Hydraulic Brush Cutter Connections?

[Discount Hydraulic Hose]

Hey, look at it this way. That other guy was obviously frustrated and anxious to sell the cutter because it didn't operate properly. You probably got a great deal on it, and for the cost of a few houses, it will probably run great for you.

You made out famously. That other guy would be kicking himself for not knowing that all his cutter needed was the right size hoses.

 

[GATC35]

The fittings arrived yesterday. So when I got home from work today I installed the new fittings and lines. It made all the difference in the world. This thing really performs well now. No low speed, no loss of torque, no stalling. Woo Hoo ! I only had two problems. The new fittings were longer than the old fittings, which caused them to hit the deck. Since the connections were on bottom I disconnected the motor and rotated it 180 degrees to where the fittings are on top.. Anybody see anything wrong with doing this? Rotating the motor caused problem number two because the cover now won't fit. I'll fire the plasma cutter up and cut a small opening in the cover where it will fit over the motor. Anyway here's some pics, I know ya'll like pics. The first three are of the fittings and hoses. Next two are of the drive motor and gearbox. Then a pic of the cutter and Bobcat. Two pictures taken of my test area where I cut some brush. My dog Molly is the inspector. The last picture shows the problem with the cover not fitting.

Thanks again to all who replied.

 

[jinman]

Nice! It's just amazing to me that the previous owner would try to operate that cutter with 1/4" hoses.

 

[kennyd]

Great pictures Mark...what a contrast between the hoses and fittings!

 

[kennyd]

Nice! It's just amazing to me that the previous owner would try to operate that cutter with 1/4" hoses.

Yeah, and worse yet is he probably bought it from a dealer with them already installed-because it was the cheapest I'm sure.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Why didn't you go with a sweep 90 crimp like the 1/4" hoses? What you did is infinitely better than what you had but that's why you have a clearance issue. Also, the third pic fro the left with the QD's, you have 3/4" hoses then drop to those little qd's and the reducer fitting. I know you wanted 3/4" hoses for flow, but you would have been better off with 1/2". With 1/2" hoses, you could have used a 90 degree O-ring crimp and not had a clearance issue. 1/2" hose is also way more durable than 3/4".
Good thing for plasma cutters and it's great that Molly approves.

 

[GATC35]

WCH,

Thanks for your input. After I finished and stood back and took a long look I realized I could have done several things different. The hose could have been 1/2 inch which would have solved many problems like you mentioned.

Thanks...

 

[Discount Hydraulic Hose]

The picture with quick disconnect illustrates the problem well. Like jinman said, it's hard to imagine why the previous owner didn't see it. But hey hindsight is always 20/20.

And I'm in agreement with WCH, that elbow would be better with an ORB 90ｰ crimp fitting or even a JIC female 90ｰ crimp. What you have now is three fittings and could have been two or even one. Also, the other way would have avoided using pipe thread, which is more prone to leaking down the road than JIC or ORB.

I'm glad you've got the cutter working properly now. And thanks for sharing the pics. The discussion here, along with the pics you posted, should help other people to identify and correct similar problems they may be having with their own equipment.

 

[zman007007]

I would recommend a divorce,after the wife"s comment, but then it would be your wife on here asking questions about tractors. LOL

 

[GATC35]

Well the steps were for her. That's a cabin on the lake with the washer and dryer downstairs in the basement. The only way to the basement is outside around the front porch. She wanted a shortcut to the end of the porch. So we bought some precast concrete steps. I got rewarded later with bar-b-q chicken, baked tater, and corn on the cob. Of course a cold adult beverage. So no divorce...........I'm keeping this one.