Finally retired !

Hi all. Tried twice, so this time's the charm -- finally retired (Electronics). Plenty of time, but not much money, so I love seeing the creative ideas you talented people come up with for making your own tools to meet your needs without straining the budget. I've never welded, but just bought a Harbor Freight MIG welder & still need to install a 220V circuit before I can start learning how to use it. Looking forward to it. My brother and I have dad's OLD Case 580C Backhoe/Loader that's been rotting in the forest for thirty or more years. I re-built the instrument panel and was real happy it started right up !! But I got sprayed with hydraulic fluid when I tried to operate it -- duh ! So I bought a 20 ton press with hopes of figuring out what dies I need in order to make all the hoses. Not looking forward to that.

Hi Fred Jr - welcome to HomemadeTools.net :welcome:

Sounds like you're having some fun! Anything we can help with on the 580C restoration?

Thank you. I'm sure there will be plenty of need for guidance as I uncover the things that don't work. Presently it's replacing the hydraulic hoses. Since so many 580's were sold, I would think someone would have made a chart that gives the lengths, sizes, thread type, & where used data for all of the hoses. The original drawings don't seem to be complete, nor does the parts list specify thread type. Most are not in stock & what they have are really expensive. What thread are they & are they all the same ? I called several suppliers & they act like I'm asking them to divulge trade secrets -- even some that build custom hoses were no help. The all said just bring in your hose & we'll duplicate it. I never thought it would be so difficult to find information. If you don't want buy something, they don't want to waste time talking to you.

Hi Fred,
most of my experience in hydraulics has been in replacing broken/ruptured/worn hydraulic lines.
unless you order a factory part number, there is little chance of obtaining its dimensions or specifications from the OEM.
its their secret, they choose who to divulge the information to- definitely not John Q. Public

in the suppliers defense, they are in business to sell things-
if you don't want to buy anything why would you expect something for free from them?
if the agent helps you for a half hour, is he not entitled to compensation for his work, by gettin a sale?
worse yet, you could take the information he helps you with, and then you go buy the stuff from someone else after he spent the time to educate you.
those are some of the reasons businesses are not forthcoming.

i'll be a bit more informative,here is a 50 cent tour...
i can say most of the fittings you may encounter are 37* JIC fittings
the # corresponds to a fractional measurement in 16ths of an inch
most likely, but not limited to, #5, #6, #8, #10, #12,#14 ,#16 are used commonly
the hose diameters will correspond to the fitting size or pressure specification
suction hoses may have automotive style hose clamps on their fittings
high pressure hoses should never have automotive style hose clamps
most hoses will have pressure rating on the hose assembly
reuseable fittings are available as well as hose stock to make your own hose assemblies without special tools

i can't help you with the hose lenghts but you could record the hose dimensions and fitting type as you replace them
you could start a blog and share your findings with others that have your same problem
you never know, there may be someone along the way to point you in an unintended direction of discovery :)
i wish i could give more information, but i'm not knowing which hoses you are trying to replace
but armed with the recent information, you can now move forward
i wish the best of luck
if i can further assist let me know
all the best
mike

re: hydraulic hoses & fittings.
Used to work a shop with a large Morelli CNC. Occasionally it would lose a pressure hose. With a micrometer, thread pitch gauge, thread wires, and properly ground tools I was able to replicate fittings quite easily. Did the seal angles with the compound, and used hex stock for the bodies.
We had a hose machine to finish the crimping, sizes were compatible enough to operate. But all of them are collet style dies; I'd wonder that 20t and ordinary compression dies could accomplish a 360 degree crimp.

Thanks for the great info, Mike. I thought I would be doing one at a time to get the length right & might as well replace all the hoses while I was at it. Since dies are so expensive just to use once, I'm wondering if it would be less trouble to just use adapters to NPT so I could use hoses from Tractor Supply or Surplus Center.