Published in American Longwall Magazine

Parker Hannifin specifically designed the Coalmaster hose for the harsh environment of underground coal mines where, in the past, abrasion has played havoc with hose life and overall costs.

Coalmaster comes in three different levels of abrasion resistance. The standard hose has been designed for applications where the hoses are well protected. Despite this being Parker’s standard product, according to mining market manager Brian Snow, the hose still achieves twice the abrasion life of other standard rubber covered hoses.

The second level of abrasion resistance is for use on equipment such as a bretby or monorail where fluid has to be delivered to the face and the hose is exposed to coal chunks and rock, raising the potential for abrasion. According to ISO 6945 metal-to-hose abrasion tests, this hose achieves 80 times the abrasion resistance of standard rubber covered hose.

The Coalmaster Toughcover is made of a special formulated synthetic rubber blend to provide the required abrasion resistance. The Toughcover hose is available is sizes .25-2in inside diameter and is MSHA accepted.

Parker's SuperTough cover is the top of the line in abrasion resistance, according to the manufacturer. It has a slightly stiffer feel compared to the Toughcover hose but offers over 450 times the abrasion resistance of standard rubber covered hose.

Coalmaster hose is currently used in over 70% of longwall operations in the US and has proved very successful in the UK, China and Australia. Parker recently secured several new mining accounts worldwide, confirming the success of the product in the longwall market.