can you fit a thumb to an 2.5 ton excavator that has a tilt rotator installed - advise appreciated.

[sabre10]

Hello all - I own a Sunward SWE25uf (2.5 ton) fitted with a tefra tilt rotator - brilliant machine for our purposes - our machine has been to war as we use if for forestry mainly with a kelfri grab that opens to 0.9m.

I have a woodland drainage job coming up in a really wet wood - where to avoid losing the machine altogether I will need to use track matts. I was thinking of fitting a thumb so that I can pick up and move the track matts from behind me to in front of me so that I can move around as required....

Has anyone else fitted a thumb to a small machine like mine that is fitted with a rotator?
Any advise would be appreciated - Thank you

 

[Giles]

What bucket are you using? Can you use a loop of wire rope through them so you can hook them up and move them like that instead

 

[DaveDCB]

Pick them up with a bucket… or a set of forks..

 

[V8Druid]

Pick them up with a bucket… or a set of forks..

on a 2.5?? .... plus you'd have to keep swapping between bucket and forks
rope loop'd be my preference
that little Sunward'd be pretty well loaded already with a tilty under it
got any pix @sabre10 ?... is the tefra a full tilt-rotator or just a helical tilt hitch .... can't recall having seen a full Tefra tilty

@doobin used to run a thumb with a tilt hitch IIRC

 

[DaveDCB]

@Gunners has a set if I remember? Fine for things up to 500kg or so.. especially if used towards you.

 

[doobin]

I’m amazed that the kelfri grab has stuck the pace!

 

[JD450A]

Personally you will handle mats fine with the bucket.

Word of warning. Bog mats DO NOT like working in ground with hard spots.... They soon snap.

 

[sabre10]

on a 2.5?? .... plus you'd have to keep swapping between bucket and forks
rope loop'd be my preference
that little Sunward'd be pretty well loaded already with a tilty under it
got any pix @sabre10 ?... is the tefra a full tilt-rotator or just a helical tilt hitch .... can't recall having seen a full Tefra tilty
View attachment 43796
@doobin used to run a thumb with a tilt hitch IIRC

Sorry - not much of a photographer - only got this picture before the grab was piped - my hitch is as your picture - and we have modded/ welded the kelfri grab to make it rigid - as off the shelf it was designed to dangle and load timber onto a trailer - now we have adapted it - its great, and a real efficient (and cheap) competant tool.............yes you're probably right - re the rope idea...............

 

[sabre10]

Thank you all for you your help

 

[doobin]

View attachment 43797
Sorry - not much of a photographer - only got this picture before the grab was piped - my hitch is as your picture - and we have modded/ welded the kelfri grab to make it rigid - as off the shelf it was designed to dangle and load timber onto a trailer - now we have adapted it - its great, and a real efficient (and cheap) competant tool.............yes you're probably right - re the rope idea...............

That’s going to fail and fail hard. Put your hand in your pocket and buy the right thing before you kill someone…

You won’t go wrong with Intermecatto. £3k for grab and rotator. Make sure you have the hitch made at an angle to give you good working range.

 

[V8Druid]

View attachment 43797
Sorry - not much of a photographer - only got this picture before the grab was piped - my hitch is as your picture - and we have modded/ welded the kelfri grab to make it rigid - as off the shelf it was designed to dangle and load timber onto a trailer - now we have adapted it - its great, and a real efficient (and cheap) competant tool.............yes you're probably right - re the rope idea...............

looking at your pic I'm guessing that you've 'fixed' a free swinging rotator ...... be very VERY careful putting any side loading onto that ...... they are not designed for any side loading - vertical only ... a fixed rotator is very different and much more solidly built to deal with side loads ...
that'll come apart pretty easily with not a lot of grief ...
not a lot holding them together once you start twisting 'em about and tugging at them

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was a good vid. example of a rotator failing on a duck in IIRC Germany a while back at height ... rotator came apart in spectacular fashion ... can't find the vid ATM

 

[sabre10]

Thank you for your advise V8 Druid - I agree with you completely - We would never use the tilt when we use the grab - additionally we also removed the free swinging section completely when we made the conversion and we only use the grab for moving small brash - which it handles with ease, we also understand the limitations of our Tilt Hitch - of which we use for ditching and bank work only - we do not abuse our tools or machines - If we were working with larger cord we would use a larger machine. Doobin - please read the above - we are not endangering anyone - but again thank you for your concern.

