TestDIYOrganic

Days 9, 10 and 11 of my organic lawn renovation project were pretty tough. A lot of raking, digging and incorporating compost. I ran into some snags that made it even more difficult but hopefully it will all be worth it when my new lawn comes in.



I was expecting to have seed down by the 10th day but I ran into a few snags. I had the bright idea to do all the work with manual tools since it was only 600 sq ft that I was renovating but it wound up being more tiring than I expected.  This post is a few days late as a result. My whole body was sore and my fingers were too tired to type. It was a pretty good workout though. :)



The first major step was to kill off as much of the existing lawn as I could using two organic herbicides instead of RoundUP. (See BurnOut II vs Nature's Avenger.) That went pretty well and both killed a large majority of the existing grass and weeds. There was some weedy looking tall fescue that was coming back too fast and I decided to dig it up before I went on to amending the soil, leveling the lawn and seeding. Details discussed below.

Digging Out Tall Fescue

Composted Left/Not Composted Right

I needed a new pump sprayer for my lawn renovation project and the  Smith 2-Gallon Contractor Sprayer seemed to be the best garden sprayer available and at a reasonable price.



I used to own a Stanley metal pump sprayer that lasted for over a decade until the nozzle got clogged and I couldn't clean it. I was shopping around for a replacement nozzle and was about to order one when I realized I can't find my old sprayer! Don't know what might have happened to it. It's not like it's a sock.



While looking around for replacement parts I kept seeing the Smith pump sprayer and it had very good reviews and a well thought out design so I decided to purchase it.





The image on Amazon (where I ordered it) was slightly different than the sprayer I received. It seems that they have made some upgrades and rebranded it as a "Contractor Sprayer" instead of a "MAX Contractor Sprayer".

The nicest upgrade is the addition of a plastic base for the sprayer. It includes a cup like section where the tip of the wand goes for storage. This collects any material that might happen to drip from the end of the nozzle or at least keeps a wet tip from coming in contact with anything when the wand is snapped into the wand holder for storage. I think it's clever.



One of the main reasons I purchased the Smith Contractor Sprayer was because it came with a shoulder strap. It allows me to carry the sprayer and leaves one hand free for other purposes. For example when I was spraying herbicide to kill my existing lawn I used a sheet of cardboard as a shield to prevent overspray. I didn't need to constantly stop to pickup and move the sprayer body. It gives the convenience of a Backpack Sprayer to those of us that don't need a sprayer larger than 2 gallons.



The 18" long wand that comes with the sprayer makes it easy to reach the areas you want to apply product to. The valve is easy to operate and includes a switch to keep the sprayer on when you need to cover a large area.



The end of the wand has a 45 degree angled adapter to spray liquid out at a more comfortable angle but I believe it is removable. For spraying compost tea I think removing the angled adapter might be beneficial as I read that angled ends can damage the fungi or provide areas where biofilm may attach and build up over time.



The Smith garden sprayer can use different tips depending on your application. Five tips were included (4 pictured below).






From left to right they are a plastic adjustable tip, a brass adjustable tip, a foaming tip and a red fan tip. There was also a yellow fan tip included but it is currently attached to the sprayer. The fan tips are great for applying liquids to your lawn quickly and evenly.



I used the yellow fan tip to apply the organic herbicide to my lawn earlier today. It creates a nice, wide, even spray pattern that allows you to quickly apply your product and gives you pretty good control to avoid overspray.



The brass adjustable sprayer would be good for applying compost tea because it allows you to open up a wide stream. At least 400 microns is necessary to allow some of the fungi to pass through.



Even though the body of the sprayer is plastic, it's a very thick walled plastic that can hold up to the pressure inside the container. The plastic is just translucent enough to allow you to see the level of liquid in it.



The pump was easy to operate even when the spray was slung over my shoulder. It gave a very consistent spray even while pumping.




A nice feature that my old Stanley sprayer didn't have was a pressure relief vale that allows you to depressurize the sprayer when you're done. I've heard horror stories of people unscrewing the top mounted pump of their sprayers when they thought the sprayer was depressurized but it wasn't and they got a face full of chemicals.  Not fun! The manually operated relief valve helps prevent that.



