Modular hose reel

Abstract

A reel, such as a hose reel, which includes a modular base assembly and a modular spool assembly. The base assembly includes a frame which is formed by a plurality of extruded frame components joined to one another by connecting members. The lengths of the frame components may be easily varied in order to in turn vary the overall width, depth, and height dimensions of the frame of the base assembly. The spool assembly includes a pair of side walls joined to one another by a plurality of spacer members. The length of the spacer members may be varied to in turn vary the width of the spool assembly. In one embodiment, the base assembly frame components and the spacer members are aluminum extrusions which are each cut to a selected length. In this manner, the width, depth, and height of the frame of the base assembly and the width of the spool assembly may be selectively varied to easily custom manufacture different reels having different overall sizes.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/520,961, entitled MODULAR HOSE REEL, filed on Nov. 18, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to reels for storing hoses, electrical cords, ropes, cables, or other items. In particular, the present invention relates to a reel including a modular base assembly and a modular spool assembly.

2. Description of the Related Art

Reels are used to store elongate items such as hoses for delivering fluids, including water, air, hydraulic fluid, or grease, for example. Such hoses may be round or flat in shape, and may also be used in vacuum applications for removing a fluid or a solid substance from a given location. Alternatively, reels may be used to store elongate items other than hoses, such as electrical cords, ropes, cables, or other items.

Known reels typically include a base assembly and a spool assembly. In one known hose reel, for example, the base assembly includes a frame made from a number of different, individually formed metal components attached to one another with screw fasteners. The metal components are typically formed by stamping and bending operations. The components of the frame include a pair of side walls which include bearings for supporting the spool assembly, and one or more cross members connecting the side walls to one another. The spool assembly includes a pair of round, opposed sides attached to opposite ends of a cylindrical hub, which is rotatable on an axle carried in the bearings of the side walls of the base assembly. The base assembly also includes an inlet fitting for connection to a fluid source, and the spool assembly includes an outlet fitting to which a hose is attached for conveying the fluid from the inlet fitting into the hose. A hand crank may be provided to rotate the spool assembly for manual unwinding and/or winding of the hose.

A problem with the foregoing hose reel is that the base assembly and the spool assembly are each made of different, formed metal components having particular dimensions, such that the reel may be assembled only to a single, predetermined overall size. However, because hose reels are typically used in many different types of applications, any single, predetermined size of the hose reel may not be suitable for each application. For example, when the hose reel is used in a large building such as a warehouse, space constraints typically do not pose a problem and the hose reel may be relatively large in size. However, when the hose reel is used on a truck, for example, space may be at a premium and the size of the hose reel is subjected to space constraints. Additionally, a hose reel of a particular size may not be able to accommodate different types of hoses with varying thicknesses and diameters.

When a hose reel manufacturer manufactures a number of different hose reels having different sizes, this requires the manufacturer to produce and stock a very large inventory of different, pre-sized, formed components, such as the formed metal components of the frame of the base assembly and the formed metal components of the spool assembly. In this manner, known hose reels must be manufactured to a number of specific, predetermined dimensions and sizes in order to suit different particular applications, which requires production, inventory, and assembly of a number of different components, and increases the cost of manufacturing the hose reels.

What is needed is a reel for hoses, electrical cords, ropes, cables, or other items which is an improvement upon the foregoing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a reel, such as a hose reel, which includes a modular base assembly and a modular spool assembly. The base assembly includes a frame which is formed by a plurality of extruded frame components joined to one another by connecting members. The lengths of the frame components may be easily varied in order to in turn vary the overall width, depth, and height dimensions of the frame of the base assembly. The spool assembly includes a pair of side walls joined to one another by a plurality of spacer members. The length of the spacer members may be varied to in turn vary the width of the spool assembly. In one embodiment, the base assembly frame components and the spacer members are aluminum extrusions which are each cut to a selected length. In this manner, the width, depth, and height of the frame of the base assembly and the width of the spool assembly may be selectively varied to easily custom manufacture different reels having different overall sizes.

The modular design of the base assembly and the spool assembly of the present reel allows a manufacturer to produce a number of reels having varying sizes and dimensions using the same type of frame components for the frame of the base assembly and the same type of spacer components for the spool assembly in each reel. The dimensions of the base assembly and the spool assembly may be modified simply by modifying the lengths of the frame components of the base assembly and the lengths of the spacer members of the spool assembly. Thus, a manufacturer may custom produce reels of any size in order to suit any particular application having differing requirements such as size constraints and hose length or diameter, for example. Additionally, the reel manufacturer need produce and stock a large number of pre-formed frame components in order to product reels of different sizes, as with known reel constructions. The hose reel may also be shipped in disassembled form to reduce shipping costs, and the hose reel is easily assembled by a purchaser.

