I have had Solar Blanket reels on both pools. Can't imagine not having one. My first one was a DIY made by the previous owner.
The current is a Feherguard Blanket Handler that came with the pool when we bought our current house. It is a mix of plastic and aluminum and it was in rough shape as was the cover. I used it for 2 seasons and then researched a new one. Couldn't bring myself to buy a Rocky so I instead rebuilt the Feherguard Blanket Handler [with an OEM Kit] and I bought a Silver Blue 11 mil Blanket - 18x40 cover. The OEM kit consisted of a new base with wheels, straps, screws, and fasteners. They no longer use the fasteners on the aluminum reel, preferring to directly screw the strap to the reel.
Canadian Pool Supplies recommends a Rocky for heavier weight covers - 11mil and up. Feherguard tells me that their reel can handle up to a 12 mil cover 40 feet long.
The reel was sagging. On Feherguard's advice I took apart the reel and reinstalled it, this time with SS self tapping screws [Stainless Steel Tek#2 versions - recommended to drill pilot holes on drill lines]. The 3 piece aluminum was initially installed improperly. It needs to be twisted to lock the pieces together and it needs to be balanced, which means equal lengths inserted into the middle section. A friend helped with this task. We installed the lighter weight inside pieces equally into the heavier mid section. The heavier mid piece was straight and true. The lighter weight pieces were both bent about 1/4 inch, so we installed them 1 bend up and 1 bend down. Now it works better.
As I roll up the blanket I do need to tug on it every few feet to keep the edge lined up and to prevent it from bunching up. Not that big of a deal.
I use a 1/2 inch thick 50 foot poly rope to
pull the cover into place. I simply installed Princess Auto Tarp Eyelets to the cover seams. 2 per side [2 - 4 feet in on my walk side and 2 - 8 feet in on the other side].
Now it is a 1 person fun chore and it takes less than a minute to cover the pool.
Incidentally, Seams were letting go and my supplier is replacing the cover.
10 pk Tarp Eyelets
www.princessauto.com