Wedgelock Equipment Limited was established with a very clear and sole focus to design and build hydraulic quick couplers for the construction and earthmoving industry.
Founded by the late Graham Calvert and his two sons Matthew and David, the Calvert family – through multiple generations – have always been involved in engineering, going as far back as the late 1800s.
An opportunity presented to Graham by a local contractor based in Penrith, NSW, back in 1987 was the catalyst for entering the quick coupler market.
It was at this time that his two sons began their journey in the quick coupler space too, joining Graham in designing and hand-crafting one of the first pin grabber quick couplers for the Australasian market: the Cam-Lock Hitch.
Through further development of their patented instant latching safety system, they are now in an enviable position as being recognised as world leaders and subject matter experts in quick coupler safety.
Soon to be released at the DDT Expo is the latest iteration of the company’s quick coupler evolution.
Wedgelock Group CEO Matthew Calvert said the newly created Quick Coupler was the best such attachment that the company has developed.
“Wedgelock has always been known for uncompromising safety, spearheaded with the patented I-Lock system, but we have taken this to a whole new level with our simple single actuator system incorporating the safety of the instant latching design and the mechanical auto safety reset,” he said.
The instant latching of the front attachment pin on connection is but one feature that sets Wedgelock apart from the other manufacturers of quick couplers.
Pioneering this technology in 2006 with the I-Lock, Wedgelock has strived to simplify this system that provides unparalleled safety.
Having an in-depth understanding of the risks and design associated with quick couplers, Matthew was a participating member of the original Australian AS4772-2008 standards working group as well as the International ISO standards committee drafting the now global quick coupler standard ISO13031-2016.
An amendment to the ISO standard, released as recently as February this year, now includes an additional requirement to “provide automatic mechanical locking of the first pin contacted during the process of coupling”. This additional requirement is one means of achieving greater safety and clearly describes the initial latching technology that Wedgelock is renowned for.
In advance of the official launch into the Australian market, Jaydo Constructions was chosen to trial this latest technology as part of our global footprint in final testing and validation process.
A 13-tonne class coupler has been fitted to a Hitachi ZX135 within Jaydo’s fleet and is operating in the greenfield development site, Jubilee, in Wyndham Vale, Victoria.
Since fitting the coupler, it was immediately recognised as being extremely fast in operation.
Jaydo Plant Manager Colin Meredith, who oversaw the fitting, placement and monitoring, said it had been performing very well “with nothing of note to report back other than it seems much faster in operation than previous generations”.
“In backfilling and compacting applications we change attachments regularly, so about 25-30 times per day,” he said.
“It holds the attachments nice and tight; it has not let us down and we could not be happier. Knowing that when you first grab the front pin and you can see it locked on, it certainly gives great confidence knowing it’s locked on and I cannot drop it”.
This feedback aligns with Wedgelock’s testing regime in other regions in which it has multiple units working across 13 to 40-tonne excavators exceeding tens of thousands of operating hours.
The latest Wedgelock couplers are packed with features increasing service life and improving user centricity without compromising strength and durability, critical elements Wedgelock has always been known for.
