need trailer help

G

goalie1

New member
I am new in the pressure washing world. have been working it part time out of my truck since July and now ready to set up a rig on a 6' x 12' flatbed trailer. Can anyone help me with publications that can help with various ideas and hardware needs to create a custom pressure washing rig?
thanks,

Tom
 
are you

talking about building everything from scratch or where to place the equipment on the tailer?
Mel has the only all self built rig ive seen pics of.
RPM,PULLY'S,HORSE POWER,SAFETY,ECT...
 
Hi Ron, I am most interested in where to place the equiptment as well as any hints about the ladder rack.
 
OK

Let's start with duel axel,breaks,size of water tank,do you want to run the tank full all the time,chem tanks,what wash unit you have,do you need to put tool box's on it,why do you need a ladder,what type of truck are you going to pull it with,what type of hitch are you going to use[need this so i know the max. tounge weight] do you need everything to be on the trailer[wands,surface cleaner,chems,fuel,ect.....]
there are some pics on ebay [pressure washing]
What are you going to be washing mostly
 
Before you think about building your own trailer.....Just take a look at some of the models Landa makes pre-fab....I built my own rig and now that I have seen some of the rigs that are pre-built I think I am going to retire self made trailer and invest in a landa rig......Just an idea
 
Tom, tell me what you’re doing with this rig, Flat work, ducts, Fleets, decks, ect.

I ‘m certain that someone will e-mail you a photo so you can see there layout. I only ask you do two things. Buy aluminum or steel no wood. Coat the steel with a spay on rubber.

That’s my tip and it will save you plenty down the road.
 
Just bought on enclosed trailer with wood floor. What would be suggested to apply to floor? "name of brand" would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Keith
 
i might catch hell

for this but 3 or 4 coat's of used motor oil will protect the wood just fine,so will hydrulic fluid.
I bought my box truck used from a mobile mechanic, so it had at least that much on the floor and it beads water real nice.
Farmers have used this trick for a long,long time.
 
Tom

before you build your own check out www.mobileclean.com
that rig you see is around $7000 to $8000 depending on options.
It would be hard to beat this rig at this price, unless you went to used equipment.
For used check out ebay, there are some good deals there right now.
 
Re: Tom

ron p said:
before you build your own check out www.mobileclean.com
that rig you see is around $7000 to $8000 depending on options.
It would be hard to beat this rig at this price, unless you went to used equipment.
For used check out ebay, there are some good deals there right now.
Click to expand...

To all of you who responded to my question on outfitting a trailer I say THANKYOUVERYMUCH! This is the first time I have participated in any type of chat or forum and the help is really nice.
Wow, there is alot to consider before making the investment but I am itching to stop wasting so much time pulling the equptment in and out of the back of my Chevy Tahoe, not to mention the potential damage to my leather interior.

I expect to be doing alot of driveways, aluminum and vinyl sidings and some roofs. Then as I learn more about the opportunities that exist I can make a more educated decision about which direction is best and most profitable.

I will check the sites that were recc to me and any other help is appreciated.
Tom (goalie1)
 
Ron Musgraves said:
Tom, tell me what you’re doing with this rig, Flat work, ducts, Fleets, decks, ect.

I ‘m certain that someone will e-mail you a photo so you can see there layout. I only ask you do two things. Buy aluminum or steel no wood. Coat the steel with a spay on rubber.

That’s my tip and it will save you plenty down the road.
Click to expand...

Hi Ron, I responded to you and all the other contributors via one reply. Thank you for taking the time. I expect at first to be doing mostly driveways, alluminum and vinyl sidings, decks, fences and some roofs. \
I live in florida, so the buss could be yearround.

A little background; my wife and I both decided to leave our profesional careers (me after 16 years, my wife after 22) to have more control of our lives. She has begun cleaning the inside of homes and our goal is to have her manage several teams of house cleaners within a year to 18 months.

My goal with the p/w bus is to get it up and running and become a craftsman then have my 23 year old son take it over as I manage the books and marketing and customer service. At the same time, I have a goal to create and manage a team of painters that will also be part of our company.

All these jobs seem to be nicely interrelated and I believe we can make it work for ourselves, our son and of course our customers.

First things first, I need to put the time and sweat into learning to pressure wash from a professional standard that does not harm anyones property while I a still a novice.

I hope to continue to communicate with you all and be of help to you in anyway I can.

One last question, does anyone have an opinion on the books and videos offered for sale through cleanertimes?
 
Last edited:
Goalie 1, you should check with Mc Farlands Inc. They do custom rigs. You tell them what u want they build it. Phone # is (919)383-7760. They are in NC but they build units for folks in Florida. The last units they built were for someone in Tampa to roofs with.

They built my rig. Heres a pic.


Keith, I would put a spray in Rhino lining on it if it was mine. You can get the stuff to do it yourself if you have an airless sprayer. It will hold up better than anything else to spilt chems. Plus it looks neat and professional.
 

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keith said:
Just bought on enclosed trailer with wood floor. What would be suggested to apply to floor?

Thanks,
Keith
Click to expand...

Keith, One thing I can tell you about the wood floor is when I put my machine in my enclosed trailer, I felt the wood would not hold the machine for to long... So I took some angle Iron and put some slotted holes in the Iron and went across the floor beams...
Floors beams were 24 inch on center, the machine was 31.5 on center for the legs, this way my weight was over the beams...
the slots mayed it easier to center for weight...

Cleaner times just wrote a artiacal on trailer set up, maybe some computer wizard would paste it for you
 
Chuck Richard
Thanks for the reply, I may contact them as I am in NC often with my daughter attending college at Belmont Abbey outside of Charlotte.

I have some basic equiptment now like a 3500psi 4gpm unit, and some accessories but I was not expecting to buy a hotwater unit at this time for flat work siding and roofs. Can someone enlighten me on the advantages of going hot?
thank you
 
basicly it cuts cleaning time and chemical use down. it also makes it possible to work in cold weather(probably not a problem 4 u)
McFarlands can add a heater like mine to your exsisting system. That saves u alot of money over buying an entire hot water unit.

McFarlands is in Durham about 2 hours from Charlotte up 85. They are right off 85.
 
My dad can build a mean heavy duty trailer for probably less than you think. He is a forced retired coal miner in Western Pennsylvania (35 miles NE of Pittsburgh) and now owns his own welding/trailer building business. The trailers are made with mobile home trailer axels and all "I" beam construction with wood or metal beds. His number is (724)763-8596.

Kevin
 
hot water

hot water cleans better with less pressure.
LESS PRESSURE is the key to pressure washing.
Pressure wears the surface. You need pressure for distance,spray arms,and some types of soils[like gum] but mostly your chem will do the work.
Why do you have hot water in your dishwasher,clothes washer,car washes,your shower,pressurewashers,ect...
because dirt,oil,stuck on dried crud will come off better.
Most all chems need double the strangth to work in cold rather then hot.
Black mold on cement, you rely on the bleach to kill it and pressure to remove it, with cold water.
Hot water will help kill it and you can go faster to remove it.
The faster you go the less wear your doing to the surface.
Hot water exspands the surface and helps to release the dirt.
Cold water contracts the surface holding the dirt.
This is also why you get a better shave with warm water then shaving in cold water.
Matching PSI with GPM is also key.
Too much pressure and not enuff GPM and you just made an spray can. Too much GPM and not enuff PSI and you have a fancy garden hose. Good for rinsing but not for cleaning.
 
great explanation, so simple why didn't i think of it? So now the next step is to get educated on the types and costs associated with adding hot water to my buss. thanks again!
 
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