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With hydraulic hose failures causing a huge 37 percent of unplanned downtime in the mining and drilling industry, it pays to have a simple easy-to-use hydraulic hose repair solution. Jamie Wade writes.

 Start taking control of your hydraulic hose repairs.

That is the key message for the drilling industry from hydraulic hose repair and maintenance business BOA Hydraulics that said the biggest mistake end users make in hydraulic hose management was not understanding the true cost of downtime. 

“When you have a machine that costs between $5,000 to $20,000 per hour of downtime, you cannot afford it to stop because of a hose,” BOA Hydraulics’ CEO, Simon Boakes told Australasian Drilling. 

“This is particularly relevant to the drilling industry that typically works in remote locations where crews could be waiting hours if not days for a hose repairer to come onsite. By performing preventative maintenance and having an onsite solution for hydraulic hose repairs, downtime can be reduced dramatically.” 

Simon added that the biggest mistake that ends users of rigs, plant, and equipment with hydraulics make was not understanding the cost of machine downtime.

“Another huge mistake is not doing preventative maintenance on hydraulic hoses,” he said. 

“When there is a planned shut on a machine take this time to replace any worn or damaged hoses that have the potential to blow in service. Having a proactive mindset to hydraulic hose repairs will save you thousands in dollars of downtime.”

About BOA Hydraulics

BOA Hydraulics was established in 2017. Influenced by the world’s largest snake family, the brand BOA shares the same characteristics as the BOA constrictor known for its strength, bravery, boldness, power, and longevity, and for inhabiting remote locations in the wild. 

Company founders and brothers Greg and Simon Boakes set out to find a better way to repair hydraulic hoses. Before starting BOA Hydraulics, the brothers worked in the auto electrical industry on heavy machinery where hydraulic hoses were commonplace. They heard customers complaining about the cost of a hose and the length they were waiting for hose repairs. To that end, both set out to revolutionise the hydraulics market. 

With its headquarters in Auckland New Zealand, BOA employs around 50 staff and has distribution centres in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. 

BOA Hydraulics has created a solution comprising four components that give heavy machinery users the ability to replace and maintain their own hydraulic hoses. 

BOA Hydraulics’ BOApod is an all-weather, all-terrain mobile hydraulic hose repair unit that can be delivered turn-key stocked, and ready to be towed onsite. 

“This state-of-an-art trailer has everything you need to replace hydraulic hose repairs safely onsite,” Simon said.

The BOAhub is an inventory management app that makes reordering hydraulic hose and fittings seamless. With a scan-to-order feature, the user simply scans a barcode with the parts cabinet in the BOApod trailer to restock. 

“When we deliver the trailer, we train you on site,” Simon said. “We partnered with world-renowned crimper manufacture Uniflex to deliver a world-class training program. When you complete this program, your team will have the right skills and know-how to safely assemble hydraulic hoses.”

BOA Hydraulics partners with hydraulic hose manufacturers and distributors to provide hydraulic products that accompany the BOApod unit. 

“BOA was established to change the way people think of hose repairs,” Simon said. “We want hose repairs to be something enjoyable. We are about giving back control to heavy machinery users. Instead of being reliant of third-party contractors, we give them the tools and skills to do it themselves.” 

A BOA customer recently had a scheduled major blast in operation, but when they were evacuating the pit ready for the blast one of the frontline drill rigs blew a hose, so they were unable to move it. With the BOApod mobile hydraulic hose repair unit on site, they were able to make a hose and move the machine.

“Previously they would have had to cancel the blast because they could not go ahead with a multi-million-dollar machine in the pit,” Simon said. 

“When a blast is cancelled the flow-on affects are huge and costly. There is a full investigation as to why they aborted, much paperwork and legal work plus the downtime the event created for the whole mining operation. All of this can be avoided with the right solution.”

For more, email sales@boahydraulics.com or visit boahydraulics.com

“Having a proactive mindset to hydraulic hose repairs will save you thousands in dollars of downtime.”

- BOA Hydraulics’ CEO Simon Boakes