Anyone Crimp Their Own Fittings?

[J_J]

There's a phrase that matters to me.

Now I have to decide if it's worth it. I actually think I can get most of the hoses stock from Surplus Center or someplace similar. There are just a few of the longer ones that they don't have in stock.

For longer hoses, just couple hoses together. I have a portable set of hydraulic hose crimper's, but I did not realize that you have to have the correct hose to use it. I believe the cost was about $42.00. It is used primarily to repair hoses far away from a hydraulic shop.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

For longer hoses, just couple hoses together. I have a portable set of hydraulic hose crimper's, but I did not realize that you have to have the correct hose to use it. I believe the cost was about $42.00. It is used primarily to repair hoses far away from a hydraulic shop.

You mean there's a portable hose crimper that only costs $42!!?? Please tell me more. I could justify $42 on a single hose.

 

[Wis Bang]

I worked for a Motor Carrrier who used the Aero-Quip hose and fittings. We had tractors w/ 'stack' turbos to pressurize cement hopper trailers. When we traded in tractors the oil feed and return lines were removed along with the turbo that was mounted in the exhaust stack at the rear of the cab.

As the 'college kid' I was given the task of disassembling & cleaning all the ends which were re-used.

Basically a small diameter line was run from a pressurized point on the engine oil cooler to feed the turbo and a larger diameter line returned the oil directly to the side of the engine oil pan. Failure of either line on the highway would lead to the failure of the engine in short order. I never saw this happen.

When the unit arrived at the distination the driver hooked a blower hose to the stack turbo outlet w/ the engine at idle and opened the gate valve directing the exhaust thru the turbo & then pulled the throttle to max RPM and the turbo made 15 PSIG with sufficient CFM to pressurize the load of cement out and into the silo. This took 35 min to 1.5 hours depending on the hight and distance to the silo.

Of course the engine oil pressure was under 100 PSIG but this setup was always full of engine oil and was constantly under circulation anytime the engine was running. Back then they traded every three years at 275,000 to 400,000 miles plus the unloading time once or twice a day.

We only used their brand fittings and hose and assembly lube and each person in the shop was taught how to assemble the fittings onto the hoses.

This setup saved the weight and maintenance of a PTO driven blower mounted on the frame but was only good for flowables that were not affected by the heat like cement and powdered lime and was no good for plastics, etc.

Converting a hydraulic system to this type of setup would be costly though i would consider this for a project like a home made log splitter.

 

[J_J]

You mean there's a portable hose crimper that only costs $42!!?? Please tell me more. I could justify $42 on a single hose.

I purchased this set about 4 years ago off Ebay. Don't know what they originally sold for. I will have to find the case, and I will take a picture of the case and contents.

Now, in my opinion, If you make up hoses often, and are building things using hydraulic hose, then the screw on connectors is a better way to get things started, if they don't leave them on. But for a permanent fix, I would crimp them on. You can always use them on another project.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I purchased this set about 4 years ago off Ebay. Don't know what they originally sold for. I will have to find the case, and I will take a picture of the case and contents.

Now, in my opinion, If you make up hoses often, and are building things using hydraulic hose, then the screw on connectors is a better way to get things started, if they don't leave them on. But for a permanent fix, I would crimp them on. You can always use them on another project.

Pictures and a brand or model would be great.

 

[J_J]

This is all I could find i the Internet.

Hosecomatic
The Field Kit pictured contains :



The patented roto-crimper tool
Field vice with hose clamp
Crimpin' caliper
How to video and detailed manual
Box wrench
Hydraulic hose saw
Crimpin' oil
Carrying case
Large assortment of roto-crimper fittings




Hose repair kit

Repair air or water hoses, up to 300 psi, at the breakdown site with the portable HFC crip tool kit from Hosecomatic.

Each kit weighs only 6 lbs. and comes with a hose repair tool and a large assortment of fittings and collars. Three kits are available: #2000 is for 1/4- and 3/8-in. hoses; #1000 is for 1/2- through 3/4-in. repairs; and #3000 comes with both tools, 23 fittings and 52 collars. Kits start at $86.56 plus shipping. Contact Hosecomatic, Dept. FIN, 6000 S. Oak Park Ave., Chicago, IL 60638, 800/292-4673.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

This is all I could find i the Internet.

Hosecomatic
The Field Kit pictured contains :



The patented roto-crimper tool
Field vice with hose clamp
Crimpin' caliper
How to video and detailed manual
Box wrench
Hydraulic hose saw
Crimpin' oil
Carrying case
Large assortment of roto-crimper fittings




Hose repair kit

Repair air or water hoses, up to 300 psi, at the breakdown site with the portable HFC crip tool kit from Hosecomatic.

