HYDRAULIC HOSE
HOW DO YOU OVERCOME HOSE MAINTENANCE CHALLENGES? MOST CONSIDER A hydraulic hose to be maintenance-free. They’re often installed and forgotten until they need replacement, hopefully not under conditions of catastrophic failure. Contrary to popular belief, hydraulic hose does not enjoy infinite service life. Like any component manufactured from metal and rubber, you may undoubtedly expect failure in the hydraulic hose’s lifetime. When and how you remove a hose is up to you, whether from failure or planned replacement. It goes without saying that hydraulic hose must be installed in such a way as to prevent any physical strain, such as kinking or torquing. The hose should lay as naturally as possible, with no abnormal stress upon the connection or reinforcement. Hose maintenance means little if installation errors result in failure long before servicing is required. The correct hose length prevents excess length from sagging or rubbing against areas causing wear. You must eliminate the potential for accidental causes of hose failure, of which
the majority occur from physical damage or wear of the hose cover. Rigidly fixing the hose in place using clamps typically prevents the hose from rubbing against anything, but sometimes the machine requires bending as part of the machine function. Any hose with movement HOSE SLEEVES PROTECT HOSES FROM WEAR AND potential must be ABRASION AND ALSO FROM HARMFUL DEGRADATION protected with hose CAUSED BY UV RAYS AND HARSH CHEMICALS. wraps, which may | COURTESY OF PYTHON PROTECTIVE be flat plastic coil or SLEEVE + COVERS abrasion-resistant sleeves. Hose sleeves offer the secondary benefit inspect the outer cover of the hose beneath. of chemical protection. A dirty environment If you find any apparent cracks, leaks, or with exposure to industrial fallout increases abrasion, replace the hose immediately. the breakdown rate of rubber. A sleeve is It helps to keep track of your hydraulic clamped the entire length of the hose from hose service life. If you know a machine fitting to fitting, providing a sacrificial surface seems to experience only three or four years that prevents hose wear from both abrasion before hoses start to fail, perhaps because and chemicals. Inspect the hose sleeve or of demanding conditions, then consider wrap regularly, especially in areas known replacing all hoses within that window. to rub against the machine or For example, if after four years, three of other hoses, and replace the the twelves hoses on your machine have wraps if any damage fails to prematurely failed, consider that the others protect the hose itself. are not likely to last much longer. Increase Although a well-maintained your inspection frequency to be sure other hose assembly will last many hoses are not near failure, and if your years, even the most perfectly machine is critical to production, consider installed and maintained replacing hoses early. hose requires replacement Hydraulic hose assemblies should not eventually. Just like hydraulic be neglected because they’re a fraction pumps, filters and oil require of the replacement cost compared to periodic replacement, so too pumps or actuators. A hose failure results does a hose. One downside of in machine downtime just the same as a protective sleeves is that they pump failure – proper hose maintenance hide the hose itself, preventing is preventive, not reactive. easy inspection. Part of your preventive maintenance program should involve removing the hose wrap to
USING HOSE CLAMPS GIVES HYDRAULIC HOSES CLEAN ROUTES, HELPING TO AVOID ABRASION, WEAR AND HOSE BENDING, WHIPPING AND OTHER UNNATURAL MOVEMENTS. | COURTESY OF VERMATIC INC.
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