Skip to content
À LA PELLE, the specialist in hydraulic excavator attachments
01 84 16 55 49 · enquiries and quotes, 7 days a week, 7h–22h01 84 16 55 50 · local authorities and public bodies
Who is Arnaud Dufour
EN

The site is written in French.
The languages marked here are translated by us:
the French version prevails.

Français Русский English Italiano Deutsch Español
Sorting and gripping

Hydraulic thumb

A two-finger hydraulic thumb and a three-tooth bucket closed on one another like a grab, holding a large block of stone between them.
The bucket becomes a jaw:
what you could only push, you can now pick up.
Synthetic image.

An articulated finger, opposite the bucket.
What the machine could only push, it now grips — and the bucket it already has becomes a hand.

Other names for this tool: hydraulic thumb, mechanical thumb, gripping finger, stump grab, handling claw, bucket thumb.

The essentials
Family
Sorting and gripping
Classes (t)
2 to 18 t
Coupler
On the dipper arm
Power source
Depending on the version — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine

Compare with the sorting grab →

01 Use

What it is for

On the left, the thumb and the bucket trap the stump to lift it. On the right, with the bucket alone, the stump rolls and slips out of the grip. Computer-generated image.
the thumb and the bucket trap the stump to lift it with the bucket alone, the stump rolls and slips out of the grip
Left: the thumb and the bucket trap the stump to lift it.
Right: with the bucket alone, the stump rolls and slips out of the grip.
What sets it apart:
it does not replace the bucket, it completes it — the object is trapped between the two.
Computer-generated image.

The thumb is fixed on the dipper arm, facing the bucket.
By closing the bucket, you trap the object between the two.
A stump, a block of stone, a trunk, a pallet of rubble, a root:
everything that has no shape and that a bucket alone would let slip.

It does not replace the bucket, it completes it.
The machine goes on digging, loading and levelling, and gains a gripping function without changing tool.

It is the attachment with the best cost-to-use ratio in the range. It costs a fraction of a grapple, it often calls for no hydraulic line in its fixed version, and it is useful every day.
Many firms hesitating over a sorting grab find that a thumb was enough.

02 Key technical data

On which machine?

They exist for machines from 1,9 to 34 t.
For example, on an excavator over 20 t, the weight is generally from 1 291 to 2 531 kg.
A handling thumb attaches to the dipper arm and folds back against it without hindering normal work.

What the tool does

It is used to grip and handle.
For example, on an excavator over 20 t: width from 1 100 to 1 600 mm, capacity from 903 to 1 954 l.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

Its power source depends on the version.
Up to 10 t, the pressure is 200 bar.
The flow, and the pressure above 10 t: we calculate them with you for your machine.

Figures taken from 37 models on the market.
Your study sets the exact value for your machine.

All the measurements found for this equipment →

How to read these values →

03 Your study

Have your machine checked.

Give us your excavator model and, if you can, a photograph of the dipper arm and the bucket.
On this attachment more than on any other, a picture is worth more than a reference.

What we need to answer you
  • Your machine Its make and its tonnage.
  • The auxiliary circuit Its flow in l/min, its pressure in bar, single- or double-acting.
  • The coupler in place Its system and its class.
  • The work The use, and the material.

Without these details, the study still begins: we will ask you for them.

Send my photos

or describe your need

Book an appointment with the specialist

Or call 01 84 16 55 49 · our lines are open 7 days a week, from 7h to 22h.

Written study within 3 working days, once the file is complete.

Handling thumb pinching a stump against the bucket, on a forestry felling site
The stump is held between the bucket and the thumb. The bucket you already had becomes a hand — and that is all that was asked of this tool.
Synthetic image.
04 Choice

What determines the choice

  • 01 — Fixed or hydraulic A fixed thumb is set by a pin, getting out of the cab:
    it costs little and calls for no line.
    A hydraulic thumb opens and closes from the driving position, and really squeezes — it is another tool.
  • 02 — The geometry, which must match the bucket The thumb and the bucket have to meet.
    A thumb that is too short never touches the bucket; too long, it stops it closing.
    It is the point where people go wrong most often.
  • 03 — The method of fixing on the dipper arm Bolted, welded, or on an added plate.
    Welding on a dipper arm involves the structure of the machine:
    it is not a trivial operation, and it can affect the manufacturer's warranty.
  • 04 — The size when it is not in use A thumb stays in place.
    Check that it hinders neither the folding of the arm, nor the emptying of the bucket, nor the transport of the machine.
05 Check

What is checked before ordering

  • The dimensions of the dipper arm It is on that that the thumb fits, not on the coupler.
    The width, thickness and position of the pins are measured on the machine.
  • The bucket it will work with Its width and its closing radius.
    If you have several buckets, say so:
    the thumb will not suit them all equally.
  • The auxiliary line, in the hydraulic version See the 7 criteria.
  • What the machine's manufacturer says About the welding and about the permissible loads.
    That question is asked before, not after.
In the same family
What it completes
On the interface
To go further
A question about an attachment? 01 84 16 55 49 Send my photos