Whats up gentlement, so in reference to my case 580 super k im wondering when you guys reccomend changing out hydraulic hoses? Anyone change them out before the leak/blow? Or do most people just wait for the leak? Most of the hoses on this backhoe the rubber is dry rotting/ cracked, even if its just mild. Other hoses on this backhoe i can see the steel jacket in large sections…but they dont leak. I was planning on replacing any of them that i can see steel jacket. Is that a good protocol? What rules do you guys live by? Haha
Photos of the hoses on this machine.
More photos
I would change hoses based on your usage. My boss had me change some hoses more on feel than on actual science, because they have had one or more jobs get delayed because of a blown hose. For the type A company owner people, that's a crisis. So let's look at the other end of the spectrum I'm not assuming anything but I'm going to guess you're a hobby user. If you had a hose spring a leak on you today, would it be a disaster and delay a multi-million dollar project? So that's how I'd go. I'd always have a brick of oil soak towels, because it's just common sense, a brand new hose could blow too. Those things work so well to pull oil out of everywhere. Then I would just use that hoe and have a good time. A hose starts leaking? Fix that one!
I have two loader bucket tilt cylinder that have been showing the steel braid for as long as I have owned the tractor (15 years). No leaks yet. I had all of the hoses on my backhoe attachment made at a CNH dealership. All at once. $1400.00 worth. Unknown to me that it was cheap ass chinese crap they used. I had to replace all of them with Parker and Aeroquip hoses within a year.
Yea pretty much a hobby/backyard user. But I was considering maybe by the end of the year, or after i get some skills with this thing, forming a side business with it. It would basically be just picking up jobs where I can road it to the jobsite in my town since I don't have a 20K trailer. I def agree with your point, I just kinda happen to be the type that wants to fix this up/ make it pretty/ make it reliable/ fix things until it breaks/ paint job/ blah blah lol. But of course my bank account isn't filled to the brim. And I was also kinda concerned about safety on blown hoses too/ starting a fire that burns down the backhoe. Also, if I blow a hose and dont realize it, wont I take out a very expensive hydraulic pump?
I am pretty much in the same spot you are with our backhoe. We have a 500 acre farm and the back hoe will rarely leave our place but when it does I do not want something to break going down the road. So with that said once I get all the major items repaired and I am to a point were I am not spending money on those repairs I would like to replace the bad/worn hoses on the main lift cylinders on the loader and the hoses on the boom cylinders for the backhoe even though it will be in the locked position while moving it this should at least be enough to be able to get back home should something else break if I do not have my truck or someone else around to get me back to my tools. Now if I was using it to make a living things may be a little different.
JDT4430, yea say I go over to a buddys house down the road to do some work, I cant imagine what kind of fines I would incur if I leaked hydro fluid all over the road. Ive also already started collecting plugs and caps randomly, and it wouldnt be a bad idea to keep them with the backhoe so you can plug off some lines if needed to get you home.
I know you're looking for excuses to spend a bunch of money on hoses, but you know what they just don't blow when you're driving down the road The only one that does that is the power steering hose
Then there is the cleaning up of a "spill" at the clients property ( where you would be putting the machine thru its paces) If I spill at my place, no issue.... BUT..... if you do change them out now, think of all the spare hoses you'd have.. I had to have my hoe valve bank gone over to seal up leaks... and while it was out I replaced a bunch of short hoses that I had to remove to get the bank out.
I'm in the wait till they blow camp. It also gives me a good reason to tell people it's too unreliable to take off my property.
Whenever I was get to do some bh work for someone I told them "sorry I don't have any insurance on it ". I never worry about when a hose will leak . But, before I replaced the hydraulic pump input shaft and the splined drive for it on the crankshaft I worried it would strip out when I was in a really nasty place with the machine.
Yeah that's a thing. I was running at 235 way up this clay Bank I had climbed up using crane mats. I had told my supervisor that there was a funny little vibration I didn't like. He said roughly keep digging. So I'm hooked into the clay good and climbing up onto the flat spot when all that vibration went away. Pump coupler. Now there's a 235 15 ft above the road and maybe 15 ft back from the ditch, bucket buried in the clay, and they're going to have to de-pump it there I tried to warn him........
If you are using the machine for your self and not a business, I would let them ride longer than if I was making a living with the machine. That said, a couple of the pics show some severe rot in the steel braid. The steel braid is what gives the hoses the strength to hold together under pressure. If it were mine, I think I would replace the worst ones now, and save up and do them a little at a time based on their condition. Remember, if the hose blows, you must buy more oil===$$$ too!
