For decades, Lehnhoff's quick couplers and attachments for the construction and building machinery industry have been an integral part of European construction sites. Now the company is aiming to establish itself in the US market as well. An opportunity for this came at the Demo Days of Lenhoff’s long standing partner Komatsu. The advantages of the latest Komatsu excavators, equipped with the fully automatic SQ80V coupler from Lehnhoff, were presented to customers in the construction and demolition industry. A clear trend here is the increased use of larger machines from 30t, with a focus on demolition.

Lehnhoff's fully hydraulic quickcouplers from the ‘SQ’ series met with great public interest during the practical demonstrations. They were said to impress with their performance, flexibility and user friendliness. With a maximum oil flow of 550l/min per valve, the full power of the hydraulic attachments can be utilised. Thanks to the symmetrically arranged valve block, even hydraulic attachments can be picked up by 180o, giving users application versatility. Furthermore the low maintenance short stroke valves make on site maintenance much easier.

These advantages have been recognised by attachment manufacturer Montabert, whose dealer network in the USA Lehnhoff will use for the distribution of its quick couplers. “We are very proud to have found a well known and well connected partner in Montabert, with whom we can gain a strong presence in the US market,” explains Simon Maurath, sales representative at Lehnhoff. At the Komatsu Demo Days demonstrations, customers were able to view the interaction of Komatsu excavators with Lehnhoff quick couplers and the Montabert sorting grab and hammer.

Mounted on the 35t Komatsu PC360 excavator, the currently largest fully hydraulic quick coupler of the SQ series, the Lehnhoff SQ80V, changed between hydraulic attachments, such as hammer, grab and pulveriser, as well as the different buckets, such as the Lehnhoff HTL35 or the Lehnhoff HG35 SH, which were also presented. The visitors saw how easily, smoothly and quickly the SQ80 coupler changed the individual attachments in operation from the cab. “We were also positively surprised by the attention the American public paid to the demonstrations with our SQ80Vs and the great interest they showed in us,” says Simon. “This market is just starting to take off in the US.”

For the Demo Days visitors, mainly customers from the demolition industry, saw that the SQ system is a compact and vertical valve system. Due to the compact dimensions, without protruding components that can be torn off, the system has been designed to be used safely and for a long time, especially in tough applications or at narrow angles. It has also been designed for easy maintenance with the valves being able to be replaced in less than two minutes in the case of service.

The Komatsu Demo Days were a complete success for Lehnhoff. “We take the positive feedback from the American demolition and mining experts on our SQ couplers as an incentive to help the American market achieve more efficiency and flexibility in operation with our reliable partners at our side,” concludes Sebastian Denniston, product manager at Lehnhoff.