Hose reels are incredibly convenient mechanisms for storage and easy access to heavy-duty hoses, flexible tubing, wires, and cords. However, hose reels can be incredibly inconvenient to wind manually using a hand crank, especially if the hose or cord is exceptionally long.

Fortunately, powered hose reels are capable of retracting themselves, either automatically or when actuated, which makes them that much more convenient. In this article, we’ll discuss what powered hose reels are, how they work, and what different types of hose reels there are.

Exploring Powered Hose Reels

Powered hose reels rely on one of several types of powertrains; in the case of hose reels, a powertrain refers to either spring retractable reels or ones driven by an electric motor. Regardless of what you’re using the hose reel for (electric cables, hoses, cords, or tubes) every powered hose reel falls into one of two categories.

Spring Retractable

Spring retractable hose reels, also known as auto-rewind, spring-rewind, or auto-retractable hose reels, use springs as their power source, regardless of whether they’re wall-mounted hose reels or attached to some other mounting bracket.

Pulling or unwinding the hose from the hose reel puts tension on the spring. Once the operation is complete, the spring retracts and rewinds the hose length. This rewind method is particularly useful for long air hoses, but it can be used in other applications as well. There are some limitations in their design.

As more hose is pulled out, more tension is put on the string, which makes it harder to pull out. There’s also a limitation in terms of the length of the hose; as the length increases, so does the weight the spring has to overcome to retract the hose.

Most spring retractable hose reels come with a ratcheting mechanism, meaning it will stay at a certain length until released by the operator. This prevents strain and enhances the safety of the work environment while taking advantage of automatic replacement of hoses in the reel.

Motorized Hose Reel

Motorized hose reels use electric motors to rewind the hose. They’re great for nearly all applications, including heavy-duty fire hose reels, oil hoses, and compressed air hoses. The power output by the electrical motor is transferred either via transmission belts or gears, which turn the stainless steel or fiberglass reel to rewind the hose.

Motorized reels are exceptional in both domestic and industrial applications, as they don’t create any tension when pulling out the hose, tube, or cable. This doesn’t account for the weight of the hose (the longer the hose, the harder it is to pull out).

The advantage of these reels is that they can operate regardless of spool size since the motors are always rated according to the reel size, even to industrial firefighting reels, which can be massive. Once you’re done with the operation, a simple flick of a switch or press of a button retracts the reel without any manual labor.

It’s important to note that not all motorized reels are the same; there are different voltage ratings, so please consider each product carefully.

Manual Rewind Reels

Though they’re not powered reels, we would be remiss not to mention manually driven reels. These have a crank handle attached to the drum and are typically reserved for smaller domestic applications or industrial applications which involve longer hoses.

Choosing an Industrial Powered Hose Reel

The choice of appropriate powered hose reel mostly depends on the application; motorized options are great for settings that have easy access to electrical power, while spring-loaded and manual options work great where there isn’t any access to an electrical outlet. The latter is exceptionally helpful as a more affordable option.

If you want to learn more about powered hose reels, hoses, and other components, please visit Reid Supply and check out our supply of Reelcraft powered hose reels and our vast assortment of machine parts and components. Our team is also happy to help you find the tools you need to keep your production running smoothly.