Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: [GQC] Tim on June 24, 2009, 06:45:48 pm
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The thought behind this project was that I wanted to do away with lifting the 100m minibore hosereel out of the van 30 times a day due to a bad back. So the only option was to have it fixed in the van, trolleys and backpacks were either too cumbersome or just increasing back problems. Van mount is in my opinion the best way for wfp.
I still wanted the flexibility of a free standing hosereel and security of van ports though, so it got me thinking. After a while I settled for a winch roller from Fairleads and a face mounted roller guide from Redashe/Coxreels to give me this flexibility.
This way I have almost 180 degrees field of work, and I must say it works very well. The only thing you need to do is (only remotely) have the rear of the van facing the house(s). I did a couple of jobs today wich wouldn't at all be ideal for a normal fixed hosereel setup, but it overcome it beautifully, almost as well as a freestanding hosereel.
Two little things though, when you are at an extreme angle, like the one picture shows below, with the hose leading to the garden, you do not have as much pulling power when the hose goes round a couple of corners, or rockery like you see below. In fact, it's almost impossible to get the correct pulling power when you go around many corners at this angle. What I did is I walked back half of the hose, then it reeled in nice and easy. This might be improved, but it's only day one.
Second thing is, that the vertical mounted rollers on the winch roller can be a bit noisy if the hose isn't pressing against it properly, inside the metal rollers it's just plastic bearings, so they rattle a tiny bit if not pressed against fully, if nothing bad though, maybe I can put some WD40 on it.
I also have the ability to still run the hose through a cloth right before the hose reel.
Also, you can see that there is virtually no trip hazard whatsoever, another plus!
I hope this has given some of you an idea on how to tackle this problem.
Make sure that when you fit the winch roller, that it's fixed to something sturdy, preferably metal, it is heavy.
I will fit a Y piece and valve after my DIs, so I can still use the van ports if needed, the pipe clips hold the reel, but you can take it out with a bith of a pull.
ps. before anyone says my bucket is in the way of the handle, it is! I've only got a Berlingo, and I need a smaller box for my detergents and cloths, so the bucket can go there.
Picture Gallery :
http://tinyurl.com/mpw2h4
alternatively, use this gallery :
http://tinyurl.com/ln4eqe
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looks good ;) i had a similar idea but to just have the rollers coming straight through the back doors!
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When I clicked on the link I got a message via my internet security that the site is dangerous, tinyurl is known to distribute spyware.
I'm not saying it is or it isn't, but ZoneAlarm recommended I didn't download anything from the site
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When I clicked on the link I got a message via my internet security that the site is dangerous, tinyurl is known to distribute spyware.
I'm not saying it is or it isn't, but ZoneAlarm recommended I didn't download anything from the site
Tinyurl makes urls shorter. Maybe some spyware makers use it to disguise urls but tinyurl is 100% legitimate.
If this forum would actually properly work, then I could post a full url or thumbnails, but alas.
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One of the neatest set ups I have seen.
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One of the neatest set ups I have seen.
Thanks Alex!
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Very clever and neatly done. My compliments.
steve cm a domestic near towester nn12 interested?
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A lot of thought gone into that. Well done.
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Very clever and neatly done. My compliments.
steve cm a domestic near towester nn12 interested?
we do have a few up there. email me if you want on steve@clearmagic.co.uk
cheers mate ;)
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How do you find it reeling it in? Does it just go in one place...if you get what i mean?
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How do you find it reeling it in? Does it just go in one place...if you get what i mean?
If I get you right, I use a cloth soaked in antibacterial, and just guide it where it enters the van. So the hose is all nicely layered. :)
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Fantastic idea mate....ive been trying to leave the reel in the van the last couple of days, just one question ...does that give you a back ache because of the angle you have to lean at to reel it in?
Cheers Dave
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Just one point, not sure where you got your roller fairlead from but if its a generic Chinese job whip the circlips off and get some quality ones on there, the bloody things are terrible and even the vibration of the van going down the road can shake them off, I lost a couple off of the vertical rollers on one of my recovery trucks, theres nothing like getting where your going to discover the fairlead riollers are no longer with you ;D
They are proper Fairleads rollers, no circlips or anything. Had to use a lot of strength to get the bolts off, they are massive! Took it all apart, had to because of where I fitted an extra hold for a bolt, and I can tell you it's all very solid. :)
Here is where I bought them from, reputable business.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAND-NEW-WINCH-ROLLER-FAIRLEADS_W0QQitemZ150350520304QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Cars_Parts_Vehicles_Other_Vehicle_Parts_Accessories_ET?hash=item230196dff0&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1683|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
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Fantastic idea mate....ive been trying to leave the reel in the van the last couple of days, just one question ...does that give you a back ache because of the angle you have to lean at to reel it in?
Cheers Dave
Thanks!
It's not too bad actually, you can step in the van with one foot if you want to, and you only have to lean forward a tiny bit. I wanted it more forward, but I had to clear the bumper subframe. It's pretty good. Should be even better with an electric reel. :)
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Good on you mate , got me thinking now!!!
Thanks for sharing !!
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No problem mate!
The only thing I need now is a snap on protector ball for the connector. The smallest gardiner protecta ball actually squeezes just about through with a bit of force, but I would like to find something that snaps on and off easily, the connector gets badly knocked on the pavement other wise.
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Glad to know I can use it if I ever get stuck in the mud! ;D
I'm not quite sure if rollerbearings would be better for the application I'm using it for, but I guess the nylon bearing will last a long time if they are normally subjected to tons of weight! :D
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Hi Tim
What have you done with the spare wheel?
Spruce
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Hi Tim
What have you done with the spare wheel?
Spruce
I took it out, gonna buy one of those canisters that you can fill your tire with in case of a puncture.
