If you have a garden, then you basically use a hose to water your flowers, grass, and plants. Then you need to get a garden hose reel. It will help you to store your hose after use. Usually, the reel has a cylindrical shape, and it can be made of metal, resin, fiberglass, or plastic. The mechanism of action varies a lot. For instance, it can have a hand crank, motor-driven, and spring-driven. You can find 130 ft fixed and portable hose reels. There are also others that are attached to the truck, trailer, or cart. These are the critical factors you should consider when purchasing one.
Hose Capacity
When buying a garden hose reel, it is advisable to pay attention to its capacity. You need to ensure that it can hold the entire length of your hose. Thus, you should measure the length from the spigot to the farthest place should be watering. For instance, if you have a 250-ft hose, you cannot purchase a 150-ft capacity reel. That is because the excess hose will spill off and have issues when winding up. The hose length should be less than the reel capacity. Make sure you check the manufacturer’s recommendations if you are purchasing a replacement reel.
Stationary or Portable
You can attach your garden hose reel to a fixed place, like the wall of the garage or house. Also, you can attach it to wheels for easy maneuverability. Your choice depends on what works for you and the size of your garden. For example, if you have a large garden, you should consider a portable hose reel. As you know, hoses can be heavy, especially when carrying water, so you need a portable reel. However, if you have a small garden where the hose can reach each part of the garden, then you should get a wall-mounted reel as it is cheaper.
Leader Hoses
Your ideal garden hose has a leader hose that you can attach to the spigot. Before you connect the reel to an existing hose, make sure you check packaging instructions. Also, you need to check whether the two diameters match. For instance, ¾ inch leader hose cannot fit a 3/8 inch hose. You need to take into account where you will store the hose and how near it is to a water source. If your hose reel has a six-foot leader, then you should install it from the spigot.
Automatic versus Manual
You should consider the amount of effort you should put in when winding the hose. Remember that the manual hose reels feature a crank that can be turned by the hand. The automatic models feature a button on the reel; when they are pressed, the unit automatically winds the garden hose. However, longer hoses are troublesome for automatic models. Therefore, you need to choose your hose reel.
Optional Features
Although a garden hose reel seems to be a simple device, it can have some extra features. The wall-mounted hose reel features a convenient basket for carrying commonly used garden tools, such as gloves, hand cultivators, and hose nozzles.
