Integraflex (Yorkshire) were asked to look at supplying a hydraulic hose & fitting kit for a cooler unit which is manufactured for use on road tankers. They are used to act as a cooler for the hydraulic pumps on the vehicles. The units had one high pressure hose which had the fittings swaged and was colour coded using a red sleeve, then three low pressure hoses which were secured with O clips and weren’t colour coded. The customer wasn’t confident that securing with O Clips was sufficient and asked for our advice – we recommended swaging as the safest and most tamper –proof method of attachment.
Working with the customer we also noticed that the hoses had a tendency to abrade against each other and with the outer casing of the unit, leading to potential failures. To alleviate this problem, we redesigned the length and routing of the hose assemblies. We also went a step further by colour coding all the hoses; the idea being if any hose needed replacing at a later date, it would be simpler for the end user to identify by colour, when ordering a replacement ,than trying to explain the type, size and lengths thus reducing possibility of ordering the wrong one.