Preventative Hose Maintenance

Drew Swanton

Parker Store Mgr.


Determining whether or not to change out an old hose on a fluid system sounds like it should be something straightforward, if the hose leaks replace it right? Obviously, but why wait until it leaks to repair or replace? I know a lot of people go by “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But let me ask you this, if you saw exposed wire on your vehicle tire, how quickly would want to replace it? Hopefully right away, the same goes for hoses.

Should be able to get another 5,000 miles out of this bad boy

While working at the retail counter I have been exposed to a lot of different examples of hoses that should have been replaced well before they were slapped on my counter in a leaky, oily mess.  A small leak on a hydraulic circuit can lead to many different problems; potential pump failure if the leak goes unnoticed for a period of time, bad hysteresis, and of course the oil spill itself can be very damaging and sometimes costly to clean up.  So how do we know when to do preventative maintenance on a hose? Really the only and best way is a physical examination.

Whoa! Wrong physical.

Because you should do a physical inspection, and I can’t reiterate this enough, by no means inspect the hose while the system is running. If you do have a leak, even if it is a pin-prick, and you run your hand over a system that has thousands of PSI working pressure you can cause great bodily harm and even death.  While examining your hose you should check for any signs of exposed wires (or fiber), places where the hose is rubbing, rubber that is cracked, flaking or decayed, and rust on the ends where the hose is connected.  Preventative maintenance can save you time and money, because nobody wants to have a machine down while on the job, particularly your customer who you just emptied 5 gallons of hydraulic oil on their lawn.

OK, so maybe that’s more than 5 gallons

So how often should you check your hoses? Well again this depends on several factors; how often do you use the machine? Where is the machine kept? Do you have it exposed to the weather outside or is it protected in a garage away from the sun and elements? These factors all contribute to hose longevity. If you are finding that certain hoses wear out quicker than others it might be a good idea to get nylon, plastic, or steel hose wrap to protect it even further to get the most out of your hose. If you aren't sure you should replace your hose take it off and bring it down to one of our Parker store locations, and our professionals will be sure to take care of you.

Parker’s E-Z Form Is Amazingly Flexible

Drew Swanton

Parker Store Mgr.


If you haven’t heard about this new product from Parker, you will find that it is amazingly flexible. We are now stocking the Parker E-Z Form™ at our South Portland and Lewiston, Maine, and Weymouth, Mass. Locations.

We are very excited to offer this new state of the art industrial hose, which comes in sizes from 1/2” to 4” ID.  This is a general service hose with an amazingly flexible and non-kink style. Literally you can tie this in knots and it won’t kink!

No kinks, no problems… who’s going to untie it though?

The E-Z form™ hose is perfect for use on mobile and industrial equipment; it’s specifically engineered to handle oil, air, water, fuel and some coolants. This hose is designed for applications that require the most intense bends without affecting full flow rates.  The secret of the flexibility comes from the special corrugated Greek cover, where the grooves in it allow for the extreme bends.

Groovy.

We carry both series that Parker offers in house, the general service (7395) and oil resistant/fuel transfer hose (7219). With length availability ranging from one foot to a three hundred foot reel, we can make sure you have the right hose and length for the job. This hose is a great replacement for expensive factory pre-formed hoses that are usually inherent with tight bend applications.  It also can save you time from ordering by replacing the pre-formed hose with a cut-length of E-Z Form™.

For more information about this product or any general questions please contact me!  E-mail or phone is great- you can even fax us.

The Parker Store Blog Is Up & Running Again

Welcome back to The Parker Store blog of The Hope Group. For new readers, my name is Drew Swanton and I will be writing a few words on a regular basis about things happening at The Parker Stores of New England. For returning readers, I am the new writer. Our previous writer, Lori, after receiving a lot of training here in New England with us has moved on to Tennessee for Parker. So, now you are stuck with me.

Since this is my first post I’m going to start off with a little background information about myself. I’ve been with THG Corporation going on four years now and I started pretty much at the bottom.  I was the shipper and receiver working out of our branch in Lewiston. When I first came into the position I had just finished working for a bank, and needless to say my expertise in the field of fluid power was little to none, but nonetheless I was happy to be working. As far as job duties were concerned I was the shipper but after all I was working in a hydraulic hose shop and was very visible to customers so learning to make hose assemblies was naturally the next step.

After working for a few years at Lewiston, the position of store manager opened up in our South Portland branch and I was happy to take advantage of that opportunity. I’ve been here for a year now and it’s amazing how fast you learn when you need to. Everything I did in Lewiston was just a small part of what this company does and can do. Being successful here has all come down to hard work, a desire to learn and grow. So continuing with that trend my next jump after shipping and receiving to managing a fluid power store was to try blogging… It was an obvious choice.

Next issue will be a lot less about me and a lot more about you. I want you to feel free to write to us if you have a question, or to just chat. Write dswanton@thehopegroup.com. Thanks.

Drew Swanton

Parker Store Mgr.


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