 

[doobin]

Thank you for your advise V8 Druid - I agree with you completely - We would never use the tilt when we use the grab - additionally we also removed the free swinging section completely when we made the conversion and we only use the grab for moving small brash - which it handles with ease, we also understand the limitations of our Tilt Hitch - of which we use for ditching and bank work only - we do not abuse our tools or machines - If we were working with larger cord we would use a larger machine. Doobin - please read the above - we are not endangering anyone - but again thank you for your concern.

You misunderstood us both mate. It’s the rotator that will snap, not the free swinging bit or the tilt hitch.

I run a tilt hitch on mine- I like to run it underneath a main quick hitch, with a slightly smaller bucket to compensate for the leverage.

 

[V8Druid]

You misunderstood us both mate. It’s the rotator that will snap, not the free swinging bit or the tilt hitch.

I run a tilt hitch on mine- I like to run it underneath a main quick hitch, with a slightly smaller bucket to compensate for the leverage.

agree with Doob ... it's not the helical tilt hitch you need to worry about ... it's the rotator that will fail - spectacularly - if side loaded ..... their strength is in the vertical plane only, basically free hanging ... it's on borrowed time fixed and unable to move/give to the loads exerted upon it
they are more of a pain to use dangling, but will last a hell of a lot longer used as they are designed to be used

That’s going to fail and fail hard. Put your hand in your pocket and buy the right thing before you kill someone…

You won’t go wrong with Intermecatto. £3k for grab and rotator. Make sure you have the hitch made at an angle to give you good working range. View attachment 43798

that was bloody cheap @doobin ... where'd that come from ... have seen fixed rotators cost that on their own

 

[V8Druid]

Thank you for your advise V8 Druid - I agree with you completely - We would never use the tilt when we use the grab - additionally we also removed the free swinging section completely when we made the conversion and we only use the grab for moving small brash - which it handles with ease, we also understand the limitations of our Tilt Hitch - of which we use for ditching and bank work only - we do not abuse our tools or machines - If we were working with larger cord we would use a larger machine. Doobin - please read the above - we are not endangering anyone - but again thank you for your concern.

have you got any better pix of what you've done to the rotator body to fix it?

 

[sabre10]

Hi Doobin, I did understood - the grab rotator so far has done a fair amount of work and has not failed me yet (as I said I do not abuse it or overload it) - for your peace of mind there is never anyone near the machine when its in use as I work in private woodlands - so I am endangering no one. Its tougher than you think if it does fail I will bolt another one on or maybe upgrade the whole grab at that point................. this last year I've spent a lot on various tools and only a limited amount in the pot.....I like the look of your Intermacatto btw - when the moneys there I will invest in one

 

[Monkeybusiness]

I’d just use sleepers or logs and move them with the bucket personally.

 

[TiltyShaun]

I had a thumb when I first fitted the Engcon. Took it off a day later!! It has gone on once or twice since if dealing with piles of shrubbery!!

 

[doobin]

that was bloody cheap @doobin ... where'd that come from ... have seen fixed rotators cost that on their own

That’s about the standard price for an Intermecatto and fixed rotator for that size machine.

 

[Storrsy]

I’d just use sleepers or logs and move them with the bucket personally.

Yeah I think this is the best bet really, if your ditching with grading bucket on then sleepers work particularly well as easy to handle. And can canterlever them as the end fits in side the bucket. I reckon unless it's serious pudding 3 or 4 sleepers would be fine for a 2.8t and can just leap frog them as you go along.