I found no leaks anywhere in the sprayer and I'm very happy with it. It's reasonably priced and includes free shipping from Amazon. I've been looking over different brands of sprayers and I'm very happy I selected the Smith pump sprayer.



My only complaint is that the fill markings on the side of the sprayer are difficult to see but that can be remedied with a Sharpie.



If you're looking for something to help spread liquid herbicides, liquid fertilizers like fish hydroslate, amendments like humic acid or soluable kelp or even compost tea, the Smith pump sprayer will help you get the job done fast.

The leaf blower, an odd name considering I hardly ever use it to blow leaves. It's the last tool used after edging, mowing and trimming my lawn. Until recently it was my least favorite part lawn care because I used an old corded blower. The last few weeks however I've been using a Ryobi 40V Cordless Blower which has made cleaning up after mowing is a lot easier than it used to be.



Sometimes I was lazy and leave the clippings alone and let the wind and rain eventually take care of them. This left the property looking unkempt for a couple of days but the cordless blower is such a joy to use I don't think I'll ever have that problem again.



Included in my review of the Ryobi 40V Blower is a video demonstrating how well it works in different applications.



When it's time to use a blower I've already been out in the heat for a considerable amount of time and all I want to do is get out of the sun and jump in the shower. Wrapping and unwrapping a long extension cord and avoiding getting it tangled up may not seem like a big deal but when you're tired, hot, sweaty and thirsty it seems like forever.



One way or another I needed to cut the cord either by getting a gas powered blower or a cordless leaf blower. When selecting a blower I was looking for one that would:

• blow grass cuttings, dirt and other debris from mowing off my driveway and sidewalks and back onto my lawn.


• blow dirt and clippings out of the slit created from my edger so I have a clean, well-defined edge.


• blow leaves, seed pods, needles and other debris off my hardscapes and onto my lawn.


• blow debris and leaves out of garden beds.


• be relatively quiet.


• be easy to handle.


• be durable.


• quick and easy to use.


• have enough run time to get the job done.

You'll notice that almost everything I do with a blower involves blowing grass clippings, dirt and leaves off of hard surfaces and onto my lawn. I don't use a leaf blower to blow leaves off my lawn in the fall. Instead I mulch mow fall leaves into the lawn because it provides nutrients and organic matter which helps the grass and improves the soil.



A cordless blower should be enough for my needs and it will be quieter and easier to maintain than a gas powered blower. The Ryobi 40V Cordless Blower seems to be the best cordless blower currently on the market.



The following video shows the Ryobi RY40410 Cordless Blower in action cleaning up after mowing and trimming my lawn.

Ryobi 40V Cordless Blower Features

There were a few key features that made the Ryobi Blower stand out among other cordless blowers:

40V Li-Ion Battery

The higher the battery voltage, the more efficient the use of battery power so a larger voltage battery allows you to use a more powerful motor. Assume a 1amp motor on a 20V battery and you'd get 20 Watts of power output. If connected to a 1 amp hour battery the motor could run for 1 hour. Same setup except battery and motor are at 40 volts and you'll get 40 watts of power and the same run time. Or you can get twice the run time using the same power motor. Ryobi seems to have struck a good balance between power and run time and the RY40410 could be a good alternative to gas mowers for some commercial landscapers.



The lithium ion battery technology also offers a lot of benefits over the older nicad batteries. Self discharge is less so you don't have to keep the battery on the charger. There's a more even power curve so the tool doesn't slowly get weaker as the battery drains and li-ion batteries are lighter than their ni-cad equivalents and don't suffer from memory issues that can reduce usable life. Li-ion batteries also charge much faster than nicads and the Ryobi 40V battery can be fully recharged in 90 minutes using the quick charger.




One cool feature of the OP4026 Battery is that there's a built in charge indicator. Press the question mark (?) button and 4 LED's will let you know how much power is left in the battery without having to insert the battery in the charger.



