Operating/Maintenance Costs - One Truck One Rig

This being my first post I would like to say thank you to everyone who makes this site possible. It is an incredible resource and we are a better industry for it. My name is Rick and I will be opening AMR pressure washing in southern Louisiana this summer. I greatly appreciate everyone’s input and look forward to building lasting relationships with all of you over the years to come.

The Setup:</SPAN>

1) One 2500 V8 Truck (New or gently used) </SPAN>
2) One Trailer with a 500gal tank and a 3500psi 5.5 gpm rig with heat and flat surface cleaner (New or gently used)</SPAN>

Question:

1) How much would you expect to pay in operating/maintenance costs for the above equipment?</SPAN>
2) What replacement parts and supplies must be kept on hand to reduce down time and increase productivity?
3) If you could live without the tank would you mount the equipment in the bed of the truck?
</SPAN>

A lot will depend on how busy you are and how much you are using the truck. If you put 30,000 miles on that's looking at 10 grand in fuel for the truck alone. Then depending on run time for your machine good chuck of fuel for that.

How big is the truck bed? 8 foot you could get it all in there including a small buffer tank (80-100 gallon). Depends on your preference if you prefer having the trailer or just being mobile with no trailer.

Welcome to PWI, you have found and joined a great resource;

....knowledgeable people,business owners,electrical engineers,mechanics,vendors,chemist,accountants, and also a host of different types of washers/cleaners, soft, hood, roof, coil, and a few blasters.


I like the idea of the buffer tank with hot water machine (cold water with hot box) , and hose reels in the truck, but this setup may not be the best choice, it depends on your business plan/target market and budget.

Off the top of my head - things you definately want to keep extra of : high pressure hose, 2+ downstreamers, bar and nozzles for the surface cleaner, air filter, fuel filters, trigger gun, duplicate nozzles, extra gas and desliel, oil, many extra quick connect fittings male and female 3/8 & 1/4", high pressure ball valve,

If you didn't know - you will use about 1 gallon gas/hour and 2 gallons desiel/hour when used. Don't forget about changing your oil every 50 hours and all the filters etc.

500 gallon tank is really nice but remember that is 4000lbs! I max out my 2 3500lb axles when full. If you do the truck bed get at least a 30 gallon buffer, but bigger the better. If you have a 20o gl tank full you could do a house wash or something small even if there were no water available. A good size buffer tank is nice too because if you get everything rolled up and realize you forgot something or the customer want something rinsed off you won't have to hook your garden hose back up.

Anyone else can edit or add to this list.

A backup machine

Trying to run that machine without a tank is a BAD idea.You will run the pump dry more than you think on house water pressure.I have run out of water with a 4 gpm machine.A trailer say 5x10 or similiar can be had for 5 or 6 hundred bucks around now.I would look on craigslist for a whole setup for sale ready to go.Search with search tempest on craigslist and this time of year you cna get some really good deals if you want to drive to get them.

Things to keep on the trailer or truck downstreamers,O-rings 1/4 and 3/8 size, tips,fittings male and female(I use stainless they last a little longer),wrenches to fit whats on the trailer (NOT a whole tool box,saves room and looking through everything for the wrenches that work),Rags,wd-40.

WasherRick said:

The Setup:

1) One 2500 V8 Truck (New or gently used)
2) One Trailer with a 500gal tank and a 3500psi 5.5 gpm rig with heat and flat surface cleaner (New or gently used)

Question:

1) How much would you expect to pay in operating/maintenance costs for the above equipment?
Depends on how many hours are plan on putting on this equipment. Proper Maintenance, oil changes, tire rotation, filter changes etc. is key.
2) What replacement parts and supplies must be kept on hand to reduce down time and increase productivity?
Nozzles, Swivels, guns, O-rings, unloaders, down-streamers, M-5 X-Jet, extra 100' of hose, QC's etc... Have a backup for your backups.
3) If you could live without the tank would you mount the equipment in the bed of the truck?
No, I'd only think about mounting stuff on a flatbed not a regular pickup. What if your truck breaks down? What do you do with the equipment? I'll stick with a trailer.

Click to expand...

Hope this helps.

