Quick coupling assembly

A quick coupling assembly for attaching a material handling bucket or the like to the free ends of lift arms extending from a loader. The quick coupler assembly includes an elongated cross member having hitch brackets on its opposite ends.

Each hitch bracket includes an end which is received against the underside of an upper attachment member on the rear wall of the bucket near the top edge thereof. The opposite end of the hitch bracket is configured for engagement against a lower inclined ramp extending along the bottom rear edge of the bucket.

The coupler assembly further includes an over-center locking mechanism consisting of a pivotal handle and link connected to a shaft with a wedge on the lower end of the shaft. The shaft and wedge are slidably movable in response to over-center movement of the handle and link such that the wedge moves downwardly and passes through openings in a lower hitch bracket attachment member and the lower inclined bucket ramp for locking the quick coupling assembly to the bucket.

After the operator has located the bucket in a hanging position on the camlock coupling assembly, the assembly is rotated rearwardly such that an end of the handle is pushed against a stop member. As a result, the handle and link are pushed over center thereby forcing the wedge downwardly through the openings in the attaching members between the hitch bracket and bucket for securely attaching the bucket to the coupler assembly.