Hydraulic Test Equipment

[Junkyard]

Hello fellow wrench turners and knuckle busters! I'm curious what you guys have for test set ups. Store bought? Accumulated over time? I have a few odds and ends but far from complete. I've looked at various kits and darn sure won't buy anything made in China. Some of our stuff has test fittings on it, some doesn't. Are the kits with the JIC and FFO tees worth the cash? One of those would cover 99% of our iron and my side work as well. I like the idea of having the test port in the tee so I can jump from point to point once I'm tapped in without a mess. Assuming I have enough tees. Digital gauges worth it? Is there anything you've discovered that you can't live without? If this is covered elsewhere please forgive the redundant post.

Thanks!

Junkyard

 

[ETER]

Howdy Junkyard, I use my 1/4" NPT Accu-check fittings...a lot (when t'd in), with various liquid filled gauges up to 5K psi. (but would like to have digital when the gauge box is riding in the back of the truck when it is -20 and the liquid seems to come out of the gauges?) Do you have a pressure/flow tester in your kit?
Regards, Bob

 

[Junkyard]

I have an older OTC (I think) flow meter that I ended up with when a friend retired and closed his shop. He only did older AG stuff so I think it tops out at 30 GPM or so. It's also bulky and heavy compared to some of the more modern things I've looked at. It seldom gets cold enough here for the glycerin to freeze but I've had several cheap gauges leak or in one case checking high pressure side of a 7.3 powerstroke the gauge gave up and I got darn close to getting an oil bath. So it's name brand gauges for me and possibly a digital or two. Most of what I have is a mismatch and I hate digging through a bucket of fittings to hook up. I like nice boxes with a place for things. I manage about 14 pieces of iron from a kubota tractor to a D11 so anything that saves time and space is a worthwhile investment. Thanks for the input!

Junkyard

 

[theironoracle]

Junkyard,

I purchased kits from Hydracheck. These guys are dedicated to the hydraulic testing equipment and information. I carry in my service truck a flow meter kit 50 or 60 gpm? Also a set of t-taps both jic and ffo. Also I went with the digital gauges and would never go back. I get my cap and plug kits from ferry industries, pretty they are all Chinese but to me this keeps me from worrying about where I leave them.....TIO

 

[mikebramel]

I would get the Ts from Tifco, they are the most compact. There kits are also very nice. But expensive.

I have digital as my primary, but also have set of analog gauges for when you need to see the sweep. When it comes to the digital, I originally had Parker. They are well built, but the screen is slow. The Precision Digital / Tifco / Ashcroft are very quick. Maybe 10hz.... compared to 2 LOL

 

[Junkyard]

I had actually looked at those and wondered if they were worth it. That confirms my thoughts so I think I will dig into picking a setup. Thanks guys!

Junkyard

 

[excavator]

Keep an eye on EBAY. A few years ago I picked up a large Tifco set, ($4500.00 new) for $400.00 and it appeared that only 1 or 2 fittings had been used. You have to watch every day but there are some deals there.

 

[ETER]

Ditto on the Epay...have saved a ton of money over the last few years between epay and craigslist. The days of good live auctions seem to be going the way of the dodo bird
Regards, Bob

 

[Junkyard]

I've had good luck on eBay with big sockets, torque multipliers, other odds and ends. I'm on there almost every evening. It's very rare to see stuff I want or need but perseverance pays off! Our brands of equipment varies so much which makes it a little more of a challenge. Oh well, if it was easy everybody would do it!

Junkyard