Contractor or Farm/Ranch hose

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I need a 100' hose. Reading all the reviews on Amazon and HD, you would think there isn't a quality heavy duty hose available.

Anyone have experience with a heavy duty 100' hose that will last years vs. a summer?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

I need a 100' hose. Reading all the reviews on Amazon and HD, you would think there isn't a quality heavy duty hose available.

Anyone have experience with a heavy duty 100' hose that will last years vs. a summer?

I hate crap hoses. I generally buy the most expensive one at the hardware store, which is usually a red rubber hose. I've had good luck with them. I'd also suggest/recommend some sort of reel system or something. This style of hose is heavy (compared to a cheap hose) and cumbersome to neatly coil, especially if it's 100'. I think the one at our old home in the burbs was 50' and it was a pain to deal with compared to a cheap hose. If you won't need a 100' hose every time you need a hose, you may even want to get two 50 footers that you can connect when you need the 100' (assuming that's just occasionally). I suspect having the hose coiled and stored also helps it last longer than leaving it laying in the yard for the sun to beat on all day.

I went looking for a picture, and apparently, that's what they call them. I don't have this product, but I have something like it, and had something similar 15 years ago. It lasted at least 7-8 years, maybe 10, until we either gave it to the kids or sold it at a garage sale.

[Seahawk]

We had some very durable hoses on the farm for nearly ten years but they were extremely heavy and hard to move around and store. So much so my wife hated them.

I do not remember the brand.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Watering-Irrigation-Garden-Hoses/Heavy/N-5yc1vZbx4eZ1z0zx35?storeSelection=

I think it was the Element.

If the hose will remain relatively stationary and not be moved around, go with any premium hose. We had 100's of feet of the heavy stuff and have recycled them all.

We have gone with 50ft sections of mid grade as well as a few 25ft sections for the stable. She is much happier. Key for us is that there is not a lot of abrasive surfaces around the farm, stable and gardens. Mobility was our primary metric.

[rfuerst911sc]

I also have had the best luck with red rubber hoses. They have a thick wall which helps them not to kink as easily . I agree a hose reel makes it much easier to handle .

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

We had some very durable hoses on the farm for nearly ten years but they were extremely heavy and hard to move around and store. So much so my wife hated them.

I do not remember the brand.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Garden-Center-Watering-Irrigation-Garden-Hoses/Heavy/N-5yc1vZbx4eZ1z0zx35?storeSelection=

I think it was the Element.

If the hose will remain relatively stationary and not be moved around, go with any premium hose. We had 100's of feet of the heavy stuff and have recycled them all.

We have gone with 50ft sections of mid grade as well as a few 25ft sections for the stable. She is much happier. Key for us is that there is not a lot of abrasive surfaces around the farm, stable and gardens. Mobility was our primary metric.

Exactly! Right now, I've got two 25' hoses so if I need 50', I can combine them, but dealing with 25' is much easier. I think our old hose with 50' and it was a pain to coil and deal with. I can't even imagine the same hose at 100'.

I'm still going with the heavy duty stuff. My experience is that it handles the hot Texan summer sun better over the long term. Although, I do remember hot summers of +100º temps when we lived in NoVA.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by masraum

Exactly!

Looks like we were typing our responses at the exact same time!

We'll see how the less robust ones do...we can always do a hybrid approach, a mix of the red stuff and residential grade.

[craigster59]

I've had good luck with Continental Tire brand hoses....

https://www.amazon.com/Continental-8-inch-100-feet-All-Weather-Rubber/dp/B00513HMZC

[dad911]

I hate dealing with 100' hoses also. Just like extension cords, I'd rather have a few 25' or perhaps 50'.

Shaun - is this semi permanent, water for the new shop? Then I'd run pex with the correct fittings and drain it in the winter.

[herr_oberst]

I have a 50 foot Sears Craftsman (Black, round, not the polygon,) that I bet I've had 25 years. I drain it and store it indoors in winter, but otherwise It's out in the weather all summer long, and it's still in great shape. Heavy and awkward to use, for sure.

I did notice that it was getting sort of soft at the hose bib end, so I fabbed up a strain relief device so that the tension when I'm yanking on it is linear, not angular, and it seems to be doing the trick.

[Baz]

I use a 1/2" pvc spray hose here - like the kind the lawn spray companies use. Has lasted for 20 years.

1/2" ID 800 psi 100' Length of Spray Hose

Lawn, Pest & Ag High Pressure Spray Hose

1/2" ID, 800 psi, 100' Length

Designed for pesticides, fertilizer, insecticides, horticultural solutions, and other agricultural spray applications. Flexible, lightweight construction. Made of kink-resistant rugged PVC. Easy grip, striated exterior. 800 psi working pressure.

