Let's couple up.
The choice of interface between your machine and your tools is the most
structuring decision for your profitability.
It determines what you will be able to
fit tomorrow, and how quickly.
Five technologies turn an excavator into a tool carrier.
They differ in
one thing only:
what the operator has to do to change tools.
No coupler type is an obstacle.
It is the tool that adapts to yours.
Diagram.
The operator no longer climbs down to change tools.
Synthetic animation.
Mechanical quick coupler
Locking is manual:
the operator climbs down, sets the tool in place, locks it.
It is the simplest and most economical solution as soon as there is more than one
tool in the fleet.
- What it brings Moving from one tool to another in a few minutes, instead of removing pins.
-
Its limit
Climbing out of the cab at every change.
Beyond two or three changes a day, the sums favour hydraulics. - What has to be checked The coupler size, and the condition of the machine's pins.
Synthetic image.
the ram, the link, the hoses, and the coupler with its two safety devices.
Synthetic image.
Conventional hydraulic coupler
Locking is controlled from the cab.
The operator no longer climbs down to
change a non-hydraulic tool.
-
What it brings
Changing tools becomes an everyday movement rather than an operation.
On a site that alternates earthmoving and ditch cleaning, it changes the day. - Its constraint It requires a dedicated control line on the machine, separate from the auxiliary line that feeds the tools.
-
Safety
Double-safety devices prevent accidental release, with the locking and the circuit provided by the manufacturer, and a check at every tool pick-up.
This point is not negotiable:
it is the falling tool that is at stake.
Clearance take-up system
With wear, clearance builds up between the coupler and the tool.
That clearance is hard to see
and expensive:
it tires the pins and the dipper arm, and it degrades accuracy.
- The principle A compensating device takes up the clearance continuously and maintains a firm connection over time, without periodic adjustment.
- Where it is felt On finishing work and on precision tools, where a few millimetres of clearance at the coupler become several centimetres at the tool end.
- What it avoids Ovalised bores and pin replacement, which put the machine out of action far longer than fitting the system.
Tiltrotator
It is inserted between the coupler and the tool, and gives it two freedoms the
machine does not have:
lateral tilt, and continuous 360° rotation.
The systems most often met in France are those of Engcon, Steelwrist,
Rototilt and SMP Parts.
These names are quoted to help you identify existing
equipment:
none is imposed, and the choice is made on your machine.
The tiltrotator does not replace the coupler:
it is added between it and the tool.
They vary with the brands, the models and the type of site:
we give them as a range, and never as a commitment.
What it changes on site
-
Less repositioning
The tool presents itself at the required angle without moving the tracks.
On fragile or finished ground, every move avoided counts. -
Working in confined spaces
Urban site, trench along a wall, near buried services:
the machine reaches positions that would otherwise be out of reach. - Finishing The slope is set at the tool, continuously, instead of being approximated by the position of the machine.
- Operating comfort Fewer manoeuvres for the same result, and therefore less fatigue over a full day.
What it demands of the machine
-
Extra hydraulic lines
Tilt and rotation are controlled separately from the tools.
That is the first point that rules a machine out. -
Controls in the cab
You need the means to operate them, and a trained operator.
The tool only gives its output in hands that know it. -
Height and weight
It is inserted in between:
it moves the tool away from the dipper arm and adds mass at the end of the arm.
On a small machine, that is paid for in reach. - An investment to justify It is judged on the number of hours during which its functions really serve, not on the data sheet.
Fully automatic coupler
The hydraulic connection is made together with the locking.
The operator changes
a breaker for a bucket without climbing down or connecting a hose.
-
Where it is justified
Where tools are changed several times a day.
The sums are done in operator time, not in purchase price. - A safety benefit Fewer interventions on the ground around the machine, therefore less exposure.
-
Its constraint
It assumes that the tool fleet is equipped accordingly.
It is a fleet decision, not a tool decision.
Recognising your coupler, and its size.
Quick couplers fall into a few families, offered in sizes
according to the machine class.
The designation is usually engraved or painted on
the coupler itself.
-
Type S
Symmetrical standard of Swedish origin, often called the “Volvo type”.
Sizes S30 to S90.
Not patented, and therefore made by many manufacturers. -
Type CW
Verachtert designation, very widespread in Europe.
Sizes CW05 to CW70. -
Klac
A French system, modules C to F and beyond.
Very common on mini-excavators.
-
Morin
French clearance-take-up system, modules M0 to M9.
Common in hire fleets. -
Other systems
Martin, Arden, Lehnhoff and others are met regularly.
They are handled in the same way:
through the mounting plate. -
Direct pin mounting
No designation:
it is the machine's pin dimensions that count — diameter, centres, width between plates.
| Carrier class | Type S | Type CW | Klac | Morin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 to 2 t | S30 | CW05 | C | M0 |
| 2 to 3.5 t | S40 | CW05 | D | M1 |
| 3.5 to 5.5 t | S40 | CW10 | E | M2 |
| 5.5 to 8 t | S45 / S50 | CW10 | F | M3 |
| 8 to 12 t | S45 / S50 | — value not confirmed | — value not confirmed | M4 |
| 12 to 20 t | S60 | CW30 | — value not confirmed | — value not confirmed |
| 18 to 32 t | S70 | CW40 | — value not confirmed | — value not confirmed |
| 25 to 43 t | S80 | — value not confirmed | — value not confirmed | — value not confirmed |
| 40 to 70 t | S90 | CW55 | — value not confirmed | — value not confirmed |
This table reads down the column, never across the row. It shows
which size matches your machine in your standard.
It does not say
that an S60 and a CW30 are equivalent:
they cover the same carrier
class, but they do not fit one another.
The dashes are values we have not confirmed with the
manufacturers.
They are not incompatibilities, and we prefer an empty
cell to an approximate figure.
Why no price appears on this page.
The same tool does not cost the same depending on what has to be done to make it
work on your machine.
Displaying a price would amount to hiding
half of it.
- The machine Make, model, tonnage, age, coupler type and condition of the hydraulic line.
- The configuration Welded or bolted mounting plate, hydraulic adaptations, workshop time.
- The logistics Delivery, transport of the tool, fitting on site.
- The volume A fleet to be converted is not costed like a single tool.
The aim is an assembly ready to work, with no unpleasant surprise at fitting.
Written study within 3 working days, complete file.
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