Rick what is your primary type of service going to be? this will most likley decide what type of equipment and size of tanks you will need etc....please tell us what your plans are with respect to type of services you are going to offer to your customers?? and what is your customer bast and how big is area you are servicing?

1) First, thanks to everyone for your great advice. I am already ordering backup parts based on your feedback.
2) Initially I want to target commercial properties with ~85% of the washing being flatwork (i.e. drive-thru, parking lots, and entranceways/walkways). I have pre-sold a monthly service contract that requires one rig running full time. Miles on the truck/month should be roughly 2000.
3) I am attempting to estimate my operating cost either by sq ft, hrs used, etc. Since I have never been the one paying for the equipment I feel like I could easily be over/under estimating the maintenance and operating cost. Based on a mixture of Shaun and Charlie’s input (and current fuel prices) I can estimate fuel cost to be roughly $1 for every three miles driven</SPAN> and $9-11/hr for the equipment. How should I factor in maintenance of the truck, trailer, and equipment?</SPAN></SPAN>
4) I will mount the equipment on a trailer. I agree it should be separate form the truck and the extra space would be helpful. The trailers value is greater than its cost. </SPAN></SPAN>

Again, thank you for all your wisdom, and know that I sincerely appreciate and value your time and input.</SPAN></SPAN>

Rick,
add all that up, as you are smart to do so,
but in this industry..it's the small-ish things that canmake the most amazing difference.
in Marketing,
in sales, (NOT the same as marketing)
accounting,
management,
your ability to do a "compelling demo"..
but the biggest on-going mistakes I see..
are what comes into our service center..

Crazy-time-consuming mistakes are made in..
the configuration of equipment, management of the equipment,
storage or equipment,
and first of all..
the choice of equipment.
The average machine is difficult to troubleshoot,
difficult to service,
missing safety devices,
has flow-restrictors at the pump inlets,
usually has no pressure gauge,
and certainly has no pressure gauge on the heater fuel pump.

I suggest putting the "cost of maintenace" folder down, just for a minute,
and mark a drawer in the file cabinet "Cost of Ownership" .

Don't start an "average" business..
start a Reliable, High-Performance business,
that ALLways gets the job done,
..and the "referrals".

before you pull up to the START line..
make sure your head, and ALL the hardware are "TIGHT"!!
.. and get those tires nice and sticky. Eh?:woot:

Thanks for the feedback. Cost of Ownership is a better way of thinking about it and I understand the significance of thinking that way, but what in your option is the practical difference. I still need to accurately estimate cost per unit time (or area) based on my equipment to be able to accurately bid a job. Should I ask for cost of ownership when purchasing equipment. If so how do I know that I can rely on that number. How would you arrive at a cost of ownership? How do you calculate your overhead before opeing day? </SPAN></SPAN>

Pressure Washers: the Cost of Ownership

Cost of Ownership of each machine..
is the sum-total of these things..

cost of the machine,
..purchase price, including all accessories directly attached.
cost of maintenance, labor and parts
..everything that is "consumed by wear and tear",
..including coil failure, pump seals, unloaders, oils, filters, EVERYthing that "makes it run"..
..batteries, battery cables, descale acid, soot remover,
..tune-up stuff like Carburetor cleaner, spark plugs, etc.
..service dept. labor, weekly check-up time spent, ALL of it..
.. and if you don't calculate YOUR time-cost at over $50 per hour,
.. .. your wife and kids should beat you. Workaholism does NOT save you anything.

Don't include that which is consumed by the jobsite..
..hoses, nozzles, fuel, chemicals..
.. .. the things that will be calculated as "jobsite expenses"
.. those will include, boots, rainsuits, safety glasses, etc.
got it ?

Add all the equipment expenses and costs,
divide by the number of months you've owned the equiment,
and that, is what I call "Cost of Ownership"
If you buy the right machine,
in 10 years, you might be down to $85 per month, and still running strong.
buy the wrong one, and pay $200+ per month, limping BADly,
or worse.. sitting in the yard with no customers.

To "project" cost of ownership,
send me an e-mail with your contact info,
list of what you have so far, what you think you should have,
and what you think you will use it for..
You will be VERYglad you did.

The contract cleaners in here can tell you all about "Jobsite costing"
..I'm "the equipment guy" as you'll see.
:{)