One of the questions we hear most often is “how long do hydraulic hoses last?” Unfortunately there is no black-and-white answer, as it depends on the application and how often they are used. The good news though is that there are signs to look for to help determine when it’s time for preventive hose assembly replacement.

Avoid Using Old Stock on Your Equipment

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) indicates that rubber hosing has a shelf life of 10 years from the date of manufacture. Always be sure to look for the manufacturing date on the hose, and if it is over 10 years old, don’t risk it.

The upfront cost of purchasing a new assembly versus using one you may have laying around is higher, but that cost is significantly lower than the cost of cleanup or repairs after that hose fails.

Follow a Regular Preventive Maintenance Schedule

Most applications require only a simple visual inspection of hydraulic hose assemblies once a month and preventive replacement annually or bi-annually. 80% of hose failures are due to external physical damage, whether it be from abrasion, kinking, crushing, or pulling. Luckily, this type of damage is easy to spot during an inspection.

Keep thorough records of hose replacements, that way you can log how long your hoses are lasting, and if any of them are having to be replaced more often than others.

Keep an especially close eye on hydraulic hose assemblies that are near equipment operators or that could result in injury if they were to fail.

Replace hydraulic hose assemblies if you notice any of the following:

• Oil leaking from fittings or anywhere along the hose
• Pinched or crushed hoses
• Abrasion damage or exposed reinforcement wires
• Significant damage to the outer cover
• Kinks
• Cracked or corroded fittings – red rust is of concern, white corrosion is okay

When you’re in need of hydraulic hose assemblies, fittings, or tubing, know that Domer’s can help. We are able to cut genuine Gates hydraulic hose to suit any application you need right here on-site, so you can spend less time waiting for parts, and more time using your equipment. Call us today at (863) 763-3417 with any questions.