I was at napa today returning these hoses that I posted about in my other thread and one of the older guys at the counter said he worked for the railroad and had a machine catch fire and burn completely up because a hydraulic hose blew lol. I guess that really only happens if there is some open flame or spark near by huh? The heat from the engine area cant possibly ignite the atomized hydraulic oil. Kinda crazy.
Happens all the time with excavators, or ag stuff. Probably much less likely to burn a backhoe from a hydraulic leak. That third picture where the rust is more than the wire is getting bad. The rest could run a while yet, or fail at any point. Like Skyking, I'd leave them if I were running it at home, and if this was your bread and butter, then you have bigger problems. The other factor is you won't feel as bad when you rip off a hose and the steel is showing already, and you will rip some hoses off if you work enough.
The electric utility that I work for has had aerial lifts burn to the ground from a blown hose that blows oil on the exhaust manifold of the host vehicle. Not many hoses near the exhaust manifold on a backhoe, but a spraying hose could launch in any direction I guess. I cannot recall the oil, but there is one that has a rating to resist burn. Because we had many brands, some had it, and some did not.
I replaced all of mine on the 3 year plan. I had a guy that would come to my site and make up hoses to my needs. Worked out nice. With the other repairs and maintenance I worked into that schedule I had a decent machine when I was done.
Yeah eventually you figure out a way to pinch them.
That rusty braid is only one of possibly four braided wraps in the hose, depending on the pressure rating of the hose when it is new. That is why I don't worry about them.
Never mind burning the machine up... Anybody ever been covered with hot hydraulic oil when a 3/4 hydraulic line decides to let go? Not a very happy place to be..I speak from experience trying to diagnose a bound up auger truck at a farm when a rookie driver overloaded the system, that's why I was quite adamant about Outdoort"s sleeved hose questions ..In the northeast region we deal with a bunch of salt and other ice melting crap on our roads, which eventually makes its way onto jobsites and into yards and sooner or later those exposed steel braids will break down and blow...If you're thinking of doing jobs for other folks just break down and spend the loot, breakdowns suck and so does the cleanup of someones lot...
There are degrees of wear and damage that you might consider. The outer cover is just to keep the water out of the braids which limits rust. You can see it just fine and there isn't any rust, I would wait it out. If you see any rust and can judge how much you see then I'd start considering at the least having a spare somewhere near if not changing it right away. Wear spots that have cut the wire braiding are another big risk item to asses. Maybe if it is just a few individual wires you can wrap some heater hose around it and keep going knowing that you will need a spare soon. If you have worn through the out braid though, the clock is ticking. The other issue is outer covers that have a bubble showing. That is a hose that has already failed and needs to be replaced ASAP. Hoses the are bunched or swelled at the crimp are another give away that a replacement will be needed sometime soon. Fires do happen all the time because most hydraulic oils are just a little thicker than lighter fluid when they get hot. Working the front loader real hard means the turbo is nearly glowing in the dark and that pin hole leak is just like a flame thrower. I had an operator on a D8K that blew a hole in the blade cylinder rod side hose and it burned his eye lashes off before he ducked out of the way and killed the machine. Blade was up in the air and the flames shot to the back of the machine like a cutting torch for many seconds before the fuel supply slowed down. Use some common sense along with some risk assessment and you will be able to budget the hose replacements like an insurance policy.
Cool deal guys. I got some good info. No real consensus on when to change them but I'm gonna use my own judgement on changing these things out. I'm thinking I'll def change out 2 or 3 of the worst right now.
My personal opinion is change them. Why wait until it bursts and sprays fluid everywhere. You know it will not happen at a convenient time or place. Plus gallons of hydraulic fluid makes a huge mess not too mention an EPA issue if on a job. Plus every time on breaks add the cost of fluid to the hose cost. I have a local hose guy who uses Aeroquip hose and has been around forever. At least the 30 years I have known about him. He makes all kinds of hoses. Firehose and stuff like 12" and bigger in diameter. If I pay cash he charges me so little I can't believe the price. He makes them while you wait and likes to BS. Last time I had 6 hoses made that were about 3 feet ling each of -8 hose. He charged me $120. I gave him $140.
When I first got my machine, I needed to replace several. Also, the farm had been timbered so I was moving a lot of downed trees/branches/junk. I snapped several stabilizer hoses during this process (pinched or caught them on something) So I bought an extra hose for the loader, an extra hose for the stabilizer..... and nothing has happened since! If it does, I'm good to fix one of those on the spot.