Need advice on buying a pressure washer

Newbie Questions
1

I am new to the fourm and just beginning in the pressure washing business. I am trying to make a decision on what pressure washer to buy and was looking for some advice. I have about $1,000 to spend and from what I have read understand I need at least a 4gpm pump and a Honda engine sounds the best. I am thinking about the Simpson Powershot 4200 psi, 4gpm with the Honda engine. Any advice on this or other pressure washer I could
look at would be greatly appreciated.

2

If I were starting over with only $1k, and credit was not an option, this is what I would do (and is fairly close to what I actually did):

Get a small flatbed utility trailer
Outfit it with hose reels, hose, small buffer tank, etc.

^^If you’re careful, that part should cost $800-$1k

Get several jobs lined up, and find the largest rental machine you can. Make a couple grand, and complete your setup with this:

2 Likes
3

Thanks for the advice.

4

IMHO, Alex nailed it. If you buy the pressure washer first you’re going to wish you had the other stuff to go with it. It makes life a million times easier. I still rent most the bigger gear I need for commercial work. I.e. Large hot water pressure washer, larger surface cleaner, etc.

I found an Aaladin dealer here in KC that meets or beats all local equipment rental prices. Check your area.

5

4000 psi 4 gpm is perfect to start with. a higher gpm will do faster but at some point a higher psi will come into play, like for concrete and shooting long distance.

6

Thank you for the advice, I am currently using a 2.4 gpm Briggs and Straton from Lowes, pretty sure the job I did yesterday was it’s last. It started leaking oil and was loosing pressure. I have decided to purchase the Simpson 4gpm washer I mentioned early. I completely agree with the idea of renting the pressure washer and buying the equipment such as hoses and reels until I have enough to buy a better presser washer. This, however, is more of a “side hustle” for me and I just didn’t feel comfortable scheduling a job without actually having a pressure washer. There is only one place local that rents pressure washers, and they only have one or two. I tend to have bad luck and can see me scheduling a job and not being able to rent a pressure washer.