Many pressure washing commercial trucks opt for automatic winding of hose reels. While this may appear to be a smart strategy to cut down on time and improve efficiency, Murphy will strike. It is possible for more parts to fail and there are more mechanisms. It is easy for the hose to get caught between the reel’s frame, and the reel’s reel. Self winding hose reels is not something we recommend. If you are using double steel braided tubing hose, and have 10,000 psi burst pressure, then a hand crank hose reel is better. Otherwise, thicker hoses can be hard to handle and more difficult to roll up. Self-winding hose reels are better than hand cranks in this instance, because they save you time. The springs of the advance clicker will break if you stack too many hose reels. The hose reel will try to roll up itself while you work. Excessive hose length can lead to problems. You can solve this problem by taking the reel apart. The warranty will be voided if the reel is taken apart.

Spraying the pressure washer should be done only after the hose is fully rolled up. The pressure in your hose must be completely unloaded. You can risk causing the O-rings on your swivels to break or turn if you don’t do this. If this happens, your swivel may leak. For good ones, new swivels are $30-$55. These swivels can be bought at a hydraulic distributor or at a pressure washer sales firm. A hose that can hold 5000 PSI pressure will be sufficient. It will soon blow out if you purchase a lower-priced one, especially if your truck is involved in steam cleaning. Hot water will reduce its life by half so you should go ‘overkill’ with the swivels.

You can extend the life of your reel by making small preventative maintenance steps. High pressure hose reels come with two grease points. It is important to grease the reels when it starts squeaking or every other month. Keep a small grease gun in your work truck or in your cargo box for the pressure washer trailer. The risk of failure increases if the fittings are not greased. This can lead to excessive wear and failure of O-rings. This is similar to the brake rotors of a car that wear down brake pads faster. O-rings kits can be bought and you can replace them yourself. Many O-ring repair kit kits come with easy instructions. Make sure you don’t lose any of the small parts. Without each, your unit will fail prematurely. Your equipment is your livelihood. Take a moment to think about it.