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Too big to fail
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Air hose reel wierdness...
3 or 4 weeks or so ago, I was cleaning up some stuff and I turned off the air line that leads into my shop. Today I turned the air back on to do a project, and heard air violently escaping from somewhere: the swivel fitting on my Harbor Freight hose reel was leaking badly. I shut off the air and tried to remove the fitting, which promptly snapped off in my hands. Fine. The hose reel was a gift and I've had it for almost 20 years, so no big deal. I ordered a new, USA-made reel, which should be here tomorrow. I decided this would be a good time to install a shutoff for the reel, so I went to the hardware store, got a valve and fittings, installed them, and turned the air back on... Now the other hose reel's swivel fitting gave up the ghost! That one was also a Harbor Freight item, which has been in service for ~20 years - roughly the same age as the other one. What are the odds that they would both die at the same time? I have one more reel that I've not yet touched - it has its own valve and has been off for a while.... Just test the 3rd one - it's fine - for now
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"You go to the track with the Porsche you have, not the Porsche you wish you had." '03 E46 M3 '57 356A Various VWs |
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05-02-2021, 02:14 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in North L.A. County
Posts: 2,107
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HF went from red to yellow back to red reels and labeling it improved. I think the only thing that changed was the color. The weak link is the air fitting merry-go-round in the center of the spool. Its a cruddy design and will break. If it lasted you twenty years thats a long run for those. Consider yourself lucky. The inside diameter of the merry-go-round is under sized on the HF reels which limits air volume passing through it. I replaced the merry-go-round part as mine have died twice. Forgot who sells reliable spinner fittings? Be glad its not 25 feet over head too.
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Jeff Hail "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it is vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible" |
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05-02-2021, 06:49 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 9,733
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Evidently, you hit the effective life expectancy for those fittings at the same time !
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05-03-2021, 07:54 AM
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You do not have permissi
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: midwest
Posts: 39,808
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The warranty obviously expired last month.
That's the same place garden hose reels leak as well. 20 years is pretty good.
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Meanwhile other things are still happening. |
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05-03-2021, 12:44 PM
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