Hydraulic hoses are amazing. Truly, they are an impressive engineering feat. They handle all sorts of harsh external conditions, crazy temperature swings, and they can hold thousands of pounds of pressure. Hoses can carry all sorts of media and materials through twist and turns for long distances and it all works without a hitch....usually. Sometimes a hose fails. All good things must come to an end. This post is to go over reasons why a hose might prematurely fail. Humans usually play a role in building hose assemblies, and if us homo sapiens are involved, we are probably gonna mess something up. For instance:

Under or Over Crimped:

Hydraulic hoses usually consist of a mechanically crimped end. These ends can be but are not limited to a bite-to-wire style, a compression style, a two or three piece configuration, and even a hand applied field attachable version. These ends require a final crimp OD (outside diameter), of exacting requirements, usually specified to 3 decimal places. Depending on the manufacturer's specifications, there's usually an accepted tolerance (i.e. you're allowed to be wrong / mess it up) by something like +/- .003, .005, or sometimes .010. This section could open up a pandora's hydraulic box  when it comes to schools of thought on if it's acceptable to  use one brand of fitting on another brand of hose, but that's not a battle we are going to fight today.

Over Bent or Incorrectly Routed:

The way a hydraulic hose is constructed lends itself to be able to twist and turn quite well, but there are limits. Some people like to play twister with hoses, and that's where we run into trouble (Left hand red!). A hydraulic hose has a specified and accepted bend radius. This spec can typically be found from the manufacturer, usually in a table that will also include its operating pressure and crimp spec. A bend radius is defined by how many inches of distance a hose needs to be able to make a 180 degree turn. That's a semi circle, half a pizza, or a rainbow shape for all the whiz kids in the back of the class. Pay Attention! Yes you!

Going past this spec will cause the hose to kink, usually compromising the structural integrity which will cause the hose to fail. If you are experiencing a routing or bending problem on your project don't fret, the professionals at American Hose and Supply can help you. We've seen a few things, and we can help sort out your tight space spaghetti bowl hose fiasco.

Too Much Pressure

Remember that spelling bee you were in? Remember when you cracked under the pressure and accidentally misspelled the word milk? No? Well that didn't happen to me or anything but just like failing when the pressure gets to be too much, the same thing happens to hydraulic hoses. There are two numbers to pay attention to with hoses, but only one you need to rely on.

First is the maximum operating pressure. This pressure rating is usually printed on the hose itself in either bar or psi. Side note here; 1 bar is equal to 14.5 psi. If you are only provided the bar rating, whip out that smart phone and let it do some multiplying for you. The max operating pressure simply put is what the hose is engineered to perform at constantly, or darn near constantly. This means under a continuous stress load, not exceeding the operating pressure, the hose will not fail. Let this be your guiding light when choosing what hose to use. Always stay under your operating pressure.

The second metric is the minimum burst pressure. This pressure refers to the pressure the hose will tolerate in a spike scenario before a catastrophic failure. This pressure is usually 4 times the rate of the operating pressure. This is often referred to as the safety rating. A safety rating will be denoted as such - 4:1 or 3:1 and so on. a 4 to 1 rating of a 5000 PSI hose means it can tolerate a spike of up to 20,000 psi before a failure.

Do not, I repeat - Do not rely on the burst pressure to cover your you know what in a hydraulic application. Just because the hose has a burst pressure of 20,000 doesn't mean you can run your pumpkin chunker device at 7,000 psi. A premature hose failure will occur if the operating pressure is exceeded for too long.

Mother Nature

She's beautiful but darn it she's a cruel mistress. Mother nature can really do a number on hoses. Too much UV, ozone, heat or cold can affect the outer cover of your hydraulic hose. Inspect your hoses from time to time. If you see cracking, if they appear brittle, or perhaps if they are even soft and mushy to the touch, you need to take them into American Hose and Supply. Aside from getting you a new hose, there are products we offer that can increase the life of your hose and protect if from the elements. These products would be spiral wrap, nylon hose sleeving, silicone jacketing, or even a technician to hold an umbrella over the machine while you work (not really).

Cuts & Rubs

Vibration is the enemy of a hose. If it's slapping against the side boom or rubbing a floor pan, that outer cover is gonna wear down quick, fast and in a hurry. If the hose is routed as such where it might get a small cut or scrape, the longevity of your hose will be cut short. A good rule of thumb is that if you can see wires on your hose, you are about to experience a hose blow out. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen sooner than later.

Okay okay, enough with all these doomsday hose problems. Your hoses are fine! Probably, maybe. It's important to check your hoses often the same way as you check your oil or your tires. Remember that preventative maintenance will trump emergency intervention every time, and it will usually save you some money in the long run. The team at American Hose can help you assess your hose situation, and give recommendations on if it's time to replace, reroute, or better protect anything. Not sure? Call or text the hose hotline 24/7 at 918-234-0585. Rain or shine we'd love to help.