Just an idea to pass on for protecting your hydraulic hoses from chafing. Both a good friend of mine and I use this idea: corrugated split loom for wiring. It comes in various sizes, the stuff I used on my plow is about 5/8" inside diameter. You can buy it new from auto parts suppliers in a roll, but for small pieces most scrap vehicles will provide you with lots. (One of our hobbies is playing around with Chev/GMC trucks, so there'e lots on hand) I don't cover the whole hose, just any potential wear spots. The split loom gives a nice finished appearance, holds itself on the hose nicely (use a size that will grip the hose snugly) and is easy to install and remove.
Another idea, i saw a guy today who used old garden hose to protect it. it's thicker and probably does a great job. Bryan
pro's and con's Just to state the facts, the pro's do outweigh the con's but there is one that you may want to consider in some applications. A lot of guys won't do this to their equipment because its hard to find a leak (or even know its there)when your checking out your equipment., but if you check your fluid regularly I think you'll know when your loosing some.
Guido makes an excellent point. This is why I like using the split loom, I can peel it off the hose in seconds to take a look. No cutting of zip ties required!
You can also get double walled hydraulic hose custom made.It's not that much more expensive than a regular hose,and it's very tough.Check with your local hydraulic store,and tell them you want 4000 PSI hose.
For years I have been using the spiral-wrap plastic stuff. Kind of a pain to install if the hose or wiring is already in place, but, it's much thicker and has more protection than the corrogated stuff. You can just spread it apart to hunt down leaks if you do pop a hose, and I have never had anything wear through it to damage a hose. Just ask your local power line dude about it, maybe he will toss ya a few feet of it.
Get 2-wire hydraulic hose. In 1/4" and 3/8" sizes, it is good for 5800 psi. I know it is overkill, as our systems operate circa 2500, but I also don't change them either.
