Whether it’s a scraper, a loader, a bulldozer, or a drill rig—most mining equipment requires a hydraulic hose to operate the machinery correctly, according to Motion Australia’s Sean Babbage.

“Hydraulic hose fittings, adaptors and accessories are really important for mining equipment,” he explains. “The hose is the critical transfer item on pumps to extract a particular fluid or medium from a charged area. Hydraulic hose and pumps are the key components in any mining extraction method essentially.”

“If you look at a loader or a digger which articulates up and down, there will be a pump that is forcing the liquid or medium, which will later discharge through a hose,” he continues.

“To put things in perspective, the pressure rate in one of these hoses is going to be up to 6000 psi going through a half inch hose. So, the quality of the hose is imperative for the functionality of the equipment, but also the safety of the setup, because obviously that level of pressure needs to be handled with care.”

“In particular jumbo drill rigs in underground mining have strands of hose that twist around a rail pulsating backwards and forwards and can subject to failure that will happen very quickly,” he adds.

As the General Manager – Flow Technologies, Sean looks after Motion Australia’s business side strategies and market channels within their hydraulic hose portfolio, under the business group department of Flow Technologies. He has been the industry for 15 years and knows his way around fluid transfers and connection products for the heavy industrial sector.

Over the past 12 months, Motion Australia in partnership with Gates®— a notable Strategic OEM Supplier to the market—has introduced new hydraulic hose capabilities and fluid transfer services to Motion customers within the mining and quarrying segments.

At the same time, Gates® has introduced an entirely new standard range of hydraulic hose products into the market: The Gates® MegaSys™ MXT™ and MegaSys™ MXG™ 4K and 5K Hydraulic Hose range styles— “A feat of engineering that achieves a lightweight and flexible new hose construction technology and a giant leap forward for materials science and process innovation,” according to Gates® engineers.

A significant benefit of the new hose design, according to Sean, is that it is formulated around Gates’ invention: an outer cover compound that enhances abrasion and ozone resistance.  “Combine this with the new Gates® XtraTuff™ Plus wire braid reinforcement technology and the construction offers more wire than a conventional two-wire hose,” says Sean.

“This new range of hydraulic hose products are really challenging the traditional style of hydraulic hose by offering more freedom around the flexibility with about 40% more flexible force event ratio,” he explains.

“The flexible, durable, and lighter cover in a new standard range has given us less products to deal with but at a superior level of performance,” he furthers. “It’s a very economical solution all around, for both Motion Australia as a distributor, and our customers on their applications. Because of the construction of this new hose, we are seeing double the service life.”

Furthermore, he notes, “There is a stipulation around safety measures that requires these types of hoses to have an eye locking mechanism that adheres to the Guidelines of MDG 41 Underground Mining Guidelines to improve the safety of the hose. All Gates® products are tested to these MDG 41 Guidelines.”

Gates® and Motion Australia have been working heavily over the past 12 months to collaborate on joint calls to various sites to educate customers and end users on the efficiencies of these products—including reduction in assembly times, reduce waste and increase fuel efficiency.

In addition to this, Motion offers an efficient vendor managed system in these mining workshops that has seen customers reduce their dead inventory rationalisation, reduce administration account costs, obtain instant stock reports, and better manage their assets and traceability.

“We also have our 1800 HOSEVAN business arm that has been playing a pivotal role in maintenance overhauls for mining equipment, keeping fleets and equipment operating with scheduled maintenance, and providing hose auditing and breakdown service,” concludes Sean. “All the while, remaining fully stocked with all of the new Gates® MegaSys™ MXT™ and MegaSys™ MXG™ products.”

Gates MXG™ 4K 4000psi Hydraulic Hose

Features and Benefits

  • 40% lower force-to-bend
  • 30% lighter weight
  • 8% more compact
  • Multi-use hose consolidates Inventory
  • MXG™ 4K comes standard with XTP cover
  • MXG 4K qualified with Global Spiral™ (GS) couplings to 1,000,000 impulse cycles
  • Available in sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16
  • MXG 4K has a smooth cover
  • Compliant with the applicable standards of a wire spiral hose
  • Meets MDG41, FRAS and MSHA