Pros an cons on using a manual quick coupler on a Case CX130D. I mostly do timber and small ponds. Currently using a 38" bucket, a stumper/rake, and a roller compactor when needed. I've never used a quick coupler so any advice would be appreciated.
I have a manual wedge lock style quick coupler made by Kenco on a similar size machine, it has worked out very well, you need to remove two bolts and a wedge to release the bucket, I bought it with the machine brand new, it now has 4800 hours on it and isn’t loose at all and I’ve never done any welding to it to tighten up the connection between the coupler and the bucket. I typically use a 36 inch digging bucket, a 5 foot grading bucket, and 18 inch trenching bucket, and a ripper tooth, it’s not as fast as a hydraulic coupler but it only takes a couple of minutes at most to switch the buckets, as opposed to removing/driving greasy pins and trying to line everything up when switching buckets.
Some of the manual quick couplers extend the buckets down just enough that a tooth can hit the cab when the stick is pulled in tight. It's just something to think about when looking at any particular brand.
The wedgelock style couplers keep the same (or at least close to the same) oem bucket geometry and causes no issues with cab interference or breakout force. A pin grabber coupler could have those cab interference issues, since it pushes the bucket out about 8-12 inches farther than an oem bucket and you will also lose some breakout force to the bucket.
I've got a pin grabber coupler and new Cat hammer at our dealer to be fitted to our 325FL , just waiting when we can give up the machine for a couple days. Like others have said a pin grabber will add length to the stick so the bucket teeth may contact the cab, we'll find out. We had a 321CLCR with a pin grabber coupler and the teeth could hit the cab, it wasn't an issue for an operator paying attention, just keep the bucket curled to the boom if you need to bring the bucket close to the cab. Personally I like the pin grabbers for their ease and quickness. Downside is the added length to the stick and reduced breakout force like Tags said. The minus's are a worthy trade off for us for the ease of swapping attachments in less than a minute is worth it.
The is a manufacturer named Wedge Lock that makes a pin grabber style quick coupler in the Northwest. That's why I bring it up.
Thats something I've been worried about...
If your buying all new, just buy a shorter bucket, lke I did on my 328DLCR. Cat offers 3 "heights" of bucket so breakout force isn't lost, but, sometimes, at the expense of capacity. I had a thread asking about what would fit a 328DLCR and not hit, and the solution.
looking to replace an old CAT pin coupler on our 304cr. Can anyone recommend a good pin coupler?
I've been impressed with hydraulic multi-grab Strickland coupler that I put in place of the Geith garbage on 2 of my Takeuchi TB180FRs. Let me rephrase that...the Geith coupler is actually fairly stout, but, good luck getting the correct parts if you ever need to. Geith is atrociously awful at getting the parts correct the first time.
I have heard that Geith has had problems ever since Doosan bought them....
Yup. All the talent got fed up and started Strickland, after the buyout. Got it straight from the horse's mouth, as I've known many there for years.
If you are running your machine with a thumb and add a quick coupler, there is a good possibility that you will have issues with the thumb geometry. Some coupler designs only move the bucket a few inches, and some move the bucket a lot. I recently replaced a hydraulic quick coupler that came to the end of it's service life. The estimated cost to repair the old coupler was almost the same cost as purchasing a new unit, and I went with a new unit. The two units (new and old) looked very similar, but the replacement quick coupler caused my thumb to strike the top of the bucket before it closed against the bottom of the bucket. The fix was having the thumb cut and realigned, welded, and line bored.
I'm running a Strickland thumb. They've allowed I'd probably need to extend the thumb which they make a kit for. I'd like to redesign the end of the thumb anyhow so that wouldn't be to much of a problem. (Hopefully)
I'm running a Strickland thumb. They've allowed I'd probably need to extend the thumb which they make a kit for. I'd like to redesign the end of the thumb anyhow so that wouldn't be to much of a problem. (Hopefully)