Building safe, long-lasting hydraulic assemblies begins with choosing the right components. The “right” components are couplings, hose, crimping equipment, and accessories that are all designed to work together. Not all manufacturers offer safe, high-quality components. Mixing and matching couplings from one manufacturer with hose from another can lead to premature or catastrophic assembly failure. When components from different manufacturers are mixed together, coupling retention can be adversely affected.

Hose, couplings, assembly equipment, and crimping tolerances vary from one manufacturer to another, and they’re not interchangeable. Mixing components can not only cause unnecessary downtime, it can result in personal injury as well.

Gates offers a complete line of hose, couplings, crimpers, and related equipment, all designed to work together as a system.

• A 3,000 psi coupling on a 3,000 psi hose doesn’t always equal a 3,000 psi assembly
• One of the most important and oftentimes overlooked factors in hydraulic hose assembly performance is the hose/coupling interface
• You can’t just design a hose. You can’t just design a coupling. You must design a system (a MegaSystem)

“Unless you have a hose and coupling specifically designed for each other, you may end up with a hose assembly with a lower pressure rating, reduced life, or even worse, a catastrophic failure” says Rahul Palkar, Product Manager – Heavy-Duty for Gates Australia.

Hose outside diameter and crimp outside diameter are only two of the variables affecting assembly performance.

As variation or tolerances increase even slightly for each component a significant reduction in hose assembly life is guaranteed and the risk for catastrophic failure increases.

The next time you grab any hose and a coupling ask yourself:

• Who is the manufacturer of these components?
• Have these components been designed together?
• Validated together? And if not, what are the risks I am assuming?
• Am I willing to accept an assembly with a guarantee for reduced impulse life and performance?
• Am I willing to risk catastrophic failure?

Gates meets the needs of heavy-duty and fleet hydraulic applications with its MegaSys® line of hoses paired with Gates matched couplings as part of an integrated solution, the spiral-wire and wire-braid hose and coupling products offer peak performance and flexibility.