Why the Eaton Aeroquip brand of hose?

For the last 24 years I've been involved with the Eaton Aeroquip brand, all the way back to when it was part of the Tri-Nova group. We've dealt with a lot of end users that know they want the Aeroquip brand name but they don't know why... it's a feeling for the Aeroquip brand, not based on facts. I've heard it time and time before that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of their equipment was sent with an Aeroquip brand hose assembly and when it was time to replace hoses on that equipment, it was replaced with a generic or lesser brand and the hoses lasted only half as long.... if that. There is a lot of reason to that rhyme and I thought it would be a great way for all our customers to know the 'WHY' of it, rather than just feel towards the purchase of the Aeroquip brand.

There are many players out there making hydraulic hose and fittings; it seems like every day I see some new generic no-name or cheap knock-off product come into our shop for replacement. There is a wide range of quality among those players, and generally, you sincerely get what you pay for. However, that isn't always the case either because if you buy from certain national chain auto supply stores, you pay a lot but what you get is a less than quality style hose. Every assembly you replace should be quality made  because an inferior hose will (1) Leak, causing environmental contamination, (2) Burst or break prematurely, causing not only contamination but also give health risks with bodily injury. Did you know a pinhole leak in a hydraulic hose could produce a stream at high pressure that could sever body parts? Never check for leaks waving your hand until you feel a stream if there is a leak - ever, no matter what brand you use. (3) Savings of down time especially if you are a shop that has to stop everything and have your entire crew stand around if a hose breaks. The cost of paying employees to stand around while a hose is repaired far exceeds any additional costs of getting a better hose. (4) Repair cost savings, or maintenance costs are lower if a hose lasts twice as long but is only 20% more in cost that saves you a lot in the long run. (5) And finally aggravation is a player in this too. Murphy's Law will come into effect at just the right time that when you absolutely need to have something done at a certain time, wouldn't it be nice to eliminate most of the hassle of having a hose fail early and either stop everything to make a new hose (and do clean up) or run all over town during regular business hours to hopefully find a shop that can make the right configuration for you?

To have you understand the 'WHY', I think it best to give you the 'HOW'. There is so much behind the scenes that makes Aeroquip brand far superior to other brands or generics out there and I hope to address them all for you.

(HOW #1) Quality of Construction. The Aeroquip brand continues to have the highest standards in the construction of their products. They employ the latest technologies and equipment to make the best hose when being produced. There are different ways to make a hose to cut corners and although Eaton Aeroquip tries to save when it can, it does not do that if it negatively effects the end product they produce. A simple example in construction would be how tightly a weave is on the hydraulic hose.  A 4 wire hose can be wrapped tightly or loosely giving gravely different results of the hose in the long run after heavy impulsing. How it is put together is very important and when Eaton Aeroquip parts are being made, it not only is the equipment that they use but the conformance to how the products are being made that also make the products better.

(How #2) Quality of Materials. This is a huge and important factor. Eaton has it's own proprietary formulations for the AQP tube and cover material along with a superior 'Synthetic Rubber' tube and cover. Some manufacturers, in order to reduce costs, will put fillers into their rubber. Fillers are inert materials used to reduce the cost of the rubber. The best way that I can describe it is with a rubber band, because this one makes sense but confuses me at the same time. Do you remember back in the day when you could take a rubber band and stretch it all the way out and it still wouldn't break? Do you remember that you would reuse the rubber band over and over and over? Nowadays have you noticed that when you stretch them, they break more often and some white powdery residue is left on the surface? That, my friend, is clay. A filler. The more clay you use, the less rubber you have to use. The less rubber you use, the less expensive it is to make your rubber band. Now, most of us just use a rubber band once or twice and it is thrown away, but equate that to your hose you rely on to power that lift bed, that wind turbine, that hose on your car that you had to route all around the engine... Eaton Aeroquip uses less fillers and focuses on the quality that goes into all of its products from the types of rubber it uses to the steel, stainless steel, monel, what it uses in its plating of their carbon steel fittings and the high tensile strength wire used in their hose. Their accessories have the same level of commitment.