Additionally, the modular design of the base assembly and the reel assembly of the present reel allows a reel manufacturer to provide varying options for unwinding and/or winding a hose or other item upon the reel. For example, the base assembly may be fitted with a hand crank for manual cranking of the spool assembly for unwinding and/or winding a hose or other item, or alternatively, a motor may be attached to the base assembly for driving the spool assembly to provide motor-driven unwinding and/or winding of a hose or other item. The motor and spool assembly may be drivingly coupled by a gear drive or by a chain and sprocket drive, for example. The frame components of the base assembly are configured to adjustably receive add-on items as necessary, such as a hand crank mechanism.

In one form thereof, the present invention provides a line of reels, including a first reel including a first base assembly formed of a plurality of frame components joined to one another, the first base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth; a second reel including a second base assembly formed of a plurality of frame components joined to one another, the second base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth, at least some of the frame components of the first and second base assemblies formed as extrusions having an identical cross sectional shape, and at least one of the height, width, and depth of the second base assembly differing from the height, width, and depth of the first base assembly; each of the first and second base assemblies of the first and second reels including a spool assembly rotatably mounted thereto.

In another form thereof, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing reels, including the steps of forming a plurality of individual frame members by extrusion, at least some of the frame members having identical cross sectional shapes, and at least some of the frame members having different lengths; attaching individual frame members to one another to form a first base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth; mounting a rotatable spool assembly to the first base assembly; attaching individual frame members to one another to form a second base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth, wherein at least one of the height, width, and depth of the second base assembly differs from the height, width, and depth of the first base assembly; and mounting a rotatable spool assembly to the second base assembly.

In a further form thereof, the present invention provides a reel, including a base assembly including a plurality of individual frame components having slots extending therealong, the frame components joined to one another by connectors received within the slots; and a spool assembly rotatably mounted to the base assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary hose reel according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the hose reel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a is a perspective view of the base assembly of the hose reel of FIGS. 1 and 2, with one of the frame components shown exploded therefrom;

FIG. 4 is an end view of one of the frame components of the base assembly;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the base assembly, showing a pair of frame components and a connector for connecting the frame components;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the frame components of FIG. 5, showing the connection of the frame components;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view showing the connection of a side bracket of the base assembly to a frame component of the base assembly;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a spool assembly;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a portion of the spool assembly, showing the attachment of a spur gear to a side wall of the spool assembly;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the spool assembly, showing the attachment of the side walls to the spacer members of the spool assembly;

FIG. 11 is an end view of one of the spacer members of the spool assembly of FIGS. 8-10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the positioning of the spool assembly onto the base assembly during assembly of the hose reel;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of the hose reel, showing the mounting of one end of the spool assembly onto the base assembly;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a portion of the hose reel, showing the mounting of the opposite end of the spool assembly onto the base assembly;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a portion of the spool assembly, showing the outlet connector assembly and a portion of the hose connected thereto;

FIG. 16 is a front view of a portion of the hose reel, showing a power drive assembly for the reel, including a motor driving the spool assembly via a gear set;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an exemplary hose reel having a relatively narrow profile;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an exemplary hose reel having a relatively wide profile; and

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an exemplary hose reel according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a exemplary reel 20 in accordance with the present invention is shown in the form of a hose reel. Although reel 20 is described below as a hose reel for use in storing a hose 26, it should be understood that the reels 20 according to the present invention may also be used with electrical cords, ropes, cables, or other elongate items in a variety of different applications. Hose reel 20 generally includes base assembly 22 and spool assembly 24 rotatably mounted to base assembly 22, with spool assembly 24 holding a hose 26 or other elongate item wound thereon.

Referring to FIG. 3, base assembly 22 generally includes base frame 28 formed of a plurality of frame components 30 connected to one another as described below. Frame components 30 may be formed as extrusions, such as aluminum extrusions, for example. Alternatively, frame components 30 may be formed from a rigid plastic via an injection molded or an extrusion process. Base frame 28 includes a pair of horizontally disposed frame components 30a which primarily define a width dimension “W” of frame 28 and base assembly 22, two pair of vertically disposed frame components 30b at opposite sides of frame 28 which primarily define the height dimension “H” of frame 28 and base assembly 22, and a pair of horizontally disposed frame components 30c which primarily define the depth dimension “D” of frame 28 and base assembly 22.

