Hey Sam!

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I took some pics of that old hydraulic hose crimper we were talking about. Didn't want to derail Oscar's thread any worse then we already did so I'll put some pics over here. It's an old dinosaur, considered obsolete (much like us) and was made in Canada by Alco, so you know it's old. Basically you stick the bulk hose up through the bottom and place the fitting in the dies, and mash it all down with the little hydraulic jack. It's not made to be used with a press, but if you can make the dies on a lathe, I don't see why you couldn't make the holders fit tight in a press. Essentially what you need is everything from the jack down made to fit in your press with a space for the hose to feed up from the bottom.  


Unfortunately I don't have many dies for this one, they were lost by the original owner, and I have yet to see one come up at auction with all the dies. They typically sell for less than $100 whereas the new computer controlled ones are worth thousands. I'd never be able to stock all the fittings I need for something like the combine, so I just keep the generic ones for 1/2" pipe thread. The companies selling fittings like to change things up occasionally to keep you buying stock, so I've had to do some grinding on my dies to fit the newer wider style, compared to the old gold colored ones I used to get. It's good steel, but not super hard... die grinder makes a dent in it.


Last edited by whtbaron; 2 Days Ago at 12:23 AM.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Some more pics of the grinding I've had to do to make the dies work with the new fittings...



250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Basically beveled the leading edge to let the fitting slip into place. If you look at the crimp my dies make, it's long and smooth...

Other new types have a multiple crimping mechanism that I am sure is considered superior in crimping power, but I have yet to have one of mine blow off. Basically you just have to watch what you are doing... not over-crimp or under crimp to get a good joint, rather than relying on a computer printout telling you the machine is finished.


250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Long as it's a good crimp, it'll hold.  Hose will probably decay long before the crimp fails.  That is a very cool setup!!I totally didn't see this post earlier

  I mean T O T A L L Y (ya gotta visualize the popping gum, and pimples

)I don't see why a guy couldn't make a rig like that.  Sure, using mild steel would make the dies wear out sooner, but who cares...........you're not a job shop doing hundreds of these per week.I'll never get around to making something like it, but I might be able to cobble something together that sits on my standard press bed.  Hell, who am I kidding.................takes me a month to fix a stinkin' brush hog


Reply:It's not so much the cost of getting a hose made..............it's the travelling to get it done.  Press solves the problem for most stuff.
Reply:So doggone wrapped up in my own problems, I've gotten sort of myopic the past few days.
Reply:Yep, you know if it's going to blow, it will happen Friday night on a long weekend. Most of my hydraulics are 1/2" pipe thread (which everyone says is the worst) but as long as I use good quality Goop and teflon tape they hold good. Cuts down on the number of fittings I have to stock. I used the hydraulic swivels on the air lines too... worked well.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:

Originally Posted by whtbaron

I used the hydraulic swivels on the air lines too... worked well.