What Winding Hose by Hand Is Really Costing You This Season
Hand-winding 300 metres of alkathene hose can take more than 40 minutes a shift, before you sort out the loops and kinks. Here's what that adds up to over a winter grazing season, and how the Plucks Hose Runner turns it into a one-person job that takes under two minutes.
Every farmer running break feeds or portable troughs knows the routine: lift the hose, move it, and lay it out again, every day of the season and in all weather. The task may look straightforward, but the repeated winding, untangling, and re-laying can consume valuable time that could be spent elsewhere on the farm.
How long does winding hose by hand actually take?
Jock Nolan, the West Coast dairy farmer who invented the Hose Runner, described winding 300 metres of alkathene hose by hand as a job that took more than 40 minutes for one mob of cows. That was before sorting the loops afterwards so the hose would not unravel before the next shift.
Where does most of that time actually go?
Most of the time is not lost in the winding itself. It is lost dealing with loose coils that unravel, kinks that need straightening, and hose that must be laid out again because it did not wind cleanly the first time. Those repeated corrections turn a routine task into a long and frustrating job, especially on a cold morning.
What does that add up to across a season?
Nolan has said the Hose Runner saves him at least two hours of work a day during winter grazing. Across a full winter grazing season with multiple shifts each day, that adds up to a substantial amount of time that can go back into stock work, maintenance, or simply finishing earlier.
How does the Hose Runner change the maths?
The redesigned Hose Runner turns the same job into a one-person task that takes under two minutes. It winds or unwinds hundreds of metres of alkathene hose in one pass. Its vertical spinning Jenny design and self-braking mechanism help prevent the tangles and overruns that cause most of the wrestling, allowing the hose to lay and wind cleanly without a second person holding the other end.
If shifting hose is taking more time and labour than it should, see how the Hose Runner can make winding and unwinding a faster, one-person job.
See the Hose Runner in action: watch the video on YouTube.
Common Questions
How long does it take to wind up alkathene hose by hand?
In Jock Nolan’s account, hand-winding 300 metres of alkathene hose for one mob took more than 40 minutes, before allowing for any loops that needed untangling afterwards.
How much time can a Hose Runner save on hose shifting?
The Hose Runner can reduce the job of winding or unwinding hundreds of metres of hose to under two minutes, while allowing one person to complete the task.
Why does hand-wound hose need re-coiling before the next use?
Loosely wound hose unravels and kinks, so it typically needs straightening or rewinding before it can be laid out cleanly again – adding to the real time cost beyond the initial winding.