Skid Steer Quick Attach on Excavator

[StumpyWally]

Has anyone put a skid steer quick attach on their excavator so they can use their skid steer attachments (mostly pallet forks) on their excavator?
...and have you done it with a pin-on quick attach plate or with a quick coupler with the coupler adapter plate welded to the skid steer quick attach?

Please respond with as much detail & photos as you can.

I'm seriously thinking about doing it on my excavator (NH EH-80 cs, same as a Kobelco SK80 cs), & I use a Klac quick coupler on the excavator for bucket changes. Klac comes from Werk-Brau, & they don't have a "reverse-dig" solution for the Klac, but I have my own ideas on how I would adapt it.

 

[wrc]

Look up xboomcoupler it's an awesome piece of equipment, allowed skid steer attachment on my mini hoe and also gives a different lifting point almost doubling capicity

 

[Graham1]

Should be pretty straight forward. Will just look like a set of excavator forks without the tines - bucket pickup at right angles to a skid steer quick attach. I’m just having the opposite made at present, mini loader to mini digger. Dropping off parts next week, should get it back a couple of weeks later.
Re Klac hitch, I would rather spend money on a new hitch that works both ways than trying to make something to overcome the problem. Depends on how much you need it and how much difference in cost I guess, but I use my brackets backwards a lot.
Graham

 

[StumpyWally]

Look up xboomcoupler it's an awesome piece of equipment, allowed skid steer attachment on my mini hoe and also gives a different lifting point almost doubling capicity

I'm aware of the XBoom system, & I think it is a great idea. But they (Amulet) don't seem to make one big enough for my excavator. Nevertheless, I have emailed them & asked about a size for my machine & a price...we'll see.

But on my size machine (about 17,000 lbs), I'm guessing the price would be $4,000 or more. And I would need a ladder to reach the pin that joins the XBoom adapter to the arm. Not to mention coupling/uncoupling 4 hydraulic lines (I have a thumb on the arm). The whole process could get ugly fast & NOT be too convenient.

You will notice that the videos on the XBoom site all picture a very small excavator (maybe a 3 ton or so) with no thumb. So the change over process looks easy. But as the machine gets bigger, it probably becomes not so easy!

 

[StumpyWally]

Re Klac hitch, I would rather spend money on a new hitch that works both ways than trying to make something to overcome the problem. Depends on how much you need it and how much difference in cost I guess, but I use my brackets backwards a lot.
Graham

Unfortunately, I'm pretty "invested" in the Klac system, since I have a 24" trench bucket, a 48" ditch bucket, & a ripper, all setup for the Klac. When I originally decided on going the Klac route, Werk-Brau was planning on making a "reverse-dig" solution for the Klac, but those plans never came to fruition. Besides, the Klac works very well & provides a very close-coupled system that does NOT degrade the tip radius & resulting breakout force.

At the time, I had considered a pin-grabber style quick coupler, where "reverse-dig" is easily accomplished. But the increase in tip radius & consequent reduction in breakout force was too much.

What kind of quick coupler do you have...& what size machine is it on?

 

[wrc]

I find it easier to lay my boom flat on the ground instead of leaving it stand as the pics show. Curl your bucket all the way in stick all the way out and boom all the way down. Mines on an 12000lb mini it is a bobcat 55 with extendà hoe so I also have 2 sets of lines to unhook, cost for my unit was around 4500 for all 3 pieces of the x boom and an extra set of couplers for the hoses. I know after having it all my machines 12000lb and under will always have one. Mostly for the lifting ability but man it's awesome I think

 

[Graham1]

What kind of quick coupler do you have...& what size machine is it on?

I have a couple of 1.5t machines and a 7t (that is metric tonnes). They all have tilt rotator systems with s type couplers underneath. The s type is a Scandinavian system which has standard pick ups for different size machines, so easy to purchase after market attachments off the shelf and share stuff between excavators of different make. I've attached a PDF about it. The couplers are very low build height and can pick up either way round. The system is almost universal in Scandinavia and is becoming more popular with owners across Northern Europe, but not with excavator manufacturers or bucket producers who make their own dedicated hitches.

