I'm a bit peeved with my transaction here.
I went in to get some hydraulic lines and explained my application. I wanted to steal a tractor's loader hydraulics and run them the back to connect to a 3 pt snowblower's chute. I needed four 3/8 inch 10.5 foot lines with an elbow and ag style quick connects. I also had a three foot power steering line I wanted duplicated.
I came the next day to get the five lines and an 850 dollar bill. I could have gotten the same things at fleet farm for 250 and ordered the power steering line from the dealer for 60 dollars. Their response? We only use the best stuff and you'll never have a problem with it. That's great, but that really doesn't make sense for what I'm doing. I've worked 10 years for an industrial equipment manufacturer so I'm no stranger to fluid power or what things cost. Blindly overspeccing things is seldom helpful for an application and usually only benefits the guy selling the parts. For 850 bucks I could have bought two remote valves, a joystick, and lines to set up dedicated rear hydraulics. But don't get me wrong, I have a new found sense of pride knowing that my new hydraulic lines rival the value of the tractor...
I had them keep their quick connects (4 male/female sets and 4 male) which dropped 300 off the bill. I bought the same fittings online at summit hydraulics for 100 dollars shipped. I figure the whole deal was 3x more expensive then it should have been. The steering line was ballpark what I could order it for, but I'm 90 percent certain they swapped a long elbow for a normal length one so the new line doesn't fit the steering valve. Looks like I'll be ordering that one anyways.
The guys are the store are fine. Friendly people. read more