Referring to FIG. 4, frame components 30a-c are identical, and have an identical cross-sectional shape with a square profile, including internal portion 32 with central bore 34, and four external portions 36 extending from internal portion 32 which define four T-slots 38 therebetween, one in each of the side faces of frame component 30. Each T-slot 38 includes an outwardly-facing channel 40 and a pair of opposing flanges 42 having blind, internal surfaces.

Frame components 30a-c may be attached to one another using connectors 44 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Connectors 44 may be Power-Lock™ connectors, available from MiniTec, Inc., of Victor, N.Y. Connectors 44 are similar to those disclosed in German Patent DE 4 127 284 C1. Referring to FIG. 5, each connector 44 includes base 46 having a pair of opposing ledges 48, and first and second projections 50 and 52, with first projection 50 including a first bore 54 therethrough and second projection 52 including a second bore 56 (FIG. 6) therethrough which is disposed at an angle with respect to first bore 54. As shown in FIG. 6, a set screw 58 is threaded within second bore 56 and, as shown in FIG. 5, a bolt 60 having threaded shaft 62 and head 64 is inserted through first bore 54.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, to connect any two frame components 30a-c to one another, such as a frame component 30b to a frame component 30c, for example, a connector 44 is pressed into the end of frame component 30b, with first projection 50 of connector 44 inserted within central bore 34 of frame component 30b, and second projection 52 of connector 44 inserted within a T-slot 38 of frame component 30b. Thereafter, bolt 60 is rotated by a suitable tool to tap threaded shaft 62 of bolt 60 into threading engagement with central bore 34 of frame component 30b until head 64 of bolt 60 is disposed proximate base 46 of connector 44, as shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 4, central bore 34 of frame component 30b includes relief slots 35 which facilitate the self-tapping of threaded shaft 62 of bolt 60 into central bore 34. In this manner, connector 44 is securely fastened to frame component 30b.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, base 46 of connector 44 is inserted within T-slot 38 of frame component 30c along the direction of arrow A₁ such that ledges 48 of base 46 of connector 44 engage behind the pair of opposing flanges 42 of T-slot 38 of frame component 30c, with head 64 of bolt 60 disposed within channel 40 of the T-slot 38. When frame component 30b is slidably positioned at a desired location with respect to frame component 30c, a tool 66 is inserted into T-slot 38 of frame component 30b to rotate set screw 58 (see arrow A₂ in FIG. 6) such that set screw 58 engages head 64 of bolt to press ledges 48 of base 46 of connector 44 into firm engagement with flanges 42 of T-slot 38 of frame component 30c to secure frame components 30b and 30c to one another. Each of the other frame components 30a-c of frame 28 of base assembly 22 are assembled in this manner to form frame 28. As may be seen in FIG. 3, for example, after connectors 44 are used to connect respective frame components 30a-c, connectors are not visible but rather are hidden from view. Optionally, caps (not shown) may be inserted into the open ends of frame components 30a-c after connection to provide a finished appearance.

Referring to FIG. 7, side brackets 68 of base assembly 22 are mounted between adjacent vertical frame components 30b by inserting bolts 70 through apertures 72 in flanges 74 of side brackets 68 and into threaded engagement with corresponding nuts 76 which are non-rotatably captured within channels 40 of T-slots 38 of frame components 30b. Bolts 70 are thereafter tightened to capture flanges 74 of side brackets 68 between bolts 70 and frame components 30b to secure side brackets 68 to frame components 30b. Side brackets 68 may be used to support an electric motor 136 of a power drive assembly, as described below, or other items, on base assembly 22. Additionally, gussets 78, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, may be attached to frame components 30a and 30b of frame 28 using bolts 70 and nuts 76 in the same manner described above with regard to side brackets 68, in order to support the 90° connections between frame components 30a and 30b.

Referring to FIG. 8, spool assembly 24 is shown, which generally includes a pair of side walls 80 connected by a plurality of spacer members 82. Side walls 80 are each shown as circular in shape, and include concentric, recessed first and second step portions 84 and 86, with first step portion 84 having a greater diameter than second step portion 86. Side walls 80 further include a set of first apertures 88 for attachment of spur gear 90, as described below, and two sets of second apertures 92 (FIG. 10), one in each of first and second step portions 84 and 86, for attachment of spacer members 82, as described below. Referring to FIG. 11, each of spacer members 82 is formed as an extrusion, such as an aluminum extrusion, having a quarter-round profile, with each spacer member 82 including a quarter-round face 94 and central bore 96.

