If you landed here because you typed gates into a search engine, you might be expecting something about Microsoft. I get it. I coordinate emergency orders at an industrial rubber and plastics distributor, and our site gets a surprising amount of traffic from people who are not looking for hoses at all.
So let me answer the first question before it gets weird.
When did Bill Gates die? He didn't.
As of March 2025, Bill Gates is alive. There's no date to give, because he hasn't died. He's the Microsoft co-founder, and his foundation is still active. The Gates you see on hydraulic hoses, belts, and rubber parts is a completely different company: Gates Corporation. They make industrial hoses, hydraulic hoses, belts, seals, and rubber/plastic components for trucks, factories, and mobile equipment.
I don't have hard data on how many people confuse the two, but based on the search terms that land on our product pages, it happens more than you'd think. Honestly, if you're trying to fact-check Bill Gates, he's alive. If you're actually trying to buy a hose, you're in the right place. Maybe bookmark the tube section instead.
What exactly does Gates make?
Gates is a big name in power transmission and fluid power. Their product lineup includes hydraulic hoses, industrial rubber hoses, serpentine belts, V-belts, timing belts, and sealing products. You'll also see Gates Rubber Company in older catalogs—same brand lineage. They've been around since 1911, and their hoses are used on excavators, food processing lines, and semi trucks.
For the buyer in a hurry, the important part is this: not all Gates hoses are the same. A hydraulic hose rated for 3,000 psi is not the same as a water suction hose. The part number matters. The pressure rating printed on the hose matters. The fitting spec matters.
PVC flange: should I use one?
PVC flanges show up in chemical piping, water treatment, and fume exhaust systems. They're lighter than steel or ductile iron, and they don't rust. For many low-pressure chemical applications, they're a legitimate choice.
But—and this is where I've watched rush orders go sideways—you can't just swap a PVC flange for a metal one because the bolt pattern is the same. The pressure rating, temperature rating, and chemical compatibility also have to line up. PVC flanges are typically rated for lower working pressure than their metal counterparts. And if your system sees much heat, PVC gets soft. A 3-inch PVC flange at 150 psi might be fine on paper. The same flange at 140°F is a different story.
If you're connecting a rubber hose to a PVC flange, use a full-face rubber gasket and torque the bolts evenly. Over-tightening a plastic flange is a classic way to crack it. You'll see it happen right after the hand truck leaves.
What is an air hose machine?
This term is more ambiguous than it should be. In manufacturing, an air hose machine can be a rubber hose production line—think extruder, braider, and vulcanizer. In a maintenance shop, it usually means a crimping machine or hydraulic press used to attach fittings to hoses. Both things get called an air hose machine.
If you're asking because you want to build your own air hose assemblies, you need to be more specific. Do you need a machine to cut and crimp hoses, or a machine that makes the hose itself? That's a radical difference in cost and capability.
From an emergency standpoint, I've seen shops buy a crimping machine first, and then realize their hose and fitting brands don't match the machine's dies. That gets expensive. Pick the hose and fitting system before you buy the machine. The machine should be compatible with the manufacturer's crimp specs, not the other way around.
Polyethylene tubing vs PVC: which one do I need?
There's no universal answer, and any supplier who gives you one without asking about your application is doing you a disservice. But here's the practical breakdown:
- Polyethylene (PE) tubing tends to be more flexible at low temperatures. It resists water, many chemicals, and doesn't crack as easily in cold weather. It's a common pick for outdoor water lines, pneumatic controls, and agricultural applications. PE also works with mechanical compression fittings, and black PE handles UV exposure well.
- PVC tubing is stiffer and can be easier to route when you want it to hold a shape. It's often a better fit for higher working pressures and can be solvent-welded into fittings. Flexible PVC also holds up pretty well on air tools and workshop air lines.
One example that stuck with me: a customer needed tubing for an outdoor compressed air line in Wisconsin. I went back and forth between PE and PVC for a while. PE was cheaper and did fine in the cold; PVC was stiffer, which made the run look cleaner. The deciding factor was temperature, not price. PE won because when it gets below 20°F, flexible PVC gets hard and brittle. (Should mention: we also added a coalescing filter, because moisture in the line matters no matter which tubing you choose.)
To be fair, PVC has its place. If you're running a higher-pressure line in a warm, indoor environment, PVC is often the easier choice. Just check the pressure rating on the tube itself; don't rely on it looking thick enough. Remember that printed pressure ratings are usually based on room temperature; they drop as the temperature climbs.
I need a Gates hose fast—what should I have ready?
This is the part I know best. In my role coordinating rush orders, I've handled 200+ emergency requests over the last eight years. Last quarter alone, we processed 47 rush orders with 95% on-time delivery. The ones that fail are almost always missing basic information.
Before you call, have these four things:
- Hose size. Internal diameter and length. Not the one that's on the machine. Take a caliper and measure it.
- Pressure and temperature. What will the hose carry, at what pressure, and at what temperature?
- Fluid compatibility. Is it hydraulic oil, diesel, water, air, or something nastier? If you don't know, ask maintenance or the equipment manufacturer.
- Fitting ends. Straight thread, JIC, SAE, flange, or something weird. A photo helps enormously.
In March 2024, a client called at 4:35 PM. Their plant had a hydraulic line blow out on a press brake, and the machine was down. Normal lead time for that particular Gates assembly was three days. We verified the spec on the spot, found the hose and fittings in our warehouse, crimped the assembly, and arranged a courier. It cost them $350 extra in freight, but the alternative was a $50,000 penalty clause for missed production. They took the freight charge. Nine times out of ten, that's what happens: people don't pay for priority because they want to, they pay because the cost of waiting is bigger.
If you're about to place a rush order, double-check the part number before you send it. We didn't have a formal verification checklist earlier in my career, and we paid for it. A well-known hose brand doesn't change the fact that a 1/4-inch hose and a 3/8-inch hose can look nearly identical in a photo. Snapping a clear picture of the printed layline and the fitting threads will save everyone a headache.
Don't apologize for the order being small. Small doesn't mean unimportant—it means potential. I've had $200 single-hose orders turn into $20,000 yearly accounts. A good supplier will treat a five-hose order the same as a fifty-hose order, because the next order might be the big one.
Should I worry about Gates-compatible parts?
There are a lot of will-fit Gates-compatible hoses and belts out there. Some of them are fine. Some are not. I'm not going to tell you that only the factory-brand part works—that's not true, and there are good alternatives in some categories. But when a critical application depends on a hose, saving 20% on an unmarked part is a bad trade. Ask for test documentation or at least a clear manufacturer name. If the seller can't tell you who actually made it, that's a red flag.
And if you're sourcing from a discount supplier, make sure you're getting actual Gates product, not a counterfeit. Industrial hoses get a counterfeit reputation because the pressure impulse and fluid compatibility are invisible until they fail. By then, the line is already down.