Can i start a small pressure washing business with a Dewalt 3.5 GPM 4000 psi pressure washer?
Sure. Guys do it all the time.
Thanks
Like @qons said, plenty of guys start with 3.5 or 4 gpm machines… but tend to outgrow them and buy a bigger machine sooner then later. If I were to do it all over again, I would line up a couple jobs for one day and go rent a machine from a big box store. Do that two or three times and then invest in a decent gear or belt drive machine… buy once cry once. Overall though it really depends on how big or a business you are trying to grow. If you’re trying to build a truck or trailer and will have room for buffer tanks, I’d save up and get a 5.5gpm or larger machine to start. If you just want something you can take in and out of the bed of the truck and don’t mind moving it around the house, then a smaller unit would work. Also depending on your risk tolerance renting equipment to start out gives you less invested if it does go belly up and you need to sell off stuff.
Yeah, im just trying to do a couple of side jobs on the weekends and see where it goes from there. I appreciate your input and helo.
It can be done… just know what your doing, your limitations, and your end goal is.
Crazily enough, one of the bigger companies in my area has six trucks running, and I was driving by the other day and saw one of his setups. He runs enclosed trailers. As I drove by there was a 4 gpm in the yard with a 5 gallon bucket of SH and the employee was using an x-jet.
At first I was really surprised. But as I chewed on it, I could see the pluses of it.
Overall it practices the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid)
No plumbing to mess with.
Basic setup that any employee can follow.
If you have an issue, you’re troubleshooting fewer things (and your employee only needs to know x things to try instead of x + y things to try). (If I was doing this, I’d have two machines on every trailer and tell my employee to troubleshoot for 10-15 minutes and if it can’t be addressed, then pull out the backup and keep rolling.)
Cheaper machines so if it has issues, you can swap it out for a new one and it’s not a big deal nor costing you serious money.
And, I get it. There are minuses as well.
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The Honda GX single cylinder engines run forever and then some with little to no attention given. The bolt on AAA direct drive pumps are held on with four bolts and come off in 5 minutes or less, and usually are about $300-$400. I’m not stating this is the way to go, but it very much is a KISS methodology mindset.
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If I may suggest, find a BELT DRIVE unit if you can. You can grow a little more with that machine.
I’m with you — when you’ve got a team, keeping things simple definitely makes sense. But as a solo operator, I prefer equipment that helps me be as efficient as possible. That said, I still keep an X-jet on hand. It’s reliable, and I don’t have to worry about whether a battery is charged or if a pump is acting up.. less points of failure.
Definitely. I’d never take the approach running solo. I want to be as efficient as I can.
3.5-4 gpm machines don’t NEED to have a buffer tank. So, starting out, if you’re not committed to building a trailer or dedicated truck with mounted tanks and reels, there is nothing wrong with that size machine. I do this part time and do mostly just house washing and for that I have a very simple KISS soft wash system I designed and built for that, but I do some pressure washing as well. For that, I’ve had the same 4 gpm direct drive unit for 5 years now without a single issue. To be fair, I only do maybe 25-30 pressure washing jobs a year, so it probably has 300ish hours on it. It gets the job done for the occasional driveway or patio cleaning. There are definitely bigger jobs that I’d love to have an 8 gpm for, but I just don’t have or want a trailer or dedicated truck to haul all that goes with a unit like that.
