[chris scott]

I need to build /buy new machines.
 I can buy the parts or the machines "off the internet".
 I hate the big shops! I will not go into the super markets ..they have ruined small business/towns. I try to support local business as i am one of these myself . My local butcher does not supply relabeled horse meat unless i order it special.
 I went to my local pressure washer man who i buy all the little high wear bits off. I asked for a price for a certain spec machine. He deals with duel pumps  and gets a good discount.
His duel pumps supplied machine is about what everybody will supply it for. For him to build the same machine from dual pump supplied parts is £150 dearer. I can build/buy  the machine   for about £150 cheaper than either of these options.
He says he can not really move on the price and make a profit (profit is not a dirty word and every body is entitled to one)
Where do i buy from?

[Simon@Pristine Pathways]

Havent you answered your own question in your question!?

How many machines do you need .?

We are not talking life changing savings on one machine are we!

 
 

[chris scott]

Havent you answered your own question in your question!?

How many machines do you need .?

We are not talking life changing savings on one machine are we!

 
 

I need two new machines. It's not life threatening and i don 't really care  how much they cost wihin reason as the difference is only one weeks wages.
 It was more of a moral question?
What would you do Simon ..pay extra and help keep a small local business afloat (much like your own) or save yourself a couple of hundred quid and buy off the big boys?
What sort of person are you?

[Simon@Pristine Pathways]

Id buy cheap, its dog eat dog. Not right dont agree but life is hard.
Id love to buy milk of the  milkman, meat from butchers ect but dont. I had an independant shop diferent industry, couldnt compete with nationals. Closed down lost money moved on. We are living in a tesco state. If everyone was likemided as you the country would be a better place.
I buy cheep as poss, make as much money as poss and live a happy life....discuss....

[BDCS]

Chris your maths is pants - you have stated you only earn £200 / week cos your up Norf. Two machines and each are £150 dearer then that will over 10 days dearer if you work all week.
Buy them from the local bloke or when you need he'll be gone. I don't go to Tesco or corner shops that stink of curry/bo

[chris scott]

Buy them from the local bloke or when you need he'll be gone.

Yoda for pointing in the error of my ways ...thank you i.

[Darranvps]

Theres some great potential up North - Tons of Work at good money and you have cheap accomodation whether you buy or rent compared to us poor Northern Buggers down south who have to work 24/7/365 just to mae a crust

[chris scott]

Theres some great potential up North - Tons of Work at good money and you have cheap accomodation whether you buy or rent compared to us poor Northern Buggers down south who have to work 24/7/365 just to mae a crust

I've just ordered a new home and van from the money i make.
New home
[[/url]

Old home

[Kenny83]

Get the machines made to spec by your pressure washer guy, save yourself the mither, also get a warranty if anything breaks which in total from making it to using it to fixing it means less downtime for you where you could be working and earning or promoting... for the sake of saving a couple of hundred quid it's not worth it in the long run...

[chris scott]

Some figures for anybody building a machine.
The cleaning power figure is only relative when comparing againts another set of figures in this equation.
Briggs and stratton (dont laugh) do a 14hp "honda " type machine with a 3 year warrenty as do kohler .So building a light weight ,highly portable, high capacity machine is possible that does not require a van dedicated to it
These are all interpump .Honda/briggs/kohler.

They can be built for around £1400 including vat. Excluding the 18hp one. I just put that in for comparison.

11HP 3000PSI @15LPM = Cleaning power of 75
11hp 3600psi@15lpm=90
13hp 3000psi@21lpm=105
13hp 4000psi@15lpm=100
18hp 3000psi@30lpm=150
14hp 3500psi@21lpm=122

[BDCS]

Petrol 

[chris scott]

I only run them for 4/5 hours a day so it's not really a problem.   If i was doing big commercials i would run diesels on vimto...like my van.
I can get petrol for a pound a litre. You pay more for cherry!

[Great Outdoors]

Get the machines made to spec by your pressure washer guy, save yourself the mither, also get a warranty if anything breaks which in total from making it to using it to fixing it means less downtime for you where you could be working and earning or promoting... for the sake of saving a couple of hundred quid it's not worth it in the long run...

yep spot on mate, currently we use 18 ltr washers during yr looking to get larger diesel static via local guy custom built, same as our recent hotbox.

I do understand where Chris is coming from with portable setup, our main investments are in the vans as without a reliable van best washer in the world is useless. We offer other services hence at present can't tie up vans for some of the cleans.

Most of our cleans are roofs we use petrol 15 hp 18ltr usually runs at half revs, at most £15. Only notice petrol cost when we do large com's.

[Kenny83]

Get the machines made to spec by your pressure washer guy, save yourself the mither, also get a warranty if anything breaks which in total from making it to using it to fixing it means less downtime for you where you could be working and earning or promoting... for the sake of saving a couple of hundred quid it's not worth it in the long run...

yep spot on mate, currently we use 18 ltr washers during yr looking to get larger diesel static via local guy custom built, same as our recent hotbox.

I do understand where Chris is coming from with portable setup, our main investments are in the vans as without a reliable van best washer in the world is useless. We offer other services hence at present can't tie up vans for some of the cleans.

Most of our cleans are roofs we use petrol 15 hp 18ltr usually runs at half revs, at most £15. Only notice petrol cost when we do large com's.

My set up is totally portable yet also fixed in the van, so i can wheel it out if I need to, I have a brendon diesel yanmar trolley machine with a cat45 pump, stapped to the van on the side door, I have took away the throttle governer so when i'm whirlaway-ing i can push it up a bit more to get 17 lpm at nearly 250 bar on 2 x 025 nozzles, then when the turbo goes on i knock it back a little and do 3000psi @ 15lpm,
i have adapted it and put a 30 m hose reel on instead of the 15 metre (30 meter is usually enough for me) but when I am a greater distance away I have another 20 metre extension if i need it so in total 50 metres of hose.... if for whatever reason I need to take the machine off the van (very rarely needed to with 50 m of hose reel) then I just undo the ratchet strap that holds in down next to the side door and wheel it of using my wheelchair ramps....
In 99% of jobs though I just whip open the side door, pull the hose to where im work, attatch my kew spiggot gun and press the electric start, hey presto, up and running within 3 mins without having to return to the machine again unless I need to refuel.... works for me, i also have the bonus of it still being on wheel so can take it off if ever I need to... my diesel runs about 5 - 6 hours on a full tank ( 6 litre I think) uses about 1.1 litre per hour at 90p per litre

[Kenny83]

get your self an interpump ws 252, 21lpm @ 250 bar, belt or gearbox driven (I would go for belt if diesel for vibration dampening also would go for belt driven on petrol if cost is an issue, save yourself the gearbox money of 150) and then have a look for a decent 2nd hand twin cylinder diesel engine, put them both together on a good trolley, set of telescopic wheel chair ramps for if ever you need to take it off and a nice 50 metre retractable hose reel (van mounted to keep the weight of the machine down for if you need to move it) and a 20 meter coile of hose for if your taking the machine more than 50 meters away from the van down a tigh alley or something then you can leave the big hoe reel in the van and just take your machine and 20 meter hose to your job. also would be worth having the battery in your van and not on the washer incase you take the washer out, agin to keep the weight down on the washer for transport  
Or if you want a petrol you could get a gas conversion for about 100 quid if running cost is a worry?

[chris scott]

I take my machine out of the van all the time. If i worked in Liverpool and left the side door open when on a job there would not be a lot left.
 I also do not like to leave pipes trailing over public foot paths.
For this reason i like the petrol machines..diesel would be better as you rightly say but for me impractical.

[Kenny83]

Theres a 16 hp briggs on ebay at the minute for 56 quid... have you though about gas conversion kit for petrol?

[chris scott]

That  will use petrol  .
I was thinking more of the Honda type..the patent has expired that's why there are so many of varying quality. Loncin,kohler,briggs etc
http://www.hartindustrialtools.co.uk/acatalog/2100-SERIES-25T.html

[Kenny83]

I know it's petrol mate, thats why i told you about it lol. its a 16hp aswell so will cope with a 252 pump, the hp ratings on most pumps are for electric motors and max power and torque, if you used a 14 as it states say on a 252 then it would struggle alot, especially on lower revs and stall. alwauys go a bit higher than the pump rating, exmples of which are on 201's as they always use at least 11hp petrol or even 13 where as on the pump it says req hp 7.5