Oilfield Pressure Washing

Hello all! I intend to start washing semi trucks in the oilfield in West Texas, as our drier climate doesn’t allow for much house wash work. I would like an opinion on the following unit:

(Pressure-Pro 8012PRO-35-HG Professional 3500 PSI Gas - Hot Water Super Skid Belt-Drive Pressure Washer w/ General Pump & Electric Start Honda GX690 Engine)

As far as I can tell it is a solid unit: able to use two wands at once, 8GPM, Honda electric start… etc. Is there anything else I should consider with this purchase? I will primarily be washing very oily/greasy semi trucks so very hot water is absolutely essential. I will also pick up concrete washing jobs if they ever pop up. Thanks!

It’s an entry level hot water skid. It’s not bad, but you could do better.

However, my understanding of oilfield work is that you need a whole lot of firepower and manpower. I had a conversation with a user here on the forum who used to be a foreman for an oilfield wash company and he said they ran 4 men per truck and sometimes had jobs that lasted 40 hours or so with no relief. You have to be able to pull 1000+ gallons of water and be on call 24/7 as well as get some certifications.

I don’t think it’s as simple as just driving out and cleaning off some trucks but I could be wrong.

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I worked in three Bakken and its just as @pressureguy said. the routine was 24’s but we had a “mishap” and I worked 72 straight.
the PW guys worked like dogs on some of those rigs and transport trucks. turn around time is tight and 90% of the foreman’s are jerks on the job but great when off. it’s very profitable but oil usually slows a bit now and natural gas picks up a tick or two.

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Yup, I see some of my future competition around town and they generally do have 3-4 guys in the work truck. However, they usually are working directly on the rigs themselves washing them in between phases/stacking. Starting out I’m going to focus on the haulers themselves (vacuum trucks, sand haulers etc) until I can afford a larger set up. I appreciate the response!

For under $10,000 is there another rig you’d recommend over the one I linked?

I’d say go with Hydrotek, or buy my 2 unit trailer setup I have for sale for a little more cash Tundra and 16' Washing Trailer For Sale :slight_smile:

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Would you sell the trailer setup alone? I already have two trucks. :joy:

Absolutely! Message me if you’re interested

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Is there going to be any oil field work? Rig counts dropping like a rock right now. 2/3 's of the fields aren’t close to being profitable at these prices.

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Take it from a former oilfield pressure washer–now is not a good time to spend the amount of money that it would take to get a crew up and running and be able to compete for jobs and actually complete them. @Racer is absolutely correct. Rigs are sitting in the yard and it could be a while before they get picked up again.

If you really want to do it then go for it but right now would not be advisable.

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Most hydro vaccuum trucks come equipped with SERIOUS pressure washers on board. We never actually washed any sand haulers but I know @Hotshot does some of those. Or did. They may be shut down

There’s definitely still work. It is true that a lot of companies are unprofitable at the moment, but most aren’t willing to give up their market share and are currently still operational. As I said, though, in the beginning I do not intend to interact directly with oilfield companies but rather subsidiaries of them. Starting out I am targeting washing semis as there is very high demand and seemingly low service supply.

I get that. I didn’t realize vacuum trucks were already equipped. I still would like to try and catch a piece of the semi washing market, though, because there is one drive thru truck wash here that truckers literally wait 3+ hours for a wash. If I can offer the same quality clean for the same or lower price with half the wait time I think I stand a chance, hopefully anyway. :joy:

I suggest you go read the Rubber Scrubber thread. There’s a ton of information on fleet and truck washing in there. I have no idea what a truck wash charges per truck but most guys shoot for fleet washing and do a larger number of units at lower prices. Some guys go for a more personalized wash and charge accordingly. It’s all dependent on what your area is more suited to.

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Yes, hydrovac trucks have something like 18gpm machines and can carry 2,000 gallons of water. We had three of them.

As a current oilfield worker (on a rig in west texas):

Rig count is falling like a stone and it hurts the service companies quickly. They’ll have drivers washing trucks in the yard just trying to keep them on payroll. Service companies usually fold fast when there’s a bust…BUT if I were trying to start a business doing oilfield trucks, let me tell you how I’d go about it. There are sevices companies folding and selling equipment to larger service companies left and right as of right now. You see trucks with different business names on the truck and trailer all the time. I would learn how to apply decals on suction truck tanks and sell my service on both cleaning (acid wash for shiny metal), and then applying new decals. You might actually pull it off, but you are going to need something to sell other than hot water.

Forget trying to get rig business right now unless a) you know someone who is a company representative and has told you they can get you on the vendor list. b) you can offer other services like strap and drift. C) You can invest a very large amount of money on very serious equipment (the wash crews they have coming out to our rig has a pump feeding a manifold that can power 4 wands at once with crazy flow rate and temperature and a high volume rinse hose…all at the same time. Haven’t had a chance to ask for specs on the pump, but they have a serious engine turning the thing). It would be dedgum near impossible right now to compete in the cut throat market right now. Many are operating at a loss right now just to keep the doors open.

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While I’ve seen vac trucks with pressure washers on them, I have never seen one in the Permian region before. Just sayin.

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I’m currently amping up my side gig because I expect this rig I’m working to stack (stop operating) within 30 days. That’s why I’m on this forum :slight_smile:

I commute to work from east texas, so no, I’m not your potential competitor

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Good info

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Yep, Fuel prices went down to low, lost a 30k+ yearly gig washing frac sand belly dump haulers , 2 local Frac mines have shut down till 2021 they say.

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