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If any one else is going to try this, please let me know how you get on with it. Either post here, or send me an email.
Thanks!
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looks good ;) i had a similar idea but to just have the rollers coming straight through the back doors!
Any pics?? 8) syd
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i never done it. just had the idea in my mind ;)
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Very professional looking. :) Did you get the small floor rollers from the same supplier?? 8)syd
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Very professional looking. :) Did you get the small floor rollers from the same supplier?? 8)syd
I did not, I got them from a user on here, who bought them from Redashe :
http://www.redashe.co.uk/Hose/Accessories/Roller_Guides.html
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My thoughts are: super job well done but I can't see the need for such an enormous roller to give only 180 degrees on the bumper. I would prefer the wide one to layer the hose and the small one to change direction on the bumper. Maybe if it could have been mounted under the van you could have got a wider angle? I get the same angle with a 'd' ring clipped to the back door (admittedly with the doors open) or I can get several angles by dropping my hose through an inch diameter short pipe in the floor under the hose reel (doors locked). If you did without the bumper rollers altogether you would have a bigger range of angles. I think I would have moved the hose reel futher back (closer to the door).
Just nit picking really great job. :)
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Just an update on how it's working.
The rollers started to get very noisy, the problem is, that if the hose isn't in the middle of a roller, the roller starts to wobble, it's too small to notice it obviously, but the harder you pull the hose, the louder the noise gets, could wake somebody up! Fixed it with lubing the nylon bearing in it with some roller bearing grease. Works very smoothly now.
Another issue is that there is no way to remove an airlock with a fixed hosereel. What I did is, after the pump and DI's I put a Y piece, one goes to the van port, the other one to the hosereel. On the hosereel elbow is a valved QRC hozelock type connector. To get rid of an airlock, you turn the valve off, and plug your double male in the van port, and just put the pump controller on full, and let the air come out. No problems.
Also, simple pipe clips do not hold the hosereel, you need the special pipe clips with the snap lid on them. I haven't put those new clips on there yet, but with sharp cornering the hosereel falls over.
That's all really, it works fantastic, very happy with it! :)
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i like it a lot, very proffesional nice one tim
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i like it a lot, very proffesional nice one tim
Thanks mate, I'm always wondering what other window cleaners think of it when I drive past haha. Must puzzle them a bit if they aren't wfp. ;D
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We used to.
Too heavy, too big.
Regards,
Vadim
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Wow, those look very heavy.
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They look like those COX reels...ker-ching...Anyhow's I have been giving this some thought given that I have started the ball rolling on my 110 restoration.
So I thought...how's about mounting a reel on a swing-away spare wheel carrier?
Thinking about I how I work...I do not really need to go into the van very often...so
Here are some pics to explain...
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You really need to get out more Pingu ;D Do you sleep at night with all these thought buzzin round ya head? ;)
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It's a busy place...lots of chatter ;D many opinions :-\
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I respect ya really ping. Without alex jouk and yourself, we'd still be using chaois leathers ;)
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First class job Tom well down.
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Forgot to ask what size water tank in the van looks big dut still lots if space at the back.Thanks
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that is the shizzle, well done i want something like that for my van i hate lifting the reel in and out all day
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Forgot to ask what size water tank in the van looks big dut still lots if space at the back.Thanks
It's a 400l, it's all about doing as much as you can with the space you have. It took me a little while to swap some things about, see what works best for me. I find that the more organised my van is, the faster I work. :)
The van looks a lot different now with the 4040 in it, will have to do a picture update.
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Hi Tim
What have you done with the spare wheel?
Spruce
I took it out, gonna buy one of those canisters that you can fill your tire with in case of a puncture.
Hi Tim
I was talking to the local tyre centre yesterday and the manager told me that the use of a puncture repair canister in an emergency makes the tyre unrepairable, so they would replace the tyre, no matter what. I didn't know that!
Spruce
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Hi Tim
What have you done with the spare wheel?
Spruce
I took it out, gonna buy one of those canisters that you can fill your tire with in case of a puncture.
Hi Tim
I was talking to the local tyre centre yesterday and the manager told me that the use of a puncture repair canister in an emergency makes the tyre unrepairable, so they would replace the tyre, no matter what. I didn't know that!
Spruce
Wow, I didn't know that either, I thought the whole point of them was that you could keep on using the tyre. Hmmm...wonder what to do.
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Does anyone have any pictures of this set up? Or similar?
The link doesn't seem to work now. :(
Don't think tim comes on here anymore?
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Found it. :)
Really think I'm going to try this. Looks so easy in use.
http://youtu.be/EFt-RXU2zsU
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Blimey this was an old thread! Great video though. I have been experimenting with leaving the reel in the van, doors open while I clean the front of the house, and then taking the reel out and locking the van up to clean the back of the house - that way there's hose off the reel so I'm not lifting out the whole 100m of microbore and it makes a reel (groan) difference. Course if you're security conscious/concerned about theft, you could only really do this if you park right outside the house you're cleaning, or in the driveway, but it's a start. I'm tempted to put 60m of micro on instead, to see if I really do need all 100m. I don't recall any buildings where I have to use 60m of hose.
I saw some photos months ago of someone with quick release catches bolted to the van floor, so he had the best of both, van mounted reel if he wanted, or removable reel.
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Does anyone have any pictures of this set up? Or similar?
The link doesn't seem to work now. :(
Don't think tim comes on here anymore?
he does! ;)
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=9863
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Does anyone have any pictures of this set up? Or similar?
The link doesn't seem to work now. :(
Don't think tim comes on here anymore?
he does! ;)
http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=9863
Aha!
Even better.
Would love your upto date thoughts on this tim?