Heat insulation for hoses

canoetrpr · Apr 21, 2008

Finished up mounting my valve today and hooking up the hoses and fittings.

One of my hoses is a bit on the small side and I've had to route it in a manner such that there is a risk that it might at some point touch the valve. It's not touching the valve right now but I'd hate to bet against it as time went on.

I've seen pictures of hoses that are close to valves wrapped up in some sort of insulating material - at least that is what I thought it was

Anybody know what this stuff is called and whether or not its purpose is to insulate a part of a hose that might be at risk of touching a hot area like a valve?

Wayne County Hose · Apr 22, 2008

Don't worry about heat from the valve damaging your hose. If the valve gets that hot, you have more troubles than just your hose. Your basic 2 wire hose is good for about 212 degrees. There are a couple hose guard options for rubbing. I like the black plastic wrap aroung stuff. It can be installed on your hose after assembly and after installation on your tractor. Go to your local hose shop with your hose size and ask for a piece however long you need. There is also the metal spring guard. This should be installed on the hose before the ends are crimped. Very difficult to install afterwards. I don't like the spring guard because should a hose get pinched, the spring guard stays pinched into the hose. The plastic wrap has more give.

The only drawback to the plastic wrap is that it is an insulator. If you have a heat problem with your hydraulics, plastic wrap will make it worse. The metal spring guard acts like a radiator. It helps to dissipate hose heat. That's why most log splitters use spring guard. Most applications don't have overheat issues so don't hesitate to use the plastic wrap. Just a little fyi.

canoetrpr · Apr 23, 2008

Thanks WCH. Went to the hydraulics shop yesterday to pick up some fittings I had ordered....fitting's aren't in but they did cut me a piece of that plastic wrap stuff.

Installation looks good now. Can't wait to get my fittings and the QDs on and the cylinders which shipped yesterday

Wayne County Hose · Apr 23, 2008

Did they give you the piece or charge you? Since you ordered fittings, and if you have been there before, I hope they threw a piece at you no charge. Here is another reason to buy local. Stuff like this, most places will give it to you and tell you to come back when you have something worth writing an invoice for.

canoetrpr · Apr 23, 2008

Absolutely - they just gave it to me. Really appreciate the advice I got from you to go to a local hydraulics store for this stuff. They have been fantastic. One of the guys at the counter there has spent a total of over an hour with me figuring out the right fittings and hoses for my valve. I feel bad that I'm not getting the QDs from them. They are about 3x more expensive then the Parker Pioneer ones I picked up. I'm sure they are higher quality but they will blow my budget away. I'm still considering it.