Managing front hydraulic hose slack

LaVita · Apr 10, 2007

I also posted this question as part of the Grapple Rake thread but wanted to get this question to the larger audience. Attached is a pic of the hose section in front of my tractor that connects to the grapple. It turns out that the hose section is too short to allow the full motion of the grapple (ie. roll down) so I have made up longer hoses but have not put them on yet. How do you manage long hoses like this? When the grapple is rolled all the way back, there will be 5 feet of hose that needs to stay out of the way of pinch points or loader quick attach handles etc. I need to set up some kind of spring tension system to pull the hose safely out of the way when the full length of the hose is not needed. If you have done this kind of thing please comment and remember pics, pics, pics. Where do you get those long very loose springs that I have seen on other hydraulic equipment to help with slack hoses?

1bush2hog · Apr 10, 2007

Bungee(s) can be used but even they can be problematic if too tight or too loose. I would suggest routing your hose to the side of your loader rather than hanging it over the middle support. You can then keep the hoses running to your grapple horizontal to the grapple and the grapple will provide protection to the hoses.

Here is a pic of how mine are routed

MadDogDriver · Apr 10, 2007

Chuck,

1bush2hog shows a pretty ideal routing of your grapple hoses to minimize problems. I wish mine were routed in a similar fashion. I have a screen and a couple of routing loops that keep the hoses centered over the center spar. Good Luck so far, but I try to keep my eye on them when grabbing brush.

LaVita · Apr 10, 2007

Thanks for the pics guys.

If I run my hoses like 1bush2hog it would solve alot of the problem - at least not require such a long piece of hose between the grapple and the quick connects. I also like the idea of a bracket to hold the quick connects. This would protect the quick connects and eliminate paint scratching from dragging the QC's across the loader parts.

Robert Egert · May 10, 2013

I just came in from the barn after dealing with the same issue. I just had a grapple made for my fork lift implement on my Kubota M6800. I added four more feet of hose to the original four feet of hose to allow enough hose to allow the implement to fully extend. Hence, more hose than I know what to do with. I raided the hardware store today and brought home many hardware components for the job. Plan A and B were not quite right so I went to plan C, two screen door springs and zip strips. I got it all hooked up but ran out of time as my dogs stay in the barn at night and I didn't want to kill them with the exhaust. Basically I hooked one spring to the top of the grill on the tractor and the other end to a section in the hose. The other spring is attached to the front end loader arm, driver side, and then to another section of the hoses. I bundled the hoses in several places with zip strips to hold everything tight, especially where the hoses come off the hydraulic cylinder. I secured the hoses very tightly with zip strips to the front bar of the front end loader so as to take any stress off the cylinder couplings. I am very new at all of this so hopefully I won't have to go to plan D which is take it to my mechanic for advice. I will let you know.

Herkypilot · May 11, 2013

I haven't completed my project with this yet, but my idea is to use a long screen door spring too. I used a large cable clamp about mid way down on the two hoses and will connect the spring to that an the other end to the brush guard on the front of the tractor. I'll try to take pictures when I finish it. Probably next weekend.

HP

Gordon Gould · May 11, 2013

Your springs will probably be better than my bungies. But they work and the idea is the same.

Illini22 · May 11, 2013

I've got the same problem!

dstig1 · May 11, 2013

I use bungies too...even if the thread is 7 yrs old... I wrap one long one around the middle of the hoses and secure one end on each side of the cross tube.