The AutoBox ABX-500 hands-free hose handling system from StoneAge is designed to provide a safe and efficient alternative to manual feeding of high-pressure hose for industrial pipe cleaning.

“It was basically designed to replace a person manually feeding a hose in pipe cleaning applications,” says Jeff Barnes, senior product engineer for StoneAge. “Typically you should only jet a tool for what the operator can comfortably control, which in a lot of cases limits how far the tool will pull itself down the pipe. With the AutoBox you can jet the tool for more power and the operator doesn’t get tired. It can maintain a constant feed rate and allows you to get farther down the pipe.”

In addition to operator safety, the hose handling system can improve cleaning performance.

“It allows you to feed the hose at a controlled rate,” he says. “An operator manually feeding the hose, even the best operator, is not going to be consistent over 10 feet, let alone a couple hundred feet. Feeding at a consistent rate allows the rotary tool to clean everything in the pipe. You don’t get any striping. It doesn’t move quickly through an area and leave material in the pipe wall. You have a controlled feed rate and you get a better cleaning performance.”

The 19-inch-tall by 13-inch-wide by 12-inch-deep hose handling system has a feed rate of 1 to 30 feet per minute. Two synchronized drive rollers feed the hose into the tube while air cylinders apply a clamp load to prevent slippage.

“From the control box you can adjust the speed that you’re feeding the hose as well as the amount of clamp you’re putting on the hose,” Barnes says. “Our standard setup has a 25-foot hose between the tool and the control box. If there was a need you could go with longer or shorter hoses.”

The box also has a pressure gauge and regulator to control the load on the clamping air cylinders, as well as a toggle switch for the high-pressure dump control.

The 90-pound system can be used with any of StoneAge’s rotary pipe cleaning tools having a flow range of 5 to 200 gpm, pressure range of 2,000 to 43,000 psi and rotation speed of 20 to 300 rpm. Safely operated from outside the blast zone by a single operator, the portable, air-powered system can accommodate hoses from 0.56 to 1 inch and pass couplings up to 1.75 inches O.D.

Bolt holes enable the drive box to be safely secured. A mounting strap is available. 866/795-1586; www.stoneagetools.com.