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Hydraulic Hose Crimping
Hydraulic hose crimping, while you wait
Crimping is a measurement, not a squeeze. The ferrule has to close to a specific diameter for that exact hose and fitting combination, and a few thousandths either side of it is the difference between an assembly that holds and one that comes apart. We crimp on hose you bring in or hose off our shelf, at both Long Island counters.
What It Is
A number on a caliper, not a feel in the hand
Crimping is how a fitting becomes part of a hose. The fitting slides over the tube, a ferrule or collar goes over the outside, and a set of dies closes around it under enough force to compress the whole stack into a permanent joint.
What makes it a skilled job rather than a strong one is that the correct amount of compression is published. The fitting manufacturer specifies a crimp diameter for each hose and fitting pairing, and a die number to achieve it. The machine is set to that specification, the joint is crimped, and then the finished diameter is measured with a caliper to confirm it landed inside tolerance. That tolerance is measured in thousandths of an inch.
Too loose and the reinforcement is not gripped hard enough. The joint holds at rest, then pushes the fitting off when the system sees pressure. Too tight and the dies cut into the wire braid itself, which weakens exactly the layer that was supposed to carry the load. Both failures look fine from the outside, which is why the caliper matters more than the operator's confidence.
Every employee here is certified in hydraulic hose assembly, so the machine gets set from the specification rather than from memory, and the result gets checked before it leaves the counter.
Try It
What a few thousandths actually does
Drag the slider to change the crimp diameter on this joint. The correct window is narrower than most people expect, and both sides of it fail in different ways.
The joint holds at rated pressure
The ferrule has closed to the diameter the fitting manufacturer published for this hose. The reinforcement is gripped along its full length without being cut, and the assembly will run at its rated working pressure with the full design margin intact.
The Service
Bring the hose, or buy it here
Crimping on hose you supply
Plenty of shops carry bulk hose and only need the ends put on properly. Bring the hose and the fittings, or bring the hose and buy the fittings here, and we will terminate it to the correct specification for that pairing.
What we will ask about first is the hose itself, because the crimp specification is tied to the hose brand and construction as well as the fitting. An unmarked length with no layline left makes that harder, so bring the packaging or a marked offcut if you have one.
Crimping on hose off our shelf
Over 100,000 feet in stock across braid and spiral construction from 1/8 inch through 2 inch, with tens of thousands of fittings on the wall. When the hose and the fitting both come from here, the specification is already known and the job takes minutes.
Buying by the foot is available through hydraulic hoses, and the ends through hydraulic fittings and adapters.
If you would rather crimp in your own shop, we sell the machines and the dies and train your crew on site. Hundreds of Moreland crimpers are already running across the metro area, and depending on purchase volume a shop may qualify for discounted or free equipment. See crimping machines.
What Goes Wrong
Why field crimps come back
A portable crimper on a truck is a useful thing to own. These are the reasons the joints made on one sometimes do not last, and all of them are avoidable.
The die was close, not correct
Die sets are specific to a hose and fitting pairing. Reaching for the nearest size because the exact one is not in the case produces a joint that measures wrong and behaves worse.
Nobody measured afterwards
The crimp diameter is confirmed with a caliper, not assumed from the machine setting. Machines drift, dies wear, and an unverified crimp is a guess with a fitting attached to it.
Mixed brands, mismatched spec
A fitting from one manufacturer on hose from another has no published crimp specification between them. It sometimes works and sometimes does not, and you find out under pressure.
The hose was cut with the wrong tool
A ragged cut leaves reinforcement wire splayed at the end. That wire either does not seat under the ferrule or punctures the tube, and neither shows once the fitting is on.
Insertion depth was short
The fitting has to be pushed fully onto the hose before crimping. Stop short and the ferrule grips less material than the specification assumes, which is a slow blow-off waiting for a hot day.
Machine calibration was overdue
Crimpers need checking against a known standard. One that has been running on a truck through two winters without a calibration check is producing consistent results at the wrong number.
Once the assembly is built, the wider question of construction and pressure class is covered on hydraulic hose assemblies, and end fitting standards on custom hose assembly.
Before You Come In
Common questions
Yes, that is a normal part of the counter. Bring the hose and the fittings, or bring the hose and buy the fittings here. The one thing we will ask about is what the hose actually is, because the crimp specification depends on the hose construction and brand as well as the fitting. A marked offcut or the packaging helps if the layline is gone.
Minutes for a standard assembly. Most customers wait at the counter and leave with the finished hose. Larger bore, flange ends or an unusual pairing that needs the specification looked up will take longer, and we will say so before you settle in to wait.
It depends on the type. Reusable field-attachable fittings are designed to come off and go back on. Crimped fittings are not, because the ferrule has already been permanently deformed, and a second crimp on the same ferrule will not hold to specification. We will tell you which you have when you bring it in.
From 1/8 inch through 2 inch, across one and two wire braid and four to six spiral construction, up to 6,000 psi. Both shops run the same equipment, so the capability is identical at Hempstead and at Oakdale.
The finished diameter gets measured with a caliper against the published specification before the assembly leaves. You are welcome to watch it happen, and plenty of customers do. Assemblies are also checked as a whole before they go out the door.
If you are replacing hoses regularly it usually pays for itself. We sell the machines and the die sets, train your crew on site, and keep you stocked with the hose and fittings that feed it. Depending on purchase volume a shop may qualify for discounted or free equipment. Ask at either counter or through the contact page.
Get It Terminated
Walk in with the hose
No appointment, no order to place. Bring the hose and the fittings, or just the machine details, and someone will tell you what it needs and how fast it can be ready.