Referring to FIG. 9, spur gear 90, which is annular in shape and includes teeth around its periphery, is attached to an outer side of one of side walls 80 of spool assembly 24 by bolts 98 inserted through apertures in spur gear and apertures 88 in side wall 80. Spacers 100 and nuts 102 cooperate with bolts 98, with spacers 100 spacing spur gear 90 outwardly a distance from the outer side of side wall 80. Additionally, referring to FIG. 10, side walls 80 of spool assembly 24 are attached to the ends of spacer members 82 with suitable screws 104, which are inserted through second apertures 92 in side walls 80 and which tap into central bore 96 of spacer members 82. Screws 104 may additionally include concave rubber washers which are captured between the heads of screws 104 and the outer sides of side walls 80 to absorb vibration. Further, referring to FIG. 8, spacer members 82 are disposed such that quarter round surfaces 94 thereof face radially outwardly for receipt of hose 26 wound onto spacer members 82 of spool assembly 24. In this manner, spacer members 82 together define a cylindrically-profiled spool upon which a hose or other elongate item may be wound. Side walls 80 each further include openings 105 for mounting input connector assembly 114 and bearing 108 to spool assembly 24, as discussed below, for rotatably supporting spool assembly upon axle 106.

Generally, the overall width of spool assembly “W_s” (FIG. 8) is determined by the length of spacer members 82. Advantageously, by varying only the length of spacer members 82, the width “W_s” of spool assembly 24 may be varied as desired to in turn vary the hose storage capacity of spool assembly 24. Also, the diameter of side walls 80 may also be varied to vary the hose storage capacity of spool assembly 24. Further, spacer members 82 may be attached to first step portion 84 of side walls 80, as shown in FIG. 10, such that the spacer members 82 together provide a relatively larger spool diameter for hoses having a relatively larger diameter or larger bend radius. Alternatively, spacer members 82 may be attached to second step portion 86 of side walls 80 to provide a relatively smaller spool diameter for hoses 26 having a relatively smaller diameter or smaller bend radius. Thus, the length of spacer members 82, the diameter of side walls 80, and the attachment of spacer members 82 to either the first or second step portions 84 or 86 of side walls 80 are each design variables of spool assembly 24 which may be selectively controlled to vary the hose storage capacity of spool assembly 24 based upon the length and diameter of the hose 26 which is to be used with reel 20.

Spool assembly 24 is mounted to base assembly 22 as shown in FIGS. 12-14. Referring to FIG. 12, after installation of input connector assembly 114 and axle 106 on spool assembly 24, spool assembly 24 is lowered onto base assembly 22 such that side walls 80 of spool assembly 24 are disposed between the opposite sides of base assembly 22, to thereby position spool assembly 24 within base assembly 22. Thereafter, referring to FIG. 13, bearing 108, which rotatably supports one end of axle 106 of spool assembly 24, is mounted to the top face of one of frame components 30c using a pair of bolts 110 and associated nuts 112, with bolts 110 inserted through pre-drilled holes (not shown) in frame components 30c.

Concurrently, as shown in FIG. 14, at the opposite side of reel 20, input connector assembly 114 is mounted to the top face of one of frame components 30c using a pair of bolts 10 and associated nuts 112, with bolts 110 inserted through pre-drilled holes (not shown) in frame components 30c. Input connector assembly 114 includes a ball bearing therein (not shown) for supporting one end of axle 106 of spool assembly 24, and additionally includes an inlet hose fitting 116 to which an inlet source of fluid may be attached, such as a water hose, for example, using suitable clamps or other fasteners.

Referring to FIG. 15, outlet connector assembly 118 is disposed within the interior of spool assembly 24, and is fluidly connected to input connector assembly 114. Output connector assembly 118 includes neck portion 120 with an outlet hose fitting to which an end of hose 26 may be connected using suitable clamps or other fasteners. A portion of hose 26 is visible in FIG. 15. In operation, fluid from a fluid source is conveyed to input connector assembly 114, such as through a hose, for example, and is thence conveyed through output connector assembly 118 to hose 26.

