Hydraulic Line Inspection

Little_Grizzly · May 4, 2012

I'm a newbie to anything hydraulic. Looking over my dozer I find this line with a deep gash in it. You can see the steel braid underneath. I thought I would bring this up as a general question for discussion.

How bad is bad? What do you guys use as a rule for inspecting your hydraulic lines? What crosses the line from minor to must-replace?

And of course, specifically in my picture here, do I need to repair this right away?

Zebrafive · May 4, 2012

The lines to my bucket cylinders have large areas of the rubber scraped off down to the steel braids. I think the former owner used it to push brush. Since the braid is stainless stell and has not shown any sign of rust or damage, I have not replaced them. I did buy new lines for when they need replacing.

If a line shows any bulges or the braid has broken wires I would replace the line. Also if a line is kinked or crushed replace it.

J_J · May 4, 2012

Looks like a small nick in the rubber casing.

If the braid is intact, just tape it up good and use it until you can't.

You might go ahead and purchase a spare hose just in case.

You might also use the reusable hyd fittings as a stanby.

Field-Attachable (Reusable) Hose Fittings > Discount Hydraulic Hose.com

barros57 · May 5, 2012

I have a couple lines that look like that. The 3 lines that have blown up did not have gashes in them, but they had cracks from sitting outside in the sun.

J_J · May 5, 2012

I don't believe there is any way to determine when a hose might fail.

The hoses are tested for 4 times the rated pressure when new.

If a hose is not showing any signs of leaking, then you have to take a chance that it will not fail, and it might be to your advantage to have some spares or some reusable fittings in your nventory.

A hose can simply burst, a fitting may crack, a hose might be pushed out of the fitting, a pinching action could cause the hose to fail, etc.

There is one place in particular you might pay attention, and that is the hyd hoses right in front or to the side of you. It would be a good idea to shield the hoses from squirting on you in a fail situation.

Zebrafive · May 5, 2012

J_J said:
I don't believe there is any way to determine when a hose might fail.

The hoses are tested for 4 times the rated pressure when new.

If a hose is not showing any signs of leaking, then you have to take a chance that it will not fail, and it might be to your advantage to have some spares or some reusable fittings in your nventory.

A hose can simply burst, a fitting may crack, a hose might be pushed out of the fitting, a pinching action could cause the hose to fail, etc.

There is one place in particular you might pay attention, and that is the hyd hoses right in front or to the side of you. It would be a good idea to shield the hoses from squirting on you in a fail situation.

All good advice! :thumbsup:

I would only say if you see a hose bulge, replace it before it fails.

Q for J.J. Does the nylon sleeve provide any protection from hydraulic oil when a hose bursts? Or will the hydraulic oil spray right thru?

J_J · May 5, 2012

At the present time, I have not seen a hose burst that was contained in a sleeve.

My thinking was similar to this below.

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mrmikey · May 5, 2012

Only thing to watch for with the torn cover is rust on the steel braid, the outer cover is mainly to protect the braid and doesn't contain the pressure.....Mike

CJONE · May 7, 2012

mrmikey said:
Only thing to watch for with the torn cover is rust on the steel braid, the outer cover is mainly to protect the braid and doesn't contain the pressure.....Mike

+1 If it is a 1 wire hose then I would replace it. What happens like mike said is it rusts then looses strength and then fails. A 2 wire hose will run along time like that, I have seen them completely stripped of outer coating and still were working. CJ