Is there a quality difference in Quick Couplers

[gtrippleb]

I'm wondering if there are quality differences in quick couplers? The size of the couplers are 3/8.

The reason I ask is I had a dealer give me some prices for some quick couplers from Woods that are used in a Woods kit to plumb a remote to hook up a woods backhoe. The price the dealer gave me was roughly $45 a piece for the male and female quick couplers. Looking at Surplus Center's website, Surplus Center - FEMALE QUICK COUPLER, it looks like similar quick couplers are $4. That's a big price difference. Unless the ones from Woods are made of high priced material, I can't see a justification in the price difference. Another thing that surprises me in regards to the price, is that a 20" x 9/16 JICF x 9/16 JICF hose is roughly $20 dollars less than the coupler from Woods. I would think the hoses would cost more than the quick couplers.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[crash325]

JJ when he gets up from his nap will have the best answer.

Recently had to 5' hoses made up to run the log splitter. NH dealer does not make up hoses although he has a good supply QD fittings. He sent me to an industrial hose supply co.

The standard fittings at NH are a lot smaller in size (Not the part that plugs in) than the industrial fittings. I don't remember the exact price, but the industrial fittings cost roughly twice as much as the NH parts.

It took the girl ( A very healthy girl.) about 20 minuets to make up 2 hoses for me. At only twice what I expected to pay.

 

[J_J]

Remember the hoses, fittings and other stuff from Surplus Hydraulics is over runs, close outs, but some of the stuff can be name brands. If you go to a hyd shop, and tell them you want the best, it will cost much more. If you have the time, shop around. The material that comes on tractors, are not necessarily the best. A good bit of it is foreign. I haven't come across a particular brand that fails more often than others. I have seen name brand fittings fail, and some of the fittings and hoses will last 40 to 60 years.

Nobody intends to buy inferior products, but some one will say they have a better part.

I use the Faster QD's, and they are not expensive.

There are good deals to be had at Surplus Hydraulics, but shop around and take advantage of the internet sales.

The QD that will work on your machine, will vary in price from $6 to $40. Does the same job.

Some people are fixed on name brands while most of us will use what is available.

 

[nickel plate]

I recently bought six sets of Pioneer 8010-4/4050-4 1/2" QDs for my grapple install and after shopping the local hydraulic shops and the on-line stores I found them at TSC for $16.99 a set. I tried to order them on their website but could only get one set to hit the shopping cart?? LSS, I wound up buying them at a TSC thirty miles from my home.
I seem to remember that 3/8" QDs were typically quite more money than the 1/2" sets. They seem to be a little easier to work due to their larger size. You can use 1/2" QDs on your 3/8" hoses with no extra adaptors-that's what I'm doing.

 

[gtrippleb]

Thanks for all of the information. I'm new to the whole hydraulic stuff so I figured there had to be a reason.

I'm starting to put together what I need for adding rear hydraulics to my SC2400 and when the dealer gave me that price for the coupler that Woods uses, it just seemed kind of expensive. Granted I don't know what brand of coupler Woods uses so it could be a more expensive one.

 

[Chilly807]

IIRC, the Parker QCs I used on mine were about $25 a set. Compatible with Pioneer, I think. Good quality, no leaks yet.

Sean

 

[Dan in CT]

I bought a set of 3/8" male connectors from DHH for about $6 each (made in China). They're plugged into the remotes right next to the two I bought from the dealer ($14 each, genuine Parkers). The cheap ones have a noticeably looser fit, and they weep under pressure.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I bought some Male QDs that were compatable with Parker/Pioneer 8010s or 4000 series from Discount Hydraulics for about $6. Dis Hyd are easier to deal with and much faster getting your order shipped than Surplus Center IMO. The QDs are fine and my Parker QDs on the rear remotes don't know the difference.

 

[slowzuki]

The female QD body is where the largest difference in quality shows up. I find the males are all pretty good. The cheap female couplers are a pita to use.

 

[Snaker]

IIRC, the Parker QCs I used on mine were about $25 a set. Compatible with Pioneer, I think. Good quality, no leaks yet.

Sean

QC quality generally falls into the "get what you pay for" territory. To be fair you might compare prices of the exact parts to see if your putting the dealers kid through college.

