Quick hitch for tools of excavators, cranes, crawler-type vehicles or the like

A quick hitch assembly for coupling and decoupling a tool at a rotator for rotating the tool, comprising:

• a rotator comprising a stationary rotator attachment part that is attachable to a tool carrier and a rotary rotator part rotatable relative to the stationary rotator attachment part about an axis of rotation;
• a quick hitch coupling comprising a male rotator coupling portion rigidly fastened to the rotary rotator part, and a female tool coupling portion fastenable to a tool;
• wherein the rotator coupling portion and the tool coupling portion are configured to couple and uncouple by linear movement along a coupling axis in parallel with the axis of rotation;
• at least one radially-outward biased latch element disposed on the rotator coupling portion and received within a latching contour in the tool coupling portion for latching the rotator coupling portion and the tool coupling portion;
• a latch adjustment part movably disposed on the tool coupling portion;
• wherein the latch adjustment part comprises an adjustment ring that extends in annular form about the axis of rotation in a plane perpendicular thereto and is supported on the tool coupling portion to be movable along an adjustment movement axis in parallel with the axis of rotation;
• and
• a latch operating actuator rigidly fastened to the stationary rotator attachment part for actuating the latch adjustment part for the unlatching and/or latching of the at least one latch element;
• wherein the latch operating actuator comprises a plurality of hydraulic cylinders each with a piston therein, each piston movable along an axis parallel to the axis of rotation;
• wherein the pistons of the hydraulic cylinders act upon the adjustment ring to move the adjustment ring in the axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation;
• wherein the adjustment ring is rotatable about the axis of rotation relative to the pistons;
• and
• wherein the adjustment ring has a slanted surface that is arranged adjacent to the at least one latch element in a coupled position of the rotator coupling portion and the tool coupling portion and is configured to be brought into engagement with the at least one latch element by movement of the adjustment ring along its adjustment movement axis so that the slanted surface engaging obliquely to the adjustment movement axis slides along the at least one latch element and the adjustment movement of the adjustment ring is converted into a radially-inward latch movement of the at least one latch element to uncouple the rotator coupling portion from the latching in the tool coupling portion.