O ring Madness

[woodlandfarms]

Well, I think Terry let me down. Wondering if you guys have a solution before I wait a week for my package to arrive.

My tram pump... It has all sorts of hex bolts that act as plugs. Those plugs are leaking. I was thinking of just taking out all the o rings and putting in new ones but now I am not sure of a source, or what size for that matter.

Any thoughts?

 

[MrJimi]

HF has a large assortment of O rings but I would go with a better quality like we have ACE HARDWARE stores around here or an auto part place, bring bolts with you for proper fit

 

[toy]

Well, I think Terry let me down. Wondering if you guys have a solution before I wait a week for my package to arrive.

My tram pump... It has all sorts of hex bolts that act as plugs. Those plugs are leaking. I was thinking of just taking out all the o rings and putting in new ones but now I am not sure of a source, or what size for that matter.

Any thoughts?

Glad to see you are getting a handle on all your leaks and hope your next post will be no more leaks. Auto parts place to get the orings. Wonder how much a whole box assortment of orings would cost. Sounds like soon you will get the upper hand on those leaks and will have a lot of experience to boot.

 

[MrJimi]

HF prices are good take a look at this 382 piece set and this 205 piece set, better quality heck, here is the link to all of them, 4 pages worth I wish some O rings would fix my leaks
J_J is always after me to git them fixed and some day soon I will take him up on it
Jim

 

[Bird]

I needed just one or two o-rings last week and got them at our local Ace Hardware store. When I was repairing mechanics' air tools, I kept lots of o-rings on hand; everything from very tiny ones to about 3" diameter. I often wished they didn't make so many sizes. For some jobs, an o-ring of approximately a certain size will work, while other jobs require o-rings of exactly a certain size and the sizes may be so close that you can't tell the difference visually.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have two kits of O-Rings that seem to cover ever size. I've had them for four years and use them all the time. I think each kit was about $20 each at my Hydraulic Hose store. They sold a bigger kit that had all the O Rings in it for $30 or $35, which I should have bought. I made the mistake of buying one kit, then a few months later realizing that I needed more choices in sizes.

For what it takes to take apart a fitting, I wouldn't take the chance on cheap O Rings. Do it once with quality parts and not have to do it again.

Eddie

 

[Wayne County Hose]

If you send me the o-rings, I will mail you back the proper ones. I have over 2,000 different o-rings in stock. O-rings are much more complicated than people think. Are they 70 durometer or 90 durometer? Are they nitrile or EPDM? Don't be fooled, there are different o-rings for fittings than you get in a generic kit.

By the way Eddie, I agree, move #10 up the list.

 

[J_J]

If you send me the o-rings, I will mail you back the proper ones. I have over 2,000 different o-rings in stock. O-rings are much more complicated than people think. Are they 70 durometer or 90 durometer? Are they nitrile or EPDM? Don't be fooled, there are different o-rings for fittings than you get in a generic kit.



OK , now that you told us that there are different types of o-rings, and size, how does the average person tell the difference, and what is a durometer?

 

[Bill Barrett]

Yep o-rings can be fun. I have a small assortment of good ones 80 bucks. Durometer to o-rings is like rockwell to steel

 

[Wayne County Hose]

OK , now that you told us that there are different types of o-rings, and size, how does the average person tell the difference, and what is a durometer?

Durometer is the hardness of the o-ring material. The higher the number, the harder it is. You can either buy a durometer gauge, or, with experience, stick your thumbnail in it and see how far it goes.
Most hydraulic o-rings are nitrile. There are also fluorocarbon o-rings for other hyd applications. Some of this depends if the o-ring is static or in a reciprocating application. I won't even get into quad rings.
I don't mean to scare anybody off here. If you are talking about simple plugs, then your average auto store 70 durometer kit should be okay. I wasn't trying to make a sale here as I do not charge for o-rings. If you mailed them to me in a self addressed stamped envelope, I would send you new ones for free. It's not worth wasting the invoice. You just have to be careful as on your average tractor, there are at least 5 different types of o-rings that I can think of off the top of my head. Flange seals are 90 durometer. I have seen guys install the 70 durometer rings in and complain because the fitting leaks. That's one reason why I give new o-rings with any fitting requiring an o-ring when I make a hose.
As far as size goes, there is a dash number that corresponds to the diameter of the o-ring cord, then to the inside diameter of the o-ring. There is a chart in the o-ring section of the seal catalog on this website- Hercules Sealing Products. Good technical info here too.