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
Coupling and adapting

Hydraulic quick coupler

Hydraulic quick coupler seen at three-quarters, off the machine, locking ram visible
The same coupler off the machine:
the ram that pushes the locks, and the safety lock in red.
Illustration based on an existing product.

The locking is controlled from the cab.
Changing tools stops being an operation and becomes an everyday movement.

Other names for this tool: hydraulic coupler, hydraulic hitch, quick coupler with cab control.

The essentials
Family
Coupling and adapting
Classes (t)
All
Coupler
It is the coupler
Power source
Hydraulic, dedicated control line — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine

Identify your coupler →

01 Use

What it is for

On the left, the coupler locks from the cab, its double safety engaged on the pin. On the right, without a second safety, a loss of pressure lets the tool drop. Computer-generated image.
the coupler locks from the cab, its double safety engaged on the pin without a second safety, a loss of pressure lets the tool drop
Left: the coupler locks from the cab, its double safety engaged on the pin.
Right: without a second safety, a loss of pressure lets the tool drop.
What sets it apart:
it is controlled from the cab — but it demands its own line for that.
Computer-generated image.
The mechanism of a hydraulic quick coupler: the main hook closed on the pin, and below it a safety catch pushed by a clearly visible coil spring.
The spring is only of use on the day the hydraulics let go:
it is for that day that it is fitted.
Synthetic image.
Excavator bucket resting on a gravel beach by the sea, connected to the orange dipper arm by a coupler fed by hoses; a red dump body in the background.
A coupler fed by its own hoses, on the end of the dipper arm.
This line is what lets the tool be controlled from the cab.
Photo:
W.carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized, brand names removed.

A ram replaces the key:
the driver opens and closes the coupler without leaving their seat.
On a site that alternates earthmoving and ditching, or digging and picking up from a heap, the day is no longer the same.

It remains a coupler:
it does not connect the tool's hydraulics.
For a breaker or a grab, you still have to get down and connect the hoses — it is the fully automatic coupler that does away with that movement.

It calls for a dedicated control line, separate from the auxiliary line that feeds the tools. Many machines have only one, or none.
It is the first point that rules a carrier out, and it is checked before anything else. See the auxiliary hydraulic line.

02 Key technical data

On which machine?

They exist for machines from 1 to 87 t.
For example, on a 10 to 20 t excavator, the weight is generally from 110 to 955 kg.
It comes in the Martin or Morin (module 1) system, and in standard, hybrid and S versions.

What the tool does

It locks the tool with a double-acting hydraulic ram.
For example, on a 10 to 20 t excavator: pin diameter from 50 to 90 mm, pin centres from 330 to 530 mm.
A double safety device, with return springs and a cam, completes this locking.
Closure is checked visually.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

A dedicated double-acting hydraulic control line supplies the locking cylinder.
The flow and the pressure: we calculate them with you for your machine.

Figures taken from 105 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.

Tell us your excavator model and the number of hydraulic lines at the end of the dipper arm.
A photograph is most often enough to settle it.

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.

Hydraulic quick coupler releasing a bucket set on the ground, locking ram and control hoses visible on the body of the coupler
The change is made from the cab, in a few seconds. The gain is not the convenience:
it is the number of changes you are willing to make in the day.
Synthetic image.
View over an excavator's counterweight: on the end of the dipper arm, a red coupler with two hoses picks up a bucket resting on the ground; further off, other tools are waiting. Synthetic image.
From the cab, the coupler picks up the bucket by its pins and locks it.
The operator changes tools without getting down.
Synthetic image.
04 Choice

What determines the choice

  • 01 — The control line available A machine fitted with only one auxiliary line cannot control the coupler and feed a tool at the same time.
    Adding one can be costed, and it is planned for.
  • 02 — The size and the standard As for the mechanical coupler:
    the machine class decides the size, the existing fleet decides the standard.
  • 03 — The safety device Double-safety systems prevent an accidental release, with the locking and the circuit provided by the manufacturer, and a check at every tool pick-up.
    That point is not negotiable.
  • 04 — The number of changes a day It is what justifies the price difference from the mechanical one, and nothing else.
05 Check

What is checked before ordering

  • The presence and number of hydraulic lines Auxiliary line, control line:
    they are not the same, and a photograph of the end of the dipper arm lets the hoses be counted.
  • The designation of the original coupler Type and size, read off the machine.
  • The control in the cab There has to be something to work it with, and a driver informed of the movement.
  • Compatibility with the tools in the fleet The standard must stay the same, otherwise the mounting plates have to be redone.
The other technologies
The machine's hydraulics
Safety
To go further
A question about an attachment? 01 84 16 55 49 Send my photos