| Author |
Message |
Ride-Fly
Samba Member
Joined: May 25, 2015
Posts: 621
Location: PDX
|
 Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2018 11:32 pm Post subject: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
 |
|
| I’m thinking of replacing my 3 hook up boxes, and both GW and BD have their own slightly modified versions. Both claim theirs to be the best on the market, better than oem. After reading the descriptions and closely looking at pics, I can’t really tell how they’re different, other than that the BD tank water hookup has a flip down cover instead of a flip up, and that somehow allows you to fill up using a jug or funnel. Anyone seen these in person? If you’ve had a chance to compare both of them, which would you say is the better? TIA! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7915
Location: Arizona
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 12:59 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
I went GoWesty... no regrets. If I'm without a water hose connection, I simply bucket fill from inside. I, personally, hated the Delta6 tank filler and the spring-loaded flaps, but others prefer those features.
What BD is selling are the originals, but with improved material/workmanship. GW's are completely different designs (albeit with some similarities), with the city water being easily repurposed if desired (or opting for their air compressor/12V/solar hook-ups instead). GW's water tank filler uses a hose quick-connect.
_________________
~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ride-Fly
Samba Member
Joined: May 25, 2015
Posts: 621
Location: PDX
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 4:22 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| good to know about the GW hook ups. Truth be told, I’ve never used the city water hook up (3rd one?). I’ve only used the AC and the water connection that goes through the sink. Stupid question but what’s the difference between the two water hook ups? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32565
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
davevickery
Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2887
Location: Fort Collins, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 6:23 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
I replaced mine with GW. The material is good quality, they are all new and shiny. The water fill uses a snap on quick disconnect fitting. I fills a little faster because it is sealed tight and you can force the water through it. But you can only use the fitting to fill and that has some downsides to me. I don't fill it all the way because the first time I did, it forced water out the top of the tank and leaked all in in the cabinet. Maybe the top wasn't tight enough, but now I stop when it first hits green which is about 8 gallons. The old style you could hang a hose in the fill and set it on low and when it was full it would start running down the side of the van. Messy but reliable. I have thought about modifying the GW fill to be more like the original where I can just hang a hose there or pour in from a jug. I definitely don't like the inconvenience of filling from the inside like if I am transferring filtered water from jugs.
The covers also are designed to stay open or closed, however you leave them. I liked the stiffer springs of the original where they snapped shut. I found the wind had blown one of mine open after a drive. It's not a big deal but I don't like the idea that it could be open while driving however the design of the water inlet probably lets in less dust than the original anyway. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sped372
Samba Member
Joined: March 30, 2006
Posts: 653
Location: Waunakee, WI
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 6:45 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
One note about the GW ones, I found some cracks in the screw bosses about a year after initial install (I was doing the city water fridge vent mod after the fact). Nothing was loose but seemed a little premature to me. Our van is garaged and is out of the weather unless we're camping.
I mentioned it to GW but didn't get any real response. Just something to be aware of.
_________________
1971 Karmann Ghia - 1600 DP
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7915
Location: Arizona
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:56 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| Ride-Fly wrote: |
| Stupid question but what’s the difference between the two water hook ups? |
The rear-most hook-up fills the on-board water tank, which the faucet draws from. The front-most hook-up puts water directly from a hose to the faucet.  I eliminated the city water line when I switched to a Shurflo faucet and subsequently altered that hook-up for a solar quick connect.
Neither hook-up brand is better than the other, IMO; they are different in how they function and you'll simply need to decide which design would best suit your particular needs. 
_________________
~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
davevickery
Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2887
Location: Fort Collins, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:23 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| sped372 wrote: |
One note about the GW ones, I found some cracks in the screw bosses about a year after initial install (I was doing the city water fridge vent mod after the fact). Nothing was loose but seemed a little premature to me. Our van is garaged and is out of the weather unless we're camping.
[pic] |
That's interesting. I was just modifying my City Water port for an outside shower and I thought the screws looked too big so I replaced them with something a little smaller. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
drj434343
Samba Member
Joined: January 31, 2016
Posts: 398
Location: Portland, OR
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:35 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| sped372 wrote: |
One note about the GW ones, I found some cracks in the screw bosses about a year after initial install (I was doing the city water fridge vent mod after the fact). Nothing was loose but seemed a little premature to me. Our van is garaged and is out of the weather unless we're camping.
I mentioned it to GW but didn't get any real response. Just something to be aware of. |
I will second this, I have also experienced cracks at the same locations in 2 GW made units. It seems to me they don't have enough material around the screws that attach the fitting. Additionally, those holes are initially untapped, so the during installation, the screws self tap and put additional hoop stress on that cross section. They could potentially open up the bore to reduce tapping stresses, or add material around the outside to alleviate that issue. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
shagginwagon83
Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2016
Posts: 3794
Location: VA/TN
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:13 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
Yeah I'm not too pumped on my GoWesty water filler setup. I sometimes forget to add water to the tank and need to fill with gallon water jugs from grocery store. I might have to set mine up with an adapter hose or something to make it work in that case.
