Hydraulic Steel Tubing Source?

[Pullstart 62,807]

Has anyone ever purchased blank steel tubing, then bent and added fittings as needed?  I am having a heck of a time finding a local source.  Would 3/8” brake line work?  The parts store can order that.  The lines on my “Duke” FEL are too short since the loader frame crossmember is wider than stock, plus they have some bad pinched off spots.

 

 

[Shynon 7,459]

I had a local farm repair shop make mine, they were pretty spendy. On my other project I'm hoping to make my own.

Edited April 27, 2021 by Shynon

[oliver2-44 9,708]

Back at work we bough steel and stainless tubing through the industrial supply house that sold the “swagelock” brand of compression fittings. So you might search for who reps/sells Swagelock in your area.  One of the reasons tuning is priced much higher than pipe is that it is sold “clean”. The inside has been acid pickled or cleaned in some way. 

Edited April 27, 2021 by oliver2-44

[oliver2-44 9,708]

PS make sure and tell them what pressure hydraulic system you need the tubing for. If I recall correctly there is 1000, 3000, and 5000 psi tubing

[Handy Don 12,166]

Great topic. Thanks for bringing it up!

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

Got me wondering now about automotive brake tubing.  Wonder what pressure that is rated for?

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

1 hour ago, Jeff-C175 said:

Wonder what pressure that is rated for?

 

Mrs. Google tells me that it's around 2500 PSI peak.

 

[ranger 1,746]

Tubing for hydraulic use should be “Seamless”.

[peter lena 8,584]

@pullstart ,do you have a local bone yard nearby ? if you can pick up some stainless tubing , that's what you want , made up miles of s/s tubing runs at work , mount your tubing bender in a heavy bench vise , for total ease of bends , we also used the s/s  swage lock fittings , used them on all of our centrifuge and hydraulic drive set ups. worth a check , pete 

[JoeM 7,871]

Got mine from McMaster Carr, comes in increments of 3 feet. I have used brake tube too it works as well. 

Tube looks good and works well but at the end of it all, getting the tube, fittings etc. Hose would have been cheaper. 

On tip, I mounted my stuff so the tubes could be replaced with common length hoses.

 

[Jayzauto 89]

Brake line Tubing Not Good....It is seamed....S/S Hydro Tubing is seamless and rated for higher pressures.  I get my Lines and fittings from the local Parker Hydraulic store...

[JoeM 7,871]

@pullstart went back and checked the MMC order. Tubing used was 1800 psi rated.  I run the hydraulic relief at a 1000. With the 2 inch lift cylinders it works good, actually could be a little less. It raised the rear up easily when overloaded.

Oh yeah, shipping on the longer stuff is costly. 

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by JoeM

[Pullstart 62,807]

@JoeM do those two fittings compress onto the tube when you tighten the nut, or is there another step/piece?

[JoeM 7,871]

2 minutes ago, pullstart said:

do those two fittings compress

No, use a single flare on the end of the tube. The sleeve slides up against the flare and this gives extra strength in the connection for the nut when tighten.

If you are using pipe threaded ends on your system you might need to get pipe to JIC adapters. There might be a tube end for pipe but have not used or looked in to them.

I like these JIC fittings because they give flexibility to the joint so the hose/tubes can be oriented in the best location.

I believe this tube can be used with compression fittings as well.

 

[Pullstart 62,807]

Single flare... duh!  Is that the same angle as my second step of brake line flaring?

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

13 hours ago, Jayzauto said:

Brake line Tubing Not Good....It is seamed

 

Not all, there are seamless options.  Somewhat expensive though.

 

Quote

Cunifer™ is a seamless, copper-nickel alloy DOT approved brake line that is as strong as steel, completely corrosion proof and is easier to work with than any other brake lines on the market. ... Cunifer™ also flares easier, seals better and requires less prepartion than any other tubing on the market.

 

http://www.fedhillusa.com/

 

Pressure specs of Cunifer:

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[peter lena 8,584]

@JoeM ,  those runs look spot on to me , we used all parker swage lock fittings , even had a parker bench bending set up that made problems go away . when you set things up correctly , it clears your mind to simply add improvements . made up many centrifuge hydraulic drive plumbing set ups , go stainless, pete 

[oliver2-44 9,708]

@pullstart Parker And Swagelock (two different brands) do make  a fitting with a 2 piece sleeve that does not require a flare on the end of the tubing.  A word of CAUTION stick with only one brand of fitting. While the fitting parts look similar, they are different and will not lock properly.  We had a steam instrument tubing failure at work many years ago and it was determined someone mixed parker and Swagelock fitting parts. Note you will have price $ shock when you price fittings, and while Stainless is nice it really drives the tubing and fitting price up. .Tell the hydraulic shop or fitting shop rep what your doing and your working/relief system pressure and let them add their expertise to keep the price down a little if needed.

 

PS I previously have ordered 20 ft joints of seamless 1-1/2" and 2" tubing through our Swagelock dealer in Austin Tx. for use on a large hydraulic floodgate system at the dams 

Edited April 28, 2021 by oliver2-44

[JoeM 7,871]

1 hour ago, pullstart said:

second step of brake line flaring

I don't see a problem as long as the OD of the flare is the same OD of the flare sleeve.

These are 37 degree fittings but I'm imagine they will conform some when tightened. The tubing is soft enough.