 

[StumpyWally]

WRC...Your method of putting your boom all the way down & your arm all the way out makes sense...it would work even on my machine & eliminate needing a ladder...but how hard is it to "finesse" that configuration just right so the pin that holds the XBoom to the arm is loose enough to remove or insert??

 

[StumpyWally]

Graham1...Thanks for the info on the S coupler standard...I've been aware for some time that the Scandinavian countries are WAY ahead of us in innovative & standardized excavator couplers. Not to mention tilt-rotors. But they are not advertised/marketed here & are virtually impossible to get. I think part of the problem is that they are blocked by our Excavator & bucket manufacturers who are trying to wring the last dollar out of their own inferior & non-standardized designs & insist on selling us what they want, rather than what a lot of us want. That plus the mindset of trying to do the most with your machine, rather than buying multiple machines for jobs, hasn't caught on here with many users. I have NO idea why not...& from an equipment innovation & attachment perspective, I live in the WRONG country!!

For that matter, given our current dismal political leadership, I also live in the WRONG country!!! But that's another story..

What brand S coupler & tilt rotor do you use or favor??

 

[wrc]

Changing the stick on and off takes some practice, now that I have found "the sweet spot" I can easily knock the pin in or out with a small bar and a 2lb hammer with about 3 or 4 good taps not even really a hit. It also helps to keep the pin good and greesed up. It's actually easier than switching an old pin on bucket in my eyes. I would compare it to switching buckets on my 580l case backhoe. It's got the case coupler much of the same concept just for the bucket only. The hardest part some days can be the hoses hopefully this helps

 

[Coastal]

This changing the stick business seems like a lot of work vs just building a klac to bobtach adapter. What if you needed the forks and a bucket on a site? You have to drag the spare stick along too?

 

[wrc]

Coastal there is no spare stick. Only a bobtach adapter that fits where the boom goes verses where the bucket goes. One reason I like mine so well is I can not pick up a manhole with the bucket on my small excavator and some times I don't have room on site for my large one. By having this coupler it allows me to drop off the bucket and stick hook my 4 way up and swing a manhole into place easily. The second thing I like is I leave a skidsteer broom sit on my trailer all the time when done on a job before I leave I drop off the stick and hook up the broom and sweep away. Really just my opinion but like I said not much worse than switching a backhoe bucket.

 

[Coastal]

Hmmmm ok I looked it up...i think the up and down only would make me crazy as operator! Glad it works for you...but i'd much rather have a stick that moves in and out and just put the bobcat stuff at the end of it. And the added complications of hydraulic lines on the stick to deal with.

 

[Graham1]

[QUOTE="StumpyWally, post: 719644, member: 26012"
What brand S coupler & tilt rotor do you use or favor??[/QUOTE]
I have two Engcon and one Rototilt tiltrotators and couplers and a couple of manual hitches from these people http://www.scanbolt.com/hurtigskift/702/ on extra dippers as all my stuff have fixed pins. A lot depends on finding a good dealer, although updates happen at different times from different manufacturers so sometimes one will be a better product than an older one from a different manufacturer. Engcon seems to be the market leader.
Graham

 

[Graham1]

That plus the mindset of trying to do the most with your machine, rather than buying multiple machines for jobs, hasn't caught on here with

It makes economic sense to me to get most use out of your machinery, but it is slow to catch on here as well. I guess it is an ego thing - having a whole fleet of different machines and loads of employees makes some people feel good. To me it means more hassles and more cost.

 

[StumpyWally]

WRC...I finally called Amulet in Idaho for info on the XBoom. Spoke with Scott Piazza, Salesman, very nice... He said that they may come out with a larger XBoom system than their current max (for a 60 class, 13,000 lbs machine) within the next 6 months or so. I added my name to the their list of people who might be interested in a system for an 80 or bigger machine (16,000 to 20,000 lbs). He also said that one can buy direct from Amulet, or thru one of their dealers, whichever channel they start with. Further, he said that their current largest system for a 60 class machine was about $3,600.
So, we'll see what Spring brings...In the meantime, I'm continuing with estimating what it might cost me to add a Quick Attach using my Klac quick coupler with some adapter plate additions/modifications.

Graham1...You have also re-ignited my curiosity at least in tilt rotors & std. quick couplers that can work with tilt rotors & support reverse-dig configurations. So, I may be back to you with more questions as I get into it...

