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Hose reel cart buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You already have a hose on the path, or you are about to buy one, and the cart title is shouting a big metre number. A hose reel cart buying guide should tell you whether that number matches the hose in your hand before you pay. In the UK the bore that matters is often about 19 mm inside a 3/4 inch hose, and that is not the 3/4 inch BSP thread on a typical outside tap. The [3/4 inch hose reel cart comparison](/hub/garden-watering/3-4-inch-hose-reel-cart) ranks the six saved amazon.co.uk listings. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have a hose on the path, or you are about to buy one, and the cart title is shouting a big metre number.

Our top picks

Draper Draper 25068 45 m hose reel cart

Best overall

Draper Draper 25068 45 m hose reel cart
7.9/10about £22.98
View offer
Draper Draper 25060 45 m hose reel cart

Best value

Draper Draper 25060 45 m hose reel cart
7.5/10about £31.99
View offer
SPECILITE SPECILITE metal hose reel cart

Alternative

SPECILITE SPECILITE metal hose reel cart
4.5/10about £69.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Measure the hose you already own
  2. 2.Through-feed, wheels, and a leader hose
  3. 3.The tap and a temporary use ban
  4. 4.A short decision

Measure the hose you already own

Lay the hose out and measure the length you actually use, then the internal diameter, not the thread on the tap. A house tap marked 3/4 inch is a screw thread. Gardena’s UK page for the CleverRoll L Easy prints 100 m of 13 mm, 80 m of 15 mm, and 50 m of 19 mm. A Hozelock 60 m metal cart is stated as 60 m of 12.5 mm, 50 m of 15 mm, or 33 m of 19 mm. Use the maker rows when you have them. The feet on the one 3/4 inch bullet are on the 3/4 inch hose reel capacity page.

Through-feed, wheels, and a leader hose

Decide whether you will water with the hose still on the cart. Both Draper listings say flow-through, with an angled connector. Reviews of the Relaxdays trolley say the inlet is fixed, so the drum will not spin freely until you disconnect the supply hose. The Draper 25068 is a 1.37 kg floor or wall reel, and brackets 63642 are extra. The 25060 has two wheels at 1.9 kg, so you stand on the base. None of the six saved listings includes the garden hose. A leader from tap to reel is often extra, along with washers.
Draper Draper 25068 45 m hose reel cart

Testsieger

Draper Draper 25068 45 m hose reel cart
7.9/10about £22.98
View offer

The tap and a temporary use ban

The cart does not protect the supply. In England and Wales the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 require backflow protection, and Water Regs UK describes a double check valve indoors on a hose-union tap. If there is none and you will not fit one, ask a plumber or the water company. Ofwat says a temporary use ban stops specified hosepipe uses, the stand-in is a can or a bucket, and a breach can mean a fine of up to £1,000. A stainless title that the specification calls alloy steel fails the description test under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Frame weight and rust are on the metal or plastic hose reel cart page.

A short decision

Match the hose you measured, then stop. A short 12.5 mm hose can sit on the Draper 25068 at £22.98 if you accept a light plastic reel and no stated bore. A 30–50 m run of 13 mm hose is the Gardena trolley’s published band, at £91.99, if you treat “100 m” as the 13 mm row. A 19 mm hose belongs on a cart whose page prints that bore. In this set only the SPECILITE bullet does, at about 24 m (80 ft), with 2.8 from 3 reviews.

Common questions

What should you measure before you buy the cart?
Measure the hose length you will store and the internal diameter. A 12.5 mm or 13 mm hose and a 19 mm hose do not share the metre number in most titles. Also note whether you will water with the hose still on the drum, because that decides through-feed versus a fixed inlet. A cart that suits 20 m of 13 mm hose is a poor buy for 40 m of 19 mm hose even when the title looks larger.
Is 3/4 inch the hose or the tap?
On a typical UK outside tap, 3/4 inch is the BSP thread. On a garden hose, 3/4 inch is a loose name for about 19 mm internal diameter. They are different measurements. Buying a cart because the tap says 3/4 inch does not tell you how many metres will fit. Read a capacity line that names 12.5 mm, 13 mm, 15 mm or 19 mm, or treat a bare metre title as the smaller hose until the listing proves otherwise.
Do hose reel carts include the hose?
None of the six saved amazon.co.uk listings includes the garden hose. The Draper 25060 title says without hose. The Gardena included-components line says no. The Relaxdays box is the trolley in parts. Budget for the hose you measured, plus washers, and do not treat the cart price as a complete watering kit.
What is a leader hose, and is it in the box?
A leader is the short hose from the tap to the reel, often around 1.8 m on trade carts such as the Sealey HRCHD. These six listings do not include that leader. If the reel is flow-through, you still need a sound washer in the tap connector or the first open of the tap will spray the joint. Buy the leader and the washers as separate lines unless the included-components text names them.
Does a hosepipe ban make the cart useless?
A temporary use ban stops specified hosepipe uses for that water company’s customers. It does not scrap the cart, and it is not a national switch. During a ban, use a can or a bucket. Ofwat notes a fine of up to £1,000 for a breach. When the ban lifts, the same cart is usable again. Check your supplier.
When is a wall reel enough?
A wall or floor reel is enough when the hose is short, you can fix the reel so it does not walk, and you do not need to drag a full drum across the lawn. The Draper 25068 is that shape, at 1.37 kg, if you add brackets 63642. It is not enough when the hose is long, heavy, or 19 mm and the listing never states that bore.

Related pages

Best 3/4 inch hose reel cart

How to use a hose reel cart

3/4 inch hose reel cart

3/4 inch hose reel capacity by bore, not the title

Metal or plastic hose reel cart: weight, rust, flex

Sources

Maker capacity tables, Water Regs UK, Ofwat and the England and Wales fittings rules. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 20 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test.

  1. Gardena UK — CleverRoll L Easy (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. Garden4Less — Hozelock 60 m metal hose cart (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. HydroSure — 110 m x 19 mm hose cart (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. Ofwat — hosepipe bans (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. Water Regs UK — hose union taps (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. Water Use (Temporary Bans) Order 2010 (retrieved 20.10.2026)