We currently run two direct drive 4gpm cold water machines at one time on most jobs. These machines have been very unreliable. They have Honda GX390 engines and AR/General pumps.
I'm sick and tired of them breaking all the time and am considering getting new equipment and setting up our trailer with hose reels. Would it be better to get two 4gpm belt drive machines or one 8gpm hot water machine. We do mainly residential siding, concrete and stone.
Could one expect to get 8gpm out of most residential hose hook ups?
A 8GPM machine will do the trick (cold water). As for the steam hot washing you need temp not voume to do the work. For this a 3.5 -5.5 GPM will be more than you need. With the price of fuel you do not need to heat up 8gpm in order to wash. Simpilly have the 8gpm unit do most of the work and the hot unit for the touch ups.
In a perfect world you can order two high quality 5.5GPM units (cold) and one hot box. Using quick connects you could have a 11GPM unit or two wands at 5.5GPM cold or one hot or one cold. Hot boxes are the way to go expecially due to the fact when versatility is key. Plus they don't need to be on all the time like the skid mount units. To think even with a complete breakdown you will still have a machine up and running. Finally this way might be cheaper to price rather than a 8GPM hot unit.
Good luck
DAFF
DAFF MOBILE WASH
WINDSOR, ONTARIO CANADA DAFFMOBILEWASH@AOL.COM
I'd suggest the 8gpm machine, if you don't need hot water just turn off the burner. More water volume will allow you to work much faster, expecially with heat.
Almost all of my machines are high volume units and I generally run them with small tanks.
I have a 6gpm cold water unit mounted in a van with a 30 gallon float tank.
A 5.5 gpm hot water unit with a 225 gallon tank on a trailer.
A 8gpm black knight hot water pressure washer with a 200 gallon float tank
and a 12 gpm hot water unit with a 200 gallon float tank.
In a couple of months I'm going to mount my 8 and 12 on a new trailer with a 325 gallon float tank for some commercial jobs I'm doing. I'll tow it with a ford350 pickup truck I just got that has an 8gpm unit in the back. I'll be able to run 3 high volume lines or 6 lines from the one rig.
Those sound like good setups. I don't want to haul a lot of water around, especially with fuel cost here in Hawaii. I like the idea of a 30 gallon float tank. Do you guys think 8pm is overkill for what we're doing, or the more gpm the better!
For me, power washing is all about speed. The faster I can apply a good cleaner and let it work, then rinse it off, the happier I am. We can clean most houses in about an hour with one of our machines.
So theoretically, I could get my two 4gpm direct drives running well, connect them together, throw a hotbox on and have 8gpm, 3500psi and hot water. Then all I would need is higher rated hoses, guns, and reels. Sound right?
two machines at 4gpm or one at 8gpm?
Linear Mode
