Hose Adapter Provides a Secure Connection

Hose Adapter Provides a Secure Connection
Hose adapter provides a secure connection

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The Hose Adapter Thingy (HAT) manufactured by National Metal Fabricators aims to solve a common problem for vac truck operators — a poor connection between boom and hose.

“It’s one of those things where only the people in the field know what a pain it is as far as keeping things hooked up,” says Tom Bonine, president of National Metal Fabricators.

That’s exactly how the HAT came to be. Mark Fisher of Cam-Vac Inc. in Sandwich, Illinois, was using DIY hacks to attempt to solve his hose connection issues out in the field. Finally, he approached National Metal Fabricators.

“He was trying to solve his own problem with a lot of duct tape and other types of adapters,” says Bonine. “Then he had an incident where the adapter disconnected because the hose got a little plugged up. He was working at the bottom of a 15-foot-deep tank and was lucky it didn’t come down and hit him in the head. It just missed him. He thought there had to be a better way. That was really it. It was just about trying to solve these problems.”

Bonine says the HAT was designed with three areas in mind: safety, durability and ease of attachment. It is made out of 11-gauge steel, and a simple latch system allows the operator to easily attach and detach the hose.

“There didn’t seem to be anything out there that was quick and easy and still provided a solid connection. You ended up using a lot of duct tape,” says Bonine. “With the HAT, it’s just put the hose in, throw the latch, and you’re done. It takes five seconds.”

Despite the ease of attachment, the connection is secure. There’s a stainless steel round rod connected to the latch. It has a bend in it so that when the latch is flipped, the rod pushes right up against the hose, locking it in tight.

The HAT is designed for only 6-inch hose. The product is new to the market and other sizes could be added eventually, Bonine says.

“We want to see how this one goes first,” he says. “Right now we’re going to stick with 6-inch because it’s so common and it’s just being introduced to the market, but we’ve already had distributors ask about getting it for 4-inch. We’re going to make sure everything is good with the 6-inch, and then use the same design and just bring the diameter down.” 800/323-8849; www.nmfrings.com.



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