Hydraulic stress

[dieselmadman]

I was watching my boat mechanic the other day as he was replacing some hydraulic hoses. He mentioned to me that my outdrives (hydraulic prop lifts) should always be left in the down position, because there is stress on the hydraulic hoses if left in the up position. It got me thinking. I always leave my backhoe in the up position on my BX24 when not in use, supported by the pins that hold it in place. Is this the right thing to do or should I make sure the backhoe, stabilizers and FEL are on the ground "resting" when not in use? Just curious...

 

[Scooby074]

Its always good practice to return anything to a zero energy state. Ie :lower bucket to the ground. This is more a safety thing

I dont think that leaving a bucket in any specific position will reduce wear and tear on the hoses though. If it can stand 2500 psi in use it should stand 2500 Psi (or likely less) at rest just as well.

 

[gwdixon]

I was watching my boat mechanic the other day as he was replacing some hydraulic hoses. He mentioned to me that my outdrives (hydraulic prop lifts) should always be left in the down position, because there is stress on the hydraulic hoses if left in the up position. It got me thinking. I always leave my backhoe in the up position on my BX24 when not in use, supported by the pins that hold it in place. Is this the right thing to do or should I make sure the backhoe, stabilizers and FEL are on the ground "resting" when not in use? Just curious...

If you are worried about it just pin the backhoe, turn off the tractor, operate the lever to relieve the pressure and you are done. The pin will hold the boom rather than the hydraulic pressure.

The stabilizers can be chained together or held with straps w/ratchets and then open the lever to relieve pressure on the hoses. The chain or strap will hold them in place without pressure.

The same with the FEL. Put it down and move the lever to the "float" position. This can be done with the tractor running.

 

[Toolguy]

For safety reasons I always put my tractor away with the loader down on the ground. As far as stress on the lines I doubt if it makes any difference. The pressure in the lines needed to just hold the bucket up is nothing compared to the pressure needed to lift a load. If the lines will hold the maximum output pressure of the hydraulic pump then they will surely not be stressed by the weight of the equipment without a load.

The same thing applies to a boat outdrive. The main pressure on the hydraulics involved in operating the drives are when you gun the throttle to get up on plane. The propellers are pushing the drive forward which causes the boat to go forward. The hydaulic rams which trim the drive and lift it up for trailering are resisting the force of the propellers. If the hoses can withstand the pressure of full throttle acceleration than the weight of the drive itself is insignificant. The lines you had replaced most likely failed due to age alone. It would be a terrible inconvienience to have to lower the drives once you are out of the water and parked and then have to remember to raise them before you move the boat again. For long term storage of a boat it is advisable to lower the drives but only to relieve the stress on the bellows from being in the up position for months or years at a time. For normal use during the boating season just leave the drives up until you hit the water again. Good Luck.

 

[BXinNH]

I was strongly advised by the boat mechanic who replaced my outdrive bellows to leave the drive down as much as possible to reduce stress and UV exposure on the bellows. (I know this has nothing to do with hydraulic lines but I thought it useful regardless)

Matt.

 

[ccsial]

I was watching my boat mechanic the other day as he was replacing some hydraulic hoses. He mentioned to me that my outdrives (hydraulic prop lifts) should always be left in the down position, because there is stress on the hydraulic hoses if left in the up position. It got me thinking. I always leave my backhoe in the up position on my BX24 when not in use, supported by the pins that hold it in place. Is this the right thing to do or should I make sure the backhoe, stabilizers and FEL are on the ground "resting" when not in use? Just curious...

I don't really agree with that. I always left my drives up for years. I have diesel inboards now. Lifting the drive and hitting the relief is more stress than the drives just sitting there. The hoses have to be rated for a lot more than the pressure of just sitting there with weight on them.

Way back when I towed my boat there was a bracket that held the drive up in transist. I don't think anyone uses those anymore either.

 

[mswlogo]

I was watching my boat mechanic the other day as he was replacing some hydraulic hoses. He mentioned to me that my outdrives (hydraulic prop lifts) should always be left in the down position, because there is stress on the hydraulic hoses if left in the up position. It got me thinking. I always leave my backhoe in the up position on my BX24 when not in use, supported by the pins that hold it in place. Is this the right thing to do or should I make sure the backhoe, stabilizers and FEL are on the ground "resting" when not in use? Just curious...

Letting it "rest" on the pins is the same as resting on the ground as far has relieving stress in the hoses, you'll be fine.

I always towed my boat with prop up because of the risk of hitting something like when going up a steep incline (and it WOULD hit). And I always kept it up when moored and as it would do less damage and beach it self if it ever broke free. There really isn't much load on the lifting the outdrive compared to when it's trimmed up and driving the boat.

But I always put FEL down and BH on pins when not using it. BH down on trailer floor when towing.