Just realized those old school brass fittings are still the best for high pressure lines

I was working on a cutter head pump in Mobile last month and the new plastic fittings kept blowing out every other day. An old timer on the dock told me to swap them for solid brass ones, even though they cost three times more. After putting them in, we ran for two full weeks with zero leaks, even at 150 psi. Has anyone else found that some of the older, simpler gear just holds up better under real dredge work?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilyt239d ago

My buddy's old dredge still runs on brass fittings from the 80s without a single blowout.

fisher.jessica9d ago

Plastic fittings blowing out every other day sounds like a bad joke the supplier is playing on you. Spending all that time swapping parts when a simple brass fitting would have solved it from the start. Sometimes the old ways are just the right ways, even if the price tag makes you wince. You can't argue with two weeks of smooth running after constant headaches. It's like the gear was built back when things were meant to last.

white.keith9d ago

So @fisher.jessica is right about the old ways working. What specific plastic fitting type were you using that failed? Was it a certain brand or just a generic nylon connector? Knowing exactly what to avoid helps the rest of us.