Each kit weighs only 6 lbs. and comes with a hose repair tool and a large assortment of fittings and collars. Three kits are available: #2000 is for 1/4- and 3/8-in. hoses; #1000 is for 1/2- through 3/4-in. repairs; and #3000 comes with both tools, 23 fittings and 52 collars. Kits start at $86.56 plus shipping. Contact Hosecomatic, Dept. FIN, 6000 S. Oak Park Ave., Chicago, IL 60638, 800/292-4673.

I hope you actually meant 3000 psi.

That's a nifty litte unit. have you been satisfied with the results from yours?

 

[J_J]

I just copied the data off the web site as is, but you are probably right, typo I think.

I haven't used it yet, you have to use specific hose. I read the manual years ago. In theory it should work. There will be some that say that they would not trust it, but it is like everything else, if you do it right it should work right. What that pipe roller does, is to roll some crimping beads around the sleeve with the hose in the right position.

 

[Discount Hydraulic Hose]

We sell hose crimpers, as well as the hose and fittings you'll use to make your own assemblies at Discount Hydraulic Hose.com

Based on what customers have told me they were paying for hose assemblies at their local suppliers, I determined that a portable machine such as our D100H (about $2K with three sets of dies) would pay for itself in as little as 100 hoses. I calculated this this using ONLY the cost of materials. If you add in savings for reduced downtime (especially if your local supplier is a two hour drive from your farm), then the crimper will pay for itself a lot faster.

 

[Eric_Phillips]

I just copied the data off the web site as is, but you are probably right, typo I think.

I haven't used it yet, you have to use specific hose. I read the manual years ago. In theory it should work. There will be some that say that they would not trust it, but it is like everything else, if you do it right it should work right. What that pipe roller does, is to roll some crimping beads around the sleeve with the hose in the right position.

For $150 plus shipping this sounds great. I wish I would have seen this a week ago I might have jumped on it. I have some short hoses going from my new valve to a bulkhead and I am hoping I got the measurements right for my local shop to make some hoses. For the cost of making 11 hoses I bet I could have paid for this.

Hosecomatic sale

Hosecromatic web site

 

[J_J]

Eric, Always get an estimate on hydraulic hose jobs, or you will get a hose job. They try and sell high dollar stuff if you don't know any better. Ask for choices. Those screw on adapters will let you get a good fit. I would recommend that you get the hose and connectors from the same place, to insure a good fit. Anyway, if you are going to let someone else do the job, give them your hose list with specific measurements, and what fittings you want on them. You may only need to tell them the finish length of each hose.

The Ebay guy said he would take offers.

 

[Eric_Phillips]

JJ My local guy seems to be a decent place. I have purchased several fittings and some were a little more and some a little less than places like DHH. He also didn't charge me for the hose fittings that I used to help get the correct measurement for the short hoses, that is as long as I bring them back. I talked with him about how he would like them measured since one end will have a 45 so we should all be on the same page. The big unknown is how much will he charge me for the R16 hose since he will need to order it.

I also brought him a dump cylinder off my FEL that was leaking. It turns out the shaft is pitted. He is selling me a new cylinder for the same price as the dealer would but he is closer.

He has the hoses done so I will pick them up this afternoon. I will let you know how bad it hurt.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

how long would it take for the typical farmer to use 100 hoses?

"Typical" is hard to identify. Where I live now, 100 hoses would likely be a lifetime for most of the farmers. Where I grew up, that would be a single growing season.

 

[wvpolekat]

"Typical" is hard to identify. Where I live now, 100 hoses would likely be a lifetime for most of the farmers. Where I grew up, that would be a single growing season.

I would also say that anyone who buys 100 hoses a year has considered making their own.

 

[wdchyd]

I realize that this thread is older but I think a few things haven't been brought up yet:

Making hoses for profit is different that DIY , yes the materials are the same but when making for profit business wise your liability exposure and insurance rates can go up (Ours did)....

Using reusable hose ends increases labor to install (crimp ends are very quick) as DIY your time is cheap but if its paid labor its the most expensive part of business....

The scrap factor must be figured in (If a mistake happens when you're DIY thens its Oh Well) but if its for a customer it has to be exact...

Reuseable Hose Ends are now called "Field Attachable" in all your major hose catalogs....they say the fittings should never be reused (Liability issue again)

Mismatching brands and hose spec (1 wire vs 2 wire ect) increases danger of blow off (another liability issue if you make hoses for money)

The last issue is stocking the right fittings when YOU need them.....its hard to swallow the cost of stocking the stuff when you get an invoice for hose material and fittings that you MIGHT need in the future...(I have 4 companys around us that invested in Crimp Machine Setups with every good intentions of making thier own hoses but they haven't kept up with inventories and we end up making the hoses for them because they just can't wait till tommorrow.....

