GOOD CONNECTIONS

Peter Anderson reviews the latest developments in automatic excavator quick-hitches

There is no doubt that excavator fully automatic quick-hitches are among the most successful labour-saving devices to have been adopted by the machinery industry in recent times, both in terms of productivity and safety. Although buckets directly mounted to the end of the dipper arm are used on heavy-duty mining excavators and the smallest of minis, the standard UK spec for everything in between is a quick-hitch, enabling rapid bucket changes. Some compact machinery applications work successfully with a manually-operated quick coupler, but hydraulically-operated quickhitches are now what is expected on most construction sites.

Following a series of fatal accidents, semi-automatic hydraulic quick couplers were banned from UK sites at the end of 2008, prompting the widespread uptake of fully-automatic hitches.

They allow the operator to change buckets quickly from the safety of the machine’s cab. To ensure the bucket is correctly coupled, this new generation of fully-automatic hitches come with a host of safety features. As well as mechanical systems, they also increasingly digitally monitor attachment changeovers and their security while working. While quick couplers that feature either a tilting or a rotation function also have a role to play, the UK construction industry is rapidly turning towards tilt-rotator hitches to bring even more productivity and safety gains.

Like their colleagues in the demolition industry, such excavators are typically used with a selection of hydraulically-powered attachments. Tilt-rotators can automatically connect hydraulic and other services, at the same time as making the physical connection to the attachment, saving a lot of time and effort. Operators of demolition rigs have the same connectivity for their heavy-duty rotating attachments, avoiding the risk of working on the ground and encouraging the use of the most appropriate tool for the job.