The quick charger that comes with the Ryobi 40V Blower Kit is the type of smart charger you would expect to get with a lithium ion cordless tool. It's smart enough to know if the battery is too hot or too cold and will wait for it to get to the correct temperature range before it begins charging and will monitor the charge level as it goes to prevent damaging the battery. The charger can sit on a workbench or it can be mounted on a wall using 2 screws.



To extend the battery's life at the end of the season try and leave the battery in about a 1/2 charged state and store ot in a cool dry place.

Long Run Time

The battery also lasts a long time. I tried to run the Ryobi Cordless Blower until the battery fully discharged. It took me about 10 minutes to blow my walks, driveway and other hardscaped areas after mowing and trimming, then I kept going for another 5 minutes going over the same areas to try and run the battery more. I spent just over 15 minutes outside using the blower before I got tired of being out in the sun so I moved indoors and continued to run the blower for another 10 minutes.



When I placed the battery in the charger 2 LED lights lit up and the third was blinking indicating I hadn't even discharged half the battery after over 25 minutes of on and off use using the blower and simulating how I would use it with 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off.

Quiet

Leaf blowers are notoriously loud. When I happen to be home when one of my neighbor's landscapers comes to mow the lawn it's not the gas mower, or trimmers that are a problem, it's the leaf blower. I can't leave my windows open when they start blowing because it's so loud and annoying. Unfortunately blowers are the most efficient way to clean up the landscape after mowing.



The Ryobi 40V Blower, unlike it's gas powered big brothers, is much quieter. According to the specs it operates at 65dB which is somewhere between a normal conversation and an upright vacuum cleaner. All I know is that holding the Ryobi blower a few feet from my ears during operation wasn't a problem while listening to gas powered blowers over 100 feet away is so loud and irritating I want to astroturf the whole block.



Since I mow my lawn on the weekends when my neighbors are more likely to home it's nice to know that I'm not ticking anyone off by using my blower.

Powerful Enough

Ryobi claims that air comes out of the blower at 155 MPH when using the removable high velocity tip. It has enough power to do all the jobs I need it to do adequately. I won't be able to efficiently blow a sidewalk clear of leaves from 50' away or roll a bowling ball up a hill like I might be able to do with a super high powered gas blower but I'd never have a need for that and don't have to worry about annoying the neighbors or damaging my hearing.



Based on how much run time I got I think Ryobi chose to use the extra power from the 40V battery to extend the run time rather than increase blower power compared to their older models. With a couple of extra batteries and possibly a 12V inverter to power the charger from a truck battery I think the Ryobi RY40410 cordless blower will be an attractive alternative to commercial landscapers that want to reduce noise pollution. This would be particularly important in municipalities that have banned or are considering a ban on gas leaf blowers.



The Ryobi blower has enough power to get the job done with a traditional edge, mow, trim and blow service without kicking up as much dust or creating as much noise as a gas blower and it's much quicker than using a rake or broom.

Comfortable Handle With Variable Speed Trigger

The rubber coated handle on the blower is very comfortable and easy to hold. It's symmetrical and will work well if you're lefty or righty.



The positioning of the variable speed trigger is in just the right spot and operates very smoothly. Reducing the power output of the blower makes it easy to clear out more delicate areas like gravel or mulch beds.



Even with the battery the tool is very light and the size and handle design make it easy to position the end of the blower where you need it without straining yourself. I never felt my arm or hand get tired or cramped even when I used it for the extended period where I made the video and tried to drain as much of the battery as I could.

Long Blower Tube

The design of the Ryobi blower, including the length of the blower tube with high velocity tip is such that when holding the blower in a normal straight-arm fashion the end of the tube is very close to the surface you're clearing. I'm about 6' tall and I didn't have to bend over or twist the handle in an awkward way to get the nozzle down closer to the ground.



The closer the end of the tube is to the objects you're blowing the more effective the blower will be. This seems to be a problem with some of the other cordless blowers I've seen that have shorter tubes.



The design of the handle makes it easy to adjust the pitch of the blower to adjust for your height or the height of the area you're blowing without feeling any strain.

