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Empty hose trolley buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You already own the hose. An empty hose trolley buying guide is about checking that cart before the metre number on the title does the deciding. The seven amazon.co.uk models in the [hose reel cart without hose comparison](/hub/garden-watering/hose-reel-cart-without-hose) are empty wheeled drums, from the Draper 25060 at £31.99 to the Gardena CleverRoll L Easy Metal at £125.95 in the snapshot dated 21 October 2026. Peter F. read those listings, the makers' UK pages, and the review themes on each ASIN. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already own the hose. An empty hose trolley buying guide is about checking that cart before the metre number on the title does the deciding.

Our top picks

Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy 60 m

Best overall

Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy 60 m
9.0/10about £79.99
View offer
Hozelock Hozelock 2398 cart reel 60 m

Best value

Hozelock Hozelock 2398 cart reel 60 m
8.4/10about £49.21
View offer
Draper Draper 25060 hose reel cart 45 m

Alternative

Draper Draper 25060 hose reel cart 45 m
8.4/10about £31.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What an empty cart is
  2. 2.Measure length and diameter
  3. 3.Guide, foot, and wheels
  4. 4.Assembly and the tap

What an empty cart is

An empty cart is a drum on wheels that you wind yourself. The box is the frame. Titles say without hose, empty, or without equipment, and the included line is the trolley, not a coil of pipe. Hozelock also sells an assembled cart: a 60 m body with 30 m or 50 m of 12.5 mm hose already fitted. A 30 m kit is a poor match if you already have 50 m of sound hose. Which empty cart suits a typical half-inch hose is on the best hose reel cart without hose page.

Measure length and diameter

Lay the hose out, note the metres, then read the diameter on the wall. The thin class is 12.5 mm or 13 mm. A 19 mm hose uses drum space much faster. Gardena's UK page gives the CleverRoll M as 60 m of 13 mm, 50 m of 15 mm, or 35 m of 19 mm. The Hozelock 2398 title is 60 m of 12.5 mm hose. Do not copy Gardena's 35 m column onto that Hozelock. The shrink is the hose reel cart capacity page.
Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy 60 m

Testsieger

Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy 60 m
9.0/10about £79.99
View offer

Guide, foot, and wheels

A hose guide lays the hose in layers. The Specilite has three reviews at 2.8. The M Easy, the L Easy, and the L Easy Metal list a metal guide. The CleverRoll S bullets do not, and the 2398 listing does not state one. Gardena's Kick&Stand is a fold-out foot so a pull does not drag the cart. The 2398 is freestanding, and its amazon.co.uk page does not state a wheel count. Hozelock's own page calls that cart wheeled. The two-brand choice is on the Gardena vs Hozelock hose cart page.

Assembly and the tap

Every cart here needs building, including titles that say tool-free. On the 2398, reviewers get stuck on the picture sheet, the support spring, and the connector order, and at least one build needed a second person. On the M Easy and L Easy the title says no tools, and reviewers still call the sheet poor. Plan an evening, not ten minutes. Water Regs UK treats backflow on a hose-union tap as a question about the tap fitting, not which drum you bought. If that tap has no check valve, the work is at the wall.

Common questions

Does 'without hose' still mean a hose is in the box?
No. On the carts in this comparison, without hose, empty, and without equipment mean the scope line is the trolley. The Hozelock 2398 title says it is supplied with two fittings and without equipment. The Gardena CleverRoll titles in this set list the trolley only. A different Hozelock product, the assembled cart, does include 30 m or 50 m of 12.5 mm hose. If the title you are reading does not say the hose is included, do not expect one in the box.
What should I measure first?
Measure the hose you already own, before you compare carts. Lay it out and record the length, then read the diameter on the hose wall: 12.5 mm or 13 mm, 15 mm, or 19 mm. The largest metre number on a cart title is usually the thin-hose figure. A 50 m hose marked 19 mm needs more drum than a 50 m hose marked 12.5 mm. Write both numbers down before you add a cart to the basket.
Is 60 m the same for a 19 mm hose?
No. Gardena's UK trolley table gives the CleverRoll M as 60 m of 13 mm hose, 50 m of 15 mm, or 35 m of 19 mm. The amazon.co.uk title on the M Easy only prints the top figure, up to 60 m. The Hozelock 2398 is worded as 60 m of 12.5 mm hose, which is the thin class, not a 19 mm promise. Use the column that matches the hose you have, and do not paste Gardena's 19 mm figure onto the Hozelock.
Should I buy an empty cart or a set with 30 m of hose?
Buy the empty cart when the hose you have is still sound and long enough for the garden. Buy a set when you have no hose, or the old one is split. Hozelock's assembled cart puts 30 m or 50 m of 12.5 mm hose on a body rated to 60 m. A 30 m kit is a poor match if you already coil 50 m on the path, because you then own a spare hose.
Do I need a guide and a foot, or is a wide stance enough?
You need a guide if you rewind often and you want both hands off the hose. The CleverRoll M Easy, L Easy, and L Easy Metal list a metal guide and a Kick&Stand foot. A wide stance can be enough if you rewind less often and you will guide the hose with your free hand. The Hozelock 2398 is sold as freestanding with a reinforced axis, and its listing does not mention a guide or a fold-out foot.

Related pages

How to load a hose reel cart

Hose reel cart without hose

Best hose reel cart without hose for a typical garden

Empty hose reel cart: thicker hose, fewer metres

Gardena vs Hozelock hose cart: guide or lower price

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts captured for these seven listings. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. Hozelock, 60 m hose cart (2398) (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Gardena UK, hose trolleys (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Gardena UK, CleverRoll L Easy Metal (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Draper, garden hose reel cart 45 m (25060) (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Water Regs UK, hose union taps (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. WaterSafe, disconnect the hosepipe before winter (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 21 October 2026)