Air hose repair and new hose recommendations?

[Mike Manning]

I keep a box of air hose repair fittings and hose clamps in the shop because it seems like something is always springing a leak. You can re-use the factory fitting without too much trouble. I cut the crimped-on ferrule off using a dremel tool cutoff wheel (cut along the long axis in two places and peel it off with pliers), then cut the hose back and use a small hose clamp to hold the fitting in place.

That's definitely the most resourceful answer yet Dave! Not to say they haven't all been great ideas and suggestions but that one should let me fix the hose without a dime out of pocket.

[Allan Dozier]

I have repaired air hoses with the ear clamps similar to Tom's. Mine are Oetiker clamps I bought for some boat repair. I also adapted a rubber air hose to supply air to a lift in the center of a concrete slab through conduit with the same clamps. All are working fine.
As a side note, I replaced all my quick connects (mostly Milton) with Prevost ones. They have been super. No air leaks like the Miltons and they release in two steps so no hose ends flying around.

[Tom M King]

By the time I ever saw a Prevost coupler, I was so heavily invested in Milton couplers, and plugs that it would not be worth it to change. I have way too many air tools to have a coupler on each tool, so each air tool has a plug, and the hose end has the coupler. The Milton coupler does not let air out at release, so the hose does not fly around.

Another advantage of the ear type clamps is that you can use the couplers, and plugs with the built in hose barb, so the minimum stuff is on the end of the hose. You can use an ear type clamp, and not have to own a fancy crimper that you can get back off the hose if you use the coupler with the built in barb.

The edges of the two eared clamps are rounded over, and I don't remember ever scratching anything with one. They are tucked up close to the coupler anyway, so the body of the coupler is much wider than the ears stick out anyway.

I looked, but couldn't find a place online that sells singles of the 2 eared clamp.

When a hose coupler wears out, I can get them off by driving the smallest size nail set into the ear, and twisting it to open it up. I have reused them, when I wasn't where my spares are.

[Ole Anderson]

My portable Husky compressor gets used mainly for nail guns. I recently bought a 50' 1/4" poly hose for it. Might be a Flexeel. Works way better as far as coils and tangles, than my old 3/8" vinyl hose. Hose with the least memory and best cold weather performance? Rubber. Also the thickest. I use a Flexeel 3/8" size hose on a reel in my garage off my bigger compressor, needed to get the air to bigger tools, particularly the impact wrench. Nail guns don't use much air, 1/4" size hose is fine.

[John K Jordan]

I've cut air hoses on purpose (to make them shorter) and put on plenty of ends. I use hose clamps on hose barbs. Also, the local welding supply store will put new ends on nearly any size of hose for cheap and the results looks like a factory crimp.

JKJ

[Lisa Starr]

You can purchase a replacement end that is a compression style from McMaster-Carr:

Fittings
Fittings come with everything you need to assemble them. Fittings that swivel until tightened are easy to install. Fittings with aspring guard prevent kinking.

				Male Straight (Swivels Until Tightened)		Male Straight		Male 90° Elbow		Female Straight
For Hose ID	Pipe Size	Connection	Max. Pressure		Each		Each		Each		Each
1/8"	1/8	Brass Threaded NPT with Spring Guard	300 psi @ 72° F	5644K51	$10.02	5644K61	$2.94	5644K81	$3.87	______	__
3/16"	1/4	Brass Threaded NPT with Spring Guard	285 psi @ 72° F	5644K52	18.43	5644K62	2.93	5644K82	4.39	5644K71	$3.01
1/4"	1/4	Brass Threaded NPT with Spring Guard	240 psi @ 72° F	5644K53	7.26	5644K63	2.93	5644K83	5.18	5644K72	2.89
5/16"	1/4	Brass Threaded NPT with Spring Guard	210 psi @ 72° F	5644K54	18.32	5644K64	3.20	5644K84	5.88	5644K73	3.59
3/8"	3/8	Brass Threaded NPT with Spring Guard	225 psi @ 72° F	5644K55	11.15	5644K65	5.23	5644K85	6.48	5644K74	5.17
1/2"	1/2	Brass Threaded NPT with Spring Guard	220 psi @ 72° F	5644K56	18.27	5644K66	9.67	5644K86	8.62	5644K75	8.06
3/4"	3/4	Brass Threaded NPT	160 psi @ 72° F	5644K57	70.02	______	__	______	__	______	__

They also sell the coil style hose by the foot, so you can make up the length you want.

[Tom M King]

I forgot about these: I know we're not supposed to post a link to the auction site here, but copy and paste this into the search box there:

Flexzilla 1/4" Air Hose Field Repairable Hose End Legacy RP900250 Aluminum New

[Mike Manning]

I was in Lowe's yesterday and took a look at their air hoses. They had two Hitachi Koki hoses 1/4" x 50'. One is called a Hybrid hose and the other is Polyurethane. Even though the hose is 1/4" (I assume that's ID.) the brass connectors look like they are the same OD as on my 3/8" hose. The hybrid hose is $19.98 and the poly hose is $23.98. I'm wondering if these would be reasonable options considering how I use my air compressor?

