Vermeer/mini quick connect questions

[evo]

I’m starting a project and I will need the down stream set of quick connects for the hydraulics. Problem is I have no idea what brand or what to even call them, let alone where to buy them.

Any help greatly appreciated!

 

[Jehinten]

When I fitted a hydraulic winch to my vermeer I took my winch and grapple to a hydraulics shop so that they could find fittings that match my BMG that fit the hose thread on my winch.

They are called flat face couplers and I believe there are many brands and sizes, so I found it easier to take them to the shop to compare the fit before purchasing. I paid about $100 for the pair of Male/female.

 

[evo]

When I fitted a hydraulic winch to my vermeer I took my winch and grapple to a hydraulics shop so that they could find fittings that match my BMG that fit the hose thread on my winch.

They are called flat face couplers and I believe there are many brands and sizes, so I found it easier to take them to the shop to compare the fit before purchasing. I paid about $100 for the pair of Male/female.

That exactly what I’m looking to skip.. not hydraulic shops on the island so I either pay a premium from a dealer here, or saddle up the pony and take the day off work to the ‘Amerika’... perhaps @tntree knows?

 

[Jehinten]

I was going to suggest him as well. Just check the hose size of your project. I noticed the tag in your post didn't light up, so I retagged him.
@tnttree

I'm lucky enough to have several hydraulic shops within about 20 mins of me, so running by there is just a quick errand. I can see the challenges of the longer commute. If it comes down to it, you can likely find what you need with a google search of flat face couplers and a caliper to get accurate measurements of your current couplers.

 

[flushcut]

When I fitted a hydraulic winch to my vermeer I took my winch and grapple to a hydraulics shop so that they could find fittings that match my BMG that fit the hose thread on my winch.

They are called flat face couplers and I believe there are many brands and sizes, so I found it easier to take them to the shop to compare the fit before purchasing. I paid about $100 for the pair of Male/female.

Have any pics of your build?

 

[Jehinten]

Have any pics of your build?

Here are a few. Its nothing too impressive as far as fabricating goes. I bought an 8,000 lb hydro winch off of Craigslist for $500
Then I bought an adapter plate and welded the support brackets for the winch and a tie down point for an amsteel sling that runs under the mini and is attached to a 4" webbing strap that wraps around the anchor tree.
Here is the winch bolted upThis pic shows the winch 90% complete. Not pictured is the couplers being swapped out so that they fit my mini, and I swapped the steel cable for a synthetic winch cable. Then I tidied up the hoses so they didn't run all over the place. They are a bit longer than necessary as the previous owner had it mounted on a full size skid steer.

 

[southsoundtree]

Sweet that it has a capstan, too.

 

[Jehinten]

Sweet that it has a capstan, too.

I thought so too, but it had a serious design flaw. The first hard pull that I did with the capstan it sheared off of the drive axle. Luckily the rope ran through my hand with no injuries, had it been wrapped around my hand it would have at least dislocated a shoulder I'm sure as it released all of the tension in the rope. I'd guess 10-15 feet of stretch was in the rope when it popped. The capstan was made of cast and popped apart, I suspect a milled capstan would be much better but I prefer to run without it instead of taking another chance with it.

 

[BranchManagerAttachments]

That exactly what I’m looking to skip.. not hydraulic shops on the island so I either pay a premium from a dealer here, or saddle up the pony and take the day off work to the ‘Amerika’... perhaps @tntree knows?

Evo,

There are many different types of these hydraulic couplers. The ones you're looking for are typically called (Flat Face) Hydraulic Quick Connect Couplers or similar, Male/Female.
There are a few different styles IE the smaller Ag style.

What it comes down to for selection is what type of fitting is on the end of your hoses. On our standard BMG we use 1/2" NPT threads due to the ease of availability for your hydraulic shops. An O-Ring Boss fitting is rock solid.
I know Ditch Witch uses a 3/8" Line with 6FJIC ends on their hoses, not sure on the Vermeer but JIC is pretty common. In hydraulics a 6 indicates 3/8" and an 8 indicates 1/2".

Many are made to the same ISO standard and are compatible across brands, however, I've had compatibility issues with couplers of different brands made to the same ISO standard.

