Going from confused to completely confused

   / Going from confused to completely confused #1  

Alpha Dog

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
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47
Location
Texas
Tractor
Kubota L2800 DT, Kubota L275.
So, after all the horsing around, I spent some time with pen and paper, and decided that after all the stuff on my last post, by the time I finished manufacturing my own 3rd function kit, manufacturing brackets, and spending the extra time involved, in time and money I'd end up saving about $2 bucks over buying one, (not to mention the time with a shrink I'm sure I'd need), I decided to buy a ready made kit. I also bought a grapple, and reinforced the top of my bucket to handle it, (using ideas blatantly stolen from this forum, and proving that I can still weld reasonably strong, and fairly decent looking, as log as I'm willing to spend more money on wheels for my angle grinder). Now I'm doing the final hookup, and noticed that the nice new quick connects on my bracket at the cross beam are 1/2" connectors. :confused:
I thought that's odd, since the hose leading up there is 3/8" hose, and I'm further confused because the fittings on the grapple cylinder are 3/8" NPT. Since the grapple came without hoses, and I have to decide, what should I use, 3/8" or 1/2" hose? I know the 1/2" will hold more volume at the same pressure, but what about the 3/8" by 8 ft hoses that lead up to there?:confused2:
I need about 6' of hose to reach the maximum distance with the bucket all the way down without putting any tension on the hose, and of course I can buy "ready made" 1/2" hoses locally that are 6' long. To get 3/8" ready made (with NPTM ends, at least), I'll have to go 8', unless I special order them. That means I have to come up with some way to keep the extra hose "under control" so it won't get pinched, kinked, or hung up. (The bottom line on buying the ready made kit and grapple was that I need to use it this upcoming weekend.)
Anyone got any suggestions? I mean go with 1/2" x 6' hoses, or go with 3/8" x 8' and lots of "rigging" to keep them clear? I really don't know if there's even a reason to go with any length. (The one part of hydraulic work I understand is how to turn a wrench on "adapters" to fit the NPT type fittings together until the size is right.)
Anyone able to bail out the village idiot, again?:ashamed:
 
   / Going from confused to completely confused #2  
Not to confuse you anymore, but.

I would recommend reducing the grapple hose to 1/4 in from the grapple valve work port to the grapple cyl, unless you want a really fast grapple.

You only need enough hose to connect and have gentle bends.

Use a water or air hose or string to come up with the total length needed.

Hyd hose clamps.

http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?catname=hydraulic&keyword=HHCL
 
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   / Going from confused to completely confused #3  
The local TSC's have some hoses, but around here, they may only have 1 of what you want. They don't seem to watch their stock, or have bare minimum stocking?

Anyhow, don't forget how valuable a roll of duct tape can be.
 
   / Going from confused to completely confused #4  
I have taken brand new never used hydraulic hoses to the local dealer and had them shorten and crimp on new end fittings (which I bought from them).

It was worth it to me to have the custom length I wanted.
 
   / Going from confused to completely confused #5  
Don't overlook buying hoses built to your specs.

DiscountHydraulicHose.com can make just about any hose you need, at prices that are comparable to a lot of pre-made stock hoses.

1/4" SAE 100R2AT hydraulic hose (5,000 PSI) six feet long with 3/8" NPTF male pipe fittings, about $22 plus shipping. For a quote on exactly what you need, give us a call at 800-535-1302.
 
   / Going from confused to completely confused
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I guess the long winded post was confusing. I was trying to see if anyone could let me know why the kit would have 3/8" hoses leading from the valve, ending in 1/2" connectors. It turned out the manufacturer did that since the connectors they put on were available "off the shelf" just about anywhere, and some of the others were less commonly available. I went ahead and got a local dealer to fab up some hoses after I took some measurements and took J J 's advice to "neck down" to 1/4" for the hoses to the grapple.
 
   / Going from confused to completely confused #8  
One reason that they supplied the kit with the larger hoses, would be to feed a hyd motor, and you would want as much volume as the motor can handle.

Size of the hose determines the GPM's.

The price of the 1/4 in hose is way cheaper also and you could also use 1/4 QD's

There are other ways of reducing speed of the grapple and that is to lower the engine rpm, or to install a needle valve and adjust the flow as you like
 
 
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