Frankenstein Hose Reel

[jinman]

I guess I should call it "Franken-reel." I have two plastic hose reels that are my all-time favorites. I installed one on my wellhouse over 10 years ago and another on one of my outside faucets on my house. Evidently they have quit making this exact model because I can't find it anymore. What I like is the hose fairlead that lets you easily control the hose as it goes onto the reel. I've also had very little problems with leaks from the swivel joints.:thumbsup:

Well, I had the hose stretched across my driveway to garden a couple of weeks ago when I was using my rotary cutter on my tractor. Without thinking, I didn't stop the cutter or lift it enough and just managed to catch the hose. It was so violent it broke the shearbolt in the cutter and ripped the front of my favorite hose reel apart.:shocked: I almost cried...:ashamed:

After looking at the reel and thinking about it, I decided to try a few Simpson fasteners and sheet metal screws to make the repair. Son-of-a-gun! It turned out to be very strong and functions just like it did before. I know it's ugly, but even my wife said it's "great."

What do you think? Do I need to proudly display it or go buy a replacement that isn't the same?

 

[dcyrilc]

If it works...
...I say to roll with it.:thumbsup:

No sense spending money to replace something which " ain't broke no mo' ".

 

[k0ua]

you did a great job but go buy a new one just in case, here my wife found them for you.
James
K0UA

Amazon.com: Ames True Temper 2388700 Hose King Hose Reel: Patio…

 

[jinman]

Well, I had looked for it in box stores, but just searched online to find it is still available for about $50 to $60. If this one breaks again, I know where to buy a new one.

Maybe I need to take a picture of it and send it to this website.

There I Fixed It - Redneck Repairs

 

[k0ua]

Jinman, I dont think your repair can hold a candle to the guy with the lawn mower half in/half out of his trunk:laughing:

your repair was fine, just thought if you wanted a new one, .....:thumbsup:

 

[RoyJackson]

Boy...you can tell you weren't an Aviation Metalsmith!!

Anyway, the repairs are functional, if not pretty...but beauty is in the eye of the beholder....so, if you're happy, we're happy!
And, Boris Karloff would be proud!

 

[studor]

I thought I was going to see a homemade hose reel from the parts of others
I am beginning to hate hose reels and have gone back to buckets mounted about five feet high on posts to hold hose. I have that same hose reel mounted on the wall and use it only for storage
I wonder if the harbour freight plastic welder would fix it?

 

[jinman]

I found them available on Amazon and ordered three. I'll replace the broken one and mount another one in a new place beside an outside spigot. The third one will go in storage as backup. This reel has lasted 10 years and I consider that good value for something that is 95% plastic. I bought an all metal roll-around reel and it has always leaked at the swivel, but these Ames reels don't leak.

 

[Bird]

The repair looks good, Jim, but you didn't say how much hose your destroyed.:laughing: The last time I ran over a hose mowing, it was naturally my newest and longest garden hose, used to water the garden.

 

[jinman]

The repair looks good, Jim, but you didn't say how much hose your destroyed.:laughing:

Bird, I think I chewed up about 20' of a 120' long hose. It came out from under the mower by itself, all balled up in a horrible looking knot with multple gashes and abrasions. If it had been a cheap hose, it probably would have just been cut to shreds, but it was a good quality rubber hose. I think it was as old as the reel (10 years) and 100' of it is still good after I put a brass splice into it. This is the 2nd hose to fall victim to my rotary cutter. The other one was near our old garden on Kathy's place before we sold it.

 

[jimmyj]

Nice patch job! I think you missed adding a little bit of duct tape though.

The hose mower thing is a story in temptation. I frequently mow 'over' our hoses rather than pick them up. It's lazy and dumb, but, well, I do it. I guess that makes me ......

 

[jinman]

I guess that makes me ......

...just like the rest of us.

