[stains-away]

Having read a lot on this and other forums about both the benefits and drawbacks of  truckmounts i wondered if anyone can see a clear advantage of running one in a fairly rural area with several market towns within a 20 mile radius?
Without opening the truckmount/portable can of worms i can see the advantage of using a tm in highly populated areas or where commercial work is your mainstay and productivity is essential, but could it be possible to increase your turnover sufficiently to justify the higher running costs of a larger van and fuel for the tm, not to mention the bigger repair bills if you had a major problem with the unit by marketing correctly and increasing the job price slightly?
I know of 2 tm operators locally (there are probably more than this though)but have seen no evidence of heavy marketing from them, i used to live in kent and we used to get flyers through regularly from a couple of tm users bombarding us with the benefits of using their services,
                                Andy

[Mike Halliday]

I can't see what difference it would make living in a rural location, the difference in petrol per week between a small & large van would be about £20, a replacement part usually cost the same whether its a transit or a Combo.

most carpet cleaners work in a 20 radius anyhow but they travel through city traffic, you would actually be more cost effective because of the lack of traffic between jobs

Mike

[Spot On cleaning]

My fuel usage on my tm works out at 8% which i think is quite reasonable. I had to clean a suite yesterday using my portable, and after using a tm, it just aint the same. If there is evidence that there are tm's working your area, some would say if you can't beat them, join them.

If a tm is regularly serviced, and i do my own servicing as i trained as a mechanic, they will last for years. I paid nearly £9000 for mine, and i expect it to last a minimum of five years, so it is not that expensive. There are tm's out there that have run up 8000 - 9000 hours so they have got theier moneys worth.

Lets look at the likes of Chem dry. They market aggressively and have built up a good business of insurance work, but as somebody has said, they might be slowing down in the domestic sector because people are looking for a good deal. now as it turns out, Chem dry are now marketing their own truck mount.  Why? Because they like everybody else needs to have an edge over their competitors.

I'm not starting a my machine is better than yours arguement, but i believe a tm will out perform a portable, as i have both. You need a unique selling point that the competitor does not.

Dave

[andrew chrysler]

Rural truckmount....... just fit the carpet cleaner to the rear "power take off" of your "John Deere"

Be nice to see a tractor cleaning something, instead of spreading mud all over the road to dirty my newly washed fuel guzzling 4x4 as I break the speed limit down country lanes, chainsmoking, with my mobile phone in one hand, sending emails to customers with the other hand to tell them I won't clean for them whilst trying to think of anti-american jokes

..... oops, I think I got my topics a bit confused there .....

[gwrightson]

Dave , what do you mean "it just aint the same" of course it isnt the same
perhaps a little clarification,
Do you mean you found it easier with t/m? do you mean t/m was time saving? or do you mean the t/m perfomed better in the results you achieved?
 Geoff

[Spot On cleaning]

All three things. Sorry i should have been a bit clearer.

Dave

[mark_roberts]

Rule one - if you cant save to buy a TM then keep saving.
Rule two - it will save time and allow for an extra job or two a day but YOU need to go get those extra jobs.

Mark

[AJCleaningServices]

...a TM... ...will save time and allow for an extra job or two a day but YOU need to go get those extra jobs...

Mike,

Do you think there is a need to have a TM for domestic CC, when CFR, which recycles the water can save you not just time, but also ££££?

Regards,

Arthur

[Mike Halliday]

whats this got to do with rural truckmounts? the CFR is a toy for people who want to play at carpet cleaning!

MIke

PS

[Liahona]

Mike, what a brilliant post you just made. How I wish it was me who had said it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AJCleaningServices]

Mike, what a brilliant post you just made. How I wish it was me who had said it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...how sad it was not you, Dave
 

Mike you did not answer my question, let me put it differently (do not forget I have never cleaned a single carpet  in my life).  The question:

Average three bedroom houses stand next to each other.  One is to be cleaned by TM used the other by CFR porty user.  What is advantage of having the TM in this case?

Regards,

Arthur

[John Kelly]

Arthur with due respect until you actually start carpet cleaning you would be unable to understand the difference between using a truckmount and using a portable.
A truckmount is easier and saves you time.
I will never clean another carpet in my life using a portable. I tell a lie I use a portable to clean rugs in my rug room, but thats it.

[AJCleaningServices]

Thank you John

[Len Gribble]

Andy

I live in Kent have yet to see a TM’er leafleting in my neck of the woods but have seen some in Maidstone and Sittingbourne areas think they are franchised.

Give me rural all the time 20min Maidstone, Finchley 1 ½ hour looking to sub that work. 

What I get is 50% off porty people, latest one glossy with picture making a statement it’s so powerful that it can be left outside and operate with over 100ft of vacuum hose, the picture dose not do this machine justice he filling up in the front room, now that what I call USP. But we all know customers can be 

Arthur

No two homes are the same, but in worst case they are equal think you will change water more often = down time.

Do like my porty same as above.

Len

[AJCleaningServices]

...Arthur

No two homes are the same, but in worst case they are equal think you will change water more often = down time.

Do like my porty same as above.

Len

Len,

The reason I asked is because:

1 CFR uses recycled water

2 CFR can work at 400 PSI recovering about 80% of water

Now how close by performance it comes to TM?

Who tell me?

Regards,

Arthur

[Len Gribble]

Arthur

Item 1, been down that road not into gigging up the past, but it has its place!

Item 2, psi is good not that I use 1200psi which mine produces but my 135 is probably screaming, great vac.

Never measured recovery, on the other hand never measured how much I have used, water that is! Tooling and technique have got to be beneficial.

Until you have used one would you want to go back? Bit like driving a car example Bentley Azure Convertible.

Len

[Karl Wildey]

same boring arguement.
If you have never used a tm how can you judge it againist a porty.
And lets face it a cfr is a porty with a gimmick.

[Len Gribble]

Karl

My point exactly would have said Rolls Royce but don’t like any of there models

Len

[craigp]

spot on,

if theres TM s go up to 8-9000 hours then that'll last you more than five years, my mates porty is on 5000 hours and thats 9 years old thats doing  2-3  jobs a day five days a week,

i say your looking at 15 years out of your truckmount, if i got my maths some were near right.

[Spot On cleaning]

Yes Craig

Run it into the ground, but service it regularly. After all it's only a two cylinder engine, so can be rebuilt. Change water pump seals and look after the blower.

Fifteen years would be good, but i would like to upgrade at some point to avoid the tax bill, say in around 3 - 4 years and the bigger tm's are dual operator so the bigger jobs could be quote for.

Dave