Keywords: excavator quick coupler, coupler excavator, mechanical coupler
Types of Excavator Attachments–Hydraulic Quick Coupler
Coupler excavator
Eliminating jobsite fatalities related to accidental dropping of buckets and attachments
For Construction Contractors, Equipment Dealers and Manufacturers, Safety should be our number one responsibility. Protecting our employees and our customers is not negotiable and must be the number one priority in our decision-making process.
Every day, across the world, buckets fall from machines causing serious injury and even fatalities. As reported by OSHA, this is frequently caused by buckets disengaging unintentionally from excavator Quick Couplers. Geith believes it’s everyone’s responsibility in this industry to prevent these accidents from happening.
From our experiences we have found that there are three main reasons why buckets accidently fall from excavators when using a non-compliant ISO 13031 Quick Coupler:
Mechanical coupler
1. Misconnection
If using a Quick Coupler without a front lock and misconnection occurs (the operator doesn’t attach the bucket correctly) the bucket may fall from the quick coupler when operations begin.
2. Cylinder failure / Loss of hydraulic pressure
If using a Quick Coupler that relies on hydraulic pressure to engage the attachment and the Quick Coupler loses hydraulic pressure through a leak or cylinder failure, the engagement system can gradually open causing the bucket to fall unexpectedly during operations.
3. Accidentally opening a Quick Coupler in an unsafe position
Using a quick coupler with a control system that allows a Quick Coupler to be opened in any position or orientation can result in unintentionally releasing a bucket in a dangerous position, causing a bucket to fall.
The creation of safety standards pertaining to quick couplers, including ISO 13031 Earth-Moving Machinery – Quick Couplers – Safety, has revolutionized the global construction industry. It was created in collaboration with quick coupler manufacturers, machinery, and global health and safety organizations with the intention of removing mounting safety concerns in the wake of multiple deadly accidents in which excavator buckets disconnected from some quick couplers while they were in use. Quick Couplers must adhere to the standard’s minimal operating and safety standards in order to be considered compliant.
By using a ISO13031 safe compliant Quick Coupler this helps prevent buckets accidently falling from excavators in these three scenarios mentioned above. How?
Excavator quick coupler
1. Misconnection
By using a Quick Coupler with a front lock, if misconnection occurs the bucket is secured by the front lock preventing it from falling.
2. Cylinder failure / Loss of hydraulic pressure
By using a Quick Coupler that has added additional locks to the engaging process this keeps the bucket in a default locked position even with the loss of hydraulic pressure or cylinder failure via internal safety springs
3. Accidentally opening a Quick Coupler in an unsafe position
By using a Quick Coupler with a curl to release control system (a two-step operation control system). This only allows the attachment to be released in a safe position after getting a signal from the hydraulics. This prevents a Quick Coupler being opened in an unsafe position and prevents a falling bucket
All Quick Couplers are not equal, regardless of the Quick Coupler you use, ask yourself this question: Is your Quick Coupler Safe & Compliant?