The History of Puck Hose Carts
Puck Enterprises began as a custom manure application company in 1979, but they didn’t start pulling hose in their operation until 1998. This new system required miles of large diameter hose, and applicators struggled with moving and storing it. After years of using and repairing equipment, the innovation began in 2004 with the first variation of a two-way hose reel. The following year saw the first production of the Puck hose cart model, manufactured in-house at the original Red Barn. Twenty years after the first Puck-built hose cart, Puck Enterprises is manufacturing the 450th TTR 20, a flagship product that was developed over years of innovation and experience.
Traditional Hose Carts
The original hose cart, a red HC 8 model, had many of the recognizable features of a modern Puck hose cart. The domed reel ends prevent the hose from cuffing, twisting or rolling while reeling hose. Today’s patented Arch Guard is in place to keep hose from falling off the cart, and although the original hose cart didn’t have the patented Arch Guard, the frame of the cart had a similar look. A hydraulic two-way pull motor was situated on the cart’s side rail and allowed for single user operation without heavy lifting.
In 2008, Puck continued hose cart innovations by creating the HC 11, which was a few feet wider than the original hose cart, the HC 8. It also featured a hydraulic pull motor on each side of the reel and had more axle weight capacity. The HC 11 provided applicators with a holding capacity of 2-3 more lengths (660’ per length) of LDH than the HC 8. With the increase in efficiency of pump trailers on the market at the time, hose sizes and the distances of transporting manure grew. Puck released the HC 16 in 2009, doubling the carrying capacity of their original hose cart. The HC 16 was more than four feet wider than the HC 8 and two and half feet taller with larger tires to hold a mile of 8” hose.
Turn Table Reels
Innovation in the manure application industry continued at a fast pace, and Puck was leading the industry. Puck Enterprises moved out of the Red Barn and began expanding their warehouses as more manufacturing opportunities arose. Within a few years, Puck had a manufacturing shop, a large warehouse, and a dedicated service shop. Applicators needed more large hose to keep up with their higher flowrates, and Puck answered the need in 2014 with the turn table reel. The TTR 15 was the first tandem axle hose cart Puck produced and featured a slewing bearing swivel to rotate the reel during hose retrieval. Like the HC 16, the TTR 15 could hold a mile of 8” hose, but it was narrower than the HC 16 and had electric brakes rather than air drum.
Custom application operations continued to grow, and Puck knew they needed a bigger cart. Puck released the TTR 20 in 2015. The TTR 20 featured 120° rotation on the reel for easy retrieval and allowing operators to fill the reels to the ends. With a hose capacity of 14 lengths of 8” hose, the TTR 20 nearly doubled the carrying capacity of the HC 16 and the TTR 15. The TTR 20 quickly became one of Puck’s bestselling products. Continuing this line of growth, Puck launched TTR 30 in 2019, which had a tandem axle chassis with an additional rear steerable. It also added the capacity to carry up to 2 ¾ miles of 8” hose or 2 miles of 10” hose. The TTR 30 also had 140° of rotation on the slewing bearing swivel.
Beyond Ag Operations
With the launch of Puck Fire as Puck Enterprises entered new markets, the TTR15P was launched in 2024. This was the first hose cart made specifically for the fire industry by utilizing Puck’s experiences with agricultural hose carts. The TTR15P could hold 2,500 feet of 7 ¼” firefighting supply hose and incorporated features specific to firefighting, such as the emergency lighting system and the remote control for operating the reel from a distance. As the first turn table reel designed for use without a tractor, the TTR15P had a powerpack in the A-frame of the chassis that held a 38 HP gasoline engine and manual lever controls for the reel.
Throughout the years of manufacturing, Puck has continued to innovate existing products. One example of this was the newly designed TTR 20 released in 2023. The TPU hose used by applicators today is thicker to provide more durability, and it requires more space to hold it. Puck upgraded the reel to hold two miles of 8” hose plus two drags. The new TTR 20 also saw the addition of a hydraulic jack, rear step pockets, new sheet metal, and increased balance when running up and down the road.
Nine years after the launch of the first TTR 20, Puck will be building the 450th TTR 20. Puck hose carts have brought immeasurable ROI to customers in the 20 years since the first iteration. With every new product launched, Puck Enterprises continues to push the leading edge of innovation in liquid transfer equipment. To learn more, call us at (712) 655-9200.
