[jeff1]

jeff do you not think ther would be more risk of people triping over hose from the side doors than the back....
say..when you pull the hose out the back .you have extra what you need.. not many people would be walking over the hose at the back.. but with side doors it would be all over the footpath....
i think the swivel plate a good idea. may be with a rolling bar (like roof rack bars)for the hose to go under to have a bit more control over it..

There all designs in the making and can all be created in light weight metals, the roller sounds like a good idea or better still the carwash pole type system I just mentioned, that's overhead.

If a hose is coming out of a side door then the hose would most certainly have to be kept a ground level, I don't think you would have to worry about having loads of hose coiled up on the floor by your side door, I've never had this happen yet as I only pull out as much hose as I need, maybe it does happen to some of you but as I said van mounts are new to me.

[jeff1]

A tow bar mount sounds the best bet yet, something you can connect quickly

Are we talking just rear doors here or side doors as well?

[Moderator David@stives]

rear

[ftp]

www.powerkiteshop.com/accessories/librearminatorspreaderbar.htm

This is something i use in a different application but something similar could be made that rotates with the direction of the hose to most angles. Would need something to stop the hose slipping off the pulley obviously.

[pingu]

Personally I have been mulling over an idea where my next vech may be a ford transit chassis cab swb and then having a body built onto the bed that would cover the tank and have hatch style doors to enable access to the inside on the 'box which would be just over the height of a 650l tank....then ontop of the box I would have anchor points for the ladders and such like... now this is where the omni-hose plate would come into play....

Have worked from the van that I currently have...it has 2x side doors and obviously 2x back doors but I think that I would prefer working for the outside in...if you get my meaning.

Cheers
Dave.

[matt]

www.powerkiteshop.com/accessories/librearminatorspreaderbar.htm

This is something i use in a different application but something similar could be made that rotates with the direction of the hose to most angles. Would need something to stop the hose slipping off the pulley obviously.

combining 2 hobbies eh 

[Roy Harding]

You could always adapt one of these, scroll down the page.

www.garden4less.co.uk/products.asp?cat=12

Roy

[jeff1]

With you now!

A tow hitch idea is good, a couple of points to bear in mind regading a tow hitch design.

You can have a flat or boxed bar made up to any shape you want to fit a tow hitch, when you fit the hitch to the tow ball, don't forget that not only will it swivel from left to right with ease but it will also swivel from top to bottom, this may cause you a few problems, like when you pull your hose it will tend to pull the hitch up if the hose is higher than the tow ball, I see a trip hazzard but its something that can be worked on to get it right.

[ftp]

www.powerkiteshop.com/accessories/librearminatorspreaderbar.htm

This is something i use in a different application but something similar could be made that rotates with the direction of the hose to most angles. Would need something to stop the hose slipping off the pulley obviously.

combining 2 hobbies eh 

Windowcleaning is my favourite hobby though. All that carbon fibre (got goosebumps just thinking about it).

[Clive McDonald]

If you don't mind me saying Dave you haven't thought this through. A reel bolted internally is limited in the angle it can achieve by the width and proximity of the door opening. An external mounting negates the idea of having it bolted down.

What's the point of being on a forum like this if you take no notice of how other people work? Most of the people offering you advice don't even have a van mount. Mix and match the forums best ideas to find what suits you.

Best practice is
1. secure and leave reel inside van with chest height being the best working height
2. Secure hose to operators body by a chest harness so that when he walks away the hose follows

How you achieve this is up to you but why not look at how people with similar vans operate.

[L.J.Thorpe]

With you now!

A tow hitch idea is good, a couple of points to bear in mind regading a tow hitch design.

You can have a flat or boxed bar made up to any shape you want to fit a tow hitch, when you fit the hitch to the tow ball, don't forget that not only will it swivel from left to right with ease but it will also swivel from top to bottom, this may cause you a few problems, like when you pull your hose it will tend to pull the hitch up if the hose is higher than the tow ball, I see a trip hazzard but its something that can be worked on to get it right.

i was thinking of an arm that LOCKED on tow ball,angled about 45 deg with swivel platform on top for reel with a roller guide on it

[ftp]

Discount, you have a way with words. I'm telling you what I want. I have my reel bolted to the floor - thats how i want it. I want more control over the pull of the hose so that i'm not trying to pull the hose off the side of a fixed reel. I can either swivel the reel or use a multidirectional hose guide. I can open the doors to ninety degrees if i want. I have been working from a fixed reel for eighteen months so it's not the end of the world if a solution can't be found.

