Photo: courtesy of Mike Merritt
The new Alaska Rubber Group (ARG) Piledriver Series Hose SAE 100R15 20-inch Max WP, 6,090 psi from Pacific Rubber Corporation was developed specifically for the pile driving industry to meet the requirements of hydraulic systems with high dynamic pressure that work under the toughest operating conditions.
Pacific Rubber, Inc., operating out of Seattle, Wash., has been supplying industry with hydraulic and industrial hoses and fittings for more than 30 years. As part of ARG, this employee-owned company is proud of its reputation for great customer service and high quality products and goes the extra distance to ensure its customers get what they need, when they need it.
“We’ve sold a number of different products to the industry for a long time,” said Mike Merritt, general manager, Pacific Rubber, Inc. “We’ve been using the 5,000 psi-rated hose for the pile driving industry, but had customers requiring higher pressure ratings and higher requirements for circuit pressures. So, we set out to design and produce our own product that would better fit our customers’ needs.”
With this goal in mind, Pacific Rubber turned to Eaton, the innovative worldwide supplier of hydraulics solutions to design and manufacture a hose that would meet the changing requirements of the pile driving industry.
Merritt said, “A lot of pile driving companies’ power units are starting to use piston pumps, which can develop 6,000 psi, so we wanted a full line of 6,000 psi hoses for performance even in the highest impulse systems. Working with Eaton, we were able to pick and choose features we knew the pile driving industry wanted in a hose product. It took a lot of back and forth, and a lot of testing to come up with a product that would be our hose exclusively. Being able to have it then built and imported directly allows us to have all the high-end features, but still be well-priced against our competition.”
High tensile spiral steel reinforcement delivers the pressure rating of 6,000 psi, while the Warthog cover is 500 times more resistant to abrasion than a standard cover hose.
“That extra durability is very important in pile driving due to hoses being driven over sheet piles, dragged on the ground and shipped long distances,” said Jeff Allison, pile driver sales/service, Pacific Rubber, Inc. “Without the high abrasion cover, many hoses on the market just don’t hold up as well. A lot of companies talk about the flexibility of their hoses, but the downside is that means giving up strength. Our hose may not be the most flexible in the world, but it is a good balance of flexibility and durability.”
Although the ingredients that make up this synthetic rubber cover are proprietary, the ultra high molecular weight polyethylene is similar to Teflon in that it makes the hose slicker, able to slide over rough ground and piles, and holds up much better to wear and tear. It is resistant to oil, minerals, esters, vegetable and glycol-based fluids and all sorts of weather, allowing it to last longer in the harsh conditions that come with pile driving. The Piledriver Series Hose is ideal for vibratory hammers, hydraulic impact hammers, drills and hydraulic trips – any piece of construction equipment that uses hydraulic hoses.
“We’ve sold high abrasion covers to pile driving companies in the past, but we wanted to come up with a branded product specifically for the pile driving industry,” said Allison. “We want to create that brand recognition in the marketplace.”
Merritt says that when a pile driving project needs lower negative temperature hoses, Pacific Rubber can supply the right product. “We have the ability to build Arctic grade hose bundles that go to minus 40 or even lower operating temperatures. We’ve also done some projects where we create heat blankets for the hose and hammer.”
Designed specifically for the pile driving industry, this high pressure, abrasion-resistant hose is essentially plug and play using the Joint Industry Council (JIC) thread that is standard throughout the industry. “When it comes to attaching the JIC swivel nut to the coupling, there are a lot of products out there now that are European in design and manufacturing and use a thrust pin,” said Merritt. “But with vibratory hammers, this can be a terrible safety hazard as that pin can break or back out. What we have on our hose line is a one-piece fitting with a fully crimped-on nut that has no chance of coming undone in operation.”
“Without the high abrasion cover, many hoses on the market just don’t hold up as well.”
– Jeff Allison, Pacific Rubber, Inc.
Ready-made 50-foot assemblies with JIC fittings are kept in stock, immediately available to bundle or ship. “It’s important to us to have stock and quantity on hand,” said Merritt. “We have hoses cut and ready for when a customer calls so that we can typically turn something around in short order. We’ve been shipping hoses into Canada for many years and are very familiar with the markets, shipping and the customs process.”
The Piledriver Series Hose with Warthog Cover is the newest development at Pacific Rubber, Inc., to target the needs of the pile driving industry by providing a quality hose that delivers high performance at an affordable price. 
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