45yoā¦ just getting into the businessā¦ bought a 4400/4gpm belt drive Simpson through Amazon. Regret it already. Only had it a few days and strongly considering returning it (that will be hell of a rigmarole Iām sure), and going to a reputable pw supplier. Butā¦ itās hereā¦ and if I can make it work through the spring and summer and make some money the plan was to buy, or build, a decent skid this fall.
Problem: at first glance the oil in sight glass was a little over fullā¦ maybe a quarter inch over the bullseyeā¦ so I drained just a smidge until it was dead nuts in the centerā¦ started the machine for the first time, and had no pressureā¦ looked down at the pump and there was no oil in the sight glassš¬ā¦ shut it off immediately, it ran for all of 5 or 6 secondsā¦ so I picked up some 30 weight ND oil and put it back where it was before, just above the bullseyeā¦ also unplugged the pressure hose and let the water run through for a second to make sure no air caught anywhereā¦ started it up without the pressure hose on and it blew the water out under what seemed like great pressure but when I looked down at the pump the sightglass was completely full and the oil looked aerated and frothyā¦ shut it off immediately, this time it ran for maybe 7 or 8 secondsā¦ been about a half hour since it ran and the oil is slowly clearing up as the air goes out of itā¦ level is still what i would consider a little highā¦ but its as it was when it arrived, and again when I set it at the right level before when I started it the oil level while it was running was low. Seems like such a simple thing to be having issues with. Really hope its a simple/stupid mistake on my partā¦ and therefore easily fixed.
Machines on carts tend to vibrate a lot and thatās just aerating the pump oil. No biggie. Perfectly normal. Donāt worry too much about how much oil is showing in the sight glass when the machine is running. Check the sight glass every time before starting the machine to verify the oil is at or just slightly above the center of the glass and youāll be fine.
That machine will work fine to get you going and depending on what engine it has (Iām assuming itās a GX390) it can be upgraded down the road. Being a belt drive, you can swap in a 5.5gpm pump and the appropriate pulley/sheave. Or, yank that motor off the cart and slap it on a skid and go gear drive. Itās a decent starter unit due to its future versatility. Remember, you can go up in GPM easily but youāll also lose PSI. If you want more of both youāll need a bigger engine.
Iād run that machine, make some money, reinvest in upgrading that machine, make even more money, then invest in a solid 8gpm build and keep the 5.5 (or whatever you upgrade the small machine to) as a backup machine.
Thanks man! Glad to know Iām not going to have to go through returning it. As far as the lack of pressure. I bled the line w/ just the hose pressure for a couple minutesā¦ it seemed like it was continuing to get a small amount of air in somehowā¦ it would just sputter intermittently, but I fired it up anyway and it worked just fine. So that was a winā¦ thanks again for your help.
Quick questionā¦ what kind of pressure would you expect out of the end of a wand w/o a tip in place?
A few hundred psi maybe. Not much. It should be a somewhat solid stream so if itās spewing erratically then itās probably sucking air in somewhere. Iām not a huge fan of hooking a garden hose directly to the pump. Those little fittings just arenāt very well made and it can be hard to get one to seal completely. May have to swap the gasket out for a better one.
A few hundred is probably dead on to what I have. I think everythingās good, I was just over thinking it and being over cautious. Thanks for talking me off the ledge
I have some quick connects and other fittings on the way w/ a 3/4 x 100 hose, a stainless ball valve, and some other stuff. Need a surface cleanerā¦ debating between a 16" whirlaway and a 16" whisperwashā¦ budget is tight, need to save the cash I squirrelled away for shirts/print marketing/other misc expensesā¦ debating going ahead and opening an acct w/ clicklease at a pw supplier and getting the better surface cleaner and maybe a little $2k-2200- 12v setupā¦ the kind thats basically a hose reel on top of an aluminum diamond plate square box with a deep cycle battery mounted insideā¦ seems ideal for the little truck Iām starting withā¦ batch mix in a 55g plastic barrelā¦ other side of the coin is that I do have enough cash in the budget to buy the whirl-a-way outrightā¦ and w/ that Iāll have everything I need to do flat workā¦ and then do a few jobs and use the proceeds to buy the 12vā¦ but I want to do it right, and I want to have decent equipmentā¦ My inclination is just to bite the bullet, open the account, but be judicious and maybe spend 3kā¦ really would like to have the 12v from the jumpā¦ Thoughts?
Spend the money and get the Whisper wash. It will last you for years and years.
Get a good 12v softwash system. You can buy or save some money and build yourself. With a Titan aluminum reel with stainless internals and at least 200ā of kuritech hose, decent box, pump and battery youāll be less than $2k. The payback is incredibly fast. Roof cleaning easily the most profitable part of the business and you can use it for any number of other things including house washing in an emergency, post treating, cleaning fences, etc. and if you do much stucco, youāll need.
Post some pics of truck and setup so I can see what type of room youāll have and then can give you more specific recs.
Thanks for the help! Will do on the whisper wash. Ive had several ideas on how to lay out the back of the truckā¦ most w/ the two reels facing out the back, one on top of the aforementioned diamond plate box for the 12v setupā¦ but as of right now its a blank slate. The toolbox is obviously coming out. Debating 55gal barrels as resevoirs? This is going to be a one year setup, I fully intend to buy a full size pickup w/ either a skid, or possibly a trailer. So investing the money in the tanks didnt seem worth it to meā¦ but, please feel free to weigh in. Appreciate any advice.
Excuse the messā¦ just bought the little thing, desperately needs a cleaningā¦ I also have to put a new headliner and replace the drivers door panel, and few other small plastic interior pieces, but its all on ebayā¦ and I dig custom headliners anywayšÆ
3/4-100ā flexilla supply hose arrived today along w/ a stainless ball valve and a Mosmatic swivelā¦ and a stainless jrod. Debating a shooter tip on one end of the jrodā¦ and if so, which one.
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Got my articles and einā¦ footbridge is working on the siteā¦ waiting on a caricature logo and social media pack from a guy I hired on fiver, thats a couple days outā¦ once I have the logo Iāll have shirts made, was considering TampaClothing since theyāre only a couple hours awayā¦ any other suggestions for shirts?
Also once I have the logo I can follow tbrough on 1k 6x9 postcardsā¦ and the logo comes with a social media pack so I can set up facebook, Instagram, and youtube.
Going Monday to open a business checking acct at Navy Fed. We bank there personallyā¦ also have accts at community firstā¦ if anyone has any reasons not to use Navy fad, or have a bank or CU you would specifically recommend please let me know!
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Appreciate any and all advice!