[jeff1]

With you now!

A tow hitch idea is good, a couple of points to bear in mind regading a tow hitch design.

You can have a flat or boxed bar made up to any shape you want to fit a tow hitch, when you fit the hitch to the tow ball, don't forget that not only will it swivel from left to right with ease but it will also swivel from top to bottom, this may cause you a few problems, like when you pull your hose it will tend to pull the hitch up if the hose is higher than the tow ball, I see a trip hazzard but its something that can be worked on to get it right.

i was thinking of an arm that LOCKED on tow ball,angled about 45 deg with swivel platform on top for reel with a roller guide on it

It would have to be a self made idea then because you won't be able to buy a hitch that locks into any position, because its illegal, the only locking one available is to secure it from theft.
I suppose you could drill a hole through the hitch and bolt it on but you would have to use a spanner to tighten it or the weight would pull it down.

But then don't forget if its bolted you won't get any movement so defeats the object.

[L.J.Thorpe]

thule "hang on" bike carrier
this locks onto a towball nest pas
imagine that fitting with a box section arm on with a swivel platform atop
just a thought

[Clive McDonald]

I guy posted pictures of his roof mounted  swiveling reel on here. It was pretty good.

ftp, I agree mostly with everything that has been said, but you have to find the best for you.My reel is transverse mounted and secured laterally, but i am able to move it around. A swivel or a guide probably would be an improvement though.

I keep meaning to post a video of a couple of things, as it is you only have my word.

[Wayne Thomas]

h ttpcgi.ebay.co.uk/Stainless-Steel-Boat-Seat-Swivel_W0QQitemZ360080375526QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item360080375526&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

31 quid delivered

you will need to remove the locking bar, but other than that it will work a treat

stainless steel aswell

Thanks Matt, been looking for one just like that for ages to mount my hosereel on-job sorted

[Mr H]

Just remember not to try and use it on the road side.....!!!!!!!!!!!


If you already have a tow hitch on your van then just get the ball fitting from an old trailer and bolt on a right angle hose guide. That wouls enable ide to side movement and easy hose feed.....

Regards
Mr H

[Dave Turley]

I have a hoselock autoreel  mounted in the back of my van.

this means I can place my reel up to 20 metres away from my van at any angle I want, then simply walk down the customers pathway with no need to take a big walk fom the back of the van.

this also stops the hose scraping on customers front garden walls.

when i'm finished, one tug on the autoreel hose and it rewinds the hose as I walk back to the van.

this also creates less of a trip hazard as I place my reel at the edge of the custys property, so the autoreel hose is lying flat on the pathway and the only piece of hose in the air is going down the custys path

genius I tell you, just hope that made sense.

autoreels are £69.99 from b&q

[Paul Coleman]

Heres a challenge for the age old problem of bolted down reels.

We need "something" inventing so we can have a multidirectional "something" which will assist in pulling the hose in any direction from the back of the van.

I prefer to get the reel out of the van myself.  This is because I use a 5 - 10 mtr length of hose to link the van to the reel.  This way, I can cover the patch piece with rubber matting if required (e.g. it runs over the footpath).  If the reel was in the van, I would need to pull the hose out a long way before covering it.  This means that there would be hose across the footpath for a while without me being there whereas if I lift it out and place it the other side of the path, I can cover the patch piece immediately so no risk of trips (hope this makes sense).  I bought two pieces of rubber matting specifically for this.  Although a warning sign on its own may comply with the law, on a public footpath I prefer to cover my hose.

[Moderator David@stives]

Discount

Why are you always picking on everything I ask or say.

It does get irritating.

I have 7 reels in totan and am looking at my options, we have free satanding reels at the moment some with wheels , some without .

The ones without, keep falling over in the vans and get heavy for the female staff.

Dave