Referring to FIG. 2, a first, manual drive assembly for reel 20 includes hand crank mechanism 124, with bearing support 126 attached to frame 28 of base assembly 22. Axle 128 is supported by bearing support 126, and handle 130 and bevel gear 132 are mounted at opposite ends of axle 128, with bevel gear 132 meshing with an annular bevel gear 134 attached to one side wall 80 of spool assembly 24. Manual rotation of handle 130 by an operator rotates axle 128 and bevel gear 132, which engages bevel gear 134 of spool assembly 24 to rotate spool assembly 24 upon axle 106 to wind and/or unwind hose 26 on spool assembly 24.

Alternatively, a second, power drive assembly for reel 20 includes electric motor 136 mounted to a side bracket 68 of frame 28 of base assembly 22. Referring to FIG. 16, motor 136 includes output shaft 138 to which a pinion gear 140 is mounted, and pinion gear 140 is in meshing engagement with spur gear 90 mounted to a side wall 80 of spool assembly 24, as discussed above. In operation, motor 136 drives pinion gear 140 to in turn drive spur gear 90 to rotate spool assembly 24 upon axle 106 to wind and/or unwind hose 26 on spool assembly 24. A suitable control mechanism 142 (FIG. 1) may be associated with motor 136 to control the operation thereof. Alternatively, motor 136 may drive spool assembly through a chain drive, for example, as discussed below with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 19.

In the reels shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 12-18, bearings 108 are attached to the top face or upper side of frame component 30c such that spool assembly 24 is disposed substantially externally of base assembly 22. Referring to FIG. 19, a reel 20 is shown according to an alternate embodiment, which includes bearings 108 mounted to the lower face or lower side of frame component 30c by a pair of bolts 110 and associated nuts 112, with bolts 110 inserted through pre-drilled holes (not shown) in frame components 30c. In this manner, spool assembly 24 is disposed substantially internally of base assembly 22. In this embodiment, when reel 20 is hung in an upside-down position or used with a movable vehicle, for example, in the very unlikely event that bolts 110 should break or otherwise fail, spool assembly 24 will not separate from base assembly 22, but rather will remain trapped within base assembly 22. Reel 20 of FIG. 19 also includes an alternate drive mechanism for spool assembly 24, including sprocket 144 attached to drive shaft 138 of motor 136, which drives a toothed gear 146 of spool assembly 24 via chain 148.

Advantageously, the overall dimensions and sizes of reel 20 may be easily varied by varying the length of frame components 30a-c of base assembly 24 and/or the length of spacer members 82 of spool assembly 24. Thus, the modular design of base assembly and spool assembly allows a manufacturer to produce hose reels 20 of varying dimensions in order to suit particular applications having differing requirements, such as size constraints and hose length, and the manufacturer need not produce and stock a large number of pre-formed frame components in order to product reels of different sizes, as with known reel constructions. Further, the easy assembly of base assembly and spool assembly allows the manufacturer to ship reel 200 disassembled to reduce shipping costs.

One exemplary reel 20, which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and discussed above, includes base assembly 22 and spool assembly 24 of an intermediate width “W” (FIG. 2). Referring to FIG. 17, another exemplary reel 20 is shown, in which the lengths of frame components 30a of base assembly 22 and the length of spacer members 82 of spool assembly 24 have been reduced to provide a reel 20 which is relatively narrow in width “W” as compared to reel 20 of FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 18, a further exemplary reel 20 is shown, in which the lengths of frame components 30a of base assembly 22 and the length of spacer members 82 of spool assembly 24 have been increased to provide a reel 20 which is relatively wide in width “W” as compared to reels 24 of FIGS. 1, 2, and 17. Similarly, the lengths of frame components 30b may be varied to in turn vary the height of reel 20, and the lengths of frame components 30c may be varied to in turn vary the depth of reel 20. In this manner, a manufacturer of reels 20 may vary the overall dimensional sizes of the reels 20 simply by varying the length of frame components 30a-c of frame 28 of base assembly 22 and the length of spacer members 82 of spool assembly 24.

While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A line of reels, comprising:

a first reel including a first base assembly formed of a plurality of frame components joined to one another, said first base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth;

a second reel including a second base assembly formed of a plurality of frame components joined to one another, said second base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth, at least some of said frame components of said first and second base assemblies formed as extrusions having an identical cross sectional shape, and at least one of said height, width, and depth of said second base assembly differing from said height, width, and depth of said first base assembly;

each of said first and second base assemblies of said first and second reels including a spool assembly rotatably mounted thereto.

2. The line of reels of claim 1, wherein at least two of said height, width, and depth of said second base assembly differ from said height, width, and depth of said first base assembly.

