Ok I get it now, all this talk of 5.5 and 8gpm machines. Did my first driveway and pool deck with my 5.5, ZERO striping. I didn’t even have to post treat. I was a bit nervous using the 1503 nozzles but they worked beautifully.
I can’t believe what I’ve been missing with the unloader bypass, extra GPM, drawing from buffer, electric start etc. I did have to put a 5# hand weight on the surface cleaner, it was trying to lift off!
Fix the unloader and put an OEM muffler on it and it will last you for awhile.
That’s a nice machine. It’s hard to tell someone that’s never used more than 4gpm how much better it is until they try it for themselves.
That’s what your going to feel when u upgrade to 8gpm, it’s a good feeling apart from that little part of you that wonders why u didn’t get one earlier. Lol
Can you elaborate?
Maybe he thought you had issues with unloader. But yeah congrats. I havent taken the big jump but when i went from 2.8 to 4 i was dancing in my shoes… and then wheni had a machine with a bypass i was jumping up and down when i realized i didnt have to start and stop the damned machine all the time lol
Cant imagine how ill feel when i have a 5.5 or 8 with electric start and dying to try one with a K7 unloader, heres hoping my wrist, forearms, back and shoulders will thank me
Right? What a pain it was worrying about my pump getting burned up.
I’m still working out the orientation in my trailer. Right now it sits horizontally behind my hose reel, but I had to get one of those flex hoses so exhaust doesn’t blast the wood walls. It’s not long enough though, and it’s eating up valuable space as I have my bleach and spare hoses behind the unit.
I asked about the K7 soft start unloader, he said it can mess with the metering on the injector…so I just left the stock one on there.
Google pressure washing trailer setups and you’ll find a treasure trove of awsome set ups. Thats how i get my ideas. My next setup is basically going to look like this
Yeah im not sure about that but from what ive read from other guys here way more seasoned is the no problems
Get the unloader off the pump and put a factory muffler on it.
There are a lot more important things to purchase than K7 unloaders, spend your money on something that will make you money…a K7 unloader will never put a penny in your pocket and is not necessary.
I have a k5 unloader on my 5.5 machine. Never had any issues drawing soap. I think flow unloaders can act a little wonky if you start to suck air through the injector.
The flow unloader may not put any more money in your pocket, but it might save you a few bucks in the long run. They’re easier on all of the components and cause less fatigue. Even the hoses are easier to handle when they’re not loaded with high pressure. The ball in your injector is probably less likely to get jammed in the O-ring without the pressure spike, as well.
Btw, congrats on the new machine 
What’s wrong with that muffler?
See, this is what’s so frustrating about this business. You walk into the vendor/seller, say you would like such-and-such because “the experienced guys on the boards say it’s the bees knees” and the guy says, “no it’s not, this one is much better”. I look like a sucker and everyone gets a chuckle out of my ineptness.
“Hey airman, go get me some flightline out of the NCO club office” Etc.
It doesn’t have a bracket support, it will snap of the 4 bolts holding it in. No heat shield to dissipate heat. Smaller insides that rob you of over a horse power because of exhaust restriction. But, it saves the vendor $45
Most vendors are going to sell you what they have or can get in order to make a sale. They aren’t going to try and sell you something they can’t even order. Even the honest ones are just going by the literature that they get from their equipment supplier. The vendor has no real world knowledge so can’t really backup what they’re saying. Would you trust what a car salesman says about a car he’s never even driven or someone who has driven that car for thousands of hours?
Next time just tell them what you want and that’s it. Don’t let them try and pull the salesman pitch on you.
Understood about the unloader, I’ll ask next time.
If my 5.5/3500 pump is putting out that much with current HP, would it matter at all if another HP is added?
See, I brought that up. He pointed to a truck outside and said he’s been a washer for almost two decades.
He’s still also a salesman trying to make a sale. Just because he does something a certain way doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way. It’s not saying what he recommends is wrong. We all have our own ways of doing things. I just think I’d trust someone who just uses the equipment over someone who uses and sells the equipment. Not saying he’s not honest but he definitely wants to make a sale and keep you from buying somewhere else.
Remote mounting of the unloader, moving unloader off of the pump, will save more on equipment than any unloader will.
