A thumb attachment can dramatically increase the versatility and performance capabilities of a compact excavator. A relatively inexpensive investment, a thumb can allow an excavator to handle a variety of high-precision material handling, land clearing, utility and road building applications. Below are a few quick tips on buying, operating and maintaining a thumb attachment for a mini excavator.

Buying
In terms of buying and spec-ing a thumb for a mini excavator, the most basic and important thing to consider is that it has to match the bucket. It’s not as simple as taking a thumb and putting it on a machine with any bucket—they have to match. Depending on the size of the thumb and the size of the machine, thumb attachments for mini excavators typically have two tines.