Whether it’s a scraper, a loader, a bulldozer, or a drill rig—most mining equipment requires a hydraulic hose to operate the machinery correctly, according to Motion Australia’s Aaron Bryer.
“Hydraulic hose fittings, adaptors and accessories are really important for mining equipment,” he explains. “The hose is the critical transfer item on pumps to extract a particular fluid or medium from a charged area. Hydraulic hose and pumps are the key components in any mining extraction method essentially.”
“If you look at a loader or a digger which articulates up and down, there will be a pump that is forcing the liquid or medium, which will later discharge through a hose,” he continues.
“To put things in perspective, the pressure rate in one of these hoses is going to be up to 6000 psi going through a half inch hose. So, the quality of the hose is imperative for the functionality of the equipment, but also the safety of the setup, because obviously that level of pressure needs to be handled with care.”
“In particular jumbo drill rigs in underground mining have strands of hose that twist around a rail pulsating backwards and forwards and can subject to failure that will happen very quickly,” he adds.
As the Hydraulic Hose and Fittings Category Manager, Aaron looks after Motion Australia’s business side strategies and market channels within their hydraulic hose portfolio, under the business group department of Flow Technologies. He has been the industry for 15 years and knows his way around fluid transfers and connection products for the heavy industrial sector.
Over the past 12 months, Motion Australia in partnership with
Gates®— a notable Strategic OEM Supplier to the market—has introduced new hydraulic hose capabilities and fluid transfer services to Motion customers within the mining and quarrying segments.
At the same time, Gates® has introduced an entirely new standard range of hydraulic hose products into the market: The Gates® MegaSys™ MXT™ and MegaSys™ MXG™ 4K and 5K Hydraulic Hose range styles—”a feat of engineering that achieves a lightweight and flexible new hose construction technology and a giant leap forward for materials science and process innovation,” according to Gates® engineers.
A significant benefit of the new hose design, according to Aaron, is that it is formulated around Gates’ invention: an outer cover compound that enhances abrasion and ozone resistance. “Combine this with the new Gates® XtraTuff™ Plus wire braid reinforcement technology and the construction offers more wire than a conventional two-wire hose,” says Aaron.
“This new range of hydraulic hose products are really challenging the traditional style of hydraulic hose by offering more freedom around the flexibility with about 40% more flexible force event ratio,” he explains.
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