This spray hose is exposed to the most rigorous testing procedures, including thorough analysis in our engineering and research facility. We continuously analyze the quality of our products using proof and burst tests, abrasion tests, and design-match-qualify processes. This product is engineered to meet or exceed the standards set by ISO.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Baz

I use a 1/2" pvc spray hose here - like the kind the lawn spray companies use. Has lasted for 20 years.

1/2" ID 800 psi 100' Length of Spray Hose

Lawn, Pest & Ag High Pressure Spray Hose

1/2" ID, 800 psi, 100' Length

Designed for pesticides, fertilizer, insecticides, horticultural solutions, and other agricultural spray applications. Flexible, lightweight construction. Made of kink-resistant rugged PVC. Easy grip, striated exterior. 800 psi working pressure.

This spray hose is exposed to the most rigorous testing procedures, including thorough analysis in our engineering and research facility. We continuously analyze the quality of our products using proof and burst tests, abrasion tests, and design-match-qualify processes. This product is engineered to meet or exceed the standards set by ISO.

There you are, a pro in the business in sunny FL with a long term history to report. The recommendation doesn't get any better than that.

[Zeke]

Plastering contractors who play with water all day every day always bought Good Year brand. 3/4 inch for high flow, especially at 100 feet. Yes, they are heavy!

[wdfifteen]

As others here have pointed out, weight and mobility can be important parameters. We use the lightest hose we can find that has solid brass fittings for that reason.

[stevej37]

Are those collapsible new hoses any good?
Easy to store...looks like.

[mattdavis11]

I have a Teknor Apex Never Kink, 5/8, 100ft. I don't remember when I bought it, but it was before we moved, so at least 2 1/2 years ago. It was full of water, then it froze for a week, add to that Texas summer heat. No issues with it.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

I have a 50 foot Sears Craftsman (Black, round, not the polygon,) that I bet I've had 25 years. I drain it and store it indoors in winter, but otherwise It's out in the weather all summer long, and it's still in great shape. Heavy and awkward to use, for sure....

I've had a couple of the Sears (black, hexagon shaped) rubber ones for nearly 30 years, dad's are a bit older, in 25, 50, 75 (methinks), might be 100 tho'. The shorter ones get used . Back then they had a lifetime warranty (free replacement), but there is ZERO chance I would take a new one now. I leave 'em outside, but drained, coiled, and outta the sun. I'm planning on getting at least another hundred years outta mine .... long lifetime .

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by dad911

I hate dealing with 100' hoses also. Just like extension cords, I'd rather have a few 25' or perhaps 50'.

Shaun - is this semi permanent, water for the new shop? Then I'd run pex with the correct fittings and drain it in the winter.

Great information and suggestions, I was about to go to HD and get that element hose and then I saw this which is brilliant!

A couple of things.

This is for work. The hot water heater is a least 50 feet from the building wall that I'm building a paint shop next to. Now I've got a 5X spliced inexpensive hose (has at least lasted for years) that I've run the length of the building and out the window down to the ground (we are on the second floor) so I can water the grass that I planted in the residential neighbor's yard who is happy as a clam.

My plan was to run a 50 foot hose to the building end, connect to a hose real (Northern Tool has a great one) and then a 100 foot hose to go out the window which would be as long as I would ever need.

When people were saying the heavy hoses are stiff, I assumed that, I would just get a flexy 12 or 25 foot extension to add on if I needed flexibility and ease of movement.

But dad's suggesion to run pex changes everything including I can run water directly into the shop.

Thank you!

[look 171]

I love my 25' Black rubber Sears hoses. I keep them short for ease of handling. I connect them if longer length is needed but that's not often. Had them for 10 years. No cracks or anything. Will buy again. For my job sites, I buy cheap hoses and through them out when done. They are beaten to crap anyway by end of job of not, someone will kill it somehow.

[rusnak]

I have pex tubing throughout in my office building. The plumber who installed it all during construction had a big-ass crimper tool to crimp the fittings on to the tubing. It's really brilliant.

I go through a lot of hoses. I mean hundreds and hundreds of feet. It all depends on your application. Never noticed the weight though. We use a hose reel on 4 wheels the most. It holds around 150' of hose, which we use probably 3 times a week.

[MBAtarga]

I lucked out and got 4 or 5 of those 100' Black rubber lifetime Craftsman hoses when a relative moved out of state and left them behind. In the 15 or 20 years I've owned them, I've had one replaced for free. They are HEAVY!