Vehicle Choices

Continuing the discussion from New Work Vehicle:

Hi everyone,

I wanted everyone’s take on which vehicle to get with our setup. We currently do Pressure washing, window and gutter cleaning. We have been using a Chevy Silverado 8’ bed with a pace edwards tonneau cover pulling a trailer. But a van is really the best way to go with pure water window cleaning.

Along with that, I was hoping to put the pressure washer in the van or box truck and forgo the trailer. My concerns with the van is that the fumes from the pressure washer/ bleach would get in to the cab area. My concerns with the isuzu box truck is it would be too bulky and the doors are somewhat cumbersome for daily use. Would likely have to get smaller car for bids ect…

Any suggestions? Thanks!

We bought a Pro master and installed an 8 gpm pressure washer a generator for the gutter vac and the gutter vac system along with a 125 gallon buffer tank.
A 55 gallon chem tank for roofs and a fat boy system.
Pure water and a pump system and still loads of room.
It was the perfect choice

for us.

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Would you mind posting some pictures of the inside of that rig? How do you exhaust the chem fumes and small engine exhaust?

Still a work in progress.
Fitted a bulkhead so no chem smells in the cab.
All chems are transported in sealed tanks and doors are fully open when the machine is running,
Fitted a roof vent that spins when you drive to help remove moisture.
Fully sealed the bed of the van to protect from spillages.
Any more questions just ask.
Still so much room left…

8gpm Pressure Pro
300 ft of pressure hose
150 inlet hose
125 gallon buffer tank
55 chem roof mix tank 200 ft chem line.Fatboy
Gutter Vac and 6000 w generator
2 x DI tanks one to pump from mains one to draw from water tank.
50ft carbon gutter pole with Gopro to view and record.
60 ft carbon window pole
35 ft carbon window pole
500 ft pure water supply line for pole
and lots of spares.

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Still looks rough but getting there. NEVER had issues with chem or exhaust fumes in the cab.
Might look into a reclaim system as the PW side of the business picks up.
Still lots of room to play with.
The beauty of this set up for me is 22 MPG and everything i will ever need is always with me.

going box van once other vehicles are paid off. So much depends on the region you live in I believe and your situation. No way a trailer would work with our driveway

Hi Dave, I looked at vans and trailers for over a year. So pleased I went with the van.

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Thanks for posting those pictures! I do have one more question.
What are the inside dimensions of the box? (Especially length from bulkhead to rear rear doors)

12 feet long and about 6.5 wide. I get my 24 ft ladder with stabilizer fitted and I hang it from the roof as you can just about see in the photos.

Ok. Thank you!

How do those gutter vacs work if the roof goes over the gutter to far? Do you use a pure water tank with a pump or is it on demand? We do the exact same services and i like your setup is why i ask.

I have a budget of about 8k for a used vehicle, would you recommend a 12’ isuzu npr box truck that can turn on a dime or a regular/ extended Chevy express with doors on both sides? Or something different? I was thinking maybe an old dodge sprinter diesel but to find a good one at low price would be very hard. Thanks

Sorry another question: how do you like the 8gpm? Can you run 2 wands at 4 gpm? Would you rather have 2 4gpm? How is the 125 gpm buffer tank work with that? Thanks

Awesome rig, you may consider a float thank for the 8gpm pressure washer. At least in my area wells don’t generally push more than 3-5gpm so you may end up staving your pump which will shorten it lifespan.
:pensive:

If I had $8k I would look for a 2004-2006 Dodge sprinter high top with the long wheelbase. I bought one for about that and it had high miles but still going good, and I LOVE all the space. It is way better to work out of than our old minivan with a utility trailer, and better than our f250 with flat bed and our chevy express.

Yeah i wish, i found one that could potentially work but it has over 400k on chassis but newer motor and transmission

Erik Rose
Restore Cleaning Services
CleandocksNW.com
253.381.4059

I decided to keep using my truck and buy a 16foot enclosed trailer. Had them cut another door on the other side for ventilation as well as accessibility, I am able to run a 2 man crew from it. We have a 300 gallon float tank that runs a 8gpm and a 5.6 gpm hot water. Both downstream from a chem tank. I was thinking a box truck but I figured if the truck broke down I would be out of commission until it was fixed and this way I could borrow or rent a truck if something happened. Ive had it for about a year and love it compared to my old trailer which was opened.

Hands down, 2500 Sprinter Worker 144wb low roof with the Mercedes diesel engine, 21 mpg, Can last well over 300K miles if maintained well.

For the skeptics;

I cannot put a ladder on the top; Solution; Drop down ladder racks

Diesel engines cannot start in cold weather; Solution; winterized fuel, Glow plugs, oil pan heater, battery heater, fuel filter heater. this is what is typically used in extreme -30 degree weather, I haven’t had any issue with mine starting at zero with just glow plugs and winterized fuel.

you can get a sprinter worker used for 2.5k buts they are rough
http://dubuque.craigslist.org/cto/5833771112.html

Yeah, I’ve found for some reason sprinters in chicagoland/wisconsin can be found at half price compared to Iowa. However, a couple years ago I made a trip to chicago to test drive about 5 of them and they were all too rough. Also, bring allen wrenches so you can take off the fuel injector cover and look for the black death (on 04-06 models). I’m shopping for a second sprinter now.

What did you use to seal it? How has it held up? Is it bleach resistant? Have you been able to spray it out with water?