Hose ends ... upgrade to camlocks?

[oddshot]

I've been processing and running WMO in my Deuce for some time now. I've been on a tight budget, so I've cut corners where I could. I had high pressure lines made up but have been joining ever thing together with 3/4" black pipe and fittings.

I work VERY hard and VERY carefully and never have had a spill or accident ... BUT I think I'd like to improve my pump/filter/fill set-up with some type of quick disconnects.

like these cam locks: http://www.jmesales.com/product/banjo-34-polypropylene-cam-lever-couplings,10581,4437.htm

If I go with these I get to choose between aluminium or polypropylene.

Does anybody have any experience with these connectors and can help choose between aluminium or polypro?

How about other suggestions or ideas for quick connectors.

All of my lines and fittings are 3/4 inch. My line pressures never exceed 20 psi. MAX.

Thanks

 

[4x4 Forever]

Have been working with CamLocks for the past 35 years. I personally would go with them over any other type of quick connect fitting. One thing I would do is go with the brass option. Plastic does not hold up in areas that you can bump stuff with. Aluminum has a tendency to have electrolysis. Brass is what we always go back to, might be a little more expensive to start with but in the long run cheaper.

If you are stuck on Alum or Poly, does Poly hold up to the chemicals, if yes go with Poly.
Do yourself a favour and get yourself spare cams, gaskets, and a few pins...you will need them and chances are you will not find them at home...

 

[oddshot]

Thanks for the information and advice 4X4.

I don't have any experience with these types of connections. Brass had not occured to me, nor stainless steel for that matter. I've looked up both this morning and see they can be a little pricey, especially as I add up how many I'll need.

You are right about aluminium, It always seems to go crusty where you don't want it to. If I was using this stuff every day where I'd be cleaning it after use ... I'd probably go with aluminium. But my stuff sits in storage and only gets uses about once a month.

I think my choices are poly or brass.

Spare cams, gaskets and pins were not on my list ... they are now!

Thanks again.

T

 

[frank8003]

I use Thor fittings for everything.
No failures, no leaks, zero problems.
Used fittings not to much money.
Good for air and fuel and reusable forever.
Then I only do that job once and if I break the job
down the fittings get re-used.

same with Cam-loc
but I started with Thor so it works for us.

 

[Jeepsinker]

I use all cam lok fittings for my fueling systems. You can get poly fittings at Tractor supply pretty cheap and they do carry them in 3/4" size. You can get spare gaskets there too. Just make sure that if you go with poly, go with all poly. If you try to join a poly fitting with an aluminum fitting, the aluminum fitting will damage the poly permanently and it will not seal. I learned that the hard way. Good thing the poly fittings are cheap. The 3/4" are in the neighborhood of ~$3 each.

 

[Captaincarrier]

We have used the black camlocks in the pass and now we use the yellow ones found at Goodyear Rubber. The black ones would become difficult to separate while the yellow ones allow us to change with less effort and mess.

 

[Recovry4x4]

FWIW all the fuel tankers here at Port Everglades use aluminum camlocks when they do fuel dumps.

 

[Jeepsinker]

90% of my camloks are aluminum as well, it is just a whole lot easier to go to Tractor Supply when I need one quick, so I have a few poly ones now.

 

[Beyond Biodiesel]

I have been using the Banjo poly quick cam fittings since 2007 for processing gasoline blended waste oil-based fuels, and they work great. I have used them with a wide range of solvents with no problem, other than the standard buna-n seals dry out after a few years, and start to leak. So, I buy new seals, and the fitting is good to go for another 3 years.

I also have the aluminum fittings. I prefer the poly fittings because they are light, but the aluminum fittings are more durable for any application that might be a stress point.

Also, I go 1" for all of my fittings for waste oil processing into diesel fuel, because it is a diesel standard, and oils can be too viscous to pump through 3/4" fittings in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[rolling18]

Add me to the Camlock crowd!
I use 3/4 in aluminum (no crusties/ or corrosion yet) make sure the female cams you get have the holes for locking pins in the legs!! you DONT want them to get bumped loose..

I'm in process of upgrading my whole setup to 2" camlock (aka cam and groove) and have new components as well!!
ill be starting a new thread on my new setup soon!

But YES as other here have said use a quick connect setup it also very versatile to swap things around!
i have found the cost varies WIDELY! from poly, alum, stainless, brass import/ domestic I use all import