Solid Construction

The blower comes in 4 pieces (plus the charger) that are easy to snap together without any tools. The housing and blower tubes are all pretty thick plastic that looks like it can stand up to a decent amount of abuse. At one point I bumped the end of the blower up against a wall which knocked the high velocity tip off the tube but it survived the impact without damage and popped right back on.

Ryobi 40V Blower Uses

The Ryobi Cordless Blower works best on hard surfaces but is powerful enough to move some debris from within the lawn but that's not something I normally do. Anything that falls on my lawn and decomposes quickly I keep on my lawn because as it decomposes it provides nutrients (including nitrogen) to the lawn and adds organic material to the soil. In fact I use the blower to get any clippings and leaves that are on my walkways or driveway back onto the lawn.

Clearing Debris from Walkways/Driveway

After mowing and edging a lot of grass clippings and grass wind up on the concrete surrounding the lawn. In addtion, this time of year a lot of seed pods fall from a maple tree which litter the area along with some small twigs. The Ryobi blower had ample power to blow all of this material back onto the lawn where it can decompose and enrich my soil while leaving my driveway and walkways looking clean.



The blower had some problems getting some of the seed pods past the edge of the lawn. My corded blower has the same problem. It's more of an problem getting the right angle to get the seed pods to jump up past the edge of the lawn since it's higher than the concrete. A little up and down motion with the nozzle and the seed pods cleared the taller grass. The design and balance of the blower made this easy to do without causing any strain to my arm or hand.

Clearing Lawn Edge

One of the nicest things about edging a lawn is getting that small little groove between the lawn and the concrete. Using a blower clears out the loose dirt and grass clippings which makes this effect more pronounced. Unfortunately it rained the day before the video and there was a lot of rain in the forecast so I wouldn't be able to edge the whole lawn but I did a small section and found the Ryobi blower had no problem cleaning out the fresh cut groove in the edge.

Clearing Debris From Concrete Joints

A lot of dirt and plant material collects in the stress cracks that are put in concrete as well as clippings from weeds that sometimes grow there. The blower was able to get these cleaned out without a problem.

Clearing Stone Patio

A lot of debris winds up on my patio. Things like plant cuttings, dropped blooms from plants, needles from nearby trees, the occasional dried up weed I toss there after pulling, dead bugs and bits of mulch. These blew off without any issue.

Needles and Other Dirt from Gravel

A small section of my property uses 3/8" pea gravel instead of the cedar mulch I use elsewhere. It looked great when first put in but there are a lot of evergreens in that area and over the years they've dropped a lot of needles that just collect on the gravel. It can't be raked, hosing it down doesn't wash the needles away and my old blower would blow the pebbles away with the needles.



The variable control of the Ryobi 40V blower as well as adjusting the angle and distance to the gravel allowed me greater control and I was ale to clear much of the dead needles out of the gravel bed without blowing rocks everywhere. The blower is powerful enough to knock the stones away at full power and a different angle but with a little more practice I think I can get better control.

Wet Clumps of Grass and Weeds

Where my driveway apron meets the asphalt street a small gap has formed where some weeds grow. When it rained the day before some grass clippings from my neighbor got caught in the weeds and when I used my trimmer to cut back the weeds I wound up with heavy, wet clumps of vegetation.



I thought the cordless blower might have some trouble here but I was surprised to see it clear the area quickly.

Leaves On Grass

It's too early in the year so there were only a few fallen leaves on my lawn that blew off the grass easily even though it had rained the day before.  I don't know if it can blow away soggy, wet, matted down leaves from the lawn but it can help blow leaves around and distribute them more evenly before mulch mowing.



The maple seed pods however were harder to blow out of the lawn as were some petals from a hibiscus that dropped it's blooms. That didn't bother me as these are things I like to keep on the lawn to feed the soil and I've never tried blowing them off with another blower.

Basically Any Hard Surface

Any hard surface outdoors you'd normally use a broom or a hose to clear off you can use the blower instead. Things like your garage, your pick-up bed, boat, etc. It'll be easier and quicker than a broom or hose and won't waste water. It will kick up some dust but not as much as a gas blower.

