Oops! Another hose bites the dust...

[irvingj]

Hose #2: Found a small puddle of hydraulic fluid on the floor this AM, after having used the tractor hard yesterday...

Same deal as the last- what looks like weather cracks on a bend have begun to leak. This time it was one of the short hoses on the FEL.

Curiously, all the other FEL hoses, even the other short one with the sharp bend, look just fine, not a bit of cracking to be seen anywhere. Makes me wonder if Massey got hold of a batch of sub-standard hose at some point.

Looks like another trip to the hydraulic hose shop- at least this time, I know the procedure!

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Hose #2: Found a small puddle of hydraulic fluid on the floor this AM, after having used the tractor hard yesterday...

Same deal as the last- what looks like weather cracks on a bend have begun to leak. This time it was one of the short hoses on the FEL.

Curiously, all the other FEL hoses, even the other short one with the sharp bend, look just fine, not a bit of cracking to be seen anywhere. Makes me wonder if Massey got hold of a batch of sub-standard hose at some point.

Looks like another trip to the hydraulic hose shop- at least this time, I know the procedure!

It's not that they got a bad batch of hose...it's that they have made a conscious decision to use a substandard hose...part of the price point on these tractors, unfortunately. I've come to believe that it is not just UV degradation (part of the problem) but that the hoses are breaking down internally, as well, from the system generated heat. Just a poor quality hose. I've had hoses with no apparent damage start weeping through the jacket. Get a good quality, 5,000 PSI hose for replacements. At this rate, you'll have them all replaced with superior quality hose in no time. A 5,000 PSI hose will have the same I.D., but a larger O.D. (more braiding). I had no fitment issues when I replaced mine. By the way, 5,000 PSI Dayco hoses that I installed 5 years ago are still going strong with no issues whatsoever.

 

[irvingj]

Right-- even I could tell the difference between the replacement hose(s) and the original(s)... the hose-building person also commented on the difference.

Apparently the hose that the local hose shop uses for replacement is all "4-braid" -- a lot more metal braiding inside the hose than the OEM ones which I replaced, and yes, about 20% larger outside diameter.:thumbsup:

According to the writing on the side of the hose, it's rated at 5800 PSI.

 

[rjmack]

there might be another problem too. looking at that last picture, it looks like the hose is either too short, or too long, or there should be 45* or 90* fittings or something... it just doesn't look right.

 

[Bedlam]

It does seem to take on some tight twists, not sure how you would fix that unless you looped it and that would be easy to catch on things..

 

[rjmack]

It does seem to take on some tight twists, not sure how you would fix that unless you looped it and that would be easy to catch on things..

how about putting a 90* on the cylinder and running a gentle arc to the junction block?

 

[irvingj]

I asked about 45s when they made the replacement hose... nope. Perhaps it could be re-routed with a 90, but there is some movement in there as the curl piston extends & retracts. It may not show in the photo, but there's also about a 2" offset (left-to-right) on those two fittings as well.

The replacement hose follows pretty much the same, tight route. We'll see how it holds up.

 

[DMW]

Both my short hoses failed at the bottom crimped fitting within a week or two of each other. I had new straight hoses made up and added a 45 to the top of the hoses. Seems to have held up for the last couple years. Added some expandable plastic sleeving to protect against UV degradation and provide some wear protection as well.
One of the longer hoses looks likes it's starting to go. I'll probably add a 45 to reduce the angle where it attaches to the loader.

 

[irvingj]

Hey, DMW (is that like "BMW" only different?)- Any possibility of posting a photo of your 45 solution? I'd like to see it!

OOPS! I see on enlarging the pics it's there! Still quite a twist in the hose, however. Guess that's to be expected.