for.
Benefits of Stucchi’s Auxiliary Hydraulic Kits
The hydraulic specialists at Stucchi offer decades of experience in providing the best hydraulic solution for your mobile equipment. We offer brand compatible hydraulic quick couplings to meet the needs of various equipment designs. Stucchi’s auxiliary hydraulic kits and custom plumbing solutions for excavator hydraulic thumb kits provide many benefits such as:
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- Prevents contamination to the environment and costly cleanup
- Prevents injury to the operator from pressurized hydraulic fluid leaks
- Prevents breaking auxiliary hydraulic hoses and equipment damage
Stucchi provides the auxiliary hydraulic solutions to keep your equipment running smoothly for maximum productivity. We offer a wide selection of flat face and threaded flat face hydraulic couplings to meet heavy duty, high-pressure demands. Contact us with any questions on plumbing hydraulic attachments for excavators including the Kubota hydraulic thumb kit.
