Hi Ramon,
Most all of our work is industrial or commercial. Our equipment was set up over 30 years ago with that type of work in mind.
I have upgraded, rebuilt, and or replaced most everything on our main unit since I bought it in 1984. In some respects I really am not qualified to talk about the advantages of our equipment over off-the-shelf units, since I never have owned off-the-shelf equipment other than some small 1000-1500 psi electrics.
If you have ever done flat work with a wand only and then used a surface cleaner, you experienced a great improvement in performance and speed. I believe having higher volume equipment provides that type of improvement capability!
Several years ago (at a PWNA conference) I was listening to someone talk about the risks/safety of refueling his equipment. I had never considered this as a problem. But I also had not realized (at that time) that most equipment has such small fuel tanks. We carry enough fuel on our units to run 2-3 days; we never have refueled on the job site!
The reason that I am looking for a unit with a diesel engine and burner is that our chassis is set up with a saddle tank (50 gallons) and plumbed to supply fuel oil into the van body. I feel safer without fuel tanks inside the truck! Also gives us longer running time.
The power source for our equipment on our Red truck is a 45 Kw genset is has a GM 350 ci engine. I have heard other contractors talk about the noise problem of their equipment. This engine makes no more noise than an automobile running at high idle (1800 rpm) also has a very large muffler!
The primary pump on our Red truck is a large body low (485) rpm pump. My theory is that if you run equipment slower it will last longer. We rebuilt this pump 13 years ago for about $2000. Have spent $500 or so per year repacking etc. I hope to upgrade this pump to a triplex in the next year or so, getting even higher gpm. Expect the cost for the pump only to be around $6000.
We try not to rely on our customers for anything other than the business of cleaning their stuff! Our equipment choices are based with this thought in mind. I am not suggesting that these choices are inexpensive. And sometimes I guess they are purely ego driven! (My business is also my hobby) Replacement cost for our Red truck is well into 6 figures! I will say that it is rare that we cannot handle a job that we are called on to complete.
At the risk of boring you, I am including the specs of our main unit (I have posted them in the past!).
1998 GMC 7500 series derated to 6500 series 25,950 lbs. GVWR 80,000 psi frame rails, reinforced, 11,000 lbs. front axle, 23,500 lbs. Rear suspension. 427 engine, 5 speed transmission, 2 speed rearend. AM-FM and CB radios with weather alert. Air conditioning, power steering. Dual 50 gallon gasoline tanks, duel 90 gallon (water capacity) propane tanks. Customized 5 man crew cab (put in bucket seats & consoles now it is a 3 man cab) also made it higher and longer than standard with extra lights, fans and windows.
14 foot aluminum box with rear swing doors and modifications to accommodate equipment. 1000 gallon steel/lined and baffled water tank. 45 KW Olympian genset with 100 KW upsized alternator. 350 engine water cooled operates on LP vapor. 200 amp electrical panel with breakers and starter for 20 hp motor and 110 volt outlets. 750,000 BTU Malsbury boiler operates on LP vapor. 3 hp 220v single phase circulation pump (15 gpm @ 60 psi). 1.5 hp 110v pressure washer (2.2 gpm @ 1000 psi). 35 gallon stainless surge tank. 20 hp 220 3 phase pressure washer P-100 Wheatley Duplex pump 485 rpm (9 gpm @ 3000). This unit operates completely backwards of most systems. We heat the water first and then pressurize it. We have Teflon packing in the Wheatley pump. 3 hose reels we generally carry about 600 feet of 5500 psi 3/8" hose. We use 3/8" 7400 psi ballvalves and ¼ " disconnects for our wands. Wands are ¼" galvanized steel with insulation. 2 each 2,4,6,8,10,12 foot wands. Hose end sprayers, we apply our detergents, acids or caustics under low pressure (100 psi or so). We carry two types of heads that allow us to apply chemical ratios of 1-150 up to 1-3. We use electric (110v) diaphragm or pump-up type sprayers to apply 100% solutions. We carry various tips to control volume on our large pump, orifice sizes from 3 to 15. We also carry various spray angles in those orifice sizes 0 to 65 degree. We use rotary tips as well. 6’ aluminum poles and brushes.
Some of the things that we really find handy along with the above equipment are: 12 volt lights hooked up to a 15 minute timer. When you have an enclosed unit it can be like a cave on the inside. With these lights we can load get parts etc. , without needing a flashlight. Florescent lights that really light up the inside when we have our genset up and running. Temperature and pressure gauges so we always know what the equipment is doing. Folding and stationary tailgate steps to get into the back. Manhead in roof for bulk filling our tank. Line plumbed into system to take on water from a garden hose and fill our tank or go directly to our pumps. Dump lines so we can empty our main and surge tanks rather than having to pump the water out. Infrared LP heaters. We do not need to winterize any of this equipment. Can maintain 60-70 degrees inside our box in subzero temperatures. Removable roof hatches. These allow us to get on the roof and they also let in light and help get rid of some of the heat in the summer.
The only url addresses that we have set up at this time are:
front of truck
http://www.tps-inc.com/tpsredsm.jpg
rear showing equipment
http://www.tps-inc.com/gmcbk.jpg
We always like to talk trucks and equipment. If you are ever in the area stop in and I will show you around.
Dave Olson
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Tidy Powerwash Service, Inc. P.O. Box 781, Catlin, Illinois 61817 Phone 217-427-5557, Fax 217-427-2632 We are a commercial cleaning contractor serving East-Central Illinois and West Central Indiana since 1984.
http://www.tps-inc.com/preswash.htm
<FONT COLOR="#000080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by Dave Olson on July 16, 2000 ]</font>