Hydrotek vs Northern

[Titan Boys]

Hey thanks for the welcome! We are glad to be members, well we are looking at two units, right now phil at AAA pressure washers has a hydrotek unit on a trailer, also we have been looking at some of the northern units, we are looking to get a 2 gun system 7gpm... any thoughts? Well we are hoping to do commercial work, or anything we can to start out with, we are looking at a 20" surface cleaner, as well as a reclamation system to "be green" and use it as a selling point for schools... We have been trying to do all the research we can, we have been reading and trying to learn as much as we can, we figure if we are not able to land any serious contracts here at the start we well do demos and small jobs till we get one.... We are students, and are used to asking questions from the ones that know, so we are not trying to be annoying, just learning, Thanks for the help...
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[ckingclean]

If your doing commercial work, two guns at 3.5 gpm will not be enough on each gun. It will be faster with 7gpm on one line and the other person assisting and running hose.

 

[CCC]

I'm going to go against the grain here and say I really like my Northern trailer. Puts out the pressure advertised (4000 psi) and the flow (8 gpm) while keeping up with adequate heat. Italian pump, Kohler engine, and one year no payments or interest so you can build your customer base first. A couple minor hiccups (pressure switch on the burner and one of the hoses split within the first ten hours of use) but Northern replaced the hose at no charge.

 

[ckingclean]

I have a Hydrotek and it's fantastic! They're all the same pumps and engines for the most part. Just different combinations that are put together by different companies. Most important are the size you need and technical support. If it's a good deal, but no one around will work on it or help you and give advice, it's probably not the best deal.

 

[jlpressure]

You can look into Pressure Pro machines I can't find any other machines at the price you can get them for. I have several and they are good machines. I have heard Hydrotek machines are good

I agree you need more than 7gpm. I didnt know they make a 7gpm pump???

 

[Terry Campbell]

I have the Hydrotek and so far so good, not one thing has gone wrong with it.

 

[FCPWLLC]

Agree with Jeff.... Pressure Pro is great for the money. I have had the high end stuff and don't see much difference. If $$$ is an issue, Pressure Tek and Sunbrite both sell the units and have financing available.

 

[Lightning Gene]

Pressure Pro The Way To Go

 

[RMedbery]

They're all the same pumps and engines for the most part. Just different combinations that are put together by different companies.

I have had the high end stuff and don't see much difference

Thats my view. So I make my own. I cant make a hot box so I buy that, get my engine of choice, pump of choice and put it together, save thousands. Its unbelivable what these companies charge for the frame that all the same components as other companies use to bolt the parts to.

 

[A.TRKWASH]

i am partial to the hydrotek .. i have a 3000@9gpms and its a monster......i have to say i also like the envirospec units as well.... if money is a concern pressure pro is a nice unit..

 

[NJWashingGuy]

If it were only the two choices, the Hydrotek would be it for hot water. If its cold water, the northern machines are hard to beat for the price. Have two little 4gpm 3000psi cold water northen machines, going on 10 years with no problems or pump rebuilds. They were the best 1k I ever spent investment wise. Stay with the Hydrotek or any of the big names, parts and service are whats important and to get you back up and running in the event of a problem. That is where the distributors on this board and the big name equipment win. Good luck, Mike.

 

[Russ Johnson]

Matt, you've got to ask yourself..."If this machine breaks, can I troubleshoot it, remove, and replace the bad parts."

The manufacturer's warranty is applied literally to machines bought off the internet. Many do not allow for labor, shipping of parts, etc. You have to remove the part, send it off, allow them to evaluate the warranty claim, and repair or replace the offending part, paying shipping on the return to you. If you buy one in the meantime, counting on a replacement credit, you may get your old one back repaired by the vendor.

You may even have an authorized NorthStar service center near you, as I am, but they are not likely to pull parts from their inventory, opting instead to order the replacements from North Star, while your machine sits idle. Replacement warranty parts MUST come from North Star.

If you buy from AAA, and the machine breaks, you may get same day service or a loaner to get you back to making money, instead of sitting around waiting for replacement parts to show up.

 

[John Orr]

I have bought several Hydro-Tek trailer units from Northern Tool. They all used to be made by Hydro-Tek. The 4 gpm and the 8 gpm units were bullet-proof. The trailers they sell now are not. Speaking with my local pw distributor, the built-by-Northern trailers are junk and a nightmare to repair.

 

[Chris Tharpe]

Here is a pic of one of the 2 units like this in the area.

 

[jlpressure]

Matt, you've got to ask yourself..."If this machine breaks, can I troubleshoot it, remove, and replace the bad parts."

The manufacturer's warranty is applied literally to machines bought off the internet. Many do not allow for labor, shipping of parts, etc. You have to remove the part, send it off, allow them to evaluate the warranty claim, and repair or replace the offending part, paying shipping on the return to you. If you buy one in the meantime, counting on a replacement credit, you may get your old one back repaired by the vendor.

You may even have an authorized NorthStar service center near you, as I am, but they are not likely to pull parts from their inventory, opting instead to order the replacements from North Star, while your machine sits idle. Replacement warranty parts MUST come from North Star.

If you buy from AAA, and the machine breaks, you may get same day service or a loaner to get you back to making money, instead of sitting around waiting for replacement parts to show up.

Why don't you open a office in Myrtle Beach Russ. We sure could use a place here

 

[Russ Johnson]

Why don't you open a office in Myrtle Beach Russ. We sure could use a place here

'Cause there ain't two of me...

 

[John Orr]

Here is a pic of one of the 2 units like this in the area.

The problem with this Northern set-up is that it is a hodge-podge of parts plus, 100% of the weight of the water (and box) is on the tongue, which will make for unsafe driving. As I recall, there are no brakes either and 1700 lbs of water plus 900 lbs of trailer is an awful lot to try to stop if your truck/van is not set-up to handle it.

 

[Danny Bates]

The problem with this Northern set-up is that it is a hodge-podge of parts plus, 100% of the weight of the water (and box) is on the tongue, which will make for unsafe driving. As I recall, there are no brakes either and 1700 lbs of water plus 900 lbs of trailer is an awful lot to try to stop if your truck/van is not set-up to handle it.

I agree with the tongue weight issue. It's not the safest thing to tow around. I have one of these and I usually leave a 1/4 tank of water to give it some weight on the tongue when not in use. And yes it does need brakes on it when the tank is full. BUT the rest of it is a pretty good set-up. It has an 18hp Honda engine, A Cat pump, Beckett burner and a Cat Pump unloader. I changed all the water valves to Parker Valves because I just didn't like the they felt when moving. Just didn't seem like they would hold up to very much use. It puts out plenty of pressure, but i will probably upgrade the pump to a higher gpm. I mainly use this one for demos and residential jobs.

 

[CCC]

The problem with this Northern set-up is that it is a hodge-podge of parts plus, 100% of the weight of the water (and box) is on the tongue, which will make for unsafe driving. As I recall, there are no brakes either and 1700 lbs of water plus 900 lbs of trailer is an awful lot to try to stop if your truck/van is not set-up to handle it.

I have seen many small trailers set-up like that, Northern or not. I assumed he was speaking of the larger one like I have. Tandem axles with brakes, tank centered over the axles, and the tank is actually held in with a cage and steel straps instead of those wear-prone ratchet straps.

 

[Danny Bates]

I have seen many small trailers set-up like that, Northern or not. I assumed he was speaking of the larger one like I have. Tandem axles with brakes, tank centered over the axles, and the tank is actually held in with a cage and steel straps instead of those wear-prone ratchet straps.

Yeah I think you are right.