My name is Jacob, and I got started late last year in the pressure washing and exterior cleaning industry in Wisconsin. I’m in the process of building up my business and learning as much as I can about soft washing, pressure washing, and window cleaning techniques.
Just also want to quick mention how much I’ve learned from this forum and there is really nothing that compares to the wealth of knowledge on here.
Anyways, I’ve been reading a lot and I believe I’ve finally finished my starter equipment list
A lot of this stuff was on @TexasPressureWashing 's Pressure washing 101 Guide
Pretty much what I’m wondering here is if there is anything I’m forgetting or if I’m even buying the right stuff, everything looks good to me. However, I would like people with much more expertise than me to actually look at it before I dive in and start buying stuff. Below is a google sheet (Also copy and pasted) with all of the equipment linked and priced out on it, anyone with the link can comment or you can just use the forum.
Don’t get the regular hannay reels. Spend an extra hundred bucks each and get stainless steel hub/swivel/internals. Call up hannay
Shop around for prices. The m5 twist can be found for like 40-65 bucks if you shop around I think. I think some stuff you are paying more than you could but that’s just me and I’m cheap, and have never used pressuretek because they won’t ship up to me
Thank you for the suggestion
I just requested a quote from Hannay for some of their SS line (I assume that’s what you’re referring to) that will fit my needs, they look to be more than a couple hundred bucks extra, but I’ll see when they get back to me.
That M5 twist comes with an xjet - I’m guessing you’re talking about a regular m5 twist, but if you’re not I would definitely like to save some money there if you know a place. I’ll have a look at the other parts as well.
You can probably find the zk1 for a little cheaper, unless that $130 is tax/shipping.
yes, side mounted on the tank… you will actually end up getting more water in the tank before it shuts off because of the design and not being as long as the Hudson. It also flows a lot faster and is easier to take apart on the fly to clean.
not sure what you are asking with the drop stick… neither the unloader or float play any role with that side of the system.
Got it, thank you.
I guess I wasn’t really sure what the dropstick actually did and just kind of lumped it in with the hudson stuff. From the looks of it, with this setup, I won’t need one for the buffer tank if I just run it like this
Correct, your drop stick is used to pick up chems and would be connected to your downstream injector… if you plan on x-jetting everything you don’t need one.
If you’re going to be this fastidious about everything, it seems you mean business. And if that’s the case, just go with an 8 gpm pump and the engine to match. Just about every full-time guy on here has ended up with an 8 and said they wished they would’ve done it sooner.
I did think about the 8 gpm and after looking at 5.5gpm vs 8gpm it seems like a good investment now since I’ll be upgrading anyways at some point. Quick question though, could I just switch the engine to a gx690 or igx800 and get a 8gpm Udor gear drive pump and plug and play with all of the things I’ve already picked out? (Other than changing the injector and xjet and stuff to 8gpm and not 5) or would I have to switch out a bunch of other stuff too? I believe I’d be fine, but would like confirmation.
A lot of equipment is rated either for 3–7 GPM or 7–12 GPM, so there’s a good chance that anything you buy for a 5.5 GPM setup won’t perform as efficiently or effectively and may strain the pump when put on an 8 GPM system.
A GX390 is not capable of producing 8 GPM at a usable PSI, so it doesn’t make much sense to buy an 8 GPM pump with a GX390 and plan to upgrade later by simply swapping to a GX690. One of the biggest differences between those engines is the shaft size: the GX390 uses a 1" shaft, while the GX690 is available in a few configurations but is most commonly 1-1/8". That means you would likely need a different gear drive or pulley setup when making the engine upgrade.
On the plumbing side, an 8 GPM system should have at least a 1" supply hose, whereas a 5.5 GPM machine can typically get by with a 3/4" hose. If you’re building the system from scratch and know you’ll eventually upgrade, it makes sense to size the plumbing for 8 GPM now. A 5.5 GPM machine will still operate fine with larger plumbing, and having more available water is never a bad thing.