Conclusion

The Ryobi 40V Cordless Blower saves me a few minutes and a bit of bending over each week versus using a corded blower but it does it at the end of my weekly mowing when I'm already exhausted and want to get out of the heat. Those few minutes saved are very much appreciated.



The lithium ion battery retains it's charge longer and the blower has a long run time so even if I forget to charge the battery from the week before there's enough juice left in the battery clear my walkways. If not it only takes about 90 minutes to go from a drained battery to a fully charged one.



It's light and extremely comfortable to use. Best of all it has enough power to clear my property without making me deaf or scaring every animal in a 2 block radius.



The only drawback of the Ryobi 40V cordless trimmer is that it's more expensive than other cordless blowers but if you use other Ryobi 40V cordless tools you can share batteries and buy tools without the battery. The battery is the most expensive part of this kit. The long run time of these batteries makes sharing batteries easier than other brands. Price is comparable to some of the lower end, but still good quality gas power leaf blowers and offers the benefits of not having the hassle of gas, oil, spark plugs and so much noise.

Where To Buy

Currently the Ryobi 40V Cordless Blower is only available from The Home Depot. I couldn't find it in my local stores but it is available online.

Encap, the makers of the Fast Acting Lime which got a positive review from me a few years ago (because it helped green up my white grass!), is running 2 sweepstakes this year including 3 lawn makeovers and daily 3-in-1 Soil Meter giveaways. A couple other giveaways have already ended.

3-in-1 Soil Tester

I've been wanting to completely renovate and reseed my lawn for a long time and I think either this year or next year I finally will. While coming up with my lawn renovation plan I tried to come up with a list of tools that would be required to make the lawn renovation easier.



Lawn renovation doesn't require a lot of tools and I have most of them but there are a few that I will need to purchase.

Garden Sprayer

The first step in renovating a lawn is killing the existing grass and weeds. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use a glyphosate based herbicide like Roundup or one of the organic weed and grass killers. A pump sprayer is the best way to apply this herbicide because it gives control over the application rate and helps you prevent overspray. I had a nice Craftsman metal pump sprayer but I can't seem to find it anymore. I'm considering getting the Smith 2-Gallon Max Contractor Sprayer because it has very good reviews, is heavy duty and comes with a shoulder strap which will make it easy to use.



It's great that it comes with the shoulder strap because that allows you to have one hand free to carry a large piece of cardboard to shield other plants from overspray when you're killing the lawn around the edges.



If you have a larger area to cover you might want to consider a 4 Gallon Backpack Sprayer. You wear it on your back and there's a lever on one side that is used to add pressure to the system. Or you can use a small pump sprayer for the edges and an Ortho  Dial 'N Spray Hose-End Sprayer to cover the center area away from plants, trees and shrubs you don't want to harm.



These sprayers are useful to have to apply different amendments to your lawn throughout the year. Some of the organic amendments I use contain live bacteria and fungi and using a pump sprayer allows me to dechlorinate the water before spraying. Using the Dial 'N Spray chlorinated city water would mix with the amendment and greatly reduce the effects.

Leveling Rake

Have high and low spots in my lawn which causes me to have a bumpy lawn. This makes it a pain to mow. When I do my renovation I plan on evening out those areas. There are special rakes used to do this.



Professional landscape contractors use something like this Truper Tru Pro 36-Inch Aluminum Landscape Rake. It has a wide 36" rake head which makes it easy to level a large area.



Not as wide but I believe sturdier is this Ames True Temper Kodiak Forged Level Head Rake. The rake head is 14" wide which is nice for smaller areas. The head of the rake is one solid piece of forged steel which makes it more durable than some other rakes that are welded or riveted together.



If you're spreading compost a leveling rake will be more useful than a flexible leaf rake.



To use a leveling rake to level soil, use the tine side to loosen and distribute soil and then flip it over to the flat side to smooth out and properly grade the soil

Shovel, Spade, Mattock

A round point shovel is useful if you have to do any digging and to help move material such as topsoil, compost and mulch. I'm becoming more partial to Fiskars tools, their Long Handle Digging Shovel looks nice. I have an old wood handled shovel that works fine. If that ever goes I'll likely get the Fiskars.



