I got my bucket cylinders repaired and now need to look at repairing the steel hyd. lines for the 4 in 1 bucket. The lines on the back of the bucket I don't think will be too hard to make up but I'm wondering about the lines going down the boom. On the inside of the boom they are bent pretty bad but still round with no kinks. I thought about trying to heat them up and applying light pressure to try and straighten them but am worried they will kink. Has anyone heated up tubing to straighten it even if to just get a template to have a new tube made up? Also wondering if someone has a picture(s) of what they're supposed to look like new on the inside of the boom. Down the loader arm and underneath the boom they are good but after that no so much. I can't find a good pic. on the internet of what they look like new.
I have used a hand conduit bender to some better advantage so did not have to heat or end up distorting the tubes on my old Allis.
If not bent to bad I have drained oil and used a little heat to straighten. Not cherry red. They can be a pain it the butt. I have also used the bender like Dmiller, with some success.
Dave, I find using a clamp around the pipe to reef on helps from deforming the tubing and using a drift or punch inside the ends to get them back in place useful.
I found a 1/2" conduit bender on sale for $23 and got them straight enough to work. I think I almost could have just reefed on them. The tubing doesn't seem to want to kink too easily. For the lines on the back of the bucket, I might see if I could just take the bucket to hyd. shop so they could see exactly what was required and get the proper measurements. The bucket I could put on a trailer but I don't have a vehicle to take the whole machine in.