Help A New Guy With Equipment Set-up (4 GPM Machine)

Residential
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I’m looking for anyone that can point me in the right direction. I’m a 10-year landscaper, whom built a well and established landscaping business. Now I would like to build a truck soley for power washing. However, I’m putting forward a limited amount of funds, and starting small, just to ensure that there’s a market. If there’s a market, I have plans to purchase a 8 gpm machine, and so forth, but right now I need some help getting started as a new guy with a 4 gpm machine.

With that said, I’m starting with a 4 gpm machine. I’m trying to figure out expenses that way I can come up with an effective pricing strategy. I’ve got most of my expenses down on a chart, know about what I need to make, however, I need some help being efficient from the get go.

Now my question is, I know a lot of you big guys with 8 gpm machines have trailers with large reels and such. Simply drag your hoses, hook up to water, and off you go. My question is am I able to build such a set-up with a 4gpm machine without losing productivity and power from my machine?

In example, can I leave my 4 gpm machine in the bed of the truck, install a large H20 Hose reel, and a 200 foot Pressure Hose Reel, and simply pull up to a stop, drag my water hose and pressure hose from the reel attached to the bed of the truck, hook up to water, start the machine, and be off to work? Most properties here in our HUGE CITY, are urban, short driveways, and back yards are easily in reach. I’m hoping to be able to install a 200 foot hose reel, and reach the back of the houses. I also will carry spare 50 ft. hose sections in the truck in case I need extra feet.

My main concern is, when I watch YouTube, most guys got their 4gpm machines out in the yard with them. I feel it would be much more productive to have everything stationary instead of unloading and loading everything. So to break it down. Will my 4gpm machine be effected much power wise if I were to mount it, and install a 200 foot reel?

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No reason you can’t do what you have described here. The reason you see most guys with a 4 GPM pulling the machine into the yard is that they don’t have a hose reel with 200’ of hose to prevent having to drag the machine too. 200’ of hose without reel is a lot of hose to lay out and re-coil on every job. Easier to use 50 ft and move the machine. You will lose PSI, I believe it is 300 psi per 100 ft of hose but with a 4K psi machine it is insigificant.

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Do you already have a 4 gpm machine?

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Sure come up with a logical question…

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Lol. I was just going to say he should spend the few extra dollars on a 5.5 gpm and save himself some future headache OR buy an 8 gpm and never have to learn how slow a 4 gpm is.

@PWProducts just wrote a post about friction loss that I read this morning and she can correct me if I’m wrong, but 200 feet of hose, reels and fittings in between, and a 4 gpm machine is gonna make that thing feel like a Ryobi Homeowner500.

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I’m sorry. Lori wrote this post over a month ago. I’m not sure why I just saw it this morning.

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This is exactly what I needed to know. I was worried installing a 200 ft. hose and reel would hurt me productivity wise. Thanks for the help!

And to clarify, I already have a 5 gpm machine. And yes I understand the bigger machines will be more productive. However, this is just an add on to my landscaping business. If it takes off, again, I’ve already done eyed out an 8 gpm at PressureTek, but I don’t need it, until I find the clientele and a market for it. Either way, I’ll make my money back on the 4gpm machine, and it will always be a good machine to have around for washing our grass and mud cached zero turns.

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The 4gpm will run fine with 200ft of hose. will do great house washing and if just doing small drives it’ll be fine. Even with a truck mount though you need a water tank so you can bypass, other reason lots of guys wheel them around the yard, otherwise you’ve got to run back and shut off machine all the time. When I got mine, I used it one time and then went and bought a tank. 50gal will work, 100 is great.

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I’m confused if he’s not upstreaming chem he could just bypass into the “tank” he already has. That “tank” is also called a truck bed. Take a leak in the street and no need for tank.

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Resi customers pretty particular about their water sometimes. Even on a medium sized house you can bypass 100 gal.

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You guys are correct. He’s only losing 160!psi with that 200’ of hose. Add the restrictions if each crimp, the, swivel at the reel, injector in-line or not and any extra fittings and you add to that pressure loss.

That’s one reason why I try not to sell the 3000 psi pressure washers when going for 8 gpm.

He’s using 4 gpm and physically removing that heavy piece of equipment every stop. Everyone has to start somewhere and he’s adding this service. Many lawn guys add pressure washing and usually start off at 4 gpm.

8 gpm for $3250 (until March 1) is a much more efficient way to go but will chang his rig entirely. His lawn equipment will need to find a new home.

Great points guys!

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PWProducts,

Glad you understood where I was coming from. You’re on spot, I know a lot of guys in landscaping that added power washing, and most started with 4 gpm machine.
I definitely know how much more efficient an 8 gpm machine would be, and that’s in the works. If the work comes this year, we’ll have one by the end of this year.

I’m planning to send one guy out on a truck, with the 4 gpm. Problem is, I’m completely new, so I don’t know what to expect as far as productivity wise. Just using small subdivision 1-story home as an example, is it reasonable to expect a worker to get 2 homes done a day, or should I be expecting more, maybe 3 properties a day? The way I was figuring my math, I’m thinking real small (1) story sub division homes, two a day, maybe three with one guy, but I figure that would be pushing it. Then I was thinking if we upgrade to 8 gpm, 3 a day easy, and four pushing it with only one guy knocking them out? Does that sound about right?

And one more important question. Yes, I’ve used the search feature. But it did nothing other than over-whelm me and confuse me more. I only have a few more items to order on my list. Right now, I’m down to the X-jet or GP High Draw Chem Injector? It seems about 30% prefer the X-jet, and the rest DS with Chem Injectors.

It seems chem injectors, would be less hassle, more efficient with both time and chems, but it seems the x-jet would be easier to put a good chem % on the walls, thus turning better results. Considering half our our clientele starting will be year long landscape customers, we want to do a good job before anything for our customers who spend a lot of money.

With that said, from you experienced, which would do a better QUALITY job from the start? X-jetting seems like it does awesome, but people hate carrying that 5-gallon bucket and it seemed most use between 7-12 gallons for small homes with the x-jet.

Hence, I’m looking at one of these for my worker, 12 gallons, less refilling, and rolls on wheels. Opinions?

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You should get an xjet and a couple injectors. You will DS most of the time. Once your guy gets the hang of it, he should be able to knock out any 1 story under 2000sqft in about an hour.

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You can also try a dual port chemical injector for $22. It will kick out about the same as an XJet at a savings.

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The hose real hurt productivity? NOPE. It helps. I consistently pull all 200’ feet out. I can reel it up in less than a minute. Without a reel you are wasting a ton of time that could be spent on travel back home or another job. Reels save you time and time is money.

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