Bend Pak MD-6XP quick disconnect

[ehauptma]

I just received my MD-6XP, and while I am very happy with it, I wish there was a way to disconnect the hydraulic line while moving the thing around in my garage. Does Bend Pak have a solution to this "issue" or is there some other way to create a quick hydraulic disconnect line. I will not be moving it much, but being able to temporarily disconnect the hydraulic line would sure make life easier for me. Thanks!

Eric

 

[v12man]

A quick scan of a copy of racecar engineering that was on my desk, and i found 2 suppliers of fluid quick disconnects you could probably use - I am sure there are more suppliers out there with similar product.

www.jiffy-tite.com
www.xrp.com

Let us know how it works out.

 

[ehauptma]

Thanks V12MAN, I will check out the links. I'll also sent an email to BendPak and we'll see what they have to say.

Eric

 

[mixxmstrmike]

I ran into the same problem... I needed a quick disconnect for my MD-6XP as well. I was fortunate to have a shop that was close by my home that made this particular hose assembly in less than 5 minutes!

It consists of an 18" "whip" section that attaches to one of the hydraulic rams. (I switched mine from the default left hand side to the right side to better suit my application.) I made the other section to be 12' for my application. Approximate cost for the entire assembly was around $130, including assembly, hose, fittings, and quick disconnects.

When not in use, the "whip" section is conveniently stored to the side, held to the side of the ramp by a magnet.

A close-up of the connection to the hydraulic ram:

Here's a close up of the neodymium magnet used to hold the male connector to the side of the ramp. The magnet was from a 3.5" hard drive I no longer needed Unfortunately, it cracked from one too many "attachments"

Male - female counterparts:

Here's a picture of the female disconnect. It shows a tiny amount of ATF fluid after removal. This is one of the downsides of this system. You lose a tiny (negligible, IMO) amount of hydraulic/ATF with each disconnect.

A close up of the male connector:

An improvised cap for the female connector to capture the small amount of ATF and to keep dirt out when not in use. I'll figure out a better method sooner or later, but for now, it seems to work.

The type of hydraulic hose I got for the assembly. It's 100% more pliable than the original one from Bendpak. It made THAT much more noticeable difference when moving the hose for storage.

Hope this helps,
Mike

 

[ehauptma]

Wow, great response. I was talking to some company about making a custom hose and they were asking how much PSI is the BendPak hydraulic system under. Any ideas on this?

Eric

 

[mixxmstrmike]

I'll have to check the motor. That information "may" be posted on the motor, BUT that may not be "working" pressure in the line. However, just talking to a good friend of mine who has a similar lift, he was under the impression that 2200 psi may be the working pressure in the hydraulic system.

The one good thing about being able to bring the original hose to a shop was that the guy could tell the max. psi rating, just by looking at the type of hose/manufacturer. I'll try to verify more information and get back to you.

-Mike

 

[ehauptma]

Mike,

Yeah, I checked on the motor and it says nothing about the hydraulic PSI and the manual has nothing either. I sent an email to BenkPak yesterday, but have heard nothing back yet, so I'll give them a ring tomorrow.

Eric


Note: I love how the lift itself has a big fancy metal plate stating manufacture date and USA location of BendPak and a cheesy little sticker that fell right off the lift that said "Made in China".

 

[JCByrd24]

Those quick connects look a lot like the fittings I just bought to replace the 20 year old ones on my plow, good to 3000 psi I believe. I would guess that would be fine for the bendpak, but wait for comfirmation from them to be sure. I got them through McMaster for about $25 for the set I think. They thread onto 1/4" male NPT fittings crimped onto the hose. You can most likely get the hoses locally or just order from northern or mcmaster.

 

[mixxmstrmike]

Just a quick look-see last night at the original hydraulic hose that came with my lift... it's rated at 3250 PSI and the Parker hose I got is rated at 5800 PSI.

-Mike

 

[ehauptma]

OK, just checked my hydraulic hose and it is rated at 5700psi, but the pressure relief valve on the tank is 2750psi, so I'll be happy with a 5800psi Parker hose.

Looks like my NAPA offers custom hose service. Is it worth a try talking to them?

Eric