Chilly807 makes a good point. Different brands/versions may not fit togather (similar to air hose QC's). If you are considering buying your own, you might consider keeping all your equipment compatible. I have on occasion used oddball sets on connections that I don't switch around, but uniformity is handy.

 

[J_J]

Every manufacturer likes to think they have the best, and some people like to think the brand they use is the best. Most people use what is is on the machine, and match the implements to the tractor QD's. I have three different brands on my PT, Safeway, Faster, Pioneer and and they all work the same, and none have failed yet. Quality, who can say. Most can only talk about the ones that have failed, and then they bash the brand as unfit. It is really a matter of choice.

QD's like anything else, may fail, but there is usually a kit to fix it.

Money talks, but doesn't guarantee quality.

 

[beenthere]

I've always received good quality (no chinese knock-offs) from Surplus Center, and shop there whenever they have the size I need. Haven't found the midsize Deere QC's there of late. They are good to deal with, IMO.

 

[Discount Hydraulic Hose]

Something to keep in mind...

Your tractor manufacturer or backhoe manufacturer doesn't build quick disconnects, and the ones they put on their equipment are almost never proprietary. More likely, they are common equipment built to an industry standard.

In the case of hydraulic quick couplers, this is usually an ISO specification, such as ISO 5675 (more commonly known as Ag couplers or "Pioneer" couplers).

You can get replacement couplers from the dealer who sold you the tractor, but remember this. His business doesn't thrive or fail based on whether he can give you the best price on a small ticket item like a quick coupler. Of course not, his focus is on selling (and repairing) the whole tractor.

He stocks small parts like quick couplers for your convenience, and he expects to make a fair profit for doing so. Also, since he's rather low on the chain of supply, several other players have already put their own markup on those part before they even got on his shelf. There's nothing unfair about this, but you do pay a price for the convenience.

Now, if you're saavy about things, and you know what kind of couplers (and other items, such as hydraulic hoses) you need for your equipment, you can shop around and probably find a lower price from a supplier who specializes in things like quick couplers and hoses.

By the way, none of our stock is surplus or overruns. It's brand new merchandise made by OEM manufacturers that we sell directly to you, without the additional cost of maintaining a dealer network.

1/2" Agricultural Couplers, $14.75 per set (interchange with Parker/Pioneer 4000 Series and all other ISO 5675 couplers)

 

[IceStationZebra]

I wouldn't be surprised if 1/2" couplers are cheaper than 3/8" due to the much larger quantity sold.

And as far as quality goes, some companies like Parker make several different versions to the same standard. The cheap ones do the job but the better ones will withstand pressure spikes better, have lower pressure drop, and leak less when uncoupled. You may also notice a slight reduction in effort to connect/disconnect the couplers.

Theoretically all couplers conforming to ISO 5675 should be interchangeable, but as stated above quality control can come in to play.

ISZ

 

[beenthere]

I'm looking for some QD's for my Deere 4300, and found some on the discounthydraulichose.com site (thanks to the link from the Hydraulic Hose Guy above) that I think will work for me. Not sure tho, so have a call in to check.

The ones posted that I think will work are under the ISO 7241-1B Hydraulic listings.
Here is a pic showing the male tip. Just don't know the dimensions, as the Deere male fitting I have is 0.74 diam across the 0.644" flat to the flange. There are so many varieties and shapes and sizes to comprehend. It sure looks the same as my Deere 4300 QD's

 

[Discount Hydraulic Hose]

beenthere,

The question of identifying coupler styles and sizes is a complicated one for most users. Some of the ISO standard designs look very similar to one another, and "coupler size" is only a nominal description. It's not like you measure a coupler and say "this is 1/2" across, so I must need a 1/2" coupler."

The most reliable way we have found to identify size is a direct comparison of a male coupler with other male couplers in known styles and sizes.

For that purpose we offer a series of actual size profiles for various male couplers sold on our web site. Print the pages on your desktop print using 100% reduction/enlargement (do NOT use "shrink to fit"). Hold your coupler up to the page, and the profile that matches will tell you what you need to order.

http://www.discounthydraulichose.com/v/vspfiles/downloadables/sizechart.pdf

 

[beenthere]

Thanks
I used that and learned that I was only half right putting my order together.
The order is on the way. Best I've found for the Deere 4300 couplers (3/8 700 series) and they go directly to the 3/8" nptf male.
I plan to make up a test pressure gauge like kennyd has shown previously.

Thanks again