Ford Ranger Softwash Rig

I'm a college student doing pressure washing, pond cleaning, and soon I will be softwashing. I drive a 1/4 ton pickup and my solution tank completely full will weigh in at 550 pounds. My truck can swing being a few hundred pounds over its max load capacity for a few hours so that's no biggie. The reason I posted was because I wanted input on which of these three options is the most viable:

1. arrive at a job with a full chem tank , lower my empty solution tank to the ground and fill it/use it there until it's time to go then putting it back in my bed (draining the tank could pose some issues).

2. get a small trailer to haul my solution tank which I could also mount my rig to while having my chem tank in the bed.

3. Simply use a 55 gallon solution tank and run home every couple of hours to refill it. I know it's a pain in the butt, but like I said I'm a college student. Making $500 plus in one day is worth a few extra hours in driving and gas. Once I begin softwashing more I will invest in a trailer so that I can haul both a chem and solution tank. This is the option I have chosen to take due to the lower startup from excluding a second tank (although I understand the opportunity cost incurred by running back and forth to get SH), but if you guys have any input I would definitely weigh it into my decision. Also, I like this option because it allows me to invest less in the beginning and build my rig over time as the amount of soft washing I do grows.

Also, I have read that for a 2,000 sq. ft. roof 30 gallons (that's and average of approx. 67 sq. ft. per gal.) of solution will be used (I'm sure variables like the severity of accumulation on the roof, etc...) play into this. What are your thoughts?
 
Here's what I have for my rig. A 4 foot x 5 foot trailer. I have on that all of my guns x2, extension lances x3, a rotary nozzle lance x1, an extendable fleet wash brush for windows, a 16 inch BE whirl-away surface cleaner, a 22 Litre @ 3200 PSI machine with a 40 litre header tank. An electric back pack sprayer with an extendable lance, 20 litres of HYPO, 5 Litres of Fleet wash, 5 litres of oil and grease remover, 5 litres of sea spray remover, 5 litres of "Citrus Solve" graffiti remover, a small tool box while a selection of tools, brushes, gutter scoop, PTFE tape, Plumbers grease, Etc. A 30metre garden hose for water to machine supply.
I use the fleet wash on 80% of my house washes and commercial washes. 5 litres of Fleet wash will give me 100 litres of detergent to down stream to wash homes. I mix it in a 20 litre container 1FW to 19 water and Down stream it. I can do 2 1/2 average (200 sq mtr) homes from a 20 litre mix.
With the Hypo I mix it as and when required 10 litres at a time at a ratio of 1hypo to 9 water and apply it to the areas of the home (usually the south side) with the back pack sprayer up to 2 1/2 storeys. Gives me about 1.4% hypo applied to the job as required rather than just indiscriminately DSing hypo over the whole job. After the Hypo application the whole home is fleet washed for a great finish.
I use the customers domestic water supply to my machines header tank.
I have been operating for 3 years now and never have I felt a need to carry copious quantities of Hypo or any other of the cleaning product that I use. On the very rare occasion, if a customers water supply can't keep up with my machine, is the small header tank an issue but I just charge accordingly for the waiting time. They all understand it's their problem that holds me up from doing an efficient timely clean. a 20 litre of Hypo can last me 3 weeks to a month. A 20 litre fleet wash about the same amount of time. I choose to wash no more than 3 houses in a day (suites my life style) and can earn $850 a day if I want to.
I tow my trailer with a Toyota Voltz 1800cc Automatic.
I can't for the life of me figure out why you feel a need to be hauling 550 lb of anything around. Do your customers not have out side taps on their homes where you can source water? Are you over killing it with the product you are using and carrying ? More isn't necessarily better. I rely on the KISS principle in life and it works for me. I will also say I believe in maintenance, maintenance, maintenance...........Keep all of your gear up to scratch. Don't wait for it to break down on the job creating down time.
 
House Wash Guy,
I agree on not indiscriminately DSing HYPO on a whole house, some people do it but it seems like overkill to me...but to each his own.What are you referring to when you say "fleetwash"? It it a specific brand of cleaner? I googled it with no luck.

