Who Has Used ThisProduct?

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

Gregson-Clark sells the Eco-505. It's a secondary tank that hooks to your primary through an internal hose WITHIN your hose. It hooks to your chemlawn gun with a second trigger - allowing you to spot spray a chemical (weed killer or insecticide, etc)...

I am considering it. Or creating something similar (because the price tag on this little thing is absolutely insane). Just looking for feedback from anyone who has used/owns one. Thanks!

[Ric]

Whoopass

TrueBrown has used a similar set up or years. Big differences is the hoses are side by side instead of inside. It also appears the Gregson-Clark center hose is smaller than TrueBrown's set up.

I have studied Injection systems for years now. But I have never pulled the trigger and purchased one. I am once again looking at injection as a way to use customer hose water, and eliminate the need of high gasoline cost of a tanker truck. There are many set ups sold today. But the dual hose gun injector is the only one that seems to hold up and stand the test of time.

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

Thanks, Ric. Invaluable as always!

I can't stomach the $2,400 price tag, but really hate the concept of treating the whole lawn with the hose - only to have to go back over it with the spot sprayer for weeds. Seems like such a waste of time. With profit margins dwindling, efficiency has become the name of the game (for me, anyhow) and so I'm looking at single-pass solutions such as this...

[sprayboy]

I always wanted to go to that setup also. Talked to Gregson and got quotes also and came to the conclusion it was to expensive at the time. Couldn't find anyone to talk to that has the system to get info about how good it was.

Unfortunately, I worked for Truebrown in the mid 90's when they switched to the rhino trucks from the tankers. These trucks were set up as Ric said with the dual line but our manager never implemented the system. Reasoning was other branches were having problems with acurate calibrations. The first hose was rubber, very heavy and a pain in the a$$ to pull. Then they switched to the clear pvc which was much better. Pulling the dual hose was senseless but they didn't seem to care.

The other problem at that time I could see was the gun was different. You squeezed to the first notch for full fert then had to squeeze a little further for the supplemental tank. This would have been very hard to do the tight little areas, defeating the purpose of the system.

[Ric]

Sprayboy

I believe the TrueBrown gun is not the same as the Gregson Clark gun.

A few years back I got the chance to strip parts off a bunch of Junked TrueBrown trucks. One of the items I still have and use is the injector tank for the dual hose system. I use it as a stand alone herbicide tank and love the mechanical agitator for Atrazine. I didn't get any dual hose guns but I did get 8 Stainless Steel hose reels full of double hose line. All that hose ended up in the landfill, because I had no use for it.

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

problems with acurate calibrations...

It seems to me that all you'd have to do is a bucket test, with each trigger pulled into a different bucket. From there you'd just do the math with the ratio you determined...

Either way, I think this would be an incredibly simple system to duplicate - but at a fraction of the cost of what GC wants...

[sprayboy]

whoop,

Their gun only had the one trigger, had to pull it all the way open to get the supplemental tank to kick in.

I keep thinking the same thing on duplicating but the more in depth I think about it the more I believe it would cost. I would like to have something more like a long canister attached between the gun and the hose with the same principal but it would not hold much herbicide or it would be too heavy. The other problem would be to pressurize the cannister.

I don't recall, is that 1/2 or 3/8 hose on the Gregson Clark system?


Ric,

Do you still have the hose reels?

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

Their gun only had the one trigger...
Right. Sorry, I was thinking in terms of this modified chemlawn gun...

I keep thinking the same thing on duplicating but the more in depth I think about it the more I believe it would cost.
Why so? GC sells the hose and the gun. That leaves a small poly tank, a 12v pump that can tap into the same hot lead the hose reel uses, and then some system to connect the smaller tubing into the little poly tank. Am I missing something? Agitation should be a non issue, since the mix will likely be near concentrate...

I would like to have something more like a long canister attached between the gun and the hose with the same principal but it would not hold much herbicide or it would be too heavy. The other problem would be to pressurize the cannister.

Yeah, the logistics of pulling that off would are daunting. How 'bout a small backpack sprayer that you wear with it? ;)

I don't recall, is that 1/2 or 3/8 hose on the Gregson Clark system?
It's 1/2".

http://www.gregsonclark.com/eco_505.html

[Ric]

whoop,

Their gun only had the one trigger, had to pull it all the way open to get the supplemental tank to kick in.

I keep thinking the same thing on duplicating but the more in depth I think about it the more I believe it would cost. I would like to have something more like a long canister attached between the gun and the hose with the same principal but it would not hold much herbicide or it would be too heavy. The other problem would be to pressurize the cannister.

I don't recall, is that 1/2 or 3/8 hose on the Gregson Clark system?


Ric,

Do you still have the hose reels?

Spray

They were actually 4 stacks of double reels, all SS. I have one rack left or two reels. I keep thinking I am going to use them some day.

[PHS]

I keep thinking the same thing on duplicating but the more in depth I think about it the more I believe it would cost.

Same here. $2,400 seems a lot more reasonable after you add up the cost of all the components and the time spent fiddling around building it.

