Metric hose/fittings, Florida

[Sean]

I blew out the air line that locks my tag axle a couple days ago, and I need to find a replacement.

Hard to know for sure until I get it out, and it's a bear to get to, but it looks to have about 10mm flare fittings on each end.  It's a pre-made hose with the fittings swaged on.

I am guessing that most hose shops, e.g. Parker, will not have metric fittings, although I plan to call around tomorrow.

Anybody know where I might find something like this?  We'll be in Tampa tomorrow and then onward to Fort Lauderdale in another week.

Right now we're operating with the speed-sensitive locking mechanism disabled, which means the tags are trailing freely.  Normally they lock at about 35mph.  We're sticking to the back roads to keep our speed down to 50 or so until I can get this fixed.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[JWallin]

The Parker store in Sarasota has metric hose and fittings.

[robertglines1]

If all else fails try cat or john deere dealer Heavy equipment has some metric hoses. or other dozer/backhoe/crane brands.

[luvrbus]

Sean, metric hose fitting are easy to find like Bob said all your heavy equipment has metric fitting now Cat has had metric for the last 30 years 


good luck

[rv_safetyman]

Sean, as others have said, Parker or Aeroquip dealers should be able to figure out what you have and get you fixed up. 

In many cases, they will use an adapter to get to a hose fitting that is more common and make replacement easier.  Since your bus is German your fittings are probably DIN.  It is hard to find a good table describing all of the fittings with photos and measurements to let you figure out what you have. 

I have purchased same fittings from this company and have listed their metric adapter page:  http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/DIN_2353_Metric_Tube_Fittings_s/275.htm.

I would not spend much time trying to figure out what you have - let the experts figure it out.  If you end up not finding what you want, I would bet that a good store can find a way to use your fittings and attach a hose.  Since it is low pressure, that should be pretty easy to do.

Jim

[Sean]

Thanks, guys.  I will give Parker in Tampa a try.  This morning I will crawl between the axles and get the thing out, and while I am in there I will try to measure the threads to match up against this chart:
http://mdmetric.com/tech/tict.htm

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[bevans6]

If that turns out to be a common size for hose and fittings on your bus, I would buy a bag of hose ends and 10 or 20 feet of hose.  I keep that sort of thing in stock and make up hoses as I need them.  the fittings I use are re-usable (although I don't) and screw together.  I got in the habit from making up hydraulic brake lines with Earls and Aeroquip braided stainess teflon hose, and their low pressure oil line fittings.  The only lines I insist on swaged hose ends are high pressure hydraulic, which on a bus means the power steering lines.

Brian

[rv_safetyman]

Hi Sean.  Good luck with that table.  It looks like a mixture of fitting threads and fastener threads.

If you pull the hose with the fittings on it, you will not need to try to figure it out.  Just take it to a good shop and find someone at the shop that knows what they are doing.  May have to try a couple of folks before you get someone who will be willing to take the time to get you squared away.

I tend to use adapters to get me to good old pipe thread for the hose fittings and then making the hose is  a piece of cake (now and later).  Stocking all of the hose fittings in stem size and fitting variations makes for a huge inventory and most stores simply don't carry the exact part anymore.

Jim

[TomC]

Sean-It's a good thing you're not a big fat boy like me-with all your continuing problems with your bus, it's a good thing you can get to all your nooks and crannies of your bus.  This is why I'm converting my truck-so to be able to get to all mechanicals by simply tilting the cab. Good Luck, TomC

[Sean]

Thanks again, everyone.  Got the hose out, and it does turn out to be DIN flare, 14mm x 1.5mm threads.  After bashing my knuckles in tight quarters trying to get the hose off the tee, the whole tee came out, too, so now I have both the male and female ends to show the shop.  Still, I think this is going to be hard to find, even at Parker.  With any luck we will make it to Tampa in time for me to run down there this afternoon.

Tom -- it is a tight squeeze even for me.  To access this area I need to fold the between-axle mud flaps up, then shinny in between the drivers and the tag.  I have to put my arms in first -- there is no room to pull them all the way through after I'm in.  Then I am lying there just millimeters from wheels on either side, and even though I know the spring brakes are solid, I'm still breathing hard with my pulse rate way up.

I'll post my findings after I've been to the hose shop.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[Busted Knuckle]

Sean,
If worse comes to worse Setra is about 1.5 hrs away in Orlando and I know they use metric!
  BK 

[rv_safetyman]

Sean, I am sure you will take the "T" as well.  It may have a fitting that easier to adapt to.  It would be wonderful if it was pipe and then you could get things connected from there.  You would still need to worry about the other end though. 

Don't forget to consider the possibility of reusing the existing fittings and putting new hoses on.  They would not need to crimp/swage the fitting on.  I would think that a good worm clamp would work at the typical air pressure.

Jim

[Sean]

I got the last two 14mm DIN fittings at the Tampa ParkerStore.  They had to use hydraulic hose, so they told me they had to perforate it for air use, which was a new one on me.  Apparently the impermeable covering tends to bubble as the air permeates the rubber.

The fittings are a tight fit onto the tee, but I think that may be because the gorilla that tightened down the last fittings may have deformed the threads.  He had a 14mm cap in the store that threaded just fine into both my old hose and the new one.

Not sure when I will get a chance to crawl back under there to install it, as we are no longer parked on a good surface for that.  I will post the results on my blog when it is in.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com