I apologize. wasn't specific enough in my initial wording, I was posting in regards to cleaning shingled roofs. I've read that 1/4-1/3 HYPO to water mixture is suitable for doing this type of job. I will also be mixing in TSP and BORAX, because that's what I have heard works. I am trying to figure out if I will be able to clean a standard 2-3000 sq. ft. home with one 55 gallon tank of this solution.

Thanks for your input Housewash guy!
 
Aaron you can do it with the ranger but you will be very limited as to the amount of sh you can carry. I would say no more than 40 gallons. That should give you enough to do 2 roofs. I would look at the possibility of selling that truck and at least getting a 1/2 ton long bed.
 
House Wash Guy,
I agree on not indiscriminately DSing HYPO on a whole house, some people do it but it seems like overkill to me...but to each his own.What are you referring to when you say "fleetwash"? It it a specific brand of cleaner? I googled it with no luck.

I apologize. wasn't specific enough in my initial wording, I was posting in regards to cleaning shingled roofs. I've read that 1/4-1/3 HYPO to water mixture is suitable for doing this type of job. I will also be mixing in TSP and BORAX, because that's what I have heard works. I am trying to figure out if I will be able to clean a standard 2-3000 sq. ft. home with one 55 gallon tank of this solution.

Thanks for your input Housewash guy!

By not applying SH to the whole house you are leaving mold, mildew and algae to start growing back the minute you leave.
Would you not use SH on a section of roof because it doesn't look dirty?
 
With the Hypo I mix it as and when required 10 litres at a time at a ratio of 1hypo to 9 water and apply it to the areas of the home (usually the south side) with the back pack sprayer up to 2 1/2 storeys. Gives me about 1.4% hypo applied to the job as required rather than just indiscriminately DSing hypo over the whole job. After the Hypo application the whole home is fleet washed for a great finish


Really ?when you wash a house you only use sh on the mold and use a fleetwash soap to wash the other parts? Really? hmmm thats interesting.
 
House Wash Guy,
I agree on not indiscriminately DSing HYPO on a whole house, some people do it but it seems like overkill to me...but to each his own.What are you referring to when you say "fleetwash"? It it a specific brand of cleaner? I googled it with no luck.

I apologize. wasn't specific enough in my initial wording, I was posting in regards to cleaning shingled roofs. I've read that 1/4-1/3 HYPO to water mixture is suitable for doing this type of job. I will also be mixing in TSP and BORAX, because that's what I have heard works. I am trying to figure out if I will be able to clean a standard 2-3000 sq. ft. home with one 55 gallon tank of this solution.

Thanks for your input Housewash guy!

Aaron, give me a call tomorrow. We can talk shop and get you headed in the right direction. 8304591042


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House Wash Guy,
I agree on not indiscriminately DSing HYPO on a whole house, some people do it but it seems like overkill to me...but to each his own.What are you referring to when you say "fleetwash"? It it a specific brand of cleaner? I googled it with no luck.

I apologize. wasn't specific enough in my initial wording, I was posting in regards to cleaning shingled roofs. I've read that 1/4-1/3 HYPO to water mixture is suitable for doing this type of job. I will also be mixing in TSP and BORAX, because that's what I have heard works. I am trying to figure out if I will be able to clean a standard 2-3000 sq. ft. home with one 55 gallon tank of this solution.

Thanks for your input Housewash guy!
Yes FLEETWASH is a brand I buy here in New Zealand. It is a product manufactured for the transport industry and is human and environmentally friendly and approved by major NZ paint manufactures for use on their products. I too should have said I don't do roofs. here in NZ the regulations imposed by WORKSAFE NZ with regards to working at heights are such that the whole operation becomes far to complex to consider treating roofs. I have done the odd one or two but only under very specific circumstances. IE: Scaffolding around the house for painting etc.
With regards to indiscriminately mixing chemicals to create your own BREW I would suggest that you need to decide whether you are a pressure washing specialist or an industrial chemist. I have posted elsewhere on the PWI my thoughts on playing with this and that in mixes. Foolhardy is a term I would use and if you are prepared to conduct chemistry experiments on the homes of your customers, ensure you have plenty of PL cover for when your mix damages you customers home in some way. I did a wash on a commercial business complex at the beginning of the year where a previous wash contractor had used HYPO on Soffits that are un-painted electro-galv flat iron. end result was he failed to wash off the HYPO and it corroded the galv finish in spots where the water drops formed on the iron and finally evaporated away leaving the HYPO to corrode the iron. There was also an issue with the roller doors on the units which the previous contractor had had them repainted because of HYPO damage. The complex owners were taking that wash contractor to court for damaging the building. Many hundreds of thousands of dollars involved in the claim against the contractor. My point is the wash only required a detergent wash because the buildings had a bit of salt spray, road film, sand and general grime on it. THERE WAS NO MOULD so the indiscriminate use of HYPO was totally un-necessary.
 
