# Safety issue.. hydraulic line failure



## murphy4trees (Apr 20, 2005)

My regular log loader has been too busy to pick up for me lately... so with some hesitation, I tried a new loader today... 5 jobs... on the first one blew a hydraulic line on the graple.. Fortunately no one was in the vicinity when the line blew.. anyone with 5' would have been badly burned..

I've spent plenty of time near the grapple... got me thinkin... best to have a new or very well maintained truck on the job...I won't be calling him again anytime soon.


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## a_lopa (Apr 20, 2005)

im really sceptical on any new lines as well,i know of a telescopic tower that the lines were too short from new


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## Koa Man (Apr 20, 2005)

I hope everyone here knows not to check for a hyd. leak by putting your hand around the lines. Use a piece of cardboard, leather gloves and wear a face shield. A pin hole leak under high pressure can inject hyd. fluid into your skin. This will result in removal of body parts by surgery unless you get immediate medical attention by a physician trained in such matters.


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## Dadatwins (Apr 20, 2005)

murphy4trees said:


> My regular log loader has been too busy to pick up for me lately... so with some hesitation, I tried a new loader today... 5 jobs... on the first one blew a hydraulic line on the graple.. Fortunately no one was in the vicinity when the line blew.. anyone with 5' would have been badly burned..
> 
> I've spent plenty of time near the grapple... got me thinkin... best to have a new or very well maintained truck on the job...I won't be calling him again anytime soon.



Best to stay away from the grapple at all times. We have several that we use and grapple lines can burst at any time, usually without warning. There is a lot of quick flexing and moving on the lines at the grapple end and high pressure makes a dangerous combo. Maintain clear distance from grapple and wear goggles if you must be close to the grapple end.


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## rivahrat (Apr 20, 2005)

just had the lines on my grapple replaced. after 10 minutes one burst on me. imagine the surprise. the old lines never had any trouble, put on new and BAM!!! hyd oil everywhere.  took the line back to the place that made them for me and they fixed me up with a new one new fittings and spare hoses. just because they realized how much harm it could have caused.


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## Crofter (Apr 20, 2005)

Rivahrat; 

Did a hose burst or a fitting blow off?
Sometimes the person making the hoses screws up and selects the wrong hose or a wrong fitting. Even selecting the wrong squeese die can result in an improper crimp with the right components. There really are a number of ways to screw it up.


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## Proj Eng (Apr 20, 2005)

Don't forget when putting them back on you have them rotated properly. Else you can end up with a bad radius in the hsoe and a kink, and then a few more cycles until failure. Or strapping the wrong hoses together can cause premature failure as well.


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## Lumberjack (Apr 20, 2005)

On our all hydraulic stump grinders we have never had a spontanious failure of a hose, quality hoses simply do not just fail all of the sudden. The only hose failures we have had was from chaffing/rubbing till it failed.

I think I remember a fitting letting loose on the cutterhead (read high flow high pressure) but I cant remember what caused it.


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## jimmyq (Apr 21, 2005)

not a removal crane failure but I did have a hyd line failure today on my crane (HIAB) that delivered my pallet of basalt stone, weight about 3200 pounds and it got 3 feet above the deck when " pfft, pop, spray everywhere" happened, I yelled to the driver who was looking the other way and he snuck the pallet off, dropped it to the ground and backed his boom and hook in to the deck real quick. didnt hurt anyone but it made a bit of a mess.


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## rivahrat (Apr 21, 2005)

well the hose burst. was good hose everything done properly. the hose just had a flaw. remember with the best quality stuff in the world Murphy's law still applies. :Monkey:


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## njforestfire (Apr 21, 2005)

What pressures and flow rates are we talking about?


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## Lumberjack (Apr 21, 2005)

I am not sure on our grinder, but its a 3/4" hose (i think) and it can stall a 84hp diesel running wide open. 3000PSI at 50GPM=87.5hp 4000PSI at 35GPM=81.6HP and 5000psi at 30gpm=87.5hp.

Riverrat, your saying it is a good hose BUT had a flaw. Wouldnt that mean it wasnt good? 

Did you ever answer if it was the hose that rupture or if it was a fitting?


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## Crofter (Apr 21, 2005)

If the hose is properly spec., and if no one has cranked up relief valves, the hoses should have quite a safety factor. Operator abuse can shock load the system, but to have a new undamaged hose burst is a sign that something is grossly wrong. I have seen ends blown out of cylinders and barrels bulged and rods bent without bursting hose.


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## Lumberjack (Apr 21, 2005)

Exactly.


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## juststumps (Apr 21, 2005)

we got a IMX grapple on a land clearing job.,. mounted on a NH LX 565... never a problem.. job from hell customer, rented a cat on tracks.. every time he uses our grapple, after we left,, he'd blow a hose... on the new holland no problem, on the cat "POP" changed 5 hoses in 3 weeks???? o rings blow out at the fittings....only on the cat...


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## njforestfire (Apr 22, 2005)

Standard proof pressures for hyd. lines are 1 and a half times there operating pressures. We currently use 10,000 psi hoses (1/4 and 1/2") from Parker Aerospace and they are manufactured in Germany. Fairly expensive but we have NEVER had any fail and what cost can you put on safety? Pay a little more now then a lot more later when out of work or killed.


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## rivahrat (Apr 24, 2005)

ok what i mean is it was a good quality hose (Goodyear) or something like that. the hose burst in the middle. no tight radius anything . the steel braiding in the hose was flawed at the factory. so it had a "soft" spot in the hose causing it to fail. oh and it is 5,000 psi not sure on the gph tho. this clear up everything? if not you just think about it way too much. just remember Murphy's law. if it can happen it will. :blob5:


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