When you are in charge of a construction site, you rely on your heavy equipment to get the work done. To help power the machines, hydraulic systems use hoses as an integral part of their operation. If one of these hoses becomes damaged, the equipment will shut down. To help keep this from happening, regularly check for signs that the equipment's hydraulic hoses have suffered damage and need to be replaced before they leak or rupture.

1.  Hose Fittings Are Bent or Cracked

When inspecting your construction machinery's hydraulic hoses, one sign for which you should look to determine whether or not they need to be replaced is damage to the fittings. Because of constant pressure and vibrations, these fittings can become bent or even cracked, leading to a break in their seals.

While you may be able to get by replacing the fittings themselves, there is a good possibility that the attached ends on the hoses have also been damaged. Bent fittings can cause wrinkling or micro-cracks in the ends, which can lead to decreased pressure buildup.

If the fittings are cracked, there is a chance that the hose ends have also been cracked. Or the metal may have scratched or dug into the end. Because there may be hidden damage to the ends, it is better to go ahead and replace the entire hose assembly to avoid any unexpected problems.

2.  Kinks Start Appearing in the Hose

Another sign that often indicates the need to replace hydraulic hoses is when kinks start to appear. Normally, the rubber from which the hoses are constructed is rigid and able to withstand the high levels of pressure that builds up within them.

However, if kinks are showing up, the rubber in these areas has most likely started to weaken. Even while the equipment is running, the rubber starts to collapse in on itself.

Because the rubber is weak, the sustained pressure will continue to pull at the material. This will eventually lead to a break in the rubber, causing a rupture in the hose.

If the hose has started to kink and/or the fittings are damaged, it is time to replace them with new ones before they start to leak or allow pressure to build up to the point that they rupture. Contact a heavy construction equipment business like TopDog Heavy Equipment Parts that offers hydraulic hoses to discuss available options for replacing the hoses for your equipment's type and model.

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