I'm a college student doing pressure washing, pond cleaning, and soon I will be softwashing. I drive a 1/4 ton pickup and my solution tank completely full will weigh in at 550 pounds. My truck can swing being a few hundred pounds over its max load capacity for a few hours so that's no biggie. The reason I posted was because I wanted input on which of these three options is the most viable:

1. arrive at a job with a full chem tank , lower my empty solution tank to the ground and fill it/use it there until it's time to go then putting it back in my bed (draining the tank could pose some issues).

2. get a small trailer to haul my solution tank which I could also mount my rig to while having my chem tank in the bed.

3. Simply use a 55 gallon solution tank and run home every couple of hours to refill it. I know it's a pain in the butt, but like I said I'm a college student. Making $500 plus in one day is worth a few extra hours in driving and gas. Once I begin softwashing more I will invest in a trailer so that I can haul both a chem and solution tank. This is the option I have chosen to take due to the lower startup from excluding a second tank (although I understand the opportunity cost incurred by running back and forth to get SH), but if you guys have any input I would definitely weigh it into my decision. Also, I like this option because it allows me to invest less in the beginning and build my rig over time as the amount of soft washing I do grows.

Also, I have read that for a 2,000 sq. ft. roof 30 gallons (that's and average of approx. 67 sq. ft. per gal.) of solution will be used (I'm sure variables like the severity of accumulation on the roof, etc...) play into this. What are your thoughts?


Why not arrive at a job with solution tank with amount of SH (say 12-15 gallons) you need and then add water soap once you have arrived. Have a small 25 or 35 gallon tank that holds about 20 more gallons of SH and then transfer when needed.

Or just get small trailer and put everything in it.
 
If a building was damaged by SH,..it was the contractor,..not the SH at fault. Mixing a house wash recipe doesn't require a chemistry degree as you seem to suggest. If a person getting into this business can't get a simple house wash mix together without issue, they may want to find another line of work.

You state an example of SH not being rinsed,..how is that from using SH? The contractor didn't rinse,..period! No one's disputing SH can damage,..but it doesn't chose it's own strength then leap outta' the bucket and land on unsuspecting surfaces.

As far as the use on what seems to be a mold free surface,...I use SH on every house wash,..even on my regular, every year customers,..the mold isn't there visibly at all on these regulars,..but I still use it,..albeit,..in a smaller percentage,....Why? Because I don't want the mold to ever return. Without the use of SH,..the chances of it returning are much greater.

Jeff
 
House Wash Guy,
I agree on not indiscriminately DSing HYPO on a whole house, some people do it but it seems like overkill to me...but to each his own.What are you referring to when you say "fleetwash"? It it a specific brand of cleaner? I googled it with no luck.

I apologize. wasn't specific enough in my initial wording, I was posting in regards to cleaning shingled roofs. I've read that 1/4-1/3 HYPO to water mixture is suitable for doing this type of job. I will also be mixing in TSP and BORAX, because that's what I have heard works. I am trying to figure out if I will be able to clean a standard 2-3000 sq. ft. home with one 55 gallon tank of this solution.

Thanks for your input Housewash guy!

Leave the TSP and Borax OUT of your house wash mix,..it is not needed at all. Not sure where you even read that,..TSP is part of the original roof mix, and Borax is users choice. As I mention in another topic on here,..use Elemonator or something similar in your house wash mix.

The easiest thing you can do is get a soap injector and DS. One hose and very effective,..yet simple as can be.