A garden spade is a square tipped shovel that is also good for moving material and great for creating edges around beds and transplanting. It's also nice to have a long handled shovel as well as a D-handeled shovel. If you don't mind spending a little more the Ames True Temper Pony Garden Spade is one of the best garden spades I've seen. A good garden spade is something you'll wind up using often but if you want to save a little money Fiskars 9667 Garden Spade is a good second choice.



I used to use a garden spade along with a mattock/cultivator on a long handle to create the edges between lawn and garden beds but I'm considering getting a heavier mattock/pick combination like the Ames True Temper Pick Mattock with 36-Inch FiberPro Handle if I need to do any bigger digging.

Wheelbarrow

When I do my renovation I'm going to need a bit of topsoil to level out some areas and if I topdress with compost I'll need away to move that around too. I didn't realize wheelbarrows were so expensive. The cheapest one I found online was Ames True Temper 4 Cubic Foot Steel Homeowner Wheelbarrow. I saw some cheaper ones locally but I have concerns about the durability. This is a bulky tool that takes up a lot of space and I'll probably never need again I might rent one so I get something durable. Unfortunately I don't know anyone that I can borrow one from.

Spreader

Finally a spreader will be needed to spread the grass seed. I have an older Scotts Accugreen drop spreader because I don't have a huge lawn and have to deal with some odd angles. The new Scotts Drop Spreader doesn't seem to have many great reviews. If you have a larger area to cover the Scotts 76121 Turf Builder EdgeGuard Mini Broadcast Spreader was my second choice. A broadcast spreader spreads seed or fertilizer over a larger area than a drop spreader which makes things go quicker. The edge guard blocks the spray on one side so you don't get grass seeds in your garden beds or walkways.



Most homeowners will have all or at least most of the above products if they do any gardening themselves. If you don't, the cost of a lawn renovation can be quite high but all these tools are going to be useful in maintaining your landscape and a lot cheaper than hiring someone to do the work and maintaining your home's lawn and garden.

I've owned my Suncast Sidetracker 125-Foot Garden Hose Reel for just over 3 years now and wanted to update my review. There have been a couple of hiccups but overall I'm extremely happy with the hose reel and especially pleased with Suncast's customer service.



Even though the hose reel is very affordable (it costs less than $30 at the time of this writing,) I just hate wasting money on products that don't work or break. It makes me feel like I was scammed. Reading the reviews for the various affordable hose reels I kept seeing the same negative reviews over and over. Not just for the Suncast STA125B but for all hose reels. They leak, their flimsy, they break, etc.



I really needed a hose reel and was anxious for the delivery but I also felt very anxious fearing that I made a bad purchase decision. I was so close to spending over $100 on a metal hose reel, like they use at my local garden center. I have friends and family that have had plastic hose reels for years and haven't had problems so I decided to take a shot on the Suncast Sidetracker. I'm very glad I did.

Why Use A Hose Reel?

With all the frustration I was having trying to choose the best hose reel you might wonder why bother? I guess I'm a bit lazy sometimes. I like doing things, home improvement projects, yard work, etc., but I don't enjoy tidying up afterwords one bit. The faster I can be done, after I already consider myself done the happier I am.



A hose real is an easy way to tidy up your hose after watering your lawn or garden. I used to have a wall mount hose hanger but the hose always looked unkempt and lots of times I'd leave the hose piled up on the ground underneath it just so I could get out of the heat faster.



Using my Suncast hose reel is a snap and I no longer have my hose laying around where it can get kinked or damaged. It also makes it easy to remove the hose and store it for the winter.

Hose Reel Installation

The Suncast Sidetracker was very easy to install. It comes with screws and wall anchors which I needed to install it on my brick wall. All I needed was a drill, masonry bit, hammer and screwdriver to securely mount the hub (base) onto the wall.



An included short hose connects the hub to the faucet and then your hose attaches to the reel.

It Leaked!

