Starting again, putting equipment together

qualitypc

New member
I did a pretty good amount of housewashing with some concrete work as well a few years ago. This forum and all the fine folks kept me from making more mistakes than I can count. Ended up staying to busy at work to keep the pressure washing up and let it go.
Recently lost my job and have started picking up new work and am really considering doing this right this time and figured this might be the right forum to ask some questions about the rig I'm putting together.

My father picked up an old hot water trailer unit with pretty much everything shot on it. The Landa hot box and burner looks like moss is growing in it and rhw vanguard motor wasn't much better. I thought I could salvage the General ts2021 pump but emptied the old oil and 4 or 5 ounces of water came out before the pump oil.
The trailer itself is rough but I believe salvageable and is basically a metal water tank with wheels and a flat surface.

My plan as of now is using a Honda gx390 and buying a new general ts2021 and mounting it on the same bracket and then to the trailer.
If I can get any kind of traction on some Comercial leads I want to add a 2000 watt generator and possibly the Hydrotek hot link hot box.

I know the gx390 might be working a tad hard on the ts2021 and won't quite give the pump it's full PSI raging but I see that combo for sale online and that's the motor o have that I don't have to buy and if business keeps up I'll be able to swing a bigger one down the line. Am I wrong or is there another general pump I need to look at?

Has anyone had any experience with the Hotlink hotbox? I'm seeing them in the vicinity of $1400 to $1700 depedning on ac vs. DC and shipped unshipped. Is there another brand of hotbox that is under $2,000 that is better/more suited to what I'm running?

I've got a small amount of money coming to me and I'm trying to put It in the right direction. Lord knows I can blow a few k in a heart beat but I want the his to better my situation. And some of the his he money is going into insurance, and llc tax i.d.
I really want my days of getting a bid turned down becuase I'm basically bootlegging to be over with.

Thanks guys for all the support prior and yet to come
 
I have been in the same situation as you, having access to spare motors and equipment and the fabrication equipment to put it all together. I still wouldn't recommend building your primary machine, especially while the business is getting established. I would recommend finding a solid, used hot water machine that is ready to go and is able to be worked on by many people. I bought my hydrotek 8gpm3500psi hot water machine for only $3800 with 500 hours.

A hot box will cost close to 2k once shipped to you, an inexpensive generator- $500-1k, a ts2021-$500, unloader or regulator- $100, pressure hoses to the hot box-$50-100,
how will you mount it to the gx390? Belt or gear drive? Gear-$3-600,
belt driven means you will need to build or buy a skid to mount the motor and pump to, which costs money, or time. Pulleys are usually over $100 each.

Building your own machine with similar features to a commercially available one can rapidly get expensive and eat up time!

Understand that this is coming from a guy who has built 90% of his own equipment, mainly because I enjoy doing it, not because I'm trying to save money!


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I really appreciate the reply and I think you're right but, a)I haven't found a deal like your talking about or I might actually jump on it. B) I'm actually replacing components on a pre existing machine with pulleys and mounting bracket intact (assuming they match up ,which so far I'm inclined to believe) c) a lot of the hot boxes I have seen for sale look pretty neglected and I like the thought of having a new unit.

Definitely not saying you're wrong but letting you in to some of the calculus going on in my head, I'm gonna start combing the web for some deals on used equipment before I make a final call.

I'm looking at the general ts2021 , the tsf 2021 and some udor pumps I've got time to make a good decision (or at least an informed one) I really appreciate the help in that
 
You cannot beat the ts2021 imo. It's by far the most commonly available pump out there and 5.6gpm is a fair amount of water for most jobs- although we always want MORE!

I have shifted my thought on the larger tsf pumps and the like for a couple reasons.

My newest machine uses two belt driven ts2021's for a total of 11gpm. These pumps can be found for as little as $450 new, they are low rpm, which helps for durability, easy to get parts for ect. By comparison, the 8gpm and larger pumps start well over $1000, and are not as commonly available. Plus, if one pump fails on my dual pump machine, I can still finish the job with the remaining pump!




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Also, if you are planning on staying with that gx390, I would not try to turn anything bigger then a ts2021- it will not produce enough pressure to be very useful


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Great points, I have some learning to do I liked the idea if the tsf2021 at 1450 rpm it was pushing 7gpm and leaves you room to put a bigger motor down the line plus the rods are supposed to be tougher all the way around.

But I think you're right to stick with the ts 2021

I just saw where Scott Stone has some units for sale for 3k , I just don't know anything about those alladin units but if he does the maintenance he claims (which I'm positive he does, seems like a stand up helpful guy on here) then they might be a great way to go but $3000 for a unit I can't touch, or test and it's in Arizona so who knows what shipping will be.

Part of me wants to buy it all at once and part of me wants to get the cold water portion first get business goingthen swing the hot water part. Pulling my damn hair out.
 
Trey, JMO, If you don't have a ton of work lined up, I would start with the cold water and work your way up to the hot. You don't want to end up like the guy who buys everything and the best of everything and doesn't have enough work to validate the expense and then goes out of business within a year!

Mike
 
I'd go with Scott's unit or just go to a dealer and finance a new unit.
 
Trey, JMO, If you don't have a ton of work lined up, I would start with the cold water and work your way up to the hot. You don't want to end up like the guy who buys everything and the best of everything and doesn't have enough work to validate the expense and then goes out of business within a year!