3. The line of reels of claim 1, wherein each of said height, width, and depth of said second base assembly differ from said height, width, and depth of said first base assembly.

4. The line of reels of claim 1, wherein said frame components include slots extending therealong, said frame components respectively joined to one another by connectors received within said slots.

5. The line of reels of claim 1, wherein said slots have a substantially T-shaped profile including an outwardly-facing channel and a pair of opposing flanges, at least a portion of said connectors disposed within said channel and engaging said opposing flanges.

6. The line of reels of claim 1, wherein each said spool assembly further comprises at least one of a fluid inlet connector assembly and a fluid outlet connector assembly.

7. The line of reels of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second reels further includes a drive assembly mounted to said base assembly thereof, said drive assembly drivably coupled to said spool assembly.

8. The line of reels of claim 7, wherein said drive assembly comprises one of:

a hand crank rotatably coupled to said spool assembly via a gear set; and

an electric motor rotatably coupled to said spool assembly via one of a gear set and a chain drive.

9. The line of reels of claim 1, wherein at least one of said spool assemblies is mounted to a respective base assembly via at least one bearing attached to a lower side of one of said frame components of said base assembly, whereby said spool assembly is positioned substantially internally of said base assembly.

10. A method of manufacturing reels, comprising the steps of:

forming a plurality of individual frame members by extrusion, at least some of the frame members having identical cross sectional shapes, and at least some of the frame members having different lengths;

attaching individual frame members to one another to form a first base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth;

mounting a rotatable spool assembly to the first base assembly;

attaching individual frame members to one another to form a second base assembly having a height, a width, and a depth, wherein at least one of the height, width, and depth of the second base assembly differs from the height, width, and depth of the first base assembly; and

mounting a rotatable spool assembly to the second base assembly.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least two of the height, width, and depth of the second base assembly differs from the height, width, and depth of the first base assembly.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the height, width, and depth of the second base assembly differs from the height, width, and depth of the first base assembly.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the frame components include slots extending therealong, and said attaching steps further comprise inserting connectors into the slots.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the slots have a substantially T-shaped profile including an outwardly-facing channel and a pair of opposing flanges, and said attaching steps further comprise engaging at least a portion of the connectors with the opposing flanges.

15. The method of claim 10, comprising the additional steps of attaching at least one of a fluid inlet connector assembly and a fluid outlet connector assembly to each of said first and second base assemblies.

16. The method of claim 10, comprising the additional steps of attaching a drive assembly to each of said first and second base assemblies, the drive assemblies drivably coupled to the spool assemblies.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the drive assemblies each comprises one of:

a hand crank rotatably coupled to the spool assembly via a gear set; and

an electric motor rotatably coupled to the spool assembly via one of a gear set and a chain drive.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the spool assemblies is mounted to a respective base assembly via at least one bearing attached to a lower side of one of the frame components of the base assembly, whereby the spool assembly is positioned substantially internally of the base assembly.

19. A reel, comprising:

a base assembly including a plurality of individual frame components having slots extending therealong, said frame components joined to one another by connectors received within said slots; and

a spool assembly rotatably mounted to said base assembly.

20. The reel of claim 19, wherein said slots have a substantially T-shaped profile including an outwardly-facing channel and a pair of opposing flanges, at least a portion of said connectors disposed within said channel and engaging said opposing flanges.

21. The reel of claim 19, wherein at least some of said individual frame components are identical to one another.

22. The reel of claim 19, wherein at least some of said frame components have an identical cross sectional shape with respect to one another.

23. The reel of claim 19, wherein said frame components are formed by an extrusion process from one of a metal and a rigid plastic.

24. The reel of claim 19, wherein said spool assembly comprises a pair of side walls joined together by a plurality of extruded spacer members.

25. The reel of claim 19, wherein said spool assembly further comprises at least one of a fluid input connector assembly and a fluid outlet connector assembly.

26. The reel of claim 19, further comprising a drive assembly mounted to said base assembly, said drive assembly drivably coupled to said spool assembly.

27. The reel of claim 26, wherein said drive assembly comprises one of:

a hand crank rotatably coupled to said spool assembly via a gear set; and

an electric motor rotatably coupled to said spool assembly via one of a gear set and a chain drive.

28. The reel of claim 19, wherein said spool assembly is mounted to said base assembly via at least one bearing attached to a lower side of one of said frame components of said base assembly, whereby said spool assembly is positioned substantially internally of said base assembly.