A suction leak can sink your profit faster than a blown tip: lost prime, foamed-up paint, and stop-start stripes that beg for expensive back-rolling. Graco Ultra 500 Suction Tube Kit (component numbers 156589, 214961, 176684, 156592, 161377 and more) restores the airtight, full-bore paint path your pump needs to hit its factory 2,750 psi ceiling and 0.65 GPM flow rate on every trigger pull.
Why Contractors Demand the OEM Tube Kit Instead of “Almost-Fits”
- Exact-Fit Threads & O-Rings ≫ CNC-cut 90° steel elbows, nitrile seals, and the forged 2″ bung adapter seat square the first time—no PTFE-tape gymnastics or mystery drips.
- Full-Diameter ¾″ Hose ≫ The 6 ft (1.8 m) solvent-resistant line maintains prime on 5-gallon pails or a 55-gal drum without cavitation, protecting packings and balls.
- 316SS Foot Valve & 1190 µm Screen ≫ Blocks trash that murders pump seals, yet cleans in seconds with mineral spirits.
- Factory Warranty —Backed by Graco.
What You Get & How It Performs
In the box: 90° union (156589), 6 ft solvent hose (214961), elbow (156591), nitrile O-ring (156593), thumb screw (100220), steel bung adapter (176684), riser tube (156592), ball retainer (159100), stainless screen (161377) and intake valve housing (159101). Together they deliver the following hard numbers:
- Max Working Pressure: 2,750 psi / 195 bar – matches Ultra 500 pump spec.
- Recommended Hose Length: 0.9 m whip + 15 m spray line (per Graco manual).
- Drum Reach: gravity-tight 2″ NPT bung supports 208 L drums—spray down to the last quart before reprime.
- Fluid Path: chromate-coated steel + solvent-grade PVC / PE hose resists MEK, xylene, and today’s low-VOC acrylics.
Sprayers This Kit Bolts Straight Into
Because Graco engineers standardized the ¾″ NPT inlet block across several mid-size rigs, one purchase covers a mixed fleet:
- Ultra 500 Series A & B – 120 V and 220 V models (231-032, 231-041).
- Ultra Plus 500 Stand & Hi-Boy – identical inlet rod and bung adapter.
- Ultra Max II 495 & 595 – when up-scaling from 20 L pail to 55 gal drum via included bung.
- Mark V & Mark VII texture rigs after optional 243392 adapter—ideal for Level-5 mud.
- Graco TrueCoat 360VSP Electric TrueAirless Sprayer crews keep one kit handy to decant leftovers into the big rig at day’s end.
Bundle Once—Cover Every Jobsite Need
While you’re refreshing the inlet, toss a 3-ft whip hose graco on each gun for wrist-saving flexibility.Texture work ahead? Our graco texture guns with RAC X 531/541 tips mate flawlessly to the Ultra 500’s 2,750 psi output. Switching to trim repaint? Clip on a graco magnum x7 replacement spray gun—its stainless needle protects finishes yet threads right into your existing graco hose. For punch-lists and closet touch-ups, field techs grab a cordless Graco TrueCoat 360VSP Electric TrueAirless Sprayer; the liner bags squeeze every last ounce out of a quart cup, and the same FFLP tips you stock for the big rig fit the handheld. Finishing metal stairs or pipe rail? graco air pro spray gun HVLP head atomizes solvent enamel at 9 psi, and its ⅜″ whip plugs straight into your BlueMax II line. We keep it simple: one shopping cart, one freight charge, and every SKU lands on the dock tomorrow.
Three-Step Install—Under Five Minutes
- Relieve Pressure & Drain – flip prime valve and trigger into waste bucket.
- Swap Parts – thumb-screw the old tube out, hand-start the new elbow, tighten to 20 N·m, and seat the bung in your drum.
- Prime & Spray – Set pressure to 500 psi, run until stream steadies, bump to 2,000 psi and check for leaks—done.
Keep It Running 10,000 Hours
- Log hours weekly; rebuild packings every 200 spray hours.
- Flush with mineral spirits daily—hot lacquer thinner cooks PTFE seals.
- Rotate tips at first sign of tailing; a new LP 517 costs less than one crew-hour.
- Store pump wet in Pump Armor®—corrosion risk drops by 80 %.
- Color-code bins: blue for whip hose graco, red for O-rings, yellow for texture tips—techs grab parts in seconds.
Ready to Ditch Cavitation and Boost Throughput?
Click Add to Cart —so you’re spraying profit back into your books tomorrow.
