The Critical Protection (CP) hose cover from Parker Hannifin is designed to protect hydraulic hoses on mobile equipment operating in harsh environments. It incorporates patent-pending technology which protects against external damage.
Key features of the CP hose cover include:
- abrasion resistance
- allows hoses to retain flexibility
- operating temperature of -40 to 275 F
- MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) approved
READ MORE: Hose Safety and Reliability in Mining
Durability Ensures Hose Performance
Parker developed the CP hose cover after studying why its hydraulic hoses were failing in the field. Falling debris and other external factors were causing hose covers to be removed when used in harsh environments such as forestry and mining. This caused hydraulic hoses to become more susceptible to damage and eventual failure.
As unplanned downtime can be costly in heavy machinery applications, ensuring the durability of components like hoses is critical. Therefore, Parker developed the CP hose cover to prevent damage and reduce downtime as well as maintenance.
The CP hose cover's patent-pending design ensures the cover is not removed should a rock, tree branch or other object fall on the hydraulic hose said Greg Reardon, Business Development Manager at Parker Hannifin, in an interview with Power & Motion. In addition, the cover does not limit the flexibility of the hose so it remains easy to install for OEM customers.
Reardon said often a heavy plastic sleeve is placed on the hose or OEMs create a guarding in their machines to protect hydraulic hoses. However, these options can be expensive and not as effective. The CP hose cover provides an alternative which overcomes these challenges.
In addition, the cover is designed to protect against impacts and abrasion to provide further durability in harsh environments. Tested using ISO 6945 showed results in line with other abrasion-resistant hose designs.
Reardon sees the CP hose cover benefitting a range of heavy equipment. One of the field tests Parker conducted for the hose cover was in an underground mining application which can be a particularly harsh operating environment.
After conducting side-by-side testing of the hose cover and a traditional hydraulic hose, Reardon said it was determined the cover could double the life of the hose in this application. "That's a significant savings for [the customer]," he said.
