Quote Originally Posted by Toolmaker51 View Post
Well, despite their reasonable solution, why?
These are manufactured and wound directly and delivered on spools.
However, if that's a means to claim 'full' per capita employment.........
Really large quantities are put on spools. Smaller quantities, up to 500' are typically sold in coils as shown. 500' of 1 1/2" IPS HDPE is about 250 lbs, 2" about 400 lbs. The spool, either wood or metal would add significant weight. The weight affects both shipping cost and handling issues. There is typically a deposit and return shipping is required on the spool. If the spool is on a cart, you can pull the cart around to deploy the pipe, or you can pull the pipe off the elevated spool. Both of these solutions have limitations.

If you are burying a long straight section or have a wide open unrestricted work space, a spool is workable. But they are big and cumbersome to move around a crowded work site. For example, if you have to install 3000' of pipe in a 150' x 150' space, there is not a lot of room left to maneuver a cart. If the spool cart is stationary when you drag the pipe across the trenches, you cannot avoid knocking dirt back into the trench.

The technique shown works very well for uncoiling "by hand". You do not have to do it one loop at a time. A person can handle multiple loops. If you put the full coil in the middle of where the two ends need to end up, you can roll 1/2 one direction, and the other 1/2 the other direction.

This is the way I installed the pipe in my geothermal heat exchanger back in the 80's ... back when I was young and more energetic.