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Aug 27, 2023

Ryco

HOUSTON—Ryco Hydraulics Inc. said response has been overwhelmingly positive to the new fittings technology the firm introduced to the North American hydraulic hose market a bit over a year ago. The

HOUSTON—Ryco Hydraulics Inc. said response has been overwhelmingly positive to the new fittings technology the firm introduced to the North American hydraulic hose market a bit over a year ago.

The Houston-based subsidiary of Australia's Ryco Hydraulics Pty. Ltd. unveiled its JSEAL-brand technology in 2015 as an alternative to traditional Joint Industrial Conference fittings that have been standard in the hose and fittings industry for decades. The JSEAL technology has eight faces in the shape of an octagon, instead of the five faces on JIC fittings.

Ryco said the fittings, which can be used in any hydraulic hose application, offer excellent vibration resistance; resist excessive torque and stretching; are fully interchangeable with hoses using JIC fittings; and offer easier installation and connection. All of these attributes effectively ensure the fittings are leak-free, according to the company.

“The positive response has been off the charts,” said Jon Cook, acting vice president of sales for Ryco Hydraulics Inc. “The main thing is that it's performing to everything that we said it would when we launched it. It's performing as expected, from the ease of assembly down to not having complaints in the field of operators having to re-tighten and retighten. That is one of the biggest drawbacks of the design of JIC fittings.”

Cook said accolades have come from both distributors and OEM customers. “We have distributors come and tell us about new accounts that they have landed in waste removal companies, where leaks of fittings are a very high concern in residential neighborhoods.”

Another application where the JSEAL has seen success is in pile driving equipment, a high-vibration application. “There, nuts tend to loosen, and if they loosen it, allows the opportunity for oil to leak or seep from the system,” Cook said. “JSEAL, where there's a higher torque value than standard JIC, helps eliminate the problem.”

The Ryco executive called the technology a “differentiator” that will allow the firm's distributor customers to better compete in the marketplace. “There's a value where the sales team for a distributorship is going to bring in a product that will guarantee them to get an audience with someone they're targeting to bring in new business,” he said. “This is a lead-free, redesigned fitting that works with any male JIC fitting in the industry.”

As for OEMs, Cook sees value for the JSEAL in every department within a customer's organization. He said purchasing will like the lower cost compared with O-ring face fittings; the engineers like the higher working pressures; the quality staff will appreciate the lower warranty claims that can be expected with a leak-free fitting; and sales personnel will be able to use it as another attribute to tout to their customers.

For example, Cook lives in Louisville, Ky., and attends the National Farm Machinery Show each year. While walking the floor at last year's show, he noticed some of the machinery on display had leaking JIC fittings. The sales people would be able to use the presence of JSEAL technology as a sales point, touting not only the equipment itself, but peripheral attributes such as a leak-free hose assembly.

Ryco is so confident in its new technology that the JSEAL will become its standard fitting, and the company will not keep two different styles of fittings in stock, according to Cook. “Ryco's a fun company to work for because innovation is at the forefront, and in this industry that makes it a fun place to work.”

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