Flexible radiator hoses to cut vibration - really?

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Hi,

just wondering if anyone has experience upgrading (or downgrading) a vehicle to flexible radiator hoses such as Gates Vulco-Flex.

It has been suggested to me that they will transmit less engine vibration to the radiator. I find this hard to believe because of the steel spring inside and because they are said to vulcanize into shape once taken in service.

It's for a Case IH 5120 farm tractor, so the engine is sort of part of the chassis while the rad. sits in rubber mounts.

Thinking of how much engines are rocking back and forth in most cars equipped with regular hoses, it looks like I would be downgrading with Vulco-Flex.

Just FYI, the upper hose is a 440 mm long 2x45deg. elbow, the lower one is a 270 mm long offset 22.5(?)degree elbow. What to choose now?
 
Originally Posted By: Extreme-Duty
It has been suggested to me that they will transmit less engine vibration to the radiator.

ALL automotive/truck radiator hoses are flexible.

ALL automotive/truck radiator hoses are meant to provide a flexible medium between rad and block so as to allow for vibration and heat/cool expansion/contraction.

Gimmicky hoses may or may not look cool, but will confer no advantage over whatever type came from the factory originally. By the way, those "Vulco-Flex" hoses look like your basic el-cheapo generic fits-any-car type. I wouldn't waste my money.
 
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They used to sell those decades ago, as a universal fit radiator hose, before things got complicated under the hood.

I think they're simply putting a hollow spin on existing junk technology.
 
With most of the consumer market trending on comfort and noise suppression, you think the manufacturers haven't figure out the vibration suppression RE: engine-mount-chassis, also the radiator hoses to the radiator part?

Just like Kesta's said: this is old (junk) technology, just like those mysterious elixir that never seems to go away after so many decades: what was old is now new (all over again).

Makes you wonder what sort of avg consumer joe's mental capability nowadays.... *sigh*

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: Quest
Just like Kesta's said: this is old (junk) technology

I said that, too.

When you see those corrugated hoses on a collector car, you wonder how many other shortcuts the owner took...
 
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Quest
Just like Kesta's said: this is old (junk) technology

I said that, too.

When you see those corrugated hoses on a collector car, you wonder how many other shortcuts the owner took...


Hear, hear.

I've seen those accordian type rad hose in some restored old American cars, but not recently (not in the last 20+yrs of auto repair). Pre-molded rad hoses are the only correct way to go.

Cheers,

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Quest
Just like Kesta's said: this is old (junk) technology

I said that, too.

When you see those corrugated hoses on a collector car, you wonder how many other shortcuts the owner took...


I just put one on my truck because I can make it fit better than the replacement, which is within 1/4" of the power steering belt. Also in replacing the radiator, the connection diameter changed to a size other than stock. There was a rubber reducing bushing supplied with the radiator, but they can be problematic. The Vulco-Flex hose killed two birds with one stone.
 
No problems finding and fitting OE hoses in that tractor.

I was asking because there have been four! radiators with "crack problems", so we are having one custom recored and welded to take more stress and I'm still looking for additional upgrades to do.

Thank you all for making that decision for me!
 
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Originally Posted By: Extreme-Duty
Hi,

just wondering if anyone has experience upgrading (or downgrading) a vehicle to flexible radiator hoses such as Gates Vulco-Flex.

It has been suggested to me that they will transmit less engine vibration to the radiator.


i would not call it upgrading or downgrading.

"transmit less engine vibration" is a marketing ploy to get you to buy their hose, just another item to use as a positive along with color schemes, fancy packaging, and so on. the accordian style of the hose allows it to be sort of a universal fit in that you can bend it as much as you want (within reason) and it won't kink or collapse, so for example if you needed a 2 foot run where it had to make one bend of 90° it works fine. But it does not take the place of oem pre-bent hose designed by the manufacturer to fit a specific application where there's like 3+ bends in different directions to get out of the way of the serpentine belt... go over the ac compressor... and up around the battery... finally to the radiator neck. in that kind of situation if you did use this type of hose it'll most likely rest against something unlike an oem pre-bent hose, in which case you might then wear a hole into the hose because of vibration.
for a farm tractor i would not hesistate to use it, i'd be more worried about sunlight and UV exposure and dry rot.
 
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