Manifold flanges have become a popular plumbing connection in the ag and turf market. They allow you to easily connect and disconnect hoses and rigid plumbing on your sprayer, nurse trailer, or planter.
Unlike pipe thread, you can remove individual sections of plumbing, valves, strainers, etc., without having to disassemble your entire system. This saves you a huge amount of time and hassle when you need to replace a damaged item or make a change to your current plumbing. They are best used for semi-permanent plumbing scenarios. I.e.: inlet/outlet of onboard sprayers, strainers, valves, etc.
The flanges are connected by a clamp, with a gasket between the two flanges to provide a no-drip seal. There are four standard sizes of manifold flange used in the ag/turf world. They are available in poly (similar to the Banjo cam-lever couplings) or stainless steel. A variety of different manufacturers make and sell manifold flange fittings, and though they use different numbering systems, they all fit together. This can lead to second-guessing when connecting two pieces that are made by different companies (Banjo, Hypro, Teejet, etc.).
What are The Different Manifold Flange Fitting Sizes?
The inside diameter of these fittings is the important part. This relates to the flow capacity of the fitting. The four manifold flange inside diameters measure: 1-inch, 1.5 inches, 2-inches, and 3-inches. The confusing part is the naming of the 2-inch standard port (SP) and the 2-inch full port (FP).
One of the confusing parts is that Banjo calls the 1.5-inch inside diameter flange a 2-inch “standard port” flange, and the 2-inch inside diameter flange is referred to as a 2-inch “full port” flange.
Here are the part numbers used by the different companies to refer to the four different manifold sizes and how they match up:
- 1 inch: Hypro 100/Teejet 50 series
- 1.5 inch (2-inch standard port:) Hypro 150/ Banjo M200/ Teejet 75 series
- 2-inch full port 220: Hypro 200/ Banjo M220
- 3 inch: Hypro 300/ Banjo M300
In the image above you can see a 2-inch standard port (1.5 inches inside diameter) flanged elbow. Banjo provides the full part number on the fitting (M200CPG90SH). Banjo uses M200 to refer to their standard port 2-inch fittings. This will mate up with other M200 fittings from Banjo as well as #150 fittings from Hypro and #75 fittings from Teejet.
If you do not see a part number on the flange fitting, you can still measure the fitting to identify the size that will match it. Here are the dimensions of each manifold flange size:
Final Thoughts
Manifold fittings are a time saver and they are easy to work with. The key is to remember that there are four different sizes available and although the part numbers are not identical for each brand/manufacturer, they will mate up just fine as long as you can identify what size you have.
Manifold flanges are superior to pipe thread fittings when you need to occasionally replace components like on sprayers or nurse trailers. They also give you the flexibility to easily add things like inductor tanks and line strainers.
