No sooner had he sold his big track hoe with a thumb did Bob Jackson and his son, Dale, begin work on a new thumb attachment for Bob's backhoe.

What they ended up with was an upgrade, especially in ease of use. "The old thumb was rigid and had to be pinned in position," says Dale, who lives nearby in Wakeman, Ohio.

Bob estimates he spent about $900 total on the project. "That was for the new diverter valve, new steel, and a lot (75 feet) of hydraulic hose," he explains. "Of course, that doesn't include our time and Dale's welding. But farmers don't count their time," he jokes.

Dale ordered many of the parts online from a hydraulic surplus store. The diverter valve is mounted inside on the right fender and plumbed into the hydraulic lines leading to the right stabilizer arm.

"A flip of the lever sends power to the thumb cylinder when we get set up or back to the stabilizer arm when we want to move," says Bob.

When not in use, the thumb is about 90% open and out of the way. That means the Jacksons don't ever have to remove it for jobs not requiring the thumb. "As a matter of fact," says Bob, "I just dug some holes for my grandson's FFA soil judging team and left it on the whole time."

They also use it for repairing tile, moving rocks, and piling brush and downed trees.

"We've also used it to hold a big tree in the air so we can get at it with a chain saw," Bob recalls.

Bob is the next recipient of a $2,500 Firestone in-store credit offer for having his idea chosen as the Idea Of The Month. Click here to learn how to send in your ideas.

• Background: Retired farmer from Wellington, Ohio. Raised dairy cattle, bulls, and grew grain crops in north-central Ohio.
• Family: Bob's wife is Dee. They have two sons, Dale and Brian, and a daughter, Sherry. The Jacksons also have five grandchildren who all live nearby.
• Hobbies: Bob leads mule trail rides and has taken groups to several states, including Colorado, Wyoming and New York.
• Favorite equipment: "That's a tie between my backhoe and the skid steer," Bob says.
• Other projects: Shop-built hydraulic skid steer blade to move snow in his area.
• Inspiration: Winter weather. "I get all my ideas when it starts snowing," says Bob.