QUICK COUPLERS

ALWAYS
LOOK UP FOR POWER LINES
&
LOOK DOWN WHERE IS THE SAFETY
PIN

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Safety Pins
The potential for the bucket to become
detached from the dipper arm of the
excavator because the ‘safety pin’ had not
been fitted !!!
However machines differ and not all have a
‘Quick Hitch’ or require a ‘safety pin’. The
following slides are intended to provide you
with guidance to assist in identifying machines
on which you may reasonably expect to see a
‘safety pin’ and where it is located.

The absence of a ‘safety pin’ has

resulted in industry fatalities.

Would you know where to

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CAT 320C - Hydraulic Quick hitch

Typical arrangement left & right views of dipper arm bucket attachment points.
The bucket is locked solely by the hydraulic ram and clevis plate (centre picture).
There is no provision for an additional
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Consultantspin.
Alberta Canada
JS 130 - Hydraulic Quick hitch
JCB

Typical arrangement left & right views of dipper arm bucket attachment points.
The bucket is locked solely by the hydraulic ram and clevis plate (centre picture).
There is no provision for an additional safety Alberta
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JS 220 - Hydraulic Quick hitch

Typical arrangement left & right views of dipper arm bucket attachment points.
This machine is equipped with a face bucket. The bucket is locked solely by the
hydraulic ram and clevis plate (centre picture).
There is no provision for an additional safety Alberta
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Hitachi 135 – Hydraulic Quick hitch

Safety Pin hole

Left & right bucket views the hydraulic ram is visible in centre picture, the machine
shown is seen without the safety pin in place and requires fitting before use.
The pin when fitted is locatedP bar
in Ythe hole indicated. A safety pin must be fitted when
Safety Consultants Alberta Canada
this machine is working.
Hitachi Zaxis 30 – Mechanical hitch

Tightening bolt Safety pin

A mechanical hitch - not a quick hitch – views left, right and centre showing the bolt
system that is tightened to hold the bucket in place.
This system has a safety pin that sits under and against the head of the tightening
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bolt to prevent it from turning once in place. A safety pin must be fitted on this
Hitachi Zaxis 50 – Mechanical quick
hitch

Safety pin
Spring loaded bucket hitch, the large spring is clearly visible, centre picture, it can be
a two man operation to remove and replace this type of bucket hitch.
The safety pin is located and identified by the arrows. A safety pin must be fitted
when this machine is working.P bar Y Safety Consultants Alberta Canada
Hitachi 110 – Hydraulic Quick hitch

Left & right bucket views the hydraulic ram and clevis plate are visible in centre
picture.
View from back of bucket looking towards operator, clevis plate securely in place.
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Hitachi 130 – Hydraulic Quick hitch

Left & right bucket views, the centre picture as seen from the operators cab.
The hydraulic ram / clevis plate are not visible but the arrangement is identical to
Hitachi 110. P bar Y Safety Consultants Alberta Canada
Hitachi EX60 – Hydraulic Quick hitch

Safety Pin and clip

Left & right bucket views, the centre picture view looking towards operator.
The safety pin is clearly visible, the pin is secured in place by the addition of a spring
clip. P bar Y Safety Consultants Alberta Canada
KUBOTA - Kx61 – Mech. Quick hitch
KUBOTA No 1 – Mini digger

Spring loaded bucket hitch, the spring is just visible above the bucket locating bar in
the centre picture.
The safety pin would be located in the hole indicated. A safety pin must be fitted
when this machine is working.P bar Y Safety Consultants Alberta Canada
KUBOTA – Kx91 – Mech. Quick hitch

Spring loaded bucket hitch, the large spring is clearly visible, centre picture, it can be
a two man operation to remove and replace this type of bucket hitch.
The safety pin is located and identified by the arrows. A safety pin must be fitted
when this machine is working.P bar Y Safety Consultants Alberta Canada
KUBOTA – Kx161 – Mechanical hitch

Spring loaded bucket hitch, this is a different arrangement and not a quick hitch the
release mechanism is at the side of the bucket as seen centre picture.
There is no additional line of site hole. No additional safety pin is required. There is
no provision for an additional Psafety pin.
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TEREX - HR18 Mechanical hitch

Spigot and sliding bolt

The Terex works on a different system and is not a quick hitch the lock and release
mechanism has a ‘sliding bolt’ arrangement that is operated by manually turning the
spigot seen in the centre picture. Turning the spigot slides the locking bolt to the left
and right and that engages into the locating holes on the bucket as seen in the
left/right pictures. There is no provision for an Alberta
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Canada safety pin.
Volvo E11 – Mechanical hitch

Line of sight holes

where the safety pin
should be fitted

The safety pin location holes are now clearly visible and the safety pin is missing.
Moral, don’t always believe what you are first told, question and look for yourself.
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 Machine manufacturers can and do change designs so this
information must only be viewed as guidance to assist you.

A general rule of thumb that you may wish to consider is: -

Challenge the operator
Where you have a line of sight through a hole on one side of
a dipper arm to an aligned hole on the opposite side,
question it.

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