hydraulic pin grabber

[gwhammy]

Do these have hydraulic pressure to them all the time when you lock on a bucket? I would like to add one but wonder what it takes on the hydraulic side to make them work.

 

[uptight excavating]

In a word Yes they do. At least mine do. Every thing has to be sealed up tight or you will have oil leaking out .

 

[Diesel Dave]

Most hydraulic pin grabbers use a test port on the main hydraulic pump that is supplying the bucket circuit or tee into the bucket cylinder hose at the dipperstick to supply high pressure oil to a 4 or 5 port solenoid block. By default for safety, continuous oil pressure is sent to the locking side of the pin grabber cylinder. In the cab ,a control box (usually with an alarm) and a sequential switch is used when removing the bucket.
Safety is KEY , you don’t want that bucket coming off unintentionally !!

 

[John C.]

There are several types of couplers made. Some use pilot pressure from control circuits. Others are plumbed into the bucket cylinder with an electrically controlled valve that routes pressure oil from the bucket curl function to open and close the latches. I've seen some that put a separate hydraulic circuit that gets flow from between the pump and the main valve. I've seen mechanical safeties installed where a weighted bar stays in the way of the linkages preventing them from releasing unless the bucket and stick are fully curled under.

 

[gwhammy]

Not very simple to put one on it seems. Just guessing the hardware cost as much as the coupler or more. I found a used one but it's just the coupler. Better pass on it probably. Might look for a mechanical one.

 

[funwithfuel]

Not very simple to put one on it seems. Just guessing the hardware cost as much as the coupler or more. I found a used one but it's just the coupler. Better pass on it probably. Might look for a mechanical one.

They are incredibly simple. Paladin makes the simplest installation. That's the configuration John C mentioned. Off the bucket circuit with basic gravitational safeties and simple hydraulic safeties. If you can weld reasonably decent, you can do the job in a day, by yourself, first time trying.
Just remember one thing, soft pins in the bucket(s) hard pins in the stick. No exceptions

 

[heymccall]

Why not watch a movie on installation?
https://slockcoupler.com/user-guides/

 

[Shimmy1]

Just remember one thing, soft pins in the bucket(s) hard pins in the stick. No exceptions

What's this about?

 

[John C.]

Quick couplers come with soft pins while the pins in the bucket are hardened. The hardened pins are for the pivot points so the soft pins get taken out of the quick coupler and installed in the bucket bosses because they no longer have to pivot in the bushings of the boom and tilt linkage. The hardened pins from the bucket bosses now go into the quick coupler.

 

[Shimmy1]

What if I'm running hard pins in both? Can't imagine a problem with that.

 

[John C.]

We are just saying that the pins that come with the coupler are going to be soft pins and need to be swapped into the bucket.

 

[funwithfuel]

What if I'm running hard pins in both? Can't imagine a problem with that.

If it's working for you, that's great. Less expense. I've had issues where the hard pins snap when used in buckets with pin grabbers. It's only occurred 3X in my experience, but it has happened. The other issue comes where you have a more universal coupler which allows the coupler to slap side to side in the bucket webbing. The mild pins allow it to grab and hold the bucket in position. Water and sewer guys lose their mind over an inch. (At least around here) Last point is, a soft pin is like a third the cost of a hard pin. Your results may vary.

 

[Shimmy1]

If it's working for you, that's great. Less expense. I've had issues where the hard pins snap when used in buckets with pin grabbers. It's only occurred 3X in my experience, but it has happened. The other issue comes where you have a more universal coupler which allows the coupler to slap side to side in the bucket webbing. The mild pins allow it to grab and hold the bucket in position. Water and sewer guys lose their mind over an inch. (At least around here) Last point is, a soft pin is like a third the cost of a hard pin. Your results may vary.

I'm not disagreeing with you, just asking the question. I have factory Case pins in the bucket that came on our 210C. All the rest of the buckets have pins that I found on eBay for $120-150 per pin. Case still wants $300+ per pin, and my cheap ones have never been an issue. I don't know how they would last in a full rotation application, but the grabber holds them fine.