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.