Coupling and adapting

Mechanical quick coupler

On the left, locking is done by hand, with the machine stopped, without any hose. On the right, the hydraulic coupler, for its part, needs a line running along the dipper arm. Computer-generated image. — **Left:** locking is done by hand, with the machine stopped, without any hose. **Right:** the hydraulic coupler, for its part, needs a line running along the dipper arm. Computer-generated image.

The locking is manual:
the driver gets down, puts it in place, locks it.
It is the first step between knocking out pins and a tool carrier.

Other names for this tool: mechanical coupler, manual hitch, quick coupler with manual locking.

The essentials

Family: Coupling and adapting
Classes (t): All
Coupler: It is the coupler
Power source: None — passive tool

Identify your coupler →

01 Use

What it is for

**Left:** locking is done by hand, with the machine stopped, without any hose.
**Right:** the hydraulic coupler, for its part, needs a line running along the dipper arm.
What sets it apart:
the locking is done by hand, machine stopped — the simplest of the systems, and the one that makes you get down.
Computer-generated image.

Beige bucket hanging from an excavator's yellow dipper arm, connected by a red coupler carrying two pins, in front of grass and shrubs. — Between the dipper arm and the bucket, the coupler (in red):
a single part to operate to change tools.
Limit:
it adds its own height between the dipper arm and the tool.
Photo:
High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Grey coupler on the end of the dipper arm of a large demolition excavator; on the ground, a broken bucket pin, tools and a red box, in front of rubble and buildings. — With the bucket removed, the coupler stays on the end of the dipper arm:
its hooks take the bucket pins.
On the ground, a broken pin:
that is the part to check first.
Photo:
Cjp24, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

It is permanently fitted at the end of the dipper arm and then takes every tool carrying the matching mounting plate.
Changing tools goes from knocking out two pins to a manoeuvre of a few minutes, with no heavy tooling.

It asks nothing of the machine's hydraulics:
that is what makes it possible on almost every carrier, including old ones, and what explains why it remains the first equipment advised to anyone who owns two tools and a single excavator.

Its limit is getting out of the cab at every change. Beyond two or three changes a day, the driver's time lost pays for the difference from a hydraulic coupler.
The calculation is made in hours, not in purchase price. See the five hitching technologies.

02 Key technical data

On which machine?

They exist for machines from 1 to 35 t.
For example, on a 2 to 5 t mini-excavator, the weight is generally from 14 to 70 kg.

What the tool does

It fits on the dipper arm pins, made to your excavator's dimensions: pin and centre distances are confirmed when ordering.
For example, on a 2 to 5 t mini-excavator: pin diameter from 30 to 40 mm, width from 230 to 270 mm.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

It needs no hydraulic connection: its locking is mechanical.

Figures taken from 42 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 the make, the model and the tonnage of your excavator, and a photograph of the end of the dipper arm.
If you already have tools, say so:
the standard must stay the same.

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.

04 Choice

What determines the choice

01 — The size, imposed by the machine The carrier's class governs the coupler size.
The designation is generally engraved or painted on the original coupler, and a photograph of the end of the dipper arm is most often enough to read it.
02 — The fleet's standard If tools are already equipped, it is their standard that decides.
Changing it would mean putting the whole fleet onto new mounting plates.
03 — The double safety A device that prevents accidental release is not a convenience option.
It is the tool falling that is at stake.
04 — The condition of the machine's pins Ovalised bores show at fitting and not before.
They can be dealt with, but that is planned for.

05 Check

What is checked before ordering

The designation of your coupler Type and size, read off the coupler itself.
Failing that, the make, the model and the tonnage of the machine.
Consistency with the tools already in the fleet A new coupler in another standard makes the existing mounting plates useless.
The height added Any coupler moves the tool away from the dipper arm.
On a small machine, that is paid for in reach and in breakout force.
The safety device Its nature, and the exact movement it asks of the driver.

The other technologies

Adapting an existing tool

Recognising its size

To go further

Family: Coupling and adapting
Compatibility: The seven criteria in detail →