The Pros and Cons of Rubber Industrial Hose Assemblies

19 April 2016
 Categories: Industrial & Manufacturing, Blog


Are you wondering whether you should change from one type of hose assembly for your industrial equipment? Read on and discover some of the pros and cons of rubber industrial hose assemblies. Use this information to help you to decide whether this type of hose would be right for your application.

The Pros

They are easy to route. Rubber industrial hose assemblies (hoses, couplings and crimps, for example) are relatively easier to route under, over, through or around several obstacles due to the flexibility of rubber. This makes rubber assemblies an ideal material to use if hydraulic lines have to snake their way through a complex maze of equipment parts. This ease of routing makes these hoses easy to replace when your equipment is in the field.

They can cope with vibration. Rubber industrial hose assemblies have a better ability to withstand the damaging effects of vibration as equipment is operating. This is unlike other kinds of assemblies, such as metal tube assemblies, that will gradually wear when exposed to vibratory forces.

They are readily available. Rubber hoses and their fittings are available in a wide range of sizes and pressure ratings. This makes them very popular among owners of hydraulic equipment. Consequently, many manufacturers avail rubber assemblies for use in a wide variety of applications. This makes it very easy for you to find any specification of rubber hoses that you may need for your equipment.

The Cons

They consume more space. Industrial hoses and fittings made from rubber have a thicker external diameter when compared to other hose types, such as metal flex hoses. This added external diameter is intended to give rubber assemblies greater strength and pressure resistance. Consequently, rubber hoses may not be an ideal choice in case space economy is an important factor in the equipment where they will be used.

They wear out relatively quickly. Rubber hoses and their assemblies gradually degrade as they interact with the fluid that they are transporting, such as oil. The rubber is also affected by exposure to heat. This makes the hoses to have a shorter lifespan when compared to metal assemblies that easily dissipate heat and remain unaffected by the temperature of the fluid transported.

The decision to change from one type of hose assembly to another should be made on a whim. Weigh all the pros and pitfalls of the materials available in relation to your specific industrial application. You can involve hose assembly experts in this decision-making process so that you do not make any costly mistakes when you acquire the wrong hose type for your equipment. Contact a company like Hose Mania for more information.


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