I now have three new reels I ordered from Amazon. I put one together yesterday and mounted it near a spigot where I've just been rolling up my hose on the ground. I think I won't replace the one I fixed with the metal straps. Everytime I look at it I'm reminded that I need to either move the hose or use my noggin a bit better when I'm mowing.

 

[4720 OWNER]

I am a little confused. Your pics seem to show the 'before' the incident. Where are the 'after' that look so bad?

Just moved into a new place, the goats only have an old maytag (wringer) washer body to drink out of yet so your repair (?) looked pretty good to me, glad to hear you kept it.

 

[jimmyj]

Just moved into a new place, the goats only have an old maytag (wringer) washer body to drink out of yet .

Now THAT is spectacular!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[jinman]

I am a little confused. Your pics seem to show the 'before' the incident. Where are the 'after' that look so bad?

Just moved into a new place, the goats only have an old maytag (wringer) washer body to drink out of yet so your repair (?) looked pretty good to me, glad to hear you kept it.

Well, I think you are kidding because surely you can see the Simpson metal straps holding it together. It's still working perfectly and the pressure swivel doesn't leak a drop. I bought three more of those online and put one of them together for another hose and my wife loves it.

Does your Maytag wringer washer still have the agitator in it? That would make a great picture with the goats drinking out of it.

. . .and speaking of goats. I've attached the best goat picture I ever took. This still cracks me up everytime I look at it.

 

[Bird]

speaking of goats. I've attached the best goat picture I ever took

Well, it does say that objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.:laughing:

 

[jimmyj]

That is a good goat pic. Reminds me of my grandpa. He used to love to take us to the game park nearby where you could drive your car through past giraffes, zebras, monkeys, the whole works. There were signs everywhere not to feed the animals but of course grandpa had to feed them. Once, he rolled the window down in and a giraffe stuck about 5 feet of his neck right in the car. It's tongue was about 16 inches long and all goobery and it licked my grancpa and he was in a panic. It was so funny. He rolled the window up so fast I thought he was going to chop the giraffe's head off. LOL

 

[NuBota]

...just like the rest of us.

I now have three new reels I ordered from Amazon. I put one together yesterday and mounted it near a spigot where I've just been rolling up my hose on the ground. I think I won't replace the one I fixed with the metal straps. Everytime I look at it I'm reminded that I need to either move the hose or use my noggin a bit better when I'm mowing.

Just curious - are the new ones of the same (or close) quality as the one that broke?

Funny about your post - I just replaced the same reel last week - well over 10 years old - it was the free standing one, and the base had cracked. Still fully functional (and your post would have been excellent repair idea), but wanted a wall mount, so got a Suncast from the box store. No way this new one will hold up.

I have always been pretty happy with the Jackson/Ames/True Temper products

 

[jinman]

Just curious - are the new ones of the same (or close) quality as the one that broke?

The new reels seem to be at least as good as the old ones, but the color scheme is reversed and they don't come with quick-connects to hook on the spigot like the original did. The new one I installed has a dripping leak at the swivel, but it doesn't always leak and seems to be getting slower over time. I could probably take it apart and grease the o-ring, but it's not enough to worry about really.

I saw the Suncast brand when I ordered my Ames. Suncast was almost $10 cheaper for each reel, but I decided to pay for the Ames because I knew what I was getting and had good luck with my original two reels.

 

[buckle97]

I just went through a similar ordeal with finding a replacement hose reel I could live with. I had an Aames that was about seven years old that finally broke. I had always been satisfied with it and especially liked the fixed reel handle. The only replacements I could find in box stores (or local hardware stores for that matter) were the Suncast brand that have the foldable reel handle. I seriously doubt the folding handle is for my benefit as much as it is easier for Suncast to ship them without the handle sticking out. I have owned the folding handle in the past and the plastic piece that holds the handle out always breaks and makes it very difficult to roll the hose up. I bought one from Amazon for $40 and just like Jinman's, my colors are reversed from what they were on the old one.