_________________
Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ride-Fly
Samba Member
Joined: May 25, 2015
Posts: 621
Location: PDX
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:01 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| Again, thanks for your comments about your experiences. I’m pretty sure I’m going to go with the BD product. The GW’s cracked bosses are a big downer, and I don’t like that it has a quick disconnect piece. Just too likely that that piece can get lost, and then I’m sure I’d be paying a hefty ransom to GW to get a new one. I also like the BD’s feature of being able to fill the tank water from jugs. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
davevickery
Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2887
Location: Fort Collins, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:34 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| Ride-Fly wrote: |
| Again, thanks for your comments about your experiences. I’m pretty sure I’m going to go with the BD product. The GW’s cracked bosses are a big downer, and I don’t like that it has a quick disconnect piece. Just too likely that that piece can get lost, and then I’m sure I’d be paying a hefty ransom to GW to get a new one. I also like the BD’s feature of being able to fill the tank water from jugs. |
The cracked screw mounts easily avoidable if you enlarge the hole or use smaller screws. Maybe GW will happen upon this thread and take the initiative.
The quick disconnect fitting is just a garden hose attachment. $2 at walmart. And I will probably make a funnel adapter using that fitting so I can pour bottled water in there. I have shifted to more purified water now that I know about all the crap in tap water. It won't surprise me if the BD one some issues too. Please come back and update the thread after you try them out.
Last edited by davevickery on Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RichBenn
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2005
Posts: 703
Location: Lake Tahoe, NV
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 12:21 pm Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
I won a set of three at a Syncro de Mayo event. I have not installed all of them yet (gonna paint), and I have installed a fan where the city water was. My biggest concern is forgetting/losing the special fill thing. With the original, I was using a device on the end of the hose with a vinyl spout and turnoff, which was great for avoiding overfill. Maybe I can modify this to work with the New plubing as I really like the turnoff right at the fill point.
_________________
Rich |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7915
Location: Arizona
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| Ride-Fly wrote: |
| I don’t like that it has a quick disconnect piece. Just too likely that that piece can get lost, and then I’m sure I’d be paying a hefty ransom to GW to get a new one. |
| RichBenn wrote: |
| My biggest concern is forgetting/losing the special fill thing. With the original, I was using a device on the end of the hose with a vinyl spout and turnoff, which was great for avoiding overfill. Maybe I can modify this to work with the New plubing as I really like the turnoff right at the fill point. |
Some of you are making GW's hook-up more complicated than need be. 
One half of the quick-connect (available at your local hardware store) stays on the hose, the other half stays inside the hook-up... nothing you need to remove that will get lost.
Want an on/off valve at the connection? No problem, just screw one on:
| davevickery wrote: |
| The quick disconnect fitting is just a garden hose attachment, they don't even include it with the outlet. |
What? Wow... the hose attachment came with mine when I bought it, but it has been several years.
Also, for those thinking of modifying the GW tank filler: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6830369 . If you know you'll be filling with jugs/bottles/cans, go with BD's hook-up (my tank's water is used for cleaning only, thus GW's being fine for my needs). If anyone does successfully modify GW's hook-up for bottle-filling, be sure to add your info to the aforementioned thread.
_________________
~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Altoona
Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2011
Posts: 504
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 2:15 pm Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| Personally, filling from the outside filler has always seemed completely unnecessary. Emptying the small cupboard and and popping a screw to access the big top opening has always seemed safer, easier, and quicker. You can see what you're doing and add water from any source imaginable. Also, you don't have to worry about carrying a hose or adapters or leaks happening where you can't see them. YMMV |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
davevickery
Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005
Posts: 2887
Location: Fort Collins, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:47 pm Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| kamzcab86 wrote: |
What? Wow... the hose attachment came with mine when I bought it, but it has been several years.
|
For the sake of accuracy, apparently they do include it if you buy the complete hook up kit (all three boxes). I ordered just the one for the water tank and later ordered the other 2 boxes, so that is probably why I didn't get the attachment.
"NOTE: If you are ordering our the GoWesty-designed complete hook-up kit, this coupling piece is included (so don't order an extra, unless you really want one!)" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9600
Location: Western WA
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:20 pm Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
| Ride-Fly wrote: |
| The GW’s cracked bosses are a big downer |
From GoWesty website on the "Complete GoWesty Hook-Up Box Replacement Bundle"
• Frame fastener holes are counter-bored instead of tapered—no cracking!
• Added extra material to known weak points of original design—no more breaking!
_________________
'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Busdepot
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 1309
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 10:08 am Post subject: Re: New Hook-Ups comparison between GoWesty’s and BusDepot’s? |
|
|
I think you're misreading their claim. They are not claiming that they have improved their own inlets since they started making them, they are comparing them to original Westfalia / Delta Six ones. (And given that theirs are apparently cracking after just a few years, their "no cracking" claim seems to be incorrect.)
GW's write-up on Delta Six and the original Westfalia inlets contains some factual errors and also conveniently omits everything that happened since the company changed hands in 2010. Current production actually uses even higher quality parts and better assembly than the original production in the 80's and 90's - and those inlets typically lasted 20 or even 30 years. For the latest on Delta Six and a partial listing of current products, see www.delta-six.com.
_________________
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