Mike

Yea you've got a point and I'm definetly considering that. The job I just got out of was selling tabbaco whole sale to conveminence stores so I have a network I might could utilize to get some of those jobs but I feel like I'd be wasting my time without hot water. I have a band so I also have a network of bar owners I deal with but I could see gum removal as being needed which I would need hot water for. But there is residential work and student housing I could try to hit with out hot water that would be doable.

I just got a small amount from my grandparents estate and I want to invest it right and make it work I'd feel pretty crappy if that money sat in a checking account and went for living expenses slowly dwindling down while I'm out of work.

Really appreciate all the advice, I don't want to finance anything but I am doing some research on shipping costs from amrizona and on those alladin units, I had never heard of them before Scots post
 
I've never met Scott, but I've read damn near everything he has posted on here. Based on that, I wouldn't hesitate at all buying a unit from him.
The Aladdins are fine units, I think he had to use that brand because of something to do with it being a gov contract, but they have common Honda motors and still pretty common legacy pumps if memory serves.

I do 90% commercial (gas stations and restaurants mostly) hot water isn't the just the best way, it's the only way to do almost anything commercial.

Go door to door talking with managers in a busy commercial area and you will pay off the unit in the first month.
-If you get paid in a timely manner! Gotta love commercial...everyone assumes they are on net 30 or longer



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I've never met Scott, but I've read damn near everything he has posted on here. Based on that, I wouldn't hesitate at all buying a unit from him.
The Aladdins are fine units, I think he had to use that brand because of something to do with it being a gov contract, but they have common Honda motors and still pretty common legacy pumps if memory serves.

I do 90% commercial (gas stations and restaurants mostly) hot water isn't the just the best way, it's the only way to do almost anything commercial.

Go door to door talking with managers in a busy commercial area and you will pay off the unit in the first month.
-If you get paid in a timely manner! Gotta love commercial...everyone assumes they are on net 30 or longer



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Thanks bud, if you ever end up in Gainesville Florida while Ive got a gig you drink for free lol


I hear decent things about legacy pumps and they might be my third choice after general and Udor (from research only) and I have absolutely loved everything Honda I've ever owned (I hate Briggs so bad i think I'd use one as a boat anchor)

I just have no experience first hand with burner units and I've read they can be finicky so I'm trying not to get in to something over my head. I just sent him a private message on the subject

Do you have any experience with water dragon skids?

I really appreciate the help and I know it's cheesy and all but this is huge for me, my grandparents passed away a couple of years ago 9 days a part and I know if I could get a successful business going with the money that'd definitely make them happy lol. Anyways thanks bud
 
We all have our preferences when it comes to brands. Don't ever try to tell me how your ford is better then my Chevy! Haha
The truth is most engines will last pretty well if you pay attention to them. I've had them all and I've fixed something on every brand. To be honest I've got a couple of the harbor freight predator 22hp on my truck at the moment (I have back up machines haha) and they have been surprisingly reliable thus far.

The biggest piece of advice I think any of these guys will tell you is read, read, READ. Read everything on this forum that pertains to your business model. Read about how a hot water machine works and how to troubleshoot it. This way, when (not if) it quits on you, you will have a much better idea of what to look for.

The hot water machines are very simple once you start looking into them and they are all the same with subtitle differences. If you are at all mechanically inclined (it sounds like you are) you will pick it up quickly.

I don't have personal experience with water dragon skids, but I have bought lots of stuff from Paul at the powerwash store. I have nothing but good things to say about them. Again, most of the big names in machines are going to be similar. When it comes down to it, I don't buy based on brand, I buy based on application. I compare cost on all the machines with the same specs I'm looking for, then make my decision from there.


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Thanks bud words of wisdom I take to heart. And I agree. I have heard decent stuff about vanguard but I grew up wearing my arm out on Briggs small engines and when I got that first Honda that you couldn't hardly make quit it was a game changer but it's definitely subjective. I've read on here and elsewhere those predators are basically Hondas or lifans and for the money they're hard to beat.

Makes me wonder why there aren't more predator engines with those legacy pumps bolted to them for sale.

I private messaged Scott I don't know if it went through I can't find it in my sent folder but I'll shoot him a call or text later today just in case. It's a 29 hour car ride one way and somewhere north of $650 dollars in gas for the trip if I went to get it so I'm taking your advice and reading...... a ton
 
My word that sure is a bunch of talking here an there just get you a new machine an get to washing all this tit for tat stuff is a waste when you could call up any of the vendors on here an have a nice washer to the door in 3 days lol.
 
Thanks bud words of wisdom I take to heart. And I agree. I have heard decent stuff about vanguard but I grew up wearing my arm out on Briggs small engines and when I got that first Honda that you couldn't hardly make quit it was a game changer but it's definitely subjective. I've read on here and elsewhere those predators are basically Hondas or lifans and for the money they're hard to beat.

Makes me wonder why there aren't more predator engines with those legacy pumps bolted to them for sale.

I private messaged Scott I don't know if it went through I can't find it in my sent folder but I'll shoot him a call or text later today just in case. It's a 29 hour car ride one way and somewhere north of $650 dollars in gas for the trip if I went to get it so I'm taking your advice and reading...... a ton

The shipping on a unit will be less than the fuel to drive.
 
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