Parts of a Hose Reel – Labeled Cart and Water Path

All 11 parts on the diagram

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The cart 8

Handle It is fixed across the top of the frame.
Frame The reel turns in it. The handle and the axle are fixed to it.
Reel Two round sides joined across the middle. Some makers call it the drum.
Crank handle It sits at the center of one side of the reel.
Garden hose One end screws onto the reel; the rest winds round it.
Wheels A cart has two; a wagon-style reel has four.
Axle It runs through the bottom of the frame. A wheel is on each end.
Leader hose Also called the inlet, feeder or supply hose. It joins the reel on the side away from the crank.

The water's path 3

Swivel Water passes through it into the center of the reel.
O-rings They wear; fitting new ones can stop a leak.
Elbow Brings water from the center of the reel out to the hose.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where two makers use it: the owner's manuals of two hose reel cart makers (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6969685 and https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6347073: frame, handle, axle, wheels, reel, crank handle, leader hose, O-rings), a hand crank reel maker's manual and a second reel manual (https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-548406 and https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7037761: crank, swivel, elbow, O-rings), and two further makers' parts lists and repair guides (swivel, O-ring kit, elbow, leader hose, crank handle). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's reel, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A two-wheel hose reel cart, then the same reel cut through along its middle. Water enters through the short leader hose, passes the swivel, runs along the center of the reel and leaves through the elbow into the garden hose.

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Follow the water

Numbers 1 to 8 are the cart: the handle and frame, the reel with its crank handle, the garden hose, the two wheels on their axle, and the leader hose that runs to the faucet. Numbers 9 to 11 are inside the reel. The swivel is the joint that lets the reel turn while the leader hose stays still, the O-rings seal it, and the elbow brings the water out to the garden hose.

Drain the hose and the reel after use and before a freeze: water left inside can freeze and damage them.

Questions and answers

What is the short hose on a hose reel called?

The leader hose. Makers also call it the inlet, feeder or supply hose. It is a short length of garden hose that carries water from the faucet to the reel.

Why is my hose reel leaking?

Most leaks are at a connection. Check that the leader hose is tight on the reel and that its washer is in place. If water comes from the turning joint itself, the O-rings or the swivel may be worn and can be replaced.

How does water get through a hose reel?

Through the middle. The leader hose brings water to the swivel at the center of the reel. It runs along the hollow center and out through the elbow into the garden hose, so you unroll only the length you need.

What are the parts of a hose reel called?

On a cart: the frame, handle, wheels and axle, and the reel with its crank handle. For the water: the leader hose, the swivel with its O-rings, and the elbow that the garden hose screws onto.