Background and experience
Founder Jess Kelly started working in hydraulics back in 1996, and has been working in industrial, agricultural and all forms of hydraulics since. He started with a mobile business with his own truck that had everything needed for fabrication of hydraulic hoses.
“I would take emergency calls at any time of the day or night and drive out to where the broken machinery was. I’d troubleshoot on the spot to get them back running, and then head off to my next call.”
Jess Kelly
Work included hydraulics in all types of businesses including:
- Marine industry – from luxury super yachts to charter boats, industrial work boats and shipyards.
- Agricultural industry – sugarcane harvesting, vegetable farms, aquaculture, and orchard maintenance machinery.
- Heavy industrial – sugar mills, earth moving, transport, excavation and quarries.
Jess ran this business solo for 11 years, being on call 24/7, 7 days a week and is thrilled to switch over to online service in 2022.
“By offering products online, we can provide you a much cheaper service. If you’re a handyman or mechanic, we can provide you the hydraulic supplies to make your own repairs.
We are now also able to service outlying rural areas that don’t have hydraulic services nearby. And if you are unsure of anything, I’ve got the experience to help you out.”
Pride in workmanship
Jess has always shown pride in his workmanship – his workspace is clean and tidy, and he pays attention to the finer details while fabricating hydraulic hoses. He believes that work must be spot-on from the start and follow the highest safety standards.
I hate it when workmanship is ugly. It is a sign that products may fail or require re-work. That’s not just expensive, it’s unsafe!
Having your machinery in good nick is important for so many reasons. Not only do breakdowns cost staff wages and productivity, but they also pose a safety issue. A hose blowout can be dangerous to those nearby.
Getting the most out of your hoses
Jess advises that preventive maintenance is key. You should perform basic inspections on your machinery regularly. Hoses rarely fail without warning – look for corrosion, cracking of the outer layer or other signs that your hose may not be in pristine condition any more.
Jess advises that it’s always a great idea to carry spares of the hoses that tend to fail the most often. This will minimize your downtime as you can repair and get going again straight away.
When purchasing hydraulic hoses, quality is also important. The Australian Standards require that the hose brand matches the brand of fitting. If you’ve got a mismatch, your insurance may not cover you if there is a failure!
Hydraulics 2 You is proud to offer only high quality Gates products. Every hose is guaranteed to meet Australian Standards – no mismatches.
Since switching to the Gates product over 10 years ago, I’ve never seen a fitting failure.