When Parker Hose Products Division's high-pressure, no-skive Compact Spiral hose was introduced in 2009, it raised the bar for flexibility, strength, endurance and weight. Now Parker is adding two new, heavy-duty hose sizes common to off-road equipment used by mining, forestry, and oil and gas companies, -24 and -32, as well as adding new fitting end configurations for many applications.
The -24 and -32 Compact Spiral hoses are available in 5,000 psi (787TC) and 6,000 psi (797TC). Both weigh less than standard SAE spiral hose, have smaller ODs (outside diameters) and smaller bending radii. For larger hose sizes, weight reduction and improved flexibility are particularly significant advantages. Standard -24 and -32 spiral hoses are nearly rigid, which imposes design limitations and makes hose assembly routing difficult, exhausting and time consuming.
Parker's Compact Spiral hose is nearly 30% smaller and up to 26% lighter. Its bend radius is half that of SAE spiral hose, and it takes one-third less effort to bend. Those attributes provide heavy-equipment OEM design engineers new opportunities for more efficient hose routing paths and make installing or replacing damaged hoses easier.
A minimum bend radius does not necessarily mean that an installer can easily bend the hose into that shape. The proprietary design and construction of Compact Spiral hose makes it the most flexible hose in the most difficult to achieve international standard - ISO 18752. By using Compact Spiral, installers can save valuable time and effort when routing hoses in their equipment.
Since its introduction, Compact Spiral hose has made significant inroads with OEMs in off-highway, truck and trailer, and industrial machinery applications. Users cite both the design and assembly advantages of the hose - it requires a smaller footprint, is easier to connect and reduces installer fatigue.
Along with the new hose sizes, Parker added more than 60 new fitting end configurations to its 77 Series steel fitting line for Compact Spiral hose. Nearly 300 fitting configurations are now available.
