Hydraulic Davit - hose replacement problem

[JESSEDIVER49]

I have a Bower Systems (no longer in business) 800# hydraulic davit 2010 with a leaking hydraulic hose. It's a wire braided hose 5/16" O.D. Obviously the hose needs to be replaced. The hydraulic unit in the engine room is easily accessed for disconnecting the hose at that end. The problem is accessing the hose at the davit. I've been told by one person the entire davit needs to be disconnected from the deck (on the bridge) and flipped over to access the hoses. Has anyone had experience changing a hydraulic hose on a Bower unit and can shed light on this?

 

[KnotYet]

It may be possible to replace just the fitting by preparing the hose end properly
and installing a new one. I make my own hydraulic hose assemblies by doing this.
This also allows you to remove the leaking section of the hose if it is accessible.
Obviously if the leak is buried inside the davit that is a different problem.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/hydraulic-fittings/screw-on-hose-fittings-for-hydraulic-fluid/

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

Thanks, have you ever done this and had it work with SS jacketed hydraulic hoses?

 

[KnotYet]

Thanks, have you ever done this and had it work with SS jacketed hydraulic hoses?

The hose sold to use with these fittings is SS jacketed with a Teflon-like liner.
So yes, I buy the hose in a 25-50' roll. I've made many and never had one leak or fail.
The hose can be cut with an angle grinder and thin cutoff wheel or metal snips.

 

[MYTraveler]

I went through the same thing with my 1600 lp Brower a few years ago. With the crane in the vertical position, it was easy enough to reach the davit ends. And sourcing the replacement hose wasn't too tough either.

 

[sunchaser]

Some NAPA stores make up replacement hydraulic hoses. That is where my stabilizer replacement hose was made last year.

 

[MYTraveler]

I went through the same thing with my 1600 lp Brower a few years ago. With the crane in the vertical position, it was easy enough to reach the davit ends. And sourcing the replacement hose wasn't too tough either.

I misspoke. You asked about a davit. Mine is a crane. If I understand the terminology, crane and davit are two different things, although often used interchangeably. If you have a davit (and Rick Brower told me, before he passed away, that they didn't make davits, though I didn't rule out that they never did), then my experience isn't relevant. In any event, I meant to say that the hose connection points inside the crane were easy enough to reach with the crane in the fully raised position. In my case, the easiest way to raise the crane was to add fluid and use the pump, even though that meant more spilled fluid in the bilge.

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

My 800 lb unit has Bower Davit in the title of the Instruction manual. It is an aluminum arm that rotates around a base. A hydraulic cylinder raises and lowers the arm and hydraulics operate a reel that reels a line in and out. There are 4 5/16" dia SS braided hydraulic lines between the power unit in my engine room and the davit. Two are for the arm and 2 for the reel. One of the reel hoses is leaking in the engine room. I sent a pic to a "davit expert" in Florida and he texted back the davit has to be removed from its base and turned sideways to get to the hydraulic hose connections, That's an OMG.

 

[Sea Level]

It's not a difficult job, disconnect and plug the hoses at the lower end, make slack in the hoses and 2 guys can lift off the davit arm (it's not fastened) set it down on something to protect the deck. Mark which hose connects where and replace all 4.
Pull each new hose connected to each old hose with a JIC- 6 (I think) union.

Depending on where the controller plug is mounted there may be electrical to deal with also

Have oil sorbs and an empty container handy.

 

[KnotYet]

My 800 lb unit has Bower Davit in the title of the Instruction manual. It is an aluminum arm that rotates around a base. A hydraulic cylinder raises and lowers the arm and hydraulics operate a reel that reels a line in and out. There are 4 5/16" dia SS braided hydraulic lines between the power unit in my engine room and the davit. Two are for the arm and 2 for the reel. One of the reel hoses is leaking in the engine room. I sent a pic to a "davit expert" in Florida and he texted back the davit has to be removed from its base and turned sideways to get to the hydraulic hose connections, That's an OMG.

As I mentioned last week, if the rest of the hose is in good condition I would only
replace the leaking fitting and remove the damaged or worn hose. Much simpler.
If you decide to do this, buy extra end fittings as well as some hose for spares.

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

Knot Yet - you have been so helpful and I thank you much! One thing left - the McMaster page shows the smallest fitting at 5/8" O.D. and my SS braided wrapped hose is only 5/16" O.D. Does McMaster or others make screw on fittings for that size?

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

Sea Level - Thanks so much. I am exploring both my options. Your info was extremely helpful. To have a boat yard replace all 4 hoses by lifting off, laying the davit on its side, etc as you describe, can you give me a rough estimate of what the cost would be? A really rough number only for labor and 4 new hoses. I'm trying to sell the boat right now and would prefer giving a credit to have the buyer fix it.

 

[KnotYet]

Knot Yet - you have been so helpful and I thank you much! One thing left - the McMaster page shows the smallest fitting at 5/8" O.D. and my SS braided wrapped hose is only 5/16" O.D. Does McMaster or others make screw on fittings for that size?

I found the hose and fittings I have often used on this page:
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/h...aided-chemical-hose/?s=stainless+braided+hose
They now list it as 'high pressure braided chemical hose' for reasons that escape me.

You would want the smallest size fittings and hose listed.
The fittings are rated at 1500 psi and should suffice for your davit system needs.
It is possible you will need to adapt the fittings to match your exact installation.

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

Thanks again!

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

To: Sea Level
Today I had 2 very strong young guys try to lift the davit arm and it was a no go. I have an 800 lb Brower Davit. Can you send me any technical information on this davit that shows how to remove it? Mine does not just lift off.

 

[MYTraveler]

I suggested this before, but you seemed more comfortable lifting it off. Like yours, my (1600 pound) Brower won't lift off, but raising it vertically (using its hydraulics) gave me access to the hydraulics. You might re-consider trying that approach.

In my case, removing the crane from the deck would not have provided wrench access to the hydraulic fittings.

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

MV Traveler - Yes, I did try that with my 800 lb unit but I'll try it one more time. It doesn't make sense to me for a design that does not provide readily access to the hose connections nor does it make sense to me for a unit that can easily lift up and off. Not on a boat with up and down forces in high seas.

 

[MYTraveler]

MV Traveler - Yes, I did try that with my 800 lb unit but I'll try it one more time. It doesn't make sense to me for a design that does not provide readily access to the hose connections nor does it make sense to me for a unit that can easily lift up and off. Not on a boat with up and down forces in high seas.

Were you raise the boom? In my case, doing so resulted in a lot of fluid being pumped into my bilge through the ruptured hose, but once up, check valves (installed as a safety measure) should prevent it from coming down, even if all fluid is drained (from the hose). And I agree that the design should make the access easier than it is, but raising the boom to get access seems easier than removing the entire unit. The other thing to be aware of is that you will need to bleed the air out of the houses. Fortunately, that is easily accomplished by running it up and down and in and out and all around until it stops making a terrible squealing noise (cause by the air compressing and decompressing. Good luck.

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

MV TRAVELER - Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

 

[JESSEDIVER49]

Raising the arm May work for the 1600 but not the 800. The only way to get to the fittings I see involves removing bolts securing the hydraulic ram and spreading it open.