What to Bring to the Hydraulics Counter

Start with the part itself

The fastest way to get the right hydraulic part is to bring the old one. Not a description from memory, and not only a photo, but the actual part, even if it's cracked, leaking or caked in grime. Someone who handles hydraulic parts every day can read a lot from a worn seal, a stripped fitting or a bent rod. Put the part in a bag or a box so the oil stays off your seat, and bring it in.

If the part is too big to carry, collect the details below before you call or stop in.

Find the nameplate and stamped numbers

Most pumps, motors and valves carry a tag or a stamping somewhere on the body. Look for a small metal plate held on with rivets, or numbers stamped right into the casting near a port or the mounting flange. Wipe the surface with a rag first. Years of oil and dust hide numbers, and a part with a legible number can usually be matched quickly.

Write down everything you see: the manufacturer's name, the model, the part number, the serial number, any date codes, and any arrows or letters near the ports. Arrows often show rotation direction, which matters on a pump. Then take a clear photo with your phone, straight on, plus one from the side showing how the part mounts.

C & C Hydraulics lists pump brands from Borg-Warner and Char-Lynn to Vickers and White, along with plenty of makers in between. If you can read a name off the housing, say it. Even when the number has worn away, the brand and the shape of the mounting flange narrow the search fast.

Measure a cylinder five ways

A cylinder is described by a handful of dimensions, and you can get all of them with a tape measure and a little patience. Write these down:

• Bore: the inside diameter of the tube. If the cylinder is assembled, measure across the outside of the tube and subtract the wall thickness.
• Rod diameter: measure the chrome rod at its widest point, with calipers if you have them.
• Stroke: the travel. Measure the rod fully extended, then fully retracted, and subtract one from the other.
• Closed length: the distance between the mounting points with the rod all the way in.
• Mounting style and ports: clevis, cross tube, flange or threaded end, plus the size and type of the oil ports.

Add the name of the machine and which cylinder it is. A tractor loader can have two or three cylinders that look alike but aren't the same size. If you only need seals, the bore, rod diameter and the condition of the grooves matter most, which is one more reason to bring the rod end and gland along if you can't bring the whole cylinder.

Identify the thread before you guess

Hydraulic fittings look alike and aren't. A fitting that spins on by hand and then locks up usually means two thread families are being mixed. There are a few common ones. NPT is a tapered pipe thread that seals by wedging into its mate. JIC has a 37 degree flared seat and straight threads, and the seal happens at the flare, not in the threads. ORFS, the flat face o-ring seal, uses an o-ring set into the face of the fitting. O-ring boss ports have straight threads with an o-ring near the base.

To tell them apart, look at the threads first. Tapered threads get narrower toward the end, and straight threads stay the same diameter. Then look at the end face: a cone points toward JIC, and a groove holding an o-ring points toward ORFS or a boss port. If you have a thread pitch gauge, count threads per inch and measure the outside diameter of the male thread. If you don't, bring the fitting.

Never force a fitting that doesn't want to thread. Forcing it damages both sides of the joint, and then you need two parts instead of one.

For hoses, bring the whole assembly

If a hose has failed, keep both ends attached to whatever is left of it. Once the hose is cut apart, the length and the end configuration are gone. Check the printed layline on the cover, which often shows a size and rating. Note the angle of each end and which way it points. C & C carries high pressure, low pressure and pressure washer hoses, and hose assemblies, so the old hose tells the counter what you're replacing.

Tell them how the machine is used

Numbers are half the story. The other half is what the machine does. Tell the counter what it is, the approximate age, what symptom you're chasing and what you've already replaced. A log splitter that slows down once it warms up tells a different story than one that won't build any pressure at all.

Not sure? Ask first

You don't have to figure it all out alone. C & C Hydraulics says the best way to know if they have your part is to contact them. Call (860) 582-0308, or email sales@cchydraulics.com with your photos and numbers. The shop is at 116 Wolcott Rd. in Terryville, open Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am to noon. A short call before you drive can save you the trip.