Help with hose guide options (and their general usefulness) ?

So seeing as it seems the guided extension bar is now an optional extra on the new PF electric reel what do you think would be better, easier and smoother if the reel is sat in the van about 2-3 feet from the edge ? Would I be better off with an extendable one, a decent quality floor one like the steel HD ones from WCW or both/neither? Options are.....

1. PF reel on its own with the hose angled downwards to the floor and through a steel HD guide from WCW.

2. PF reel on its own with no guide.

3. PF reel with optional extension guide (bearing in mind the height of the hose coming out the van will be higher).

4. PF reel with both extension guide and then angled down to floor guide.

Also are the extension guides all that useful? I imagine they help reel on nicer but as mentioned above I am a little worried that the height coming out the back of the van will cause safty concerns and trip hazards.  Any opinions are once again much appreciated.

Anyone? Trying to work out whether spending potentially £100 in addition to an electric reel will be money well spent or not  :1f911:

The extension bar is 600 mm long. If you have a van with barn doors and the reels are secured near the doors the extension doesn't come out far enough to clear the rear doors so you can pull the hose out at an angle. If you have a van with a tailgate then this extension bar is a worthwhile consideration. But you also need to consider that you need space behind it when closing it up.

I have seen a couple of efforts of hose through the floor and it hasn't been a roaring success. If the rollers are thin in diamt the hose hose seems the pull flat/collapse and difficult to pull out and wind in if the angle is too great.

If you are going to go the hose through the floor idea then you need to use a fairlead with large rollers on the bumper side.

Here's an example of a unit that's been in service for about 6 years. The rollers need to be lubricated regularily.







Here is a photo of his previous conversion on a Berlingo van.

Hey mate I've been using the pure freedom electric reel for a couple of months now and I don't  see a point in having the guide with it. Here's a picture of my reel and it pulls in all directions fine. 

I also think it's easier to reel the hose in without the guide.

go for the reel it's brilliant 

1217 said:

Anyone? Trying to work out whether spending potentially £100 in addition to an electric reel will be money well spent or not  :1f911:

Click to expand...

Its a a hundred quid.  Saves so much time.  And is a drop in the ocean

I've done the rollers in floor thing but it needs tinkering with as there are some issues.

The main one being the reel spins too fast and creates loops. This makes it snag or be hard to pull out.

You still need to be at a good angle to the property you are cleaning as more than 90 degrees snags the van tyres.

It's harder to reel in and sometimes kinjs and snags in the roller.

I'm going to try a bigger roller like the one above.

If that doesn't work I will take them off. It's more of a hinderance at the moment