Yes it does pay off to do your own hoses but convience to make one on the spot is were its at .....

Would I invest if I were to make 100 hoses a year (2 hoses a week) Probably not...:2cents:

 

[brain55]

I'll add my 2 cents here too. I have my own mobile equipment repair business and one of the first things I bought was my own crimping machine, hose ends, and hose. I have a good inventory of ends for 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" hose. I have NPT, JIC, flat face o-ring, some metric, and a few inverted flare. I also have a pretty good inventory of fittings NPT and ORB. The local brick and mortar hose shops charge way too much, 3 to 4 times what it costs me to make a hose. I don't make any money making additional trips to a customer's location, the more I can do in one trip the more money I make. Having to leave and go get a hose made is not cost effective for me or my customer. If I'm servicing a machine and see a potential problem I can correct it on the spot and save additional down time which is how I promote my business, along with eliminating the cost of having to take a piece of equipment to the shop. I will also make repairs in the field that the dealer won't.

Brian

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I realize that this thread is older but I think a few things haven't been brought up yet:

Making hoses for profit is different that DIY , yes the materials are the same but when making for profit business wise your liability exposure and insurance rates can go up (Ours did)....

Using reusable hose ends increases labor to install (crimp ends are very quick) as DIY your time is cheap but if its paid labor its the most expensive part of business....

The scrap factor must be figured in (If a mistake happens when you're DIY thens its Oh Well) but if its for a customer it has to be exact...

Reuseable Hose Ends are now called "Field Attachable" in all your major hose catalogs....they say the fittings should never be reused (Liability issue again)

Mismatching brands and hose spec (1 wire vs 2 wire ect) increases danger of blow off (another liability issue if you make hoses for money)

The last issue is stocking the right fittings when YOU need them.....its hard to swallow the cost of stocking the stuff when you get an invoice for hose material and fittings that you MIGHT need in the future...(I have 4 companys around us that invested in Crimp Machine Setups with every good intentions of making thier own hoses but they haven't kept up with inventories and we end up making the hoses for them because they just can't wait till tommorrow.....

Yes it does pay off to do your own hoses but convience to make one on the spot is were its at .....

Would I invest if I were to make 100 hoses a year (2 hoses a week) Probably not...:2cents:

Excellent points!

Another point in favor of the DIY guy is that the inventory needed is likely less. The DIY guy knows what his equipment is and probably doesn't need the whole catalog worth of fittings.

 

[Discount Hydraulic Hose]

You can get a good, portable hose crimper for about $2000 to $2500, depending on features and the number of dies you need. At that rate, if you save $20 to $25 per hose, your machine will pay for itself once you've made 100 hoses.

Just to use our prices at DiscountHydraulicHose.com as an example...

1/2" SAE 100R2AT hose is less than $1.50 per foot.
1/2" female JIC fittings are about $3 each.

At that rate, a four foot (48") hose costs you about $12 in materials. If you're currently paying $30 or more for that same hose, you can see pretty dramatic savings.

Another factor to consider is time. How far away is your local hose shop? If he is around the corner, no problem. If he is an hour long drive each way, add that to your down time. The ability to make your own houses could save you many hours when your tractor breaks down and you need to get it running again quickly.

Reusable fittings are another option, but as others pointed out, they aren't available for all hoses. Also, they are more expensive. That $3 crimp fitting (1/2" hose x 1/2" JIC) costs about $10 in a reusable.

That said, if you are using SAE 100R2AT hose, reusable fittings in standard configurations (male pipe, female JIC) are readily available, and since you use them more than once, they are free on the second and third hoses.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

You can get a good, portable hose crimper for about $2000 to $2500, depending on features and the number of dies you need.

What we need is a cheaper crimper. Why is there not a standalone die setup which would work in a standard shop press? With the 100T shop press we have, I dont see why we couldnt use it to crimp? Looking at the parker crimpers, they are 60T rated... buying a 60T shop press and the required tool would be easier to swallow because a shop press is a multi-tasker....
500.00 for a 1/2" standalone die would be much easier to swallow...at that price I'd have a crimper & the common fittings I need.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

What we need is a cheaper crimper. Why is there not a standalone die setup which would work in a standard shop press? With the 100T shop press we have, I dont see why we couldnt use it to crimp? Looking at the parker crimpers, they are 60T rated... buying a 60T shop press and the required tool would be easier to swallow because a shop press is a multi-tasker....
500.00 for a 1/2" standalone die would be much easier to swallow...at that price I'd have a crimper & the common fittings I need.

I've had similar thoughts. I think many of us would trade off some speed or convenience for price if we could get a smaller crimper for cheaper.