*Don't be deterred from the use of SH,..it's needed for a quality house wash. Strengths can vary,..but don't be afraid to use it.

Jeff
 
Wow! I didn't expect such a great turnout! Thanks you!

Mike: I've thought the same thing. Like I said, I also do pressure washing, pond cleaning, and some landscaping. So softwashing is just a portion of the services that I offer! That being said, if the average roof takes 20-30 gallons of SH I can do what Mr. Rucker suggested and carry enough to do the roof (with extra just in case) and mix my solution on site! Getting a trailer Is a great idea though, if it gets to the point where its economical to do two or more roofs in a day (vs. stretching it out over a few days) I will invest in one. For now I like the luxury of getting Ranger Mileage until it's worth while to get something bigger;)



Wash It:
Those are great point. I definately agree that using caution when it comes to chemical mixtures is CRUCIAL! Also, wanting doing everything you can to ensure that the customers property is properly taken care of and not damaged is a value that we both share. Thank you for your input!

Ralph:
That is true, just because you don't see it doesn't mean its not there! If you can safely use SH without damaging any property, why not play it safe and use it. My opinion of SH beginning to change!

Hal: Thanks again for commenting! I'll speak with you soon!

Doug: Now THAT is a good idea. Don't trademark it because I'm going to take it;) Mixing on site would save me a lot of time. Thank you!!!!! Would you be okay with you messaging you if I questions in the future?

Jeff:

The SH, TSP, Borax mix was in regards to roof cleaning, I should have clarified that. Thanks for your suggestion of Elemonator, I am looking into it! Also, your suggestion of embracing the use of SH when necessary is something I am taking to heart. The opinion of most of the pros I've seen is that its a great tool and completely harmless if used correctly.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY for your input, you have all helped me out greatly. If there is ever anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to contact me!
 
I operated out of the back of a tacoma for a while. Mixed at the job site, downstreaming out of a five gallon bucket. I transported the SH/chemicals with me in gallon jugs. When working if limited space, you have to find ways to conserve space.
 
If it's a v6 3.0 or 4.0 you can beef up the rear suspension for less than 800.00
I added 1500lbs leaf spring helpers and added shocks to the rear end of my Ranger.
Bed of truck I keep 50gal SH in back have a another empty 50gal mix tank for roof mix I fill when I'm onsite- I pull a trailer with hot water skid, buffer tank, etc.

[FONT=Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif]Ranger is not ideal but, you can make it work for a while. Filling up in pic, at about 40gals and back end is sitting nice and straight with the upgraded suspension. [/FONT]

image2.JPGimage1.JPG
 
Please don't just add extra leaf springs and think that's the correct solution.

Ford made that truck and every component in it to handle the weight they put on it. Every bolt, mount, weld is all designed with a certain payload in mind. Adding airbags/extra leafs allows the trucks arse not to drag the same way, but does not make the truck capable of handling more.

Also keep in mind, if you get in an accident and insurance/cops get wind you were overweight your life will change for the worse real quick. I understand the need to keep things cheap and use what you have, I would get a small single axle trailer off of craigslist or something like that to carry the weight.
 
Wash It:
Those are great point. I definately agree that using caution when it comes to chemical mixtures is CRUCIAL! Also, wanting doing everything you can to ensure that the customers property is properly taken care of and not damaged is a value that we both share. Thank you for your input!

 
Ralph:
That is true, just because you don't see it doesn't mean its not there! If you can safely use SH without damaging any property, why not play it safe and use it. My opinion of SH beginning to change!
 
Nick, Thanks for the input buddy! Ben is right though! In order to stay under my weight limit im going to mix on site and simply ride around with a small tank of SH! Thanks guys!
 
once again, not ideal and I would not recommend...
However, manual says 3.0 and 4.0 load is 2000bs so, 800lbs of SH in back will still leave room for driver passenger, etc.

I don't recommend pushing to the limits, but it will work Benjamin
 
What does the sticker say for payload in the door?

Remember that payload weight includes everything from oil, coolant, gas, spare tire, radio, you, passenger, and even the bed liner as these are not included in your curb weight.

Fill everything up, take it to the scale, see what it says, it might surprise you.
 
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