Fall time doesn’t just call for cranking up the heat and wearing extra layers of clothing. Many industries that don’t take the colder seasons off, have no choice but to switch gears when the weather changes. With cooler temps arriving, any industry utilizing hydraulic hoses will have to engage in extra precautions to ensure their hoses remain in top-notch order.
How Cold Affects Hydraulic Hoses
The chillier weather, ice, snow, high wind speeds and frost of fall and wintertime are the enemy for commercial rubber hydraulic hoses. In Northern Ontario, hoses can sometime have to withstand sustained temperatures well below -45 °C which effects the rubber of the inner tube and the hose cover. When the rubber is cooled, the material characteristics and microstructure change even if the product has been developed with such temperatures in mind. They can become crystalline. This crystallization may then cause cracking. Being exposed to extreme cold, especially for prolonged periods of time, your hoses can experience accelerated aging, with little to no elasticity, making them more brittle. Even after warming back up, your hose may remain stiff, leathery, and tough, failing without warning after only a fraction of their anticipated service life. By taking extra care with your hoses during the changing temperatures, you can potentially extend their lifespan and prevent any sudden hose failure.
Ways to Prevent Hydraulic Hose Damage in the Winter
Whether the weather in your area dips way down into the negatives or gets just below freezing a month or two out of the year, your hydraulic hoses should still be protected from these colder temperatures. You depend on quality hoses to get the job done, and you need to be able to trust that your hoses won’t burst or leak in mid use. However, you can only ensure this if you take good care of your hoses.
You can protect your precious commercial hoses in the winter by using a protective wrap or sleeve, keeping ice and snow away from your hose and its components, storing your hydraulic hoses indoors in a clean and dry area, and running your hydraulic system for about an hour prior to operating any attachments to give them time to warm up beforehand.
Ensure you complete regular visual inspections of your hoses and hydraulic cylinder rods for cracks and rust. It is imperative during these months. If you notice any damage, your safest bet is to get brand new commercial hoses and accessories to prevent injuries or other dangers from using faulty equipment.
At Itec 2000, we know we count on Manuli Hydraulics. They have developed a range of connector solutions specifically designed to cope with these conditions, providing robust, reliable service despite the detrimental effects of their working environments. These products feature unique, advanced rubber compounds which resist aging, whilst maintaining flexibility and impulse resistance Manuli Hydraulics thrives on innovation and continuous development. The rubber outer cover of their Foremaster hoses, currently stocked by Itec 2000, has been specifically designed to resist the extreme temperatures of Northern Ontario where forestry operations deal with conditions well below freezing. The compound remains crack-resistant and retains its flexibility up to -46 degrees Celsius. And when hose failure is not an option, the Cryoflex hose will not let you down! Cryoflex is the new standard for ultra low temps, allowing hoses to remain flexible up to -60.
If your equipment relies on hydraulic systems, you know, it is not “IF” but “WHEN” a hydraulic hose fails and the race against downtime begins. The longer your equipment is down, the greater the loss and cost. Hydraulic system failures cause 35 to 65 percent of all mobile equipment downtimes due to relatively simple and cheap hydraulic hoses.
If you have questions, concerns or need to replace cracked or worn hoses, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Hose & Fittings Department @ 888-483-2200 or hosedept@itec2000.com
