Adding a Second Unit

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Pinnacle

New member
Hey guys and want to first say thank you all for all of the information found in these pages. Currently my company is doing pretty good for our season. Currently I am running out of a 14 foot trailer with a 5.5 gallon hot water unit with a 325 gallon tank. I am lucky enough to have my retired father with me on most jobs. I am thinking about adding a small unit to allow both of us to work at the same time even if one only rinsed. I am looking at the 4 gpm 4200 psi dewalt unit on eBay for $1100. I understand the need of buying good equipment that will last bit I have a great base unit. I know many of you all have came to this crossroads before and was just looking for your input. Thanks again for the help
 
I would check with Paul Kassander and Russ Johnson here first. They can probably get you a better unit for only slightly more, plus you'll have superior customer service after the sale.
 
The Dewalt Pressure washer is a home or light commercial washer. What you get from Paul or