JCB hhydraulic hose replacement - please help

[Goodwill Man]

Recently my JCB 8014 mini digger developed a hydraulic problem. When I started the machine after not using it for a few months, the right track would not move and I noticed that it had lost a significant amount of hydraulic oil.

I removed the final drive cover as well as the bottom plate and discovered that one of the hoses has a major leak. Unfortunately, I can’t see the exact spot because the hoses run inside the frame channel.

I need to replace two hoses. However, I’ve never done this before and I’m unsure which nuts I should loosen first. In the attached photo I marked them as 1 and 2. They are quite difficult to access, so I want to be sure I start with the correct ones.

Could you please take a look at the photo and advise which nuts should be removed first?

Thank you for reading and for any assistance you can provide.

 

[doobin]

Number 1. Thats the hose swivel coupler, the other bit is the male/male fitting into the motor.

I'd go direct to JCB for hoses- I hear they are not silly money and of course you know they will be right! Could even get them ordered prior and then use a male/male coupler to join new to old and pull new one in as old one comes out.

 

[V8Druid]

Number 1. Thats the hose swivel coupler, the other bit is the male/male fitting into the motor.

I'd go direct to JCB for hoses- I hear they are not silly money and of course you know they will be right! Could even get them ordered prior and then use a male/male coupler to join new to old and pull new one in as old one comes out.

bang on Doob ... much easier to pull a new one through with the old as it comes out, especially if you can't see where it threads through

 

[Goodwill Man]

Thank you both Friends for above advice. I tried to undo the nut. It will be a tough job. My 22mm spanner slides on the nut which is completely seized and rusted. Is it OK if I cut the hose near the nut and then use 22mm socket instead of flat spannet? Cheers

 

[V8Druid]

Thank you both Friends for above advice. I tried to undo the nut. It will be a tough job. My 22mm spanner slides on the nut which is completely seized and rusted. Is it OK if I cut the hose near the nut and then use 22mm socket instead of flat spannet? Cheers

that would be one way of undoing what is a very difficult nut to access ... there are ring spanners available with a section cut out of them to slip over a hose, but'd probably give similar issues

 

[doobin]

Thank you both Friends for above advice. I tried to undo the nut. It will be a tough job. My 22mm spanner slides on the nut which is completely seized and rusted. Is it OK if I cut the hose near the nut and then use 22mm socket instead of flat spannet? Cheers

Those nuts won’t be seized- just tight, with no room to move the spanner. You will struggle to cut that hose without damaging the others- I’d try the spanner type that @V8Druid suggested first.

 

[bobthebuilder]

Bottom hose off first then the middle one ,

 

[hiluxman]

Give the bottom hose a good yank with a decent spanner. Not your chinesium spanners....been there done that got the t shirt.

The only spanners in my tool box that don't let you down is the old ones.

 

[Gecko]

I'd suggest a crowfoot will make the most of your limited access

 

[DaveDCB]

As said,
Buy genuine jcb , the part number will be stamped on the hose, take off the surrounding hoses.. get a scaff tube on the spanner and they will come off fine!
I use abit of rope attached to one end to pull through , but a connector is much better If you have one/can pick one up!

 

[Bri963]

Those nuts won’t be seized- just tight, with no room to move the spanner. You will struggle to cut that hose without damaging the others- I’d try the spanner type that @V8Druid suggested first.

They can be seized. I’ve just had to remove two good hoses with seized unions to get at one that was split. Expensive job.

 

[V8Druid]

They can be seized. I’ve just had to remove two good hoses with seized unions to get at one that was split. Expensive job.

have had them seized in the rotation element of the fitting, which is a right PITA

 

[DaveDCB]

have had them seized in the rotation element of the fitting, which is a right PITA

At that point it’s as well to cut the hose off to let it swivel

 

[Goodwill Man]

All the advice above has been very useful and I’m grateful for everyone’s involvement in my case. However, I became so fed up with this job that I decided to call in professionals.

I started with some big, well-known companies and quickly realised that many of them are a joke — this unfortunately includes the official JCB services. The waiting times and the crazy money they were asking were unbelievable.

So I started looking for local pneumatic and hydraulic workshops instead. Luckily, I found a local mobile service called “Hoseman”. He came the very next day and replaced two hoses within an hour — all for £150.

What’s more, he restored my confidence in local tradesmen.