Adapting JIC from 3/8” to 1/2”?

[hayden]

Are you looking to directly (or as directly as possible) connect the quick connects to the valve, or would there be hoses between them? In the pictures they seem separated, but maybe you are changing that?

If direct connect, you can get female to female JIC swivels with different sizes on each end. I agree with others that its also worth checking whether the valve end are ORB. They sure look like it, but you thought some were not? If the are, I'd look at removing the ORB to JIC Male, and look at replacing with an ORB to JIC Female that will connect directly to the couplers? Also check the couplers to see if they are actually ORB with JIC fittings attached? Maybe an ORB male to ORB amle will allow a direct connection without all the intermediate adapters.

 

[threepiece]

Are you the guy that bought the valve for $1 or some crazy price at an auction?

If so, you're paying for it now, LOL. Good luck. Cheap or free isn't always a good deal.

If not, it seems crazy that a regular spool valve has two different ports.

Yes, I bought this valve at the scrap yard for about $4.

The issues I am having have nothing to do with the valve and everything to do with my desire to plumb it with steel lines as opposed to flexible hose. Had I chose to use flexible hose this installation would have been done two weeks ago and this thread would not exist.

This is my first endeavor into hydraulics. While I may be paying a price for doing it this way, I am also getting an education that I will likely use in the future. A good deal if you ask me.

 

[threepiece]

Are you looking to directly (or as directly as possible) connect the quick connects to the valve, or would there be hoses between them? In the pictures they seem separated, but maybe you are changing that?

If direct connect, you can get female to female JIC swivels with different sizes on each end. I agree with others that its also worth checking whether the valve end are ORB. They sure look like it, but you thought some were not? If the are, I'd look at removing the ORB to JIC Male, and look at replacing with an ORB to JIC Female that will connect directly to the couplers? Also check the couplers to see if they are actually ORB with JIC fittings attached? Maybe an ORB male to ORB amle will allow a direct connection without all the intermediate adapters.

I plan to plumb with 1/2” steel tubing from the valve to the connectors. I want to use flexible hose only where flex is necessary.

The coupler body is essentially one piece with a 1/2” JIC machined on the end.

While the six fittings in the work ports look like ORB, three of them are special. The special ones have an additional O-ring on the bottom face. I’m not sure the purpose but I don’t want to change anything there. All six fittings have 3/8” male JIC to connect to.

I have a ridiculous amount of time in this project because my shop is 200 miles away, I have little hydraulic experience and a stubborn desire to archive a clean installation.

 

[Sportsman762]

I have a problem with making things work were they should not. Sometimes it costs me way more money than if I did it with proper stuff. Generally I end up hating the extra work it caused me, but I keep trying to shoe horn stuff together. So what your doing seems like a fun challenge.

I would use 1/2" tube.
On the valve end I would use flared fittings
Parker 8BTX-S nut and 8TX-S sleeve. They are pretty affordable. There are other brands but I am lazy and don't want to look their part numbers up.

UNMARKED 8 BTX-S NUT FITTING NSNB | eBay

Manufacturer's ID: 8 BTX-S NUT FITTING. Manufacturer: UNMARKED.

www.ebay.com

https://www.zoro.com/triple-lok-sleeve-8-tx-s/i/G5003915/

Next I would ditch the bulkhead fittings. I am assuming you have 1/2" npt couplers. In their place I would use 1/2" tube bite style to 1/2" NPT bulkhead couplers. There might be other brands but the Swagelok SS-810-1-8 fits the bill

Amazon.com

Its probably cheaper to use hose, but whats the fun in that.

 

[hayden]

I have never made rigid hydraulic lines, but imagine it requires a certain amount of specialized equipment and materials to deal with the high pressure. What sort of pipe? How do you bend it? How do you put a JIC flare on the end? What sort of nuts and collars or other stuff is needed? I don't think it's like working with copper pipe, or even brake line pipes. Maybe someone has experience fabbing hard hydraulic lines and can speak to this?

 

[Sportsman762]

Its more like bending conduit since you cannot really undo the bend, and your trying to line everything up. For 1/2" I use carbon steel or stainless seamless tubing.

https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-tubing-seamless-12-in-6-ft-1010-carbon-max-pressure-3283-psi-at-72-degrees-f-3ccj6/i/G1603987/

https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-12-od-x-6-ft-seamless-316-stainless-steel-tubing-zusa-htm-106/i/G0657036/

To bend it I use a Parker #8 sliding block. For larger tubing I use geared Ridgid benders.
To flare it I use a Ridgid 377 that has an eccentric head so it is not trying to flare all the tube at once.
To cut it I use a Ridgid 15-SI cutter with the correct wheel for stainless
To deburr it I use a Ridgid 223S.


To put a fitting on the end you have two main options:
Flareless.
These are bite to tube fittings, you cut the tube, deburr it, then clean the outside, slide it on then tighten the collar. The advantage of this is that you can get lots of different types of threads, the downside is they are expensive and bulky.

Flared fitting.
Your mostly limited to female JIC 37 degree, or SAE 45 degree of the size that your tube is. They are cheap, and compact. Downside is that the require special tools to make, and you are limited on thread options.

Also I suck at it. Buy 3x the tubing I need and cuss at it the whole time as I fill the scrap bin. Having the right tools does not mean your an expert.

 

[ptsg]

Doing this with metric tubing would be as easy as it gets. Pretty much just needed a tube bender for the bends and a pipe cutter (not necessarily needed but makes the job easier).

DIN2353 crimp fittings would make it very easy and simple to use as there is no need for flare. Just slide the tube all the way inside the fitting till it stops and tighten the nut.

L series tubing would handle all the pressure that machine can produce and it's still easier to bend compared to the thicker S series tubing.

That's the route I went when I built the loader for a Kubota B7000 way back in the day. More recently, for the Branson, I also used hard lines but machined and welded the fittings on the tubing.

 

[Sportsman762]

DIN2353 crimp fittings would make it very easy and simple to use as there is no need for flare. Just slide the tube all the way inside the fitting till it stops and tighten the nut.

That is the type of tube bite fittings I was refering to. Your skills with tubing fabrication are amazing.