 

[Graham1]

Graham1...You have also re-ignited my curiosity at least in tilt rotors & std. quick couplers that can work with tilt rotors & support reverse-dig configurations. So, I may be back to you with more questions as I get into it...

No problem, i’m no expert, but I’ll help if I can.
Graham

 

[Fine Touch Landscaping]

I have the Geith coupler for my EH-80, highly recommend it!

 

[StumpyWally]

I finally decided to move ahead with putting a SS quick attach on my excavator, & do it to use my existing Klac quick coupler. I am in the midst of the process now, & I will chronicle the entire process here for everyone's information &, hopefully, enjoyment.
Step 1, die grind out the lift holes on my Klac quick coupler to enlarge them slightly to about 1.95" dia. This allows the holes to accept a 1.9375" dia. pin, that will be made from surplus polished steel rod (hydraulic rod??) that I picked up cheap. Here is a photo of the coupler just after I finished enlarging the holes:

Step 2, buy a Klac blank, or attach plate, that will be welded to my attachment hangers & that will mate to my quick coupler. This req'd about 3 weeks to get from Werk-Brau. Here it is just after I picked it up from my dealer, Andersen Equipment:

Step 3, buy a SS quick attach blank from Thor Attachments (John Gustafson) in Wisconsin. That req'q about a month for John to fabricate & have UPS-delivered to me. As I expected from previous experience with a similar quick attach that I had bought from John for my tractor FEL, the new one from John is a "thing of beauty"!! Here it is just after it arrived:

In the above photo, the top rail looks a little bent/curved, but it is NOT...it's just a photographic effect. Some other things to note about this item:

1. It's actually called a Multi-Hitch, because it includes 3 - 2" receiver tubes in the lower rail. This feature is unique to John's product I believe, & is a stoke of genius that has a myriad of uses. It's one of the main reasons I endorse John's quick attach over others, never mind the overall build quality! I have the same tubes on my tractor's quick attach, & I can't tell you how handy they are.
2. It's built a little heavier than the model for a tractor, to withstand the added stresses that an excavator will impose.
3. John actually offers these same blanks with hangers built to match your excavator. But he's never built one for use with a Klac quick coupler, & his complete units cost a lot more $$, he says to cover his liability when you use one on an excavator. I think you are better off building your own hangers, not only to save $$, but so you can custom design/build the hangers to fit your own machine & the way you intend to use your attachment. You will see this in the next step.

Step 4, design custom hangers between the Multi-Hitch & my Klac coupler. This was the most time consuming part, involving me building a 3D model of my setup in SketchUp, building a representation of the Multi-Hitch & my pallet forks out of scrap wood, & building several test hangers out of scrap wood to test & verify my design. It was basically an iterative process, alternating between software & building, in order to find my "sweet spot" configuration. (Continued in next post.)

 

[StumpyWally]

It soon became apparent that the controlling configuration was with the boom down, arm fully retracted, bucket fully un-curled, with the pallet forks about level & on the ground. Here is a photo showing my plywood prototype as I determined that position.

The goal was to be sure there is clearance between the top of the pallet fork brick guard & the bucket curl cylinder. Using this configuration, it looks like the following when the boom is raised so the forks are at a normal carry height off the ground:

....& at maximum boom height & arm extension per below:

The goal at maximum boom height & arm extension is to have the forks about level or slightly pitched up. As you can see in the photo the bucket curl is all the way out, so the forks can not be pitched up any further. This position is one I will often use, as I have a work platform that I fasten on the forks.

If you zoom into any of the 3 photos above, you will note the number "4" written on the side of the plywood hanger in magic marker. That means that this is the 4th plywood hanger mockup that I built.
My 3D SketchUp model helped me to refine my plywood prototypes as well as confirm my final configuration. Here is my model verifying the controlling configuration:

I could probably have fiddled some more & gotten the Multi-Hitch a little closer to the Klac quick coupler (show in yellow), and gotten the dimensions from the Mult-Hitch to the original bucket pins to be nice round numbers (instead of 12 31/64, 32 35/64, & so on), but those dimensions didn't matter for my purposes & I was getting tired of iterations. (Continued in next post.)