That's right. Right after I first installed my hose reel, attached my hose and turned the knob on my hose bib, water started shooting out the hose reel in every direction. This wasn't just a trickle either. I wasn't happy at all.



I took the hose reel apart and looked at what the problem was. There were a couple of issues. One major one was there were no rubber garden hose washers in the short hose that was included. I contacted Suncast and after providing them with the information about when and where I purchased the hose reel, they quickly sent me replacement washers as well as an additional tube of silicone grease and mounting anchors. If you're having problems with leaks there's more detail in my how to fix a leaking hose reel article. It didn't take much to fix the leaks.

It Warped!

At this point you might be a little confused, I did say I loved the hose reel right?



Actually, it came a little warped. The base that mounts to the wall had a slight bend but it got worse over the years. At first it didn't seem like a big deal because the screw had straightened it out and held it flat on the wall. Every few months though it would pull out and even though I used various methods to keep the anchor in place, mortar, hydraulic cement, epoxy, it would still pull the screw out from the wall.



It seems like it's a design flaw with the hose reel hub (the part that mounts to the wall.) You can see there's a thin spot in the plastic because of the notch for the leader hose to pass to the back of the hub. There's one on each side to allow you to mount it on either side of your faucet.



The top screw is very important because the reel mounts to the top and the weight of the hose on the reel puts extra strain on that screw.

Suncast Support Is Great!

I wasn't very happy at this point and I contacted Suncast customer support again. After describing the problem and sending them photos they told me they would send a replacement hub.




The replacement hub arrived promptly and I noticed they had updated the design. Suncast moved the notches for the leader hose to the bottom which made the new hub sturdier than the old hub.



Installation was easy and the new hub came with new o-rings, though in 3 years I hadn't needed to replace them in that time. All I needed to do was add more silicone grease every year when I put the reel back on the hub.



Even though I had some major issues with the hose reel, I understand that sometimes issues can come up, some of which might  have been the retailer's fault, but they stood by their product. If their products were garbage, they'd go out of business doing this so I guess I was just unlucky. These things happen.

The Best Features

Like I said, I really like the Suncast Sidetracker Hose Reel.The issues I had above were a pain to deal with but hopefully you don't run into the same issues as I believe the new model comes with the sturdier hub. (Update: Confirmed with Suncast new STA125B's come with sturdier hub.) The good things about the hose reel far outweigh the problems I've had and even when the hub was bent the hose reel functioned well and didn't leak after I corrected the issues. I've had the new hub installed for quite a while now without issue.

Compact Design

What I liked about the Sidetracker was that it mounts with the reel flat against the wall which minimizes the amount it protrudes from the all.

Hose Guide

The Sidetracker has a hose guide built into the base. There is a spinning bar behind the front of the guide. This allows the hose to be pulled perpendicular to the wall and still gracefully spin out of the reel without causing strain on the hose or the reel.



This was an important feature for me since most of the time I use the hose I'm pulling it straight out from the wall. It also makes it easy to collect the hose without having to fight to align the hose properly while winding it up.

125' Capacity

One of the complaints I read about other hose reels was that even though they claimed to hold 100' of hose, they didn't. The extra capacity allows me to roll up my 100' hose without having to be too neat about it.

Easy To Remove and Replace Hose

At the end of the season I store my hose indoors to prevent it from deteriorating in the freezing weather. Pulling one tab unlocks the reel and provides a neat bundle to store away. When it's time to replace the hose it's just a matter of adding more silicone grease, sliding the hose reel onto the hub and locking the tab in place.



The hose reel also makes it easy to drain water from the hose before storing it for the winter. I just remove the sprayer, pull out the entire length of the hose and slowly reel it back in letting gravity do the work.

Affordable Price

The Suncast Sidetracker CPLSTA125B Hose Reel is priced very well. It's a small price to pay but it has made some yard work more enjoyable and I don't have to worry about people tripping over my hose or having my yard look messy.



I was really scared about all the negative reviews but even with the issues I initially had, I'm very pleased with the product and the service I received from Suncast. I found the best price on Amazon.com and it included free shipping.