Hose reels and hose reel manufacturers including air hose reels, cord reels, retractable hose reel, industrial hose reels, and cable reels.  

Information Page Links:

Featured Hose Reel Manufacturers

About Hose Reels

Hose Reel Terms

Hose Reel Associations

Hose Reel Resources

Trade Shows

Featured Hose Reel Articles

More Articles

ISO - International Organization
for Standardization

Back

About Hose Reels

A hose reel is a cylindrical device around which any variety of hoses can be manually or mechanically wound. Most hose reels feature a side-mounted handle for winding and unwinding. Others utilize electric, spring or air (pneumatic) power to unwind and wind the hosing with minimum effort. The purpose of hose reels is to keep hoses neat when not in use and kink free when being used. Hoses lying out are a tripping hazard to employees and customers. Hose reels prevent this danger and also prolong the life of the hose.

Hose reels have different retraction options. A manual hose reel has no automatic retraction mechanism but is equipped with a hand-turned crank. A motor powers the retraction mechanism in electric, hydraulic and pneumatic hose reels. In a spring reel, an internal spring is used to retract the hose. In some spring hose reels, the spring motor is hermetically sealed to completely isolate it from dirt and moisture. Many hose reels come with a latching mechanism that assures positive extension stop and easy retraction at any length.

Hose reels are manufactured to meet requirements for a variety of applications. Smaller versions are able to house smaller diameter and lighter hosing such as garden hoses. A hose reel used for fire department and construction hoses will be built larger and more rigid to support the extra length and load. There are certain reels that are utilized solely for transportation and others that are used for transportation and storage. Some hose reels allow the use of the hose while it is still wound up. These hose reels provide easy access and storing efficiency, which is what draws consumers towards them.

There are several reasons hose reels fail. If spring motors are exposed to the atmosphere, they will eventually rust and break. A latching mechanism made of thin sheet metal or cast aluminum doesn’t wear well. Leaks often occur because of the improper design of sealing capabilities. Some reels have fairleads that do not reach the full width of the reel, causing hose buildup. Fairlead arms made of light material, such as pressed tin, will bend when the hose returns. A base made of pressed sheet metal with Tac-welds will soon crack from vibration. Cheek plates with an improperly formed rim or no forming will end up bending and cracking.

Images Provided by Reelcraft Industries, Inc.

Featured Articles

“Hose Reels”
http://www.myreels.com/garden_hose_reels.html
 
“Hose Reels: A Necessity? Yes, Reely!”
http://www.adpub.com/ctimes/features3/HoseReels.cfm

Images Provided by Hannay Reels®, Inc.

Types of Hose Reels

• Air hose reels are designed to house air hosing, which is typically small in diameter.
  
• Automatic hose reels retrieve the hose by themselves with the use of batteries, electricity or water or air pressure.
  
• Cable reels are reels designed to hold cables for electrical or other industrial purposes.
  
• Cord reels store, pay out and automatically rewind electrical cable and are used to power mobile machinery from a stationary power source.
  
• Electric reels are reels that utilize electric power to wind and unwind hosing, instead of requiring mechanical power. They are useful in situations where heavy hoses are continually used and relocated, such as in airplane refueling applications.
  
• Fire hose reels are designed to give easy access to a plentiful supply of water. They provide ample protection in high risk areas that require more than a nine liter fire extinguisher, such as large schools, hotels, warehouses, factories, concert halls and theaters.
  
• Industrial reels are utilized in applications necessitating high product flow and/or longer hose length.
  
• Phone cord reels are self-retracting devices that reel the telephone cord into a small, portable storage container.
  
• Retractable hose reels have cranks to retract and store the hose.
  
• Spring reels are spring-driven retracting mechanisms suitable for industrial, farm, commercial and greenhouse applications.
  
• Static discharge reels are used to ground equipment that is operating in a hazardous atmosphere. When properly grounded, the reel gets rid of any static electrical buildup, which in turn decreases the chance of sparking and a potential explosion.
  
• Water hose reels are cylindrical cranks that a water hose can be manually or mechanically wound around.