Awarded Top 100 Products of the Year for 2015 Construction Equipment Magazine! US Patent #10,161,102
Remember, it is not always great to use a quick coupler and loose 10% of your breakout force and lift capacity and waste fuel by repeatedly lifting added dead weight!
WHAT DOES IT DO FOR ME?
The patented BucketSwitch (AlignAttach) allows you to change excavator attachments without the use of an expensive coupler, or coupler hydraulics. It saves you time, compared to manually changing attachments. It maintains your high breakout force, compared to using a coupler. It saves you on your cycle time and fuel compared to using a coupler. Eliminates the risk of coupler circuit hydraulic contaminants.
HOW DOES IT DO THIS?
The BucketSwitch (AlignAttach) is a tool that simplifies changing attachments by helping you to align the pins. There is no loss of breakout force due to increased tip radius from coupler use. There is not the added weight of a coupler to your linkage when attachment is changed. There is no need for an additional hydraulic circuit. The AlignAttach is a simple tool that is only used when changing attachments, simply eliminating the need for a coupler, and thus eliminates the cost and problems associated with couplers.
THE NEW BUCKETSWITCH (ALIGN ATTACH)
The BucketSwitch (AlignAttach) is a quick change coupler alternative alignment tool that helps an operator align the attachment pins by holding the attachment in a centered and paralell position while holding the center of gravity of the attachment such that the force through the pin joint is reduced sufficiently to facilitate easy insertion and positioning of the pins and pin locking bolts. Current quick change couplers add to the tip radius resulting in decreased breakout force. Couplers are heavy, thus decrease lifting load and increase fuel consumption, and they are expensive. Hydraulic couplers are even more expensive and require kits that can introduce contaminants into the hydraulic system.
PROCEDURE:
(The following represents the use of the AlignAttach for easily changing an excavator attachment:)
he mounted excavator attachment (e.g. a bucket) is lifted about a foot off the ground. The bucket cylinder is then adjusted so that the center of gravity (CG) of the attachment is directly below the stick pivot.
With the link pin now under no pressure, the link pin is easily unbolted and pushed out of the bore. The removed link pin is inserted back into the link bore of the attachment with no link.
The BucketSwitch (AlignAttach) is then connected to the open bore of the link, and the lower hook portion of the AlignAttach is positioned to encircle the link pin.
The bucket cylinder is retracted, thus lifting the attachment until the center of gravity (CG), of the attachment is positioned directly below the link, and the link is vertical. Then, with the pin under no pressure, the stick pin can be easily unbolted and slid out of the bore. This pin is then placed into the link pin bore of the second attachment (e.g., a ripper).
The boom is then lowered and the stick moved outward to lower the first attachment to the ground and unhook the BucketSwitch (AlignAttach) from the pin of the first attachment, and then swung over to hook the link pin of the second attachment, and lifts the boom so that the second attachment is hanging freely and the bucket cylinder retracted so that the stick bosses of the second attachment are positioned near the stick end.
The pin is now easily slid into the bosses of the second attachment and the stick, by swinging the attachment (by hand), into an easy insertion position, and the locking bolt and nut are then secured.
The bucket cylinder is now extended so that the BucketSwitch (AlignAttach) is unhooked and removed, and the link boss is positioned close to the second attachment link boss.
Step 8: The link pin is then easily inserted by swinging the attachment fore and aft by hand, inserting the pin locking bolt, and securing the nut.
The procedure is complete!
email sales@leattach.com for more information
or call us to discuss your special application 508-829-4855
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