bobflange
Member
I wanted to pass on my system for identifying thread size/type on my tractor and related yard machinery since it is inexpensive and has little chance for error.
I was a first time tractor user when I bought a '69 ford 3400 five years ago, I have since used it heavily and have had predominantly good experiences with it.
- When the first old hose in the loader hyrdaulics broke I figured out what type of fittings I thought I had on my tractor using calipers, thread gauges and google searches for thread specs (somewhat hard) and then bought a complete set of bushings of that type in order to allow me to verify which size fitting I needed for each connection that might break in the future (easy/cheap). It is the last part that probably is most relevant to anyone reading this.
- Buying a set of increasing bushings from 1/8 or 1/4" up to 1" should cost only about $20 (at least in npt) to cover every size. Once you have this, it is a set of fittings that all literally fits together and stores in a self protected 1.5"x8" tapered size, once you thread them together, and lets you check any fitting you have, inside or out, as to whether it matches with your standard tractor fitting type or not. I live in a rural area that is 1.5-2 hrs from the nearest place that would have some of these fittings, so I appreciate being able to order them online, as the savings is considerable. Once you factor in gas cost, not having to go to a store starts saving you a huge amount of money, not to mention time.
- I found that my fittings were NPT, and that I could buy good quality hoses from surplus center (and other retailers) with npt fittings already on them for $2-4/ft. This was way, way cheaper than they could be had locally.
- The savings was even more dramatic and useful when I realized that I needed to keep only 3 different $10-15 each-sizes of hose on hand for the whole tractor, and replace them in 10 minutes myself with two wrenches when they broke, because I learned my fitting type and was not dependent on local fitters to replace hoses on a case by case basis. For example I stock male-male hoses for my tractor (since the hose is what wears out and male-male hoses are the least expensive) and have adapted the tractor connections to accept the less expensive (equal quality) pre-made hoses. This let me have the flexibility to self-repair hoses, which is much more important than cost to me, in a very rural location.
I wanted to share this info since it was much easier than I expected to "crack the code" of learning how to replace hydraulic fittings on a tractor. I did it out of necessity being in a rural area, but it is a way for anyone to save costs given the modern resources (internet) that are available to them.
I hope this is helpful,
bob
I was a first time tractor user when I bought a '69 ford 3400 five years ago, I have since used it heavily and have had predominantly good experiences with it.
- When the first old hose in the loader hyrdaulics broke I figured out what type of fittings I thought I had on my tractor using calipers, thread gauges and google searches for thread specs (somewhat hard) and then bought a complete set of bushings of that type in order to allow me to verify which size fitting I needed for each connection that might break in the future (easy/cheap). It is the last part that probably is most relevant to anyone reading this.
- Buying a set of increasing bushings from 1/8 or 1/4" up to 1" should cost only about $20 (at least in npt) to cover every size. Once you have this, it is a set of fittings that all literally fits together and stores in a self protected 1.5"x8" tapered size, once you thread them together, and lets you check any fitting you have, inside or out, as to whether it matches with your standard tractor fitting type or not. I live in a rural area that is 1.5-2 hrs from the nearest place that would have some of these fittings, so I appreciate being able to order them online, as the savings is considerable. Once you factor in gas cost, not having to go to a store starts saving you a huge amount of money, not to mention time.
- I found that my fittings were NPT, and that I could buy good quality hoses from surplus center (and other retailers) with npt fittings already on them for $2-4/ft. This was way, way cheaper than they could be had locally.
- The savings was even more dramatic and useful when I realized that I needed to keep only 3 different $10-15 each-sizes of hose on hand for the whole tractor, and replace them in 10 minutes myself with two wrenches when they broke, because I learned my fitting type and was not dependent on local fitters to replace hoses on a case by case basis. For example I stock male-male hoses for my tractor (since the hose is what wears out and male-male hoses are the least expensive) and have adapted the tractor connections to accept the less expensive (equal quality) pre-made hoses. This let me have the flexibility to self-repair hoses, which is much more important than cost to me, in a very rural location.
I wanted to share this info since it was much easier than I expected to "crack the code" of learning how to replace hydraulic fittings on a tractor. I did it out of necessity being in a rural area, but it is a way for anyone to save costs given the modern resources (internet) that are available to them.
I hope this is helpful,
bob
