Mike V
Member
This is a classic example of a topic going way off topic so I moved it here.....
Quote Originally Posted by Johnson View Post
Mike do you still not believe in hose reels?
Mike V Responds:
I have never been a fan of hose reels for a few reasons I will explain below.
The life of your hoses depends upon normal and abnormal stresses acting on them. Normal meaning the everyday use, Abnormal meaning using/treating the hose in a way it was not intended to be used.
Some companies log more hours on hoses than others thus increasing the normal wear and tear.
As you know, high pressure hoses are constructed using metal wire. Metal fatigue is one of the main reason hoses fail. During operation, various steady and unsteady forces act on the hose as well as the various components of your unit. Think about the pressure the hose is containing and then releasing, constantly expanding and contracting. Also, as you yank on your hose (no joke intended) this causes extreme stress at a specific point, over time you will see bulges in the hose from the yanking. These bulges while sometimes subtle (sometimes look like small kinks) will be the first to fail. Continued stresses at a weak point make it worst. Not all hoses are created equal either and this also has a direct impact on the repeated action of these variable forces. The quality of materials used in the construction of these hoses vary and hoses should be chosen based on quality not price. Your dollars will be better spent over the long term if you buy a high quality hose. Winding the hose tightly on a reel will add further stress to these already weak areas causing more fatigue and eventual failure.
The other factor is the reel itself, it also has parts that will fail, rust and over time not function as intended, needed repair or replacement. I have enough equipment already that needs repair or replacement over time so I try to eliminate excess dollars spent whenever and wherever I can.
We keep about a 2' of space along one side of all of our trailers which allows the hose to be laid out in a figure eight the length of the trailer in a manner which does not cause excess stresses. It is as easy and as fast to put up at the end of the job.
Again, this is just my opinion and how I choose to setup the trailers for my crews.
Quote Originally Posted by Johnson View Post
Mike do you still not believe in hose reels?
Mike V Responds:
I have never been a fan of hose reels for a few reasons I will explain below.
The life of your hoses depends upon normal and abnormal stresses acting on them. Normal meaning the everyday use, Abnormal meaning using/treating the hose in a way it was not intended to be used.
Some companies log more hours on hoses than others thus increasing the normal wear and tear.
As you know, high pressure hoses are constructed using metal wire. Metal fatigue is one of the main reason hoses fail. During operation, various steady and unsteady forces act on the hose as well as the various components of your unit. Think about the pressure the hose is containing and then releasing, constantly expanding and contracting. Also, as you yank on your hose (no joke intended) this causes extreme stress at a specific point, over time you will see bulges in the hose from the yanking. These bulges while sometimes subtle (sometimes look like small kinks) will be the first to fail. Continued stresses at a weak point make it worst. Not all hoses are created equal either and this also has a direct impact on the repeated action of these variable forces. The quality of materials used in the construction of these hoses vary and hoses should be chosen based on quality not price. Your dollars will be better spent over the long term if you buy a high quality hose. Winding the hose tightly on a reel will add further stress to these already weak areas causing more fatigue and eventual failure.
The other factor is the reel itself, it also has parts that will fail, rust and over time not function as intended, needed repair or replacement. I have enough equipment already that needs repair or replacement over time so I try to eliminate excess dollars spent whenever and wherever I can.
We keep about a 2' of space along one side of all of our trailers which allows the hose to be laid out in a figure eight the length of the trailer in a manner which does not cause excess stresses. It is as easy and as fast to put up at the end of the job.
Again, this is just my opinion and how I choose to setup the trailers for my crews.