Patent ID: 6619906
Filing Date: 2003-09-16
Classification: E02F

Abstract:
An attachable adapter for converting an attachment coupler on skid steer vehicles from hand operated latching and unlatching to power operated latching and unlatching for attaching and detaching a work implement for use by the vehicle, the adapter comprising:a substantially rectangular box shaped housing having; a front wall; a back wall; interconnecting means extending transversely between the front and back wall and holding said walls in spaced apart relationship to define an interior compartment within the housing; attachment means on the back wall for fastening the housing to an attachment coupler on a skid steer vehicle; a forwardly extending member on the front wall positioned to engage a rearwardly extending member on a work implement to be used by the skid steer vehicle; a pair of longitudinally moveable latch pins spaced apart from each other and mounted within the housing with one of the latch pins located near each end thereof, the latch pins being moveable between a retracted position within the housing and an extended position in which a lower end of each latch pin extends outside the housing for a predetermined distance; a pair of power actuators within the housing each actuator being mounted in adjacent parallel side by side relationship with one of the latch pins and having a fixed portion attached to the housing and an elongated moveable portion having one end slideably engaging the fixed portion and an opposite end extending upwardly from the fixed portion and operatively attached to an upper end of the adjacent latch pin to cause the latch pin to move to either the retracted or the extended position depending upon the direction of movement of the moveable portion; the latch pins being mounted at such a location with respect to the housing that when in the extended position they will engage appropriately positioned apertures on a rearwardly extending member on the work implement to be attached to the power adapter.