Govdeals.com is a good place to look. Most are worn out, but you’ll be surprised by how many drug dealers and/or users have really nice tricks that get seized and end up on that site.
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You would be better off buying a used ford ranger, s10, Sonoma or some other compact truck super basic with lower mileage and building a small set up in the bed. You’re going to destroy your Prius trying to tow anything with it. I thought you were joking at first but it looks like you’re serious. You don’t want to tear up your main mode of transportation, especially if you and your wife depend on it. You can find a decent reliable small truck for $1500-3000. That’s the route I would go if I was in your situation.
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@Racer, Would you mind elaborating? Details? How would you set it up? One mix tank, double reels, (triple reels maybe) your 8GPM mounted (on rails?) buffer tank? How would you limit everything you need to an 8’ bed? Where would you mount your roof pump system?
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I’d like to know too. I was gonna try this with the Tundra and went dang near through a whole yellow pad trying to sketch it all out. Think I’ve decided on a box truck, but if I can get by with a fleet of 1/2 tons and no trailers I’d prefer it.
I currently have a 5x10 trailer but recently bought a 6x14 tandem with 5200# axles and brakes. I’m setting it up early next year. I would love to have a truck bed setup if I had a dedicated work truck BUT if my truck breaks down (like it did earlier this year) and all my equipment was in it. I would have missed 2 weeks of work and several thousand in income. Trailers are good because I borrowed a truck and kept on washing.
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If you have an older vehicle, then a trailer is a good way to mitigate that risk!
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But I have a Tundra (think Toyota Hi-Lux but bigger. Do you have Tundras in the Shire?) and they routinely go 300k miles… what say you to that?
No tundras. Too big to fit into our hobbit garages.
Question is, why run a high mileage work vehicle if you are at risk of break down and missing a weeks work?
Secondly, why use a trailer If you have lightweight equipment that would be more convenient and manoiverable in a truck?
I have a low mileage van and a trailer. So don’t expect a useful answer from me lol
I have a 2012 eco boost f150. Carrier bearings were on their way out in The rear diff. Doesn’t matter year, make or model. They’re all subject to break downs. My truck has 65k miles
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So are trailers tho. If the wheels fall off your trailer, you would still be out of work for a week.
Build your gear onto a skid mount and maybe you could swap between trucks or trailers at short notice?
Trailer is handy if you don’t need the PW gear every day. Or if your trailer is huge with big tanks and vacuum kit.
It takes you a week to change a tire?
Wait, on second thought that sounds about right.
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Here in the land of the free and Macho Man Randy Savage we have trailer replacement tires that are 60 American pesos. If you’re out of work for longer than an hour due to a trailer issue you’re just being lazy in the US of A.
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I don’t put tyres on my trailer. That a puncture just waiting to happen!
You get my point tho. If the truck is out of action, you can’t work. If the trailer is out of action, you can’t work. Truck or trailers both have pro and con.
I tow a trailer. But I hate parallel parking it!
What if your axle snaps… took three weeks between wrong axles being shipped to install.
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Trailers are CHEAP…if you have work to do…buy another trailer.
I cannot see waiting for 3wks to get another axle…that is mindless.
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Canada… trailers are not as cheap.and easy to come by… my next setup for residential work will be skid mount or simple enoigh to switch to a rental.
@JimLuke again Canada… the land of waiting. No were near as many manufacturers.
@BuzzLightyear, what’s the van set up like? Is riding inside the van with the chemical fumes what causes you to love pressure washing dolphins so much?
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I don’t WASH the dolphins man.
(Well. Apart from that one time at the aquarium with the zero tip. Messy as hell. But I was just trying to help!)
I try to keep the bleach and soap out of the waterways so the dolphins don’t DRINK the stuff
Ya know
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In all seriousness though, what’s it like having a van instead? I see a lot of mobile car wash guys here that have all their mobile detail stuff in a chevy cargo van or similar. Run the pressure washer inside the van and everything (doors open of course). But yeah, is it hard to access stuff? Work on things if needed? Make plumbing adjustments or fixes? Breathe in a lot of exhaust or chemical fumes?
Like I said… I tow a trailer
Plenty local guys have the pressure washer and hoses inside their vans and box trucks tho. Works fine with the doors open
