hydraulic steel lines DIY?

[Sockwell]

Are you near a Motion Industries branch? They are an industrial supply house with locations all over the eastern and central US, if not nation-wide. Their branches in larger cities have Hose Shops that have tube and tube bending capabilities. They can also sell you the flare-less, bite-type fittings. I'm not sure if it's true at every branch, but in the southeast, they carry Brennan Industrial fittings. Brennan also has a good web-site to help with fitting selection.

We run hydraulic systems up to 2200 psi in 1.25 steel tubes and have no problems with the flareless fittings. We have gone exclusively to the bite type fittings as our hard lines need replacing. We're finding that most of the failures in our tubes are due to cracks in the flares.

 

[mjncad]

What little hydraulic modifications I do has me going to the local Parker Stores. Here is a link to the main site. ParkerStore? - Parker

If I get around to doing some hard line changes that I want to do, I'll probably look into this tool, unless some one says it's utter junk.

180 degree Tubing Bender 3/16 - 3/8in

I'd be leery of using sand in the tube to keep it from collapsing as you will have to find some way to make sure you get every last bit of that out of the tubing before you put it in service.

 

[radioman]

I'd be leery of using sand in the tube to keep it from collapsing as you will have to find some way to make sure you get every last bit of that out of the tubing before you put it in service.

I agree - It really concerns me with having HST tranny and I really don't want to containmant my fluid either. But I was hoping someone like you to give me thier actual experience making thier own hydrualic lines. What do you guys really prefer.



Ol'george, I thought about brake lines as well, but I think I saw a post somewhere that they say the quality is not as good as tractor/manufactering lines. One of the locations I am thinking of using will run near my butt. IF the line breaks, I really don't want a hydrualic injury in that area . I'll never live it down . In a pinch If I wanted to run a line down my FEL, I might use the brake lines and do my own testing. So saftey is at the top of the list here in my planning.

 

[NH-Rob]

"sand in tube and bend by hand or in vise? "

I would not use sand. I have heard you can fill with water and put in freezer and bend it after. I have never tried it though. I hope you come up with a good solution as I like the looks of hard lines much better than rubber.
Rob

 

[ol'George]

Usually I can run 3/8" and down industrial steel Hyd. tubing if it is standard wall with a hand bender. Over that, it is a mounted bender.
ain't anything prettier than hard lines!!
but we all do what we have to do @ times.
I have rolled many a line around a pipe, ball bat, coffee can,bucket etc.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

For 3/8", you can use your standard auto store brake line. A 6" piece won't work for you. Sorry. You need to have bends in the tube going from one component to another because of vibration, no matter how solidly they are mounted. Also, you need at least 1.5" from the end of the tube to the beginning of any bend so that leaves 3" in the middle to have your bends. This tube has an .049" wall thickness so you will need a bender or you will kink it. Sand will not keep this tube from kinking. BTW, I custom make steel lines up to 1".

 

[joes_427_vette]

I bent 3/8" steel lines for my loader using my hydraulic line bender. Worked slick, no wall collapse and the 90 degree turns were very close together.

 

[IslandManMitch]

I've tried sand in the tubing. Did not work for me. Borrowed a tubing bender and it worked fine.

 

[ol'George]

Bending tubing:

This is what I got using my hands bending around a ball bat.
It is 3/8" Hyd./Fuel/Brake line from auto parts.
CAUTION:
Do not lend your bender out when you can't remember to who it went

 

[radioman]

For 3/8", you can use your standard auto store brake line. A 6" piece won't work for you. Sorry. You need to have bends in the tube going from one component to another because of vibration, no matter how solidly they are mounted. Also, you need at least 1.5" from the end of the tube to the beginning of any bend so that leaves 3" in the middle to have your bends. This tube has an .049" wall thickness so you will need a bender or you will kink it. Sand will not keep this tube from kinking. BTW, I custom make steel lines up to 1".

Ok great advice so far. So you have no issues with brake lines on tractors for hyraulic connections ? How much of a bend are we talking about for preventing vibration issues ? A simple wiggly line kind of thing or anything greater then lets say 25 degree bend ?