Connectors

The hose on a vintage pump has connectors at both ends. At one end is the tyre valve connector which is placed over the valve and tightened on - usually through a small lever which compresses a rubber insert over the valve. At the other end is the connection to the pump. The connectors are usually attached to the hose using crimped sleeves. But a perfectly satifactory alternative, if you are replacing the hose, is to use a small jubilee clip. The pictures on this page show types of attachment.

TYRE VALVE CONNECTORS

These come in a range of types and sizes. Probably the most attractive is the large brass RENRUT type seen on many Kismet pumps (RENRUT=TURNER backwards!) These ( middle picture below) have an adjustable screw fitting and lever. Its easily taken apart - via a screw through the lever - to clean and replace the internal rubber insert. The other valve connectors below are Aerites

A particularly attractive valve connector, which is very hard to come by, is the brass Walters and Dobson example below. This is an attractive design in brass and rivals the RENRUT in design/manufacturing quality, ease of maintenance and performance in use. Again, it is adjustable to different sizes of valve

The more common and simpler type of connector is the grey metal one with a lever, shown below. Here the lever is usually held in place by a shouldered pin in an elongated, twin diameter hole in the connector barrel. The pin can be carefully drifted out through the larger diameter hole if the connector is compressed in a vice. This enables the internal rubber seal to be replaced.

In many connectors, there is a little internal pin which pushes down and opens the scrader valve in the tyre - thus making it easier for air to enter the tyre. This is my preferred type, as it places less loading on the pump. In other cases, there is no pin - the scrader valve is pushed in simply by the pressure in the hose. This means that higher pressures are needed. So the tyre connector and its details form part of a system which must be carefully selected and designed. You cant just put any old connector/hose combination on any pump. Beware, therefore, of the cheap plastic trashy hose/connectors bought in Halfords!

PUMP CONNECTORS

Not too much to say about these, except that some contain a non return valve. These are necessary when there is no non return valve on the pump body. The most interesting and innovative pump connector is the tapered 'Sutty' type - shown in the middle below. An ingeneous little piece of design, which allows connection to any diameter female screw thread on the pump body. Often can be rotated independently of the hose to allow tightening without twisting the hose. These were the days when people really thought about proper design with costs taking second plac