How long is your hose?

[JHuck]

(that's what she said)

As I continue to pull low cost parts together for a 158 gal 2" dredge to be used on a shallow bed rock bottom stream, I am looking at hose options. The local big box store has the typical 2" suction hose in 20' and 25' lengths. In the scheme of doing a low cost build, the stuff is pricey but it's still a better deal better than the local hose suppliers that make you buy 100' at a time. I was wondering if cutting the 25' length in half for my supply and suction hoses would be enough length. The dredge will be on wheels and I can move it back and forth across the stream as needed. Is 12' of reach decent for a suction dredge or will I wish I had just doubled up on the purchase? I know I can also incorporate reinforced lay flat if needed.

On the same note, how much does hose length impact output of the dredge? Is it a positive trade off to go shorter vs longer?

 

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[vpnavy]

Geeeez JHuck - I thought this was going to be the first post I had to remove as a Moderator! You should be ashamed of yourself!

 

[JHuck]

Geeeez JHuck - I thought this was going to be the first post I had to remove as a Moderator! You should be ashamed of yourself!

Ha, I just wanted to make sure my questions didn't go unnoticed.

 

[JonG]

I seen the title and thought "this ought to be interesting". Well played sir!

 

[russau]

I found that when using my dredges , the straighter I keep the suction hose the less plug ups and the better suction I would have. This is true for any size dredge that Ive used. besides on your 2 inch dredge it is only effective for shallow dredging anyway! and IF you were to use a 20/25 foot hose in a moderate flow stream (much less a swift current) your hose would be all over the creek and that would potentially help to create a rock jam in your hose. My 2 inch dredge has a 10 foot piece of hose and my 4 inch has several lengths and my 5 inch subbie has only a 10 foot piece! Im getting older and have less need to fight and hose while in the water!

 

[JHuck]

I found that when using my dredges , the straighter I keep the suction hose the less plug ups and the better suction I would have. This is true for any size dredge that Ive used. besides on your 2 inch dredge it is only effective for shallow dredging anyway! and IF you were to use a 20/25 foot hose in a moderate flow stream (much less a swift current) your hose would be all over the creek and that would potentially help to create a rock jam in your hose. My 2 inch dredge has a 10 foot piece of hose and my 4 inch has several lengths and my 5 inch subbie has only a 10 foot piece! Im getting older and have less need to fight and hose while in the water!

Russau,
Great information, I appreciate your insight.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I found that when using my dredges , the straighter I keep the suction hose the less plug ups and the better suction I would have. This is true for any size dredge that Ive used. besides on your 2 inch dredge it is only effective for shallow dredging anyway! and IF you were to use a 20/25 foot hose in a moderate flow stream (much less a swift current) your hose would be all over the creek and that would potentially help to create a rock jam in your hose. My 2 inch dredge has a 10 foot piece of hose and my 4 inch has several lengths and my 5 inch subbie has only a 10 foot piece! Im getting older and have less need to fight and hose while in the water!

Fighting hose in swift water SUCKS! If somebody finds themselves in that situation, here is what I do. I set a t-post anchor pole upstream of my hole and anchor my dredge to it. Then I run a second line to hold the dredge ahead of me, pointing back (with the flow) into my hole. Makes life much better! You can even get out of the hole and not worry about having your hose washed 20 foot downstream from the dredge.

As for the original question, I am a fan of 20 footers on both my 4" and 3", but both are powered by a 6.5hp motor and a P180 pump. You may want to shorten it for smaller pump/motor combos

 

[JHuck]

Fighting hose in swift water SUCKS! If somebody finds themselves in that situation, here is what I do. I set a t-post anchor pole upstream of my hole and anchor my dredge to it. Then I run a second line to hold the dredge ahead of me, pointing back (with the flow) into my hole. Makes life much better! You can even get out of the hole and not worry about having your hose washed 20 foot downstream from the dredge.

As for the original question, I am a fan of 20 footers on both my 4" and 3", but both are powered by a 6.5hp motor and a P180 pump. You may want to shorten it for smaller pump/motor combos

Thanks Jason.

 

[russau]

Jason I have the same HP /pump and 20 foot hose on my 4 inch dredge also .BUT as noted (for me) if the hose is not kept straight , you can potentially cause a plug in your hose by doing so. I hate moveing the dredge around because of a short hose BUT its causeing problems......................

 

[mike(swWash)]

My 2.5" uses 14' and does well even with a smaller wx15 pump and quad jet setup.