Fittings backing off... suggestions

[tcartwri]

I have two -16 JIC fittings on a machine that are constantly backing off due to vibration and hydraulic pulsing. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to lock these down? I've looked at jigs to drill the fittings for safety wire, but the ones I've found only go up to -12. Loctite makes a thread locker just for this, but everything has to be clean and dry to apply it which never happens, particularly under field repair conditions.

What do you say...

 

[puckgrinder85]

Are you looking for something pretty permanent? Is it open enough to maybe cut a piece of flat stock the size of your fitting and then bolt it to whatever the fitting is on? Like a makeshift wrench that gets bolted in place.

You shouldn't need a jig to drill a hole in the fitting for safety wire, you may go through a few bits but we safety wire our bikes all the way and never needed a jig for anything.

 

[tcartwri]

No unfortunately, it has to come apart on a regular basis. I have a few fittings I can practice free hand drilling I guess. Do you start with a dimple, or maybe a flycut with a dremel?

 

[BukitCase]

I can't picture any place on a JIC fitting that you could drill with out causing either screwed up threads or a hydraulic leak - got any pix of this?... Steve

 

[2458n]

Can you put a quick connect in there. Vibration should not mess up a quick connect.

 

[kennyd]

You could try some Flaretites on them: Flaretite Seals - Clip the Drip!
They are meant more for leak prevention but may help increase the friction and prevent loosening, not to expensive either. There are other styles usually called "flare savers" if you want tor search.

 

[Leejohn]

You can buy fitting that well swivel under pressure.

 

[tcartwri]

I can't picture any place on a JIC fitting that you could drill with out causing either screwed up threads or a hydraulic leak - got any pix of this?... Steve

It would look very much like this, although this is an AN fitting. Note the safety wire has not been installed on the Female fitting yet, but you can see the hole for the wire.

 

[tcartwri]

Can you put a quick connect in there. Vibration should not mess up a quick connect.

The hose is under allot of flex stress, and it is a big hose. I don't think a quick disconnect is meant for that type of load.

 

[/pine]

Are you tightening them to a specified torque? if not I would check the repair manual or ask a knowledgeable mechanic... just a suggestion...

Good Luck...

 

[tcartwri]

Are you tightening them to a specified torque? if not I would check the repair manual or ask a knowledgeable mechanic... just a suggestion...

Good Luck...

I don't have an open face torque wrench although they do exist. Typically you count the number of flats after finger tight. I've also got a limited space to swing a wrench.

However your question led me to this product;

Flaretite Seals - Clip the Drip!

Which might be worth a shot.

 

[puckgrinder85]

Yes, usually from flat to flat through the corner is where the most meat is going to be. On a JIC the only thing your really don't want to mess up is the flared ends, if you hit a little bit of threads is not such a big deal as long as it still physically screws together obviously. If you cant drill through it, make a pattern of the fitting in flat stock and cut it out and leave two little wings and drill for safety wire there.

 

[s219]

How many threads are available between the fitting and mating hole/fitting when tightened down? Could a flat nut be squeezed in there and tightened against mating part, like a stop nut? I mention this because JIC threads are supposedly the same as ORB (o-ring boss) threads, and many styles of ORB fittings have stop nuts. I love ORB elbow fittings because you can aim the elbow in exactly the direction you want, then crank the stop nut tight to lock it all in place.

 

[tcartwri]

Picture's worth a thousand words. The hoses have an anti abrasion cover on them, that's why they're so fat.

 

[/pine]

just an off the wall query...
Is it possible that the anti abrasion sleeve is picking up and transmitting the vibration to the fitting...most sleeves I've seen are not clamped just zip tied...??

 

[tcartwri]

just an off the wall query...
Is it possible that the anti abrasion sleeve is picking up and transmitting the vibration to the fitting...most sleeves I've seen are not clamped just zip tied...??

Well I should mention that the machine in question IS a vibrator.... lol. The hoses come up out of that manifold and get bent 180* down to the servo valve. It's a pretty severe application. Personally I've never seen sleeves like this either and your point did cross my mind.

 

[puckgrinder85]

Should be big enough fitting to drill through the corner of the nut. I would wire them together and make sure they are pulling each other tight. I would get a few cheap bits, whatever size you're using. Just start flat where you want the hole to start, just make a dimple and then angle the drill to the outlet point where you want. The bit will want to break coming out of the other side of the fitting, but you only have two to do so a few cheap bits its nothing to cry over I guess.


If you don't want to drill, couldn't you just tack on a small washer or something?

 

[IceStationZebra]

The hoses come up out of that manifold and get bent 180* down to the servo valve. It's a pretty severe application.

That is part of the problem. The bend in the hose and constant pulsing are applying a torque to the fittings. You might solve this by clamping the ferrule ends of the hoses together to prevent the torque transfer to the nuts. I would use two Stauff clamps and a piece of flat stock.

The other problem is that JIC isn't the most robust option because their ability to seal depends on the nut torque. O-ring face seal would be a better choice as the O-ring provides the seal and you can crank away on the nut all you want as long as you don't strip it!

IceStationZebra

 

[Leejohn]

I would try 2 1" flat stock with a hole in the center of each run a bolt with a spacer between the 2 so that the flat stock doesn't bow out. This is after you line the fittings flats inline with each other. A 90 deg open wench might help getting them in line.

 

[jaotguy]

try the cheapie method ...

cut a couple of "shallow" slots in the fitting end ( perpendicular to the hose ) about 180 degrees from each other ... assemble the unit , slide a piece of safety wire around the fitting and line up with the 2-3 grooves you cut ( stops it from wiggling off ) twist the wire tight around the fitting ... connect the free ends to something to stop it from loosening ....