Well, i’ve been doing a ton of reading as i prepare to buy all my equipment… went through many posts where people praised Mean Green, and didn’t realize until i went to order it, that it had been discontinued. Other runner ups that i had seen mentioned were Flexzilla (which didn’t have a 3/4" version until recently, i believe) and Eley (3/4" size is currently discontinued), and then the usual Home Depot/Lowes/Northern Tool varieties.
In @Racer recent video, he spoke highly of Flexzilla, and said he was looking forward to the 3/4" version. Anyone tried the 3/4" version yet?
Follow up question: If i get a 3/4" hose, and use a hose reel that has 1/2" inlet/outlet, then im assuming the flow will be restricted. If so, what’s the remedy? Buy a hose reel with 3/4" hookups? Switch the 1/2" inlet/outlet for 3/4"? Bypass the inlet and just use the reel for storage?
I thought about the Flexzilla hose too, but ended up going with some of the NeverKink Pro. @Innocentbystander is right, it takes up a ton of space on a reel. I’ve got a 300’ GP reel, and 150’ of 3/4" hose is almost too much for it. I kinda wish I’d went with 5/8" personally.
150’ of 5/8" hose at 40 PSI will produce a flow of 8.3 GPM… which would be sufficient to feed up to an 8 GPM machine without starving it. The machine cant draw more water than it pumps, so there would be no difference between a 5/8" and 3/4" hose in this scenario, even if the 3/4" hose sends more water to it.
150’ of 3/4" will produce a flow of 13.8 GPM. The machine cant use that extra flow, but if you were using it to rinse, there would be more water coming out of your nozzle than if you used a 5/8" hose.
So this means there is no benefit to using a 3/4" hose, unless you are using the hose to rinse with. (Although, i suppose it would fill a buffer tank faster.)
Do i have that right?
If i have that right, then i guess it comes down to whether the extra bulk of the 3/4" is worth the difference in rinsing power… sounds like @Mr_G and @Innocentbystander dont think it is.
I don’t wash with garden hoses. I use or to keep my tanks full. Hydrants are typically 800 feet apart so each truck has to carrry 4 or 5 hundred feet of hose and smaller hose fits on reels better
Look at what happens if you’re 200’ + though. 80% of my use probably 150 or less but I carry 225 on my reel and 20% of the time I need it. Sometimes on commercial I’ve had to run hundreds. It all depends on your individual situation. For many 5/8 may be enough and I’ve made work for years. But 1 out 15 times I wish I had bigger hose.
I’ve seen where some on here don’t even use the fittings on the reels and basically just use them for storage. They take the hose all the way off the reel and then hook-up to their spigot and buffer tank. Reason being is due to friction loss from the length of the hose and every fitting in the setup. Most fittings have a smaller diameter than what it’s labeled for unless it’s a full flow fitting, valve, wye, etc. If you compare a full flow to a regular there’s a big difference. Since you went with 3/4’ for a 5 gpm machine I don’t think I would worry too much about it unless you’re pulling from a well, it has really a low gpm and, the spigot is a long way from your trailer. Just something to think about in case we go to a bigger machine down the road.