Does anyone have any hands-on experience with these hoses? Would you mind sharing?

IMG_6439.jpgIMG_6441.jpg

Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

The poly hose is very similar to the Flexeel hoses I use...except for the color. That would be the one I'd choose of the two, personally...

[John K Jordan]

I have some lightweight 100' lengths of hose I think is similar to the hybrid hose you show. These were great until one day one mysteriously developed a huge number of tiny pinholes on one end. I cut that end of and moved the fitting and the rest of the hose has been ok.

If I need more hose I think I'll buy a better quality. (I sometimes run 2-300' of hose to some point on the farm, even when I have enough 10 and 12 gauge extensions cords to put a portable air compressor at the site - long air hoses are far better than shorter air hoses and long extension cords.)

JKJ

[Mike Manning]

The poly hose is very similar to the Flexeel hoses I use...except for the color. That would be the one I'd choose of the two, personally...

Jim, I noticed a "tackiness" with the poly hose IIRC. Has that ever been a problem or an annoyance in any way?

[Rick Potter]

+1 on what Dave Cav said. I have done this several times. Perfect way to go on the one you are selling.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, I noticed a "tackiness" with the poly hose IIRC. Has that ever been a problem or an annoyance in any way?

I'm not sure why there would be an "tackiness" with the poly hose...mine are not like that. The Flexilla "foamy" (hybrid" hose in my real is kinda like that, however. I don't like it nearly as much as the Flexeel hoses, but it serves a purpose with it's retractability. I have an air system in my shop, so I use a combination of "coiled" polyurethane hoses and "regular" polyurethane hoses; the former for pneumatic tools and the latter generally for spraying an when I need the distance.

[Mike Manning]

I'm not sure why there would be an "tackiness" with the poly hose...mine are not like that. The Flexilla "foamy" (hybrid" hose in my real is kinda like that, however. I don't like it nearly as much as the Flexeel hoses, but it serves a purpose with it's retractability. I have an air system in my shop, so I use a combination of "coiled" polyurethane hoses and "regular" polyurethane hoses; the former for pneumatic tools and the latter generally for spraying an when I need the distance.

Okay...That's why I put the IIRC (If I recall correctly) and I didn't. I watched a Youtube video yesterday and I guess it was the hybrid hose. I looked at both poly and hybrid Hitachi hoses and recalled one of them was tacky. Again, must have been the hybrid. Thanks for clarifying!

[Tom M King]

I used a Flexzilla repair end today, on a 1/4" Polyurethane (one of the cheap blue ones) hose not of their brand. I had ordered it from Amazon for $5.14 with free shipping a couple of days ago. I had to soak the end of the hose under hot water to get it over the barb, but after it was warm, it wasn't too difficult to get it on.

Don't try to save money, and buy the cheap polyurethane hoses with the blue rubberish "strain reliefs". I've seen those sold under several brand names, like at Tractor Supply, and the one I fixed today was one of those. The hose itself seems fine, but that kind of hose does kink easily, but doesn't seem to suffer any damage after straightening the kink.

The design of that Flexilla end seems pretty good, but it is made of plastic, but hopefully some really tough plastic. They have their whole line of hoses coming with that same end, in all the sizes, so it must be pretty well tested. The strain relief is a good design, and snaps over the fitting pretty securely.

I use the 1/4" urethane hoses in finished houses, and keep them clean just for that use. They won't feed a big framing nailer as fast, and long as you want to bump nail it, but you need a BIG compressor for than anway. For Framing nailers, and almost everything else, I use a 3/8 braided hose-sorry don't know the makeup exactly, but 2-100 foot hoses have been in use since 1975, and worn out a few of all ends over that time, but hose is still just fine.

A 3/8" hose won't feed a 3/4" impact gun for very long, but will operate a 1/2" impact gun as much as you want to use it. For the 3/4" gun, a 1/2" hose gets the call, but I don't use that often enough to put extra money in the hose, so it's one of the cheaper ones, and I don't like dragging a 1/2" hose around any more than absolutely necessary anyway. The same goes for the rock drill, and small jack hammer, which require a 3/4" hose to get any work at all out of them, and I still have to wait for the 10hp compressor sometimes with them, but don't want to buy, or rent, and listen to a diesel generator. Those get used so seldom, that I also went the cheapest way possible on the 3/4" hoses.

Over the years, I've had various rubber hoses, but most have been tossed because they get so dirty that I don't want to drag them over anything, or even around in the mechanic shop.

edited to add: I've ordered two more, different types, of all brass replacement ends for the 1/4" hose. I'll post pictures when they come. I expect short lives out of the remaining three ends, on the two 1/4" urethane hoses I have.