A bit of info here but you can also check the brand & part numbers on your machine's bulkhead couplers and find the matching ones that aren't bulkhead couplers or ask a hydraulic shop to do it & ship them

For reference a pair of 1/2" couplers from us currently run about $85-$150 depending on connection & brand.

 

[evo]

Evo,

There are many different types of these hydraulic couplers. The ones you're looking for are typically called (Flat Face) Hydraulic Quick Connect Couplers or similar, Male/Female.
There are a few different styles IE the smaller Ag style.

What it comes down to for selection is what type of fitting is on the end of your hoses. On our standard BMG we use 1/2" NPT threads due to the ease of availability for your hydraulic shops. An O-Ring Boss fitting is rock solid.
I know Ditch Witch uses a 3/8" Line with 6FJIC ends on their hoses, not sure on the Vermeer but JIC is pretty common. In hydraulics a 6 indicates 3/8" and an 8 indicates 1/2".

Many are made to the same ISO standard and are compatible across brands, however, I've had compatibility issues with couplers of different brands made to the same ISO standard.

A bit of info here but you can also check the brand & part numbers on your machine's bulkhead couplers and find the matching ones that aren't bulkhead couplers or ask a hydraulic shop to do it & ship them

For reference a pair of 1/2" couplers from us currently run about $85-$150 depending on connection & brand.

Sweet so does this mean I can order a pair from you? I just bought a hydraulic winch that I will be mounting on top of the BMG. Also will be fabbing a heal plate that digs into the ground a bit not unlike the farmi winches

 

[Merle Nelson]

Doesn't Evo also want a camming/leveraged lock up device that you now sell which uses the same principals as the type installed on Avants? Or are there only certain times and situations that hyd pressure makes it hard to disconnect and that doesn't apply here?

 

[Jehinten]

Also will be fabbing a heal plate that digs into the ground a bit not unlike the farmi winches

Your setup will be different than mine, but I find that I rely on that amsteel sling that runs from the attachment plate, under the mini to a tree. Otherwise I'd drag the mini across the yard. I chose to attach the sling to the plate, instead of the rear tie down points to eliminate strain from the winch on the loader arms. Without the strap I find that the loader arms get lifted by the winch until its inline with the pull angle, which may or may not cause wear/strain on the arms.

 

[southsoundtree]

@evo is your BMG new ish?

Mine fought me when newish, and Operator error, I was seeing the grapple down to hook and unhook the lines, causing pressure in the system.

Like other mechanical fittings, a slight 'wear in" period might be what fixed it. I dreaded getting the grapple off, and not sure if I'd get it back on.

Now, lickety split.

 

[evo]

@evo is your BMG new ish?

Mine fought me when newish, and Operator error, I was seeing the grapple down to hook and unhook the lines, causing pressure in the system.

Like other mechanical fittings, a slight 'wear in" period might be what fixed it. I dreaded getting the grapple off, and not sure if I'd get it back on.

Now, lickety split.

Yes it’s newish. I’ve managed to get lucky the past few times connecting and disconnecting. But since I have high and low flow, I’ll be attaching a 4K winch to the upper boom arm ran from the high flow. On paper the winch should have about 150’-170’ per min at 2,500k loads.

I purposely favored line speed over power. It’s just a wild guess but I wouldn’t think it would be a good idea to put too much of a load on the boom arms. For bigger power needs I can just two part the line.

 

[southsoundtree]

The quick connect is way too high profile for my needs.




Evo, maybe do a bunch of connect/ disconnect cycles to wear the two parts together.

I bet it will work.

At one point, when new, I had to crack open a fitting to relieve the pressure.

My friend routinely would 'park' his big grapple on a log, but has the easy metal ball pressure release. I didn't know better than to do the same with my BMG.

 

[evo]

The quick connect is way too high profile for my needs.




Evo, maybe do a bunch of connect/ disconnect cycles to wear the two parts together.

I bet it will work.

At one point, when new, I had to crack open a fitting to relieve the pressure.

My friend routinely would 'park' his big grapple on a log, but has the easy metal ball pressure release. I didn't know better than to do the same with my BMG.

I’m no longer having any issue with that. I think your missing what I’m after. I need a pair of hoses and flat face couplers for this