This may not be the absolute lowest price for this dual hose reel but they're spendy none the less. http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=960

Does anyone know how GC does the coaxial splice? Do they just use some kind of a Y connector? How does the red hose connect into that?

[Ric]

Same here. $2,400 seems a lot more reasonable after you add up the cost of all the components and the time spent fiddling around building it.

This may not be the absolute lowest price for this dual hose reel but they're spendy none the less. http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=960

Does anyone know how GC does the coaxial splice? Do they just use some kind of a Y connector? How does the red hose connect into that?

PHS

I don't see a problem with the fitting. a simple tee with a barbed fitting on one end for the outside hose and the inside hose runs straight to a compression fitting on the other side of the Tee and on out. The main tanks is attached to the side out let of the Tee. I could see a quick trip to the hardware store would get all parts needed. This is inside the reel center which has swivels on both end. Half of the reels I have, have hollow centers that have room inside for this connection. They don't have one continuous pipe from bearing to bearing like my other reels. Fact is you could even put together your own inside dual hose line, but I am sure buying it would be cheaper and better. The gun end seems to have the connection taken care of by similar means.

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about the reel. I just assumed I'd be able to tap into my Lesco Space Saver's existing reel in one way or another...

Out of curiosity: if y'all were gonna build one of these yourself, what size poly tank would you implement? Their's is a 9 gallon... (I suppose it all comes down to output ratio's. I run my mix at 1.33g/M right now.)

[sprayboy]

Whoop,

I didn't word that very clearly, sorry.
I figured I would have to buy the reel, hose and gun. That doesn't leave much difference in cost, figuring those are the most expensive parts. Not much of a way to make those items. I think you are correct on the poly tank and electric pump for the supplemental side.

If $2400 covers everything it may not be a bad price.

I need to get in touch with Gregson Clark and price this stuff out separetly. I already have the big tank, motor and hypro pump that I use daily.

I don't think it would have to be a 9 gallon tank, I guess that would depend on the product used. I would be using it for 3-way herbicides, not needing but 3 gallon max.

I could try and convert my reel, which has the continuous shaft, but I think Ric is right as it is probably as cheap to buy a new one. I could use my reel motor eliminating that cost.

Not sure if I want to go back to 1/2 hose as I am used to 3/8 and I am not getting any younger these days.

[PHS]

a simple tee with a barbed fitting on one end for the outside hose and the inside hose runs straight to a compression fitting on the other side of the Tee and on out.

That's kinda what I was picturing. I haven't used compression fittings very much so I don't know what all is available but I had a haunch that's what's being used.

I hadn't thought about the reel. I just assumed I'd be able to tap into my Lesco Space Saver's existing reel in one way or another...

If there's a way to do it that would be great, save from having to buy another reel. I looked at my reels and even though they have a pipe through the center I can't just put a swivel on the other end because that hole doesn't feed into anything. It's a blind hole. It's welded to the pipe that comes in from the other side that carries the material.

[humble1]

Gregson-Clark sells the Eco-505. It's a secondary tank that hooks to your primary through an internal hose WITHIN your hose. It hooks to your chemlawn gun with a second trigger - allowing you to spot spray a chemical (weed killer or insecticide, etc)...

I am considering it. Or creating something similar (because the price tag on this little thing is absolutely insane). Just looking for feedback from anyone who has used/owns one. Thanks!

I think the side by side would be a better choice, simply that you could see a leak and could repair, if you have an internal leak, lots of wasted product and no way to find the leak.

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

I figured I would have to buy the reel, hose and gun...

I would think that this system can be implemented with any reel, but I could be wrong. The picture clearly shows that it taps right into the spool's axle.

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

I think the side by side would be a better choice, simply that you could see a leak and could repair, if you have an internal leak, lots of wasted product and no way to find the leak.

Another thought that hadn't crossed my mind. Thanks. I suppose it's probably less likely to kink, too. I HATE getting kinky in the middle of a lawn. :D

[PHS]

The hose taps into the spool's axle just like any other reel but if you click on this link and scroll down to the Series 2000 you can see that there is a swivel on both ends that material flows in from that you can't really see in the GC photo.

http://www.reeltech.com.au/downloads/hose.pdf

The reels I have are built like the Series 800 (I don't use that reel but the photo shows how they're made). The material flows in from the right side and that tube then bends up into the spool. The 'pipe' that comes in from the left is welded to the bend of the pipe coming in from the right. You can see the diagonal weld there. So even though it looks like you could just modify it and put a swivel on the left side to convert to a dual hose reel it isn't that simple because even though it's a pipe, it doesn't feed into anything.

Using the marker dye in the supplementry tank would indicate any leaks almost immediately. If that red internal hose can withstand an occasional kinking, then the chances of it leaking are very low. Much lower than a side by side hose where both hoses are subject to constant abrasion and mechanical damage. If the red hose is a major pain in the neck and expensive to replace then I might consider the side by side. Other than that, an internal line within a heavy duty hose is probably a better system in the long run and not that much more expensive or complicated.