Hi-pressure Hose

[MEP001]

You probably won't find a cheaper price than Kleen-Rite for high-pressure hose, but you'll eat up a lot of the savings in freight. Maybe order a whole spool during one of their free shipping offers, which they're doing now.

Windtrax sells Par-Krimp fittings cheaper than I can get no-name ones locally. They also carry the swage-type, but I haven't priced them. You might also call House of Hose or contact the company of the site to which I linked to price Couplamatic fittings, which is what I use. I buy them from a local car wash supply place, but I pay too much for them.

 

[MikeV]

A little off topic, but might help some. I run stainless steel tubing from the pump stand to the booms, using short jumper hoses from the pump to the tubing and plumb it directly into the boom. The only hoses I need to have made (rarely) are the short jumper hoses and the bay hoses. Hope this helps.

 

[mac]

I really don't know why more people don't use the reusable fittings. No crimper and dies to fool with, goes on with ordinary hand tools, and much cheaper than the local NAPA store. My techs carry sizes from 1/4 to 3/4 on the vans, and with a little hose can make up anything on site. The 3/4 ends require a strong arm to put on. These are really helpful with hose failures close to the existing fitting. Just cut off the old end with a small grinder, and within minutes you're back in business.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Right. For repairs overhead in the trough use the reuseable ends. Need swivels or swivel ends to make it reasoneably simple. In the bays, unless it's at the end a repaitr fitting will bang on the car and scratch it.

Overhead, if there are many repairs in one hose it is time to replace. The reuseable end give breathing room if you want a certain sixze mnade for you.

 

[bigleo48]

I really don't know why more people don't use the reusable fittings. No crimper and dies to fool with, goes on with ordinary hand tools, and much cheaper than the local NAPA store. My techs carry sizes from 1/4 to 3/4 on the vans, and with a little hose can make up anything on site. The 3/4 ends require a strong arm to put on. These are really helpful with hose failures close to the existing fitting. Just cut off the old end with a small grinder, and within minutes you're back in business.

I agree with Mac! However I use a grinder to cut the hose and an impact wrench to screw on the fittings. So no manual work except for screwing the vise in and out. For emergency purposes, I usually have a whole hose, swivel, gun, lance and tip (or brush & handle) all made up and ready to go, so if I have a problem, my guys can just swap it out in a couple of minutes.

BigLeo

 

[MEP001]

I usually have a whole hose, swivel, gun, lance and tip (or brush & handle) all made up and ready to go, so if I have a problem, my guys can just swap it out in a couple of minutes.

I do the same, except I put a quick disconnect above the top swivel. The booms flex down where I can reach the disconnect, so I can change a hose almost instantly and without getting out a ladder.

 

[MEP001]

I really don't know why more people don't use the reusable fittings.

They're not very "reusable" - they rust and rot and can rarely be used a second time. They are, as I mentioned earlier, much harder to assemble by hand than using a screw-type hand swager. They're more expensive than swage fittings, and as far as I know they don't come with a swivel end so you have to use a union between two pipe thread fittings, increasing the cost and time of reassembly.

 

[Ghetto Wash]

MEP, the reusable fittings do come with swivel ends. Both flare and pipe thread. I use them for all repairs on 3/8 and under hose. I also get 2-3 uses out of them before they need to be tossed. By reusing them and saving the cost of the swager, I'm money way ahead.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

We use them on everything up to and including 1".

Ted

 

[Dirt]

Except for getting premade bay hoses from KR, I use the reusables too. I certainly don't need another piece of equipment.

 

[Randy]

When ever I have to use a reusable fitting I take a round file and bevel out the end of the hose slightly so the fitting will not cut into the end of the hose as I screw it together, I also coat the fitting with grease or hand soap before I screw it together. I had to reuse one on Saturday that had been used a couple of times, it came apart easy and looked pretty good, good enough to reuse. When ever I replace a hose or fix a hose I always flush the hose out for about 5 minutes to get anything that might be in the hose out before I put the gun on.

 

[bigleo48]

Now I need to replace some for 8 bays. I look at buying the hose and parker reusable fittings and the price is almost the same as getting them done by KR. I'm gonna order the premade by KR for now.

Not sure if you guys find this too, but the hoses tend to crack just beyond the bend restrictor. Then the water gets in and starts to rust out the braid until they'll burst. So what I'm gonna do is order the premade from KR with bend restrictors at both ends. Once they start to crack (after a year or so), I'm gonna switch ends. That way they should last almost twice as long.

BigLeo

 

[Dirt]

Maby it's like throwing money away, but I replace all my bay hoses (and guns, swivels, wands, nozzles, brushes) twice a year. Around the end of November for the busy season, then around the end of April when they are all beat up. The people really like using "their" new tools, and I don't have any trouble with hose failures.

 

[MEP001]

Maby it's like throwing money away, but I replace all my bay hoses (and guns, swivels, wands, nozzles, brushes) twice a year.

I check the hoses every day, and if they start to crack and rust near the gun I replace them right away. I haven't had a hose break on a customer in years.

I was using bend restrictors, but after one burst underneath it where I couldn't see the signs, I have since stopped using them. That was the last time one burst on a customer.

 

[MikeV]

Does anyone use thermal plastic hoses? They are more flexible, higher psi rated, and easier to work with than steel braided hose. I use it for high wear locations such as an umbilical.

 

[Reds]

the hoses on my oscillating nozzles get a lot of bending just past the fitting. Steel braided hoses don't last very long. I switched to a Dayco Eastman (which is owned by Parker) Hytron S706 hose which has a polyester tube, 1 braid of polyester fiber, and a cover made of abrasion resistant polyeurethane. Good to 2500 psi. I had the local hydraulic shop order 100' of it to keep in stock. It lasts way longer than the steel braided hoses. The catalog lists reusable fittings for it too, which I have not tried yet.

 

[bigleo48]

the hoses on my oscillating nozzles get a lot of bending just past the fitting. Steel braided hoses don't last very long. I switched to a Dayco Eastman (which is owned by Parker) Hytron S706 hose which has a polyester tube, 1 braid of polyester fiber, and a cover made of abrasion resistant polyeurethane. Good to 2500 psi. I had the local hydraulic shop order 100' of it to keep in stock. It lasts way longer than the steel braided hoses. The catalog lists reusable fittings for it too, which I have not tried yet.

That sounds like the hose I pulled out of my Mosmatic booms.