How old is your fleet? If it is older then 2 years old, you may want to think about replacing the moving hoses to your cutting units. Over time the constant on/off pulsing and heat that is caused from normal operation can cause wear on hydraulic lines. Not to mention friction from bending and moving against other parts of the machine.
Toro offers Cutting Unit Hydraulic Hose Kits as part of their Performance Parts Catalog. These kits allow you to order one part number and get all the critical moving hoses for your machine. I hear people tell me that it is too expensive to replace hoses as a preventive measure, and to that I ask, what is the true cost of a leak?
As a example, the kit for a Greensmaster 3150 is just under $530. What is the cost of a leak? Can you count on your operators to catch a leak quickly? What are the intangible costs? Things like negative appearance, and member reaction are hard to but dollars to. There is always the possibility that a hose might blow on the weekend. Now this adds to whole picture.
My personal opinion is replacement of moving hoses is something that should be budgeted for, and performed on a strict schedule. If a hose blows and the root cause is not abrasion, every other moving hose on that machine is now suspect. If they are showing wear, or older then 2 years, they should be replaced as a set. This is also called out in the operators manual of each unit under the service schedule.
I don’t post this to sell parts. I post this to help you keep your machines in the best possible condition, and to help you minimize downtime and turf damage. We all know hoses don’t blow on the wash pad. They blow while the unit is mowing, and quite often early in the morning when it is tough for operators to see what has happened.