(How #3) Eaton Aeroquip is and has been an industry leader since the early 1950s. They continually update their facilities and have a team dedicated to finding new and innovative ways for all the markets they supply for. From military to civilian use, the knowledge from both sides of the fields gives the Eaton Aeroquip brand name a driving force in the market. Recently, Eaton Aeroquip has updated it's hose and fitting line to meet the 'Triple Crown Advantage', striving for excellence in the fields of pressure, temperature and abrasion resistance in its standard lines. This is setting the bar even higher, separating themselves from generic or low quality manufacturers. For more information, please visit the literature section of our website and look for the Triple Crown Advantage literature. Make sure to read on Dura-Tuff abrasion resitantant covers which come standard on most every hose made.

(How #4) Does the manufacturer of your hose stand behind it? Do you even know the true manufacturer of the lines you have? Many of these no-name brand hoses are switched between lowest bidder in a large contract for generic style hose. Where it goes from there is anybody's guess. If there is a problem do you know how to hold them accountable? With all the latest recalls and scares due to sourcing product from XYZ Company from China, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam and the list goes on.... there is no certain way to know who made your hose, if it truly conforms to SAE and DIN specifications that control guidelines that govern the manufacture and construction of your hoses. Eaton Aeroquip not only can be held accountable, it has a written warranty that stands behind every hose made, EVEN when YOU are the one that makes the assembly! Using Aeroquip brand hose, Aeroquip brand fittings and an Aeroquip brand crimper made to correct specifications (correct crimp tolerances and assembly such as pushing the fitting all the way down on the hose...), if there is a defect in manufacture of the hose or fittings that cause a failure, Eaton stands behind it. Do you know too many other manufacturers that do that?

(How #5)  Training and Shop Requirements of Eaton Aeroquip authorized Hose Express stores and hose shops is probably a reason why to deal with Eaton Aeroquip, but I think it is an important reason why they are so successful.  Each Eaton distributor goes through rigorous training and requirements to be a qualified hose shop. It is a requirement that each distributor have every employee that deals with the manufacture and sale of your hose be trained in the three or four day 'Fluid Conveying Products School' and pass certification being tested on not only hose knowledge but hands on training with how to assemble each hose right the first time. Yearly testing and certification are also standard practice (and required) for every authorized distributor. There are also requirements and testing of assembly shop tooling and equipment to make sure they meet Eaton Aeroquip's high level of performance. If you fail one or more items, a distributor is either penalized or, in some situations, lose their ability to purchase and sell the Eaton Aeroquip brand. The manufacture of assemblies isn't rocket science (unless we're creating hoses for NASA, which is a true statement) but a strong knowledge base and correct tooling ensures you get the best hose assembly you are paying for. It is the little attention to details that net great results in the end. Authorized distributors for Eaton Aeroquip have this attention to detail.

This is more for manufacturing than end users, but Eaton Aeroquip is a FULL LINE manufacturer. There are many different hoses out there, some standard, some not so standard, such as MatchMate ICE hose which is good for temperatures down to -70° F and still remains flexible at cold temperatures, to the Dura-Tuff abrasion resistant covers meaning rubbing and wearing on the hose covers will prevent and minimalize hose failures in extreme conditions compared to standard rubber covers.

If I were a company producing a product that had hydraulic hose on it, I would chose the Aeroquip MatchMate hose and fitting line because it will make me look like I care about the hose I put on every one of my machines, and therefore I care about how long my equipment lasts out in the field, giving the end user peace of mind and buyer retention if I put a better product on my better equipment. If I were a maintenance department I would replace every hose as they break with Aeroquip MatchMate brand because it means my equipment will be safer to operate and have less down time. And, if I were a hose user in the High Performance line it will result in more finished races, more wins, less time fixing hoses and more time working on more important stuff.

The word Quality is what it boils down to. I've heard a lot of people refer to the Aeroquip brand as the Cadillac of hose in the industry. I really don't think that's an appropriate saying because everyone has their own concept of Cadillac and that's not always good. Aeroquip is an industry leader and will continue to be an industry leader, giving you the best hose, the best fittings and the best support with its quality distribution channels and online support. As a Master distributor and leading force that believes in the Aeroquip brand, we will continue to give the level of service that rivals the Eaton Aeroquip lines we represent.

I thank you for your time and hope this was informative and helpful.

Sincerely,

Tony Price
President, Murdock Industrial Inc.
for our website www.Aeroquip.cc