Fuel Oil Hose Puller Created by Deliveryman
It all started when Pete Ozols hurt his back while pulling a hose during a fuel oil delivery last season. His doctor told him he would be bound for the operating table if he continued making the twisting and turning moves that deliverymen typically make while pulling a hose, Ozols recalls. Enter the “Fuel Oil Hose Puller.” It is a flat piece of 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum, triangular-shaped, that fits on the end of the hose. It weighs approximately a half-pound. Two openings serve as handholds, allowing a deliveryman to pull the hose more easily, Ozols says (see photos).
Ozols says he made the prototype in his garage at his home in Norwalk, Conn., and uses it himself. It reduces stress and strain on his back, and his doctor approves, Ozols says. “My back is good now,” he says. Now Ozols has teamed up with his employer, Michael Kerslake, owner of Comfort King Energy Services in Ridgefield, Conn., and together they are manufacturing and marketing the Hose Puller to the industry. They are retailing the Hose Puller for $99.99. For more information call Radical Resolutions at 203-997-7812.—Stephen Bennett
American ingenuity. Let us hope it enriches the creator of it and not bloated corporate America.