I have three machines that need tons of hoses They were synflex hoses Lull used and they are peeling and nylon braid is flaking away after all these years. Funny how my skin has held up better I never thought it would have There are a bunch on a Lull. I would like to get a decent deal but how do I get a deal? I can't go down with the machine stripped of all the hoses and say how much give me a bid. I don't know the prices of a hose not like buying brick or block. He could say yea 10% off but how would I know? I go in now and just say replace it and they say 55, 65, 89, or whatever what do I know if it is a bargin unless it was off the wall. There are a few places near me to get it done. My skin will not outlast the next set of hoses I am sure. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I guess I could wait till they blow but I don't want to look like Raggedy Ann & Andy on the site. It also dosen't look so safe either. I guess it will cost me a few thousand or more in hoses for the three machines for the hoses.
Time to invest in some bulk hose, a saw, a hydraulic crimper, fittings , etc. Save yourself a lot of money, and do them at your convienience rather than waiting for others to get you going again. Check it out , I don't think it would be all that expensive.
I used to own an industrial supply house. We made and sold tons of hoses. I had several instances where customers came in with an estimate of the hoses needed for a machine rebuild. We would gladly negotiate a discount for a one-time shot at such a deal. The estimates of quantity were usually way under the actual quantity required, too . One guy brought ALL of the hoses at once with labels on them & we transferred the labels to the new hoses (but it was a big mess, really). Usually the mechanic would bring a batch every day until the machine was rebuilt. Try getting a couple of bids, you might be surprised.
If you plan to go back with Synflex hose, you can purchase a crimper from them that they make for their fittings that you clamp in a vise and it has a screw to press the fitting. I used to make a ton of Synflex hose like this at a former job with this tool, very simple to use. You just buy a roll of the hose, a box of the fittings needed, and make them at your place one at a time.
I used to make a lot of hose at a previous job. The equipment isn't complicated, and it isn't that hard to make them correctly. Most hose machines use a hydraulic crimper, either electric over hydraulic, or air over hydraulic. You can find them used on craiglist or ebay a lot of the time, just be sure if you buy a used one that it either comes with the die sizes that you need, or that dies are still available. Then its just a matter of buying the fittings, any good supply shop will have them (most are crimper and hose specific), or there are online outlets for buying in bulk. The nice thing about having your own crimper is that there is no time constraints for replacing your old hoses. Have a free hour or two- replace a hose or two. Blow a hose, quick make one. I've never used one like atcoequip is talking about, but it sounds like it might be just what you need. I've seen manual crimpers sold as "in field" repair units for farmers, but they looked like they would be hard to get a good seal with. The crimpers I've used were a Dayton, a Gates machine (I think they got it from dayton and slapped their name on it) and a john deere one (I'm sure Deere probably bought it from some other supplier and slapped their name on it also). All worked fine.
so what do you guys think you save on a hose that cost say 50 to have made up at a hose shop? How the heck do I know what fittings to order? I can't tell by looking at them. Do they have chart I can look at?
all the fittings on a Lull should be JIC mostly #8-#12. Look into a Gates or Weatherhead portable crimper. I prefer Gates 1 pc fittings and megatuff hose.
Have you considered reusables? example They are more expensive than crimped hose ends but they sure are handy out in the boonies on a Sunday morning.
thanks guys my friend recommended gates set up.:drinkup
Based on past life of hoses next time I'll be dirt napping and the machines will be 40-50 years old.