Hoses for
Hydraulic Fluids
Petroleum-based materials
must be compatible with
the materials a hose is made
from. But you also need to
consider changes in tem-
perature. During the winter
the temperature on a piece
of machinery may change
from -20ºF to 200ºF over
the course of a few minutes.
Make sure the material in
the hose is resilient enough
for such extreme temperature
changes.
The way hydraulic hoses
are made greatly influences
their ability to bend. These
specialty hoses can be manu-
factured with one, two, four,
or six reinforcement wires.
One-wire hoses have the
lowest working pressures, but
have the best flexibility. As
the number of wires increase,
the hose’s flexibility decreases.
Perhaps the most impor-
tant factor to consider before
buying a hydraulic hose, is
working pressure. Hoses
designed to handle hydraulic
fluids must withstand rapid
increases in pressure without
rupturing. It’s not unusual
for hydraulic system
Uses Dictate Hose Selection
Although the questions in this guide cover specific hose qualities (such as pressure
or material), the reality is that many of these qualities are interconnected.
Consider hoses that are used for hydraulic fluid and those used for manure.
pressures to fluctuate from
0
to 2,000 psi within
seconds. Older hydraulic
systems were designed to
run pressures up to 1,500
psi, while newer systems can
build pressures to 6,000 psi.
Hoses for
Handling Manure
Pumping manure requires
larger hoses that range from
4
to 6 inches in diameter.
These larger sizes mean
that almost anything found
in the manure will pass
through, which can damage
the inside of the hose.
For example, a screwdriver,
nails, wood, or even a sharp
piece of steel dropped in a
manure pit could damage
the hose’s internal lining.
That’s why hoses designed
to handle manure often have
an extra lining layer.
Manure hoses also must
withstand external damage.
It is common in many live-
stock situations to pull a
half-mile line of hose across
a field with a tractor. That
dragging can damage hoses
that are not protected by
durable outside covers.
Some manure hoses have
wire reinforcements, while
others use single, thin-walled
blue or green poly discharge
hoses to connect to such
pieces of equipment, or to
pull a drag hose through
the field where flexibility
is required.
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