First hydraulic repair

Could use some help. Hose to one of the loader cylinders burst today, need to replace. Where I am now:

Removed the hose
Plugged the holes at the cylinder and T-fitting with 3/8" plugs
Talked to the nice lady at the hose store. They'll make up a new hose while I wait.

A few questions:

Bleed air from the system or just put in the hose, add fluid and run it?

Thread tape or pipe dope or similar on the threads?

I know from experience with other repairs that it's likely the other hoses will follow this one's example. I'll see how this repair goes and set about replacing the other hoses one by one as time permits. Some of them look relatively new, but others appear to be on borrowed time.

If air needs to be let out of the system, I really don't know how to do that--so I'm hoping I can just replace the hose and be back in business. Thanks for any help with this.

Gary in Maryland

If it is a double acting cylinder(two hose per cylinder), it is very likely you can push out the air after installing the new
hose, by cycling the cylinder all the way and all of the way out. If it is a single acting cylinder, getting the air can be a
challenge, depending on the orientation of the hose fitting.

Rich

Thanks--yes, two hoses per cylinder. This one is at the bottom, the other hose up top near where the piston comes out. I appreciate the advice.

Tape instead of dope, keep the tape off the 1st thread. I don't want dope in my hydraulic system, but I am sure it would settle in reservoir, or get caught up in the filter.

What kind of fittings? Only pipe threads need dope or tape.
Drives me nuts seeing tape on JIC fittings or ORB lol. Not
supposed to use tape on hydraulic fittings dope only but
everyone does.

Never get pipe tape near a hydraulic system! It will destroy a pump in short order, sick valves, plug orifices and the list goes on if anything gets in the system. Pipe dope will is harmless, and you don?t need to gob it on, just enough to provide a sealing coat. Dad has been building and repairing industrial and mobile hydraulic systems for over 30 years he?s seen it all, and I?ve seen and worked on some of the balled up crap farmers have brought to the shop for him to repair. It ain?t pretty.

And be very careful not to overtighten the hoses! Teflon tape decreases the torque and it's easy to crack the cast cylinder
end. Snug them up good, you can always give them a little more if they leak later.

And I've wrecked a few!!

Beagle

Re-did all the loader hydraulics (valves and hoses) on my MF135/M40 loader recently. No tape, no dope, just snugged them up not TOO tight. No
leaks (apart from one I forgot to tighten), no bleeding necessary either, just move everything up and down a bit until it all worked as it
should (main rams were a wee bit slow to start moving because all the hoses and rams were empty) and then topped up the reservoir - in this
case the gearbox. Just put the hose back on and use it!

Jamstra,

Clean, neat job, looks good. From the photo it appears to me that your hose ends may be JIC and should not have tape or dope on them anyway. Even the hydraulic NPT fittings that seal in the center (female NPT swivel fittings) don't need tape or dope. Only the connections where the threads actually make the seal get tape or dope.

A couple questions on the reusable hose ends you have. What brand are they? In the photo it looks like the fitting stem is not completely in and its hex is not seated against the hose sleeve. Is there a gap between them or is it just the way it looks in the photo? I was taught those had to be seated together for the assembly to be correct, or they could fail at lower pressures. I'd hate to have one blow apart on you.

Hi Jim.ME, thanks for your interest.

Fittings bought from Walker Hydraulics in the UK. Their own brand? There is no way the insert hex would tighten up to be hard against the
sleeve with these - maybe depends on the brand? Will check, though, thanks for your concern. Jim

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. They very well could be different than the Aeroquip, Parker, and Gates ones I've used here in the states. I just asked as I've seen them come apart when not assembled right or on the wrong hose. When Parker came out with the no skive hose that was a problem here; as some people skived when they shouldn't have or mixed up the fittings and hose. Overall the fittings, common here now that get crimped on the hose in a shop, are likely the safer way to go in most hands.

Best regards,

Jim

Update on the repair:

It's a learning experience, going about as I'd expected. One thing I'd like to see is a fitting on the hose end that spins. It's like that on the end that attaches to the cylinder, but not the other end. Nearly impossible to get the threads started in a tight position with a 59" hose acting as a big reluctant tail. Another stop at the hose shop tomorrow.

And let's talk money. Almost exactly $100 and some change for a 59" hose with two fittings. Size is 3/8". Seems a little steep, but what do I know? I'll have to rethink my replacing all the old hoses if that's the going price. I'd appreciate any info regarding your experience with hydraulic hose prices.

Going to a different shop tomorrow. Their main thing is hoses. The first shop does a little bit of everything, including starters and alternators and trailers. I'll probably have the new shop cut off my fitting, put on one that spins--or at the very least sell me a fitting I can attach to the tractor that will accomplish the same thing.

Sorry I'm not up to speed on all the terminology, but you get the general idea: amateur muddling through best he can. Thanks again for all the help.

Not trying to slam you but you need to get up to speed on hoses and fittings to protect yourself. Based on your description and photo it sounds/looks like you got a 59" hose with pipe thread fittings (at least the end shown) for about $100.00. Tractor Supply, and likely others (Surplus Center, Baum Hydraulics, etc.), sell a 60" x 3/8 hose, with pipe thread ends, for about $20.00. You can research hoses and adapter fittings at Surplus Center's website, they have quite a selection. Pipe and JIC are likely the most common types, followed by the O-ring boss fittings. Hopefully the next shop you go to can do better by you.

As for getting male pipe thread swivel hose ends I would not unless it was the only way to fit in a "hole". There is more chance of those fittings weeping from the swivel area over time, and they are usually more expensive. I would ask for an adapter like the photo below, which can be used with another hose in the future if needed. Male pipe thread to screw into the valve or cylinder, with a female swivel to accept the fitting on the hose end. These should seal to the hose fitting in the center, not the threads on the swivel side, and don't need dope or tape. The male pipe thread end of the adapter that threads into the valve or cylinder would get dope or tape applied. JMHO, good luck. Jim

....sell a 60" x 3/8 hose, with pipe thread ends, for about $20.00. You can research hoses and adapter fittings at Surplus Center's website, they have quite a selection. Pipe and JIC are likely the most common types, followed by the O-ring boss fittings. Hopefully the next shop you go to can do better by you.

Thanks, needed a reality check regarding hose prices. I appreciate the info. The adapter you suggested is what I had in mind, didn't really want to cut off my new hose end to put another kind on. Hopefully will be able to knock this out today. I'll check back when I have better progress to report. Thanks again for the help.

Gary

Repair turned out nice. Hose looks better than rest of the tractor, however. Took my time, made sure I wasn't doing anything goofy. Picked up the swivel adapter local Tractor Supply. Exactly what I needed. Ran the tractor for a minute or two, worked the loader up and down. No leaks. On Monday I'll research hose prices, get a better idea of what I should be paying in my area. Thanks again for the help, much appreciated--Gary