[[GQC] Tim]

I'm getting thoroughly fedup of lifting my reel out on every single job. I've got spinal problems, and I think this is one of the things that hurts my back the most.

So here is my idea.

Fix reel in the middle of van, near the rear, so the reel is in reach for reeling in (hopefully electric will come soon)

Right under the reel a roller bracket through the van floor :




http://www.easyrack.org/cabinet-mounted-roller-bracket-p-2948.html


And under the back bumper one of these, preferably hight adjustable :




http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200316081_200316081?cm_vc=C5503



I believe that way you have 180 degrees flexibility, and the hose hangs a lot lower so there is less of a trip hazard.

Now, I don't know if roller brackets are the correct British English search term, but I just can't find any on sale here in the uk. So I need a little help with that I'm afraid.

[jefftemperley]

you can get them from redashe, i have the blue one in my left rear qtr of trafic works a treat,  although the rollers are made of abs plastic and they wear eventually and stop it working properley,

i had an engineer replace them with stainless steel ones and its perfect now

[[GQC] Tim]

you can get them from redashe, i have the blue one in my left rear qtr of trafic works a treat,  although the rollers are made of abs plastic and they wear eventually and stop it working properley,

i had an engineer replace them with stainless steel ones and its perfect now

Yea I saw the picture of your van in another thread. Nice.

Isn't redashe in the states though? I would prefer to buy something here in the UK. (preferably stainless steel)

[[GQC] Tim]

Ah here we go :

Winch Rollers :

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/items/_W0QQ_nkwZWinchQ20rollersQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZ

[Mr H]

Redashe ar UK based m8....  http://www.redashe.co.uk/

http://www.redashe.co.uk/Hose/Accessories/Roller_Guides.html

Regards
Mr H

[ftp]

Should work, I haven't got any and I never lift my reel out anyway. I have it just inside the back door. I reckon a karribeener is a good way to change hose direction too. Again, I haven't tried it yet - only holding it in my hand when I reel in.

[[GQC] Tim]

Redashe ar UK based m8....  http://www.redashe.co.uk/

http://www.redashe.co.uk/Hose/Accessories/Roller_Guides.html

Regards
Mr H

  

I was mixed up with cox reels, sorry. Looks like a great website, gonna have a look now.

[windowswashed]

Another alternative is to mount your hosereel on a swivel plate and mount that on the floorpan inside your back door allowing room for it to swivel 360 degrees for easy unreeling of hosereel. That way you can leave hosereel permanently bolted to floor of van but still swivels to desired angle for working from back door.

I use a swivel plate off a vw transporter camper van, captains chair swivel mount plate which I bought off ebay.

[LWC]

Anyone say swivel?

[windowswashed]

Hi Matt, is your swivel plate swivelling freely on bearings?

[LWC]

Nay...i need something to make it a little free-er if that makes sense, my mate made it for me, i just usually direct it where im going that works well.

[[GQC] Tim]

Only problem with this is, that you can't lock your door(s).

That's what I want to go the more difficult way.

[windowswashed]

If it's a toss up between using a van mount and saving your back not lifting hosereel in and out every clean or going for speed I'd stick with looking after my health for the long term approach.

[Clive McDonald]

Hmmm, if you have minibore and a yellow tap on the end this will not fit thru the roller.But If the yellow tap was un screwed it just might. Does anybody know if it would?

Obviously at the start of the day you'd have to put the tap outside the reel port by taking off the tap off and back in at night.(to stop some scoundrel running it 50 metres and tying it off on another vehicle during the night).

[windowswashed]

Easier to leave a female connection on the end of hosereel and push fit a tap on as and when needed. Why complicate life?

[[GQC] Tim]

I was thinking just leave the microbore connector stick out of the last roller assembly, with a cap over it or something. Otherwise atleast twice a day you would have to guide it through the floor roller, and the roller at the back. Bit of a pain. 

If you would have a plastic hosestopper, or protecta ball it wouldn't go past the roller.

To prevent people stealing your hose, you can just lock the hosereel in place with a stick or bar.

I can now understand why not many people have professional electric reels. They are so expensive, coxreels, reelcraft etc, they are all well over half a grand.

WFP is still in such an early stage of development, but after more then a decade, you would think that wfp systems would have been perfected. We are getting close, but these areas are still not fully explored in my opinion.

How difficult can it be so source an aftermarket kit, that would make a metal hosereel and electric one. Source a proper motor, mounting and chain drive, or direct drive. Should be much cheaper.

[[GQC] Tim]

So does anyone have a through the floor hose exit then? I've seen pictures of the Baudoin system that has them, and also I've seen a picture of a user from Russia (Moemgorod) who had something similar.

What do you guys think? Most practical way to have a fixed reel and work with the van locked then?

Does anyone have experience with this?

[[GQC] Tim]

Emailed Baudoin and asked how it works, here's the (shortened, and translated) reply.

There is a stainless steel cylinder in the floor, with ball bearings, so the hose slides through with ease. You always reel the hose back in completely. After that you close the cylinder with a cap so that there is no dirt coming in whilst driving.

Sounds good, but in my case I'm not sure if that would be easy, maybe at the end of the day guide it back through, and have a clip on hose stopper so in between jobs you do not accidentally reel it all the way back in, so that you wouldn't have to guide it through the rollers again on each job.

Only issue is that on the cabinet mounted roller guide, you can't put a cap on there. I really wonder what kind of thing they use, directly translated it's cylinder with bearings. Wonder what that is, and if it's designed in house (like all their other stuff) or off the shelf somewhere.

You could put some sheet metal under the floor around the opening, like a box around it, but open on one side to limit any splash to hit the rollers.
 

[jefftemperley]

tim

im still working with an engineer for a electric reel conversion kit for the italian reels we all use , when completed you will only need to remove the handle and bolt my unit on to the frame and connect it to your battery.

ill post on here with vids of the prototype when i eventually get it done, unfortunately its cost a fortune developing it so i can only make progress as funds allow.

[[GQC] Tim]

tim

im still working with an engineer for a electric reel conversion kit for the italian reels we all use , when completed you will only need to remove the handle and bolt my unit on to the frame and connect it to your battery.

ill post on here with vids of the prototype when i eventually get it done, unfortunately its cost a fortune developing it so i can only make progress as funds allow.

Wow that sounds very very exciting, I can't help you with the funds I'm afraid. 

But I will gladly buy a kit off you!! Sounds magnificent! Just what we need!   

Looking forward to your posts, do you have a rough estimate when you think you will have your initial model completed?