Trailer Build "STALEMATE"

OK - I tried to hold off on posting this as long as possible. I need some insight / feedback / guidance / mentoring regarding a trailer build I am working on.:expressionless: This includes purchasing a new hot water machine , 12v system, hose reels , plumbing ,etc

*Disclaimer - because I know someone is thinking ā€œjust use the search featureā€. 95% of the time I use this forum I am not logged in. My read time is substantially higher than what is shown. Just feel like I had to say that :smile:

My research which has come from reading forums, facebook groups, videos, and conversations with local distributors has become something like an obsession. It has become extremely time consuming and I find it taking up most of my day for well over a month.

What We Offer ( I live in PA )
House Washing , Roof Washing, Residential Surface Washing

Equipment I Currently Have
Pressure Pro Cold Water 4gpm 3700 Belt Drive
Simpson Cold Water 3.5gpm 4000 psi Direct Drive
14ā€™ Dual Axle Trailer (just bought one that was used, 2 yrs old)
275 Gallon Water Crate

This sounds embarrassing but every job we did I would lift all of the hoses and guns and chemicals and machines into the back of my pickup truck. This was very labor intensive and took a ton of time. Not to mention, it just isnā€™t very professional. This is why I decided to go with a trailer setup.

Anywayā€¦ I have spoken to several different distributors who sell different types of machines. Some can build out trailers as well. Some people have quoted me $2000 for labor while others have quoted me around $700. I currently have a lot of time of my hands and want to build it myself.

With that being said I am seeking feedback on a couple of things:
1 - Is there anyone out there who would be willing to talk with me about what equipment they would recommend ? Where I should buy it from?
2 - Is there anyone who would be willing to ā€œconsultā€ on mapping out the trailer build with equipment / layout?
3 - What is a reasonable cost of labor to have it built by someone else? (Keep in mind I am more than capable of actually building it and have time to do it just need some confirmation from someone with more experience)

Last thing - My budget is approx $8,000

Thanks in advance

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@squidskc started offering build services recently. He may be interested in being contracted for phone/online/video consulting as well, but Iā€™m not sure. Send him a message!

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You have a trailer and equipment. Your ahead of most people starting out. Iā€™m sure after reading you have a good idea how to lay it out. Donā€™t waste your money paying someone to do it for you. Watch youtube videos and save pics of setups. You donā€™t have to be mechanically inclined. If you need help and want to pay hook up with @squidskc. He just posted a thread on teaching guys how to do almost anything for $600 a day. Iā€™d give you a link but I canā€™t find the thread.

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Yes I will take your money.

But in all seriousness it really isnā€™t that hard. Open trailer? Even easier.

Just draw it out on a piece of paper. If you have dimensions of the big stuff and want to get crazy with it you could even draw it out on the garage floor with tape and chalk.

Hot water machines I prefer the narrow framed machines, much less of a footprint, I have a Hydrotek. 12v systems i have no idea as I donā€™t need one for the type of jobs I do.

Most of us here have built our own stuff, I would recommend doing that. Will benefit you more in the long run.

I live outside of civilization so everytime I build something, plumb something, whatever i usually have to sit down, draw a picture and figure out every fitting, hose, etc I will need then order online. Try that method and see how it works.

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@PennWashing donā€™t pay anybody to build it, if you are capable of doing it, get all the stuff you need and piece it together bit by bit. Thers nothing better than knowing youā€™ve built it and what went into it for future repairs/maintenance.

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Definitely donā€™t pay anyone. You will appreciate building it yourself especially if you have the skills to do so, and building it will give you a better knowledge of your set up should things need to be moved, rearranged or worked on. Like mentioned above, just draw it out. You can get more specific and use some graph paper if you want to be more precise. Just draw it out and post pics and we can all help with advice. You wonā€™t be the first to do that.

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I just reread your post. Looks like you are doing residential, so why are you looking for a hot water machine? Unless you are doing commercial flat work, no need for a hot water machine. If your concentrating on residential, my suggestion would be to get a higher GPM cold water machine than you have now. I would go at least 5.5/3500 if not 8/3500. Get rid of that Simpson machine. That will eat up half your budget, but you will be glad you upgraded machines.

On a machine, I would try to go local if that is a possibility. If not, there are several online companies. Russ at Southside is great, Bob at PressureTek, and others. On a 12v, give Brian at Midwest a call and he will take care of you and get you set up with what you need. @LLSSJSSAS Hose reels, you will find that most on here are using either Titan or Hannay. Any of the online guys including @LLSSJSSAS has hose reels.

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It just seems like everyone has a hot water setup. Do guys use hot water on residential jobs? Will it help speed things up? Or am I just fine with my SH and cold water.

I do some bigger commercial accounts (school campus , apartment complex) but none of it is flatwork with grease stains or gum or anything like that. Just some dirty sidewalks and walkways.

What is your take on hot water for fleet washing? I failed to mention in my first post that I have a small account of 7 trucks that I wash every couple of weeks. We just soap, brush, and rinse with cold water. Think hot water is important for fleet washing? I just got offered the opportunity to wash 90+ box trucks weekly. I typically wouldnā€™t take this on but this time of the year I have a lot of spare time.

Thanks for the feedback

@PennWashing you absolutely donā€™t need hot water for residential work. I canā€™t even remember the last time one of my Commercial units has ever been next to a residential house with the burner on. Unless your popping gum or doing oily parking lots donā€™t think about it too much. A lot of people I see have these units that are just deteriorating on there rigs waiting for the ā€œwhen i need itā€ moment, I can understand it to some degree but not at the expense of thousands of dollars bolted to a rig waiting for the ā€œwhen i need it momentā€.

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Bingo @SurfaceMedic, Thereā€™s you answer.

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Well, since you throw the fleet washing in there thatā€™s a whole other story. Iā€™m no fleet guy so Iā€™ll leave those answers to @Hotshot or @dperez or @GeorgeNicholson. But as for residential itā€™s not needed. I think there are a couple of guys that use it, but itā€™s not needed.

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Yes sir! Iā€™ll leave this one to you!

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Iā€™ve seen a lot of your posts and replies on fleet washing but didnā€™t see anything clear cut on whether hot water was a huge help.
Maybe the hot in hotshot is referring to hot water :man_shrugging::man_shrugging:?

No way @SurfaceMedic , Plenty of good folks on here that know way more than I do on a trailer build like @PennWashing is asking. Iā€™m just enjoying the thread is all.

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Absolutely correct.
First off welcome and good luck with your winter project.
Second, Yes we wash trucks for a living, If my burners go down for any reason my guys go into crybaby mode. You absolutely need heat for any type of professional truck washing to make money at it, especially living in PA.
Btw, Youā€™ve found the holy grail of pressure washing man. So your heading in the right direction right off the bat. Just read alot on these topics of interest, tons and tons of good info,videos, links etcā€¦

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Yea, but you guys are the fleet gurus! Thatā€™s what Iā€™m leaving to yā€™all! Iā€™ll help where I can on the trailer, but if we start discussing washing things that move Iā€™m out! :rofl:

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You will pay that on a minimum to purchase and set up a entry level hot washer 5.5 gpm or above, So be damn sure fleet washing is in your future , there is a thread on here about someone selling a hot box though to connect to your PP, bout 3 grand If I recall.

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@dperez what particular soap are you talking about?

What about doing a private label and selling it to others?

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