Do NPT 1/2 quick Disconnects really need superman?

[workinonit]

I bought a new cylinder and thought I would never get the Allen, 3/8" dummy plug out so I could screw my fitting in. I worked on that thing for a solid hour before I got the torch out and gently heated it up.

 

[tractortroof]

You’re supposed to tighten them to “farmer tight”

 

[D&D]

oh boy, instead of ”farmer tight” there is a ”close may be ok”. Note 1 at bottom is important and doesn’t really mean, “ I’m too xxxx to get the right tools out”

Flats from finger tight

1. Inspect components for damage or contamination.
2. Align tube/hose to mating fitting allowing hand connection. To assure proper alignment, two to three turns of nut should be easily permitted.
3. Finger tighten or lightly wrench nut to seat sealing surfaces.
4. Mark nut and adjacent fitting surface to indicate initial seating position.
5. Finish tightening nut by turning the appropriate F.F.F.T. as indicated in Table L.
6. Mark final tightening position on fitting by extending the existing mark from the nut to the adjacent fitting surface.

 

[Stan B]

I am removing a set of 1/2 QD from a brand new implement to change them to what fits my 3rd function, it required a 2 foot adjustable on one side, and a 1 foot adjustable with a 6 foot pipe on the other, and i still struggled a bit to break them free, Now i have dealt with npt in plumbing, but nowhere close to needing to be this tight, is this really normal? I plan to put it back together with loctite 545, but after doing my 3rd function with JIC and a small wrench to snug the fittings with 0 leaks, this seems a bit insane that they really need to be this tight?

Perhaps they weren't that tight when originally assembled, but you got some galling or dissimilar metal corrosion on the threads, making them harder to get apart. I've encountered something similar when separating brass and stainless NPT fittings. Having just run a bunch of 1-1/4", 3/4" and 1/2" iron pipe, all I know is that the larger the diameter of the fitting, the more torque needed to prevent leaks. Rarely more than a turn past hand tight.

the question is does it need to go back together that tight... based on the chart above, not even remotely.

No, definitely not. However, if they were actually crazy tight and not galled/corroded, watch for stretched fittings. Happens mostly with brass fittings.

 

[LittleBill21]

as an update, put it back together with 1/20 of the force to remove, and 0 leaks...

 

[700R]

Even the OEM fittings on my 20 year old skid steer came loose with standard wrenches...but I did have to grunt a little. I put new ones on with just half a grunt...

 

[rangerfredbob]

A lot of places use loctite or thread sealant that takes a bit of heat to free, either that or they assemble dry and tighten the snot out of them for no good reason...

I looked it up not too long ago, tapered threads aren't about a torque value, it's based on a turns past finger tight like the table above, it's about seating pressure not turning resistance... tapered deals with deforming the material...

 

[Jimbo16720]

Might have pressure in it making it tight. Like when you try to hook an implement up and can't connect the couplings because of pressure. If you bleed some off might be normal.