Reusable Hydraulic Hose Ends???

[Henro]

Hi,

As some of you know my quest to install a homebrew T&T setup on my tractor hit a snag when I was charged for seventeen hoses I orderd, but the hoses were never shipped by the vendor...leaving me in a limbo situation.

That situation is still not resolved, but I am ready to order what I need from someone else now.

I am thinking it may be to my advantage to order the hose in one piece, and cut off what I need for each hose, and screw on the reusable hose ends that the supplier offers for use with this R2 hose (2 wire hose).

The reason this might be best in my case is that I have mounted my 4-section control valve up on my ROPS and I think I could make a neater installation if I make each hose up one at a time myself, to whatever lenght I find I need. I did estimate the hose length initially, and could order pre-made hoses as I did the first, unsuccessful time. The disadvantage of vendor-made hoses would be having excess hose to deal with, as I tried to be sure I added a little extra to each hose so they would not end up too short.

I just don't have any experience with reusable hydraulic hose ends.

You guys that have used them, have they performed well for you? Would you use them again? Price difference I estimate to be about $6 or $7 per hose, over having hoses made up with crimped on ends.

Will I regret going with the reusable ends? I can afford to spend the extra $130 or so it will cost me, but don't want to spend more and end up with less when it is all over... less meaning leaks or some kind of poor performance that I did not see in advance...

Any and all avice will be greatly appreciated! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[RonR]

Henro,

I'd go find a place that makes/sells hydraulic hose. Farmers use them all the time. I think you would be much happier over time with having professional made hoses.

The DIY type deals might leak or break and would get your tractors dirty.

Probably would cost a few $$ more, but should be worth it. If the place is close, you could get them to hand you a length of hose and you could custom fit each one, mark it, and have them make it for you.

That's the way I'd go. Or haul your baby to the place and do it in their parking lot on a slow day (for them). Heck, they'd be out there making sure you did it RIGHT.

Ron

 

[ronjhall]

Henro
I have used reusable and crimped. The reusable ones are great to make a quick fix or modification to a hose. They are reliable and easy to use. Just need a good heavy duty vise, mounted solidly.
The down side to reusable is their size. Crimped ends are more compact. Crimped can have just about any end that will fit whatever they are attaching to.
My preference is to use crimped whenever possible. But use reusable to make repairs or modifications.

 

[8561]

Henro - have you considered trying to find a mobile hose vendor? A lot of guys gave the equipment mounted to a truck, and will come to your site and make up the hoses to custom fit your application. They are probably a little more money, but you do get that custom fit you're looking for.

 

[MadReferee]

My hydraulic repair guy only uses these fittings in the field for temporary emergencies. The will not stand up to continual vibration and hard work. They also have a tendency to leak if not done right. They are not designed to be permanent.

If I were you, I would buy bulk hose and standard crimp on fittings. Then measure and cut your hoses. Then find a hydraulic shop or tractor dealer or NAPA store that will crimp the hose/fittings properly. They will charge a slight fee but it will be WAY better than spending $130 extra for fittings that will prove to be unreliable after some use.

The Pittsburgh area has to have several, if not dozens, of hydraulic shops or tractor dealers or NAPA stores that can do this work. I know, because I grew up in Monroeville.

Sometimes the internet is not the most efficient place to get things.

 

[cup149]

At work we have hose made for us ( and assemble some ourselves) that have reusable ends. I can't say we never had a problem with a hose, but I don't remember any. We make Diesel fuel injection pump test stands and injector test equipment.

The outer fitting screws over the hose by turning counterclockwise. Do not jam the hose all the way in, leave a gap of 1/32 to 1/16. You can mark the hose where it meets the fitting. This will let you know if the hose gets pushed out of the fitting at the next step. Chuck the fitting and hose in a vise. Lubricate the male threads of the part that threads into the ID of the hose. They sell special lube, but light grease or 30wt motor oil will work just as well. Tighten until the insert bottoms out, you don't need crank it humungously tight. It should thread in smoothly, without tearing the hose. Inspect inside and out for any irregularities and you should have no problems.

I live in southern Armsrtong County, so we must not live that far apart.

Mike

 

[Bluecheck546]

Henro, buy bulk hose, cut it up to needed length, keeping in mind that the pressure side have tendency to shrink so allow for it. Find in local yellow pages, hydraulic repair/service shop and ask them to install crimp fittings of the size that you want it. You may be able to buy those fittings over the internet..... but I would make(cut ) my own hoses. My2¢

 

[PineRidge]

Henro if you have a NAPA dealer near you check with them. Most of them in this area will put fittings on the ends of my hydraulic hose for less than 5 bucks parts and labor included. They are high on the hose itself so I would find out which size hose fits their connectors and buy the hose bulk from someone who is more reasonable. Then have NAPA put on the compressed ends as they will hold up better.

I get hosed at NAPA and I like it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[markct]

i have used the reusable ends many times, both at home and also when i was doing mechanic work for a local company, they are just as reliable and rated to just as high of pressure as the crimped ones, that is as long as you buy the right ones for your hose type, and that you install them properly which takes good deal of force, rubber lubricant helps alot here, but once installed i have never had a failure of a hose that was related to the fitting. what i often do is buy the hoses from tsc since often they are cheaper than bulk hose and have ends on them already, say i need two hoses that are 4ft, or a 3ft and a 5ft etc, i buy an 8ft hose and cut it and install my reusable fittings on the ends that i cut, that way i have the crimped ones on one end already, they fit nicer into tight areas often, and then i can put whatever style fitting i need on the other end, often an odd one that would require an adapter if i used a pipe thread end like comes on the tsc hoses. just an idea to look into henro, good luck on your project

 

[gav64]

henro,
I have used the re-usable fittings many times, especially on my skidsteer, higher psi than tractor and on the bucket end thay get alot of movement and abuse. I never have had a fitting failure and their convieniece is great, too many trips back to the auto shop for re-do's. They are larger as posted earlier, try www.imperialinc.com, i get my stuff within two days and it is high quality. good luck glenn.

 

[Henro]

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I really appreciate it and it gives me some good points to consider before I decide what I want to do.

My interpretation of the advice seems llike it falls out as:

In favor: 3

Neutral: 4

Against: 2

Essentially a 50/50 split.

Now I have to do MY job and decide which way I want to go! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I will post a follow up on my decision (whatever it turns out to be) and why I went the way I did (whatever way I go, not decided yet)... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks again for the help! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[MMM]

I'd go with SS No Skive and matching hose. If you get skive fittings you need skive hose and skiver to remove rubber. Skive fittings are less bulky, but a lot more trouble to build hoses. Either way, you need to know what you're buying and make sure it matches or you'll be blowing hoses. and more money.

 

[Henro]

Well...I finally did it, and ordered hoses and fittings I need from discounthydraulichose.com

I have to tell you that EVERY time I have called them there was someone there to answer the phone (pleasant female voice) and a male salesman to take the order. The one order I placed in the past came real quick. I have a good feeling about this place.

Anyway, after digesting all the great advice I came to the following conclusions before placing my order:

Reusable fittings are most likely very reliable. They are a little larger than the crimp on type. Anyone who had the ability to put crimp on hose ends on, would be nuts to use reusable ends, since they are more expensive and really offer nothing except convenience to those who do not have crimping tools. So I don't fear using reusable ends...

What I ended up doing is ordering hoses double the length I needed, wherever I had the need for more than one hose of the same size, and ordered crip on ends at both ends. I will cut the hoses in half (more or less) and use reusable ends on the cut end of each half. This will enable me to make the hoses as short as possible, while still allowing for some flex and shortening that occurs when the hose is pressurized.

As it turns out I ended up ordering 19 hoses and a bunch of associated fittings ( about 50 of them I think). It took about five hours to figure out what I needed, double check and check again. Building something in your head is good exercise... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

So...if all goes right, I may have my T&T ready for the first snow...I'm not counting on it though... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Henro]

By the way, I did not mean to ignor the advice to go to some place local and have things made up, or to take whatever hose I got remotely and have ends put on it.

It is just that I got kind of turned off by my two limited experiences with local suppliers. One is a distrubutor for Parker, and charged me three times the price for fittings that I could have bought on line (for the same thing). The other place wanted over double for a simple hose with two ends on it, as compared to TSC where I ended up buying the exact same thing for under half the price...

And I just don't want to spend a lot of time running somewhere to pay more for less, so to speak.

I will keep that advice in mind for the future though. I do appreciate it and when in need, going local for one hose or fitting may just be well worth it.

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to give me good advice! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[kennyd]

Henro,
I don't know if you browse the other forums much, But I saw this and thought of you.
You were on a quest for steel lines at first if I remember, this guy did a great job adding a remote and cylinder for his MMM using steel tubing.
MMM Post

Your project is looking great. I always enjoy reading your post's

 

[Henro]

KennyD,

Thanks for the pointer to that thread. Yes, was interested (and still am) in possibly using steel lines in projects.

I did not find the info I needed to do it...that thread may be a start at learning what I need for the future.

Thanks again. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif