[ShaunL]

getting some office carpets lately and more to come slowly so thinking of a rotaty. I use a TM but reach will eventually be an issue. just wondering what entry level machines and pads do you recommend? I have no experience with these.
Thanks

[Kev Martin]

Klindex Rocky

[CleanerCarpets]

Just get a slow rotary machine to start with - £100 to £200 used off ebay - Victor Sprite 400 or similar. Check the weight of machines before you take some peoples advice - you will soon regret it if you can't pick it up easily to get upstairs and off the van and some are too heavy and will dig too deep into the carpet!

[ShaunL]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, it will solely be for offices etc rather than domestic carpets. So I just vac, pre spray and clean? I hear its quicker than HWE on these sort of  carpets?

[gwrightson]

Looking at your reply shaun, and reading in-between the lines, I would really suggest you look into it a bit more.

Are you going to be bonneting or encapping? 

Geoff

[Kev Martin]

You also need to be careful what you buy off e  bay.  Make sure if you do it has all the bits i.e. Tank, Driveboard, brush etc or you can end up paying literally a £100 each for those items alone. So a £200 machine can end up costing £500 and then you don't know the history of it either.  If you have a tight budget we sell used Rotaries with all the above for around £360 inc VAT and a warranty

[ShaunL]

Your right Geoff,
It would be bonnet. For example, I just completed an office clean polyprop cord carpet with my TM, drying time was quite ridiculous and I didnt feel it cleaned too great, although they loved it. I've looked around and seen good success photos with bonnet cleaning. I just though you spray a solution down after vaccing, and use a rotary at 175 with absorbent pad to clean.

I did do a course this year, but it didnt really dive into each method enough to get a good idea. I've only ever used a TM, never touched anything else.

Thanks Kevin, I will bookmark your site.

[Radek Jablonski]

Is rocky with 155rpm fast enough for carpets?

[*Hector*]

Yes it is Radek, especially if not too experienced at LMing.

[Tony Stewart]

If you have a truck-mount it pulls all the crud from the bottom of the rubber backed carpet tiles and sometimes because it has pulled it to the surface it looks a poor job. I use a slow speed victor and just use a bonnet to take the last bit of dirt off the top and use a bit of surround, dynamall or encap etc just to lubricate the bonnet. Then it looks immaculate.  You have then given the customer a deep clean not just a muck spread.
EBay is the place to buy one. Yes make sure that you have a drive board and a tank is useful too as they cost about £100 for a new drive board and £100 to £150 for a tank. Look in the for sale items on this board.
The Rocky in my humble opinion is far to heavy for general cleaning as it is too heavy to lug up stairs etc, and before I get shouted down it does sometimes have its place if you want that bit extra on the weight side, but it is a hard floor restoration rotary and should be used in that capacity as a first choice.

[Radek Jablonski]

Yes it is Radek, especially if not too experienced at LMing.

thats good, need to sale my victor as will be too fast for tiles, rocky will be enough for both jobs so

[Kev Martin]

If you have a truck-mount it pulls all the crud from the bottom of the rubber backed carpet tiles and sometimes because it has pulled it to the surface it looks a poor job. I use a slow speed victor and just use a bonnet to take the last bit of dirt off the top and use a bit of surround, dynamall or encap etc just to lubricate the bonnet. Then it looks immaculate.  You have then given the customer a deep clean not just a muck spread.
EBay is the place to buy one. Yes make sure that you have a drive board and a tank is useful too as they cost about £100 for a new drive board and £100 to £150 for a tank. Look in the for sale items on this board.
The Rocky in my humble opinion is far to heavy for general cleaning as it is too heavy to lug up stairs etc, and before I get shouted down it does sometimes have its place if you want that bit extra on the weight side, but it is a hard floor restoration rotary and should be used in that capacity as a first choice.

Tony

I never shout people down on stuff I don't know SFA about and I know nuffin about carpets.

What I do know is I have sold loads of them to CC's especially the 13" ones which weigh 36kg and the 17" ones are 41kg which are more popular.

[Tony Stewart]

Kev
I apologize for my tone, it was not meant to be a dig, as I said it was in my humble opinion. Maybe I'm getting too old but I struggle with a 17" Rocky to get it in and out of the van due to the weight. I know it will do a great job on almost anything but if all you need is a cheaper rotary for a bit of bonneting then I thought a Victor or Numatic as a rotary is a cheaper alternative for office carpets. Shaun asked for an entry level machine. If you have a heavier machine then you have to watch that if you have a pad or a bonnet that is not sufficiently wet then you run the risk of doing damage to the carpet as you will burn it. I have used a Rocky on a larger commercial carpet where I felt I needed the extra weight and it was great. It is also a much better balanced machine and will tire you out far less especially on larger areas and if you are working it for a larger job requiring more time on the rotary. As for the 13", well like you I know SFA about them!!!

[Kev Martin]

No worries

[Radek Jablonski]

its only about 5kg difference
if rocky is slower then even if its heavier it is less likely  to do any "burns", just my thinking.
rocky can be used for tile polishing while victor standard speed is too fast for it from what I was told.

[Jamie Pearson]

When chosing a rotary go for low speed and as heavy as you can physically manage.

As mentioned already make sure it has a drive board. A tank and a shampoo brush are desirable too.

Optimum size is a 17" machine as you wont get much weight difference with a 15" but the productivity will be lower.

If you want to get really picky and going to put it through some serious meterage then go for a gear driven machine rather than a belt drive.

[Mike Halliday]

Is the motor different on a 15 inch that the same machine but 17inch? Why not buy the 15inch (or 12inch) and just fit a 17inch drive board  or how about fitting a 21inch for really big jobs

[mark shannon]

Have a 15" victor that I fit a17" drive board  to sometimes , works fine but mind the skirtings.

[*Hector*]

15inch rotary
17 inch drive board
19 inch pads

problem of skirtings solved... 

[Kev Martin]

The reason for using a Mono Rotary with the correct size brushes and drive boards is simple in that you have equal pressure all over the surface area of the cleaning.  If you use a larger drive board or brush then the balance is lost and you do not apply equal pressure.  Geared Mono rotaries are easier on the operator over prolonged periods