Coxreels Spring Can Rebuild?

[jonshonda]

I bought a beast of a hose reel (24" tall and 80lbs) today on marketplace, needs a new spring can and a few other small parts. They sell replacement spring cans, but they aren't cheap at $150. Wondering if anyone has ever attempted to mess with one before, and walked away w/o injury?



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[ovilla]

I would much rather rewind a garage door spring - any day of the week (I’ve done a ton of them), before I ever attempt to mess with one of those. Seriously! Do yourself a favor and just pay the $150 so you can simply (and safely) unbolt the old spring assembly and replace it with the new one. Best of luck to you!

 

[PelicanPines]

I knew a guy... Nonutts Lefty...

Seriously... $150 will get you a really nice reel.

 

[jonshonda]

I would much rather rewind a garage door spring - any day of the week (I’ve done a ton of them), before I ever attempt to mess with one of those. Seriously! Do yourself a favor and just pay the $150 so you can simply (and safely) unbolt the old spring assembly and replace it with the new one. Best of luck to you!

I knew a guy... Nonutts Lefty...

Seriously... $150 will get you a really nice reel.

I wasn't seriously considering rebuilding it or opening it. I just think it's rare there is ZERO info on rebuilding them. Guessing there is a reason for that!

 

[rlitman]

The typical failure mode for clock springs (real clock springs, not the car with airbag type) is that the lubricant on the spring dries out causing sticking, which leads to the end breaking off.

If you can catch it before it is broken (or too rusted), you can lubricate it yourself. While penetrating lubricants are not the preferred clock spring lube (and I'd unwind it and grease/oil its full length by hand), they will penetrate into the compressed coil and loosen up whatever dried grease is in there, at least for a short term, without requiring a more dangerous disassembly.

As for the right way to do it, well, that reel's probably got the same spring set as my 50' electrical cord reel, which had a stacked pair of monster springs in it. It was quite a daunting task, and if you let it explode on you, you can expect all sorts of injuries, so I'm not going just go and say to have at it, but it can be a DIY job for those with a little training in the matter, so I'm not siding with the naysayers either.

I've used a Roper Whitney #5Jr punch to put a new hole in the end of a spring where it was broken. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it fails right away. It depends on the heat treatment. I've annealed the ends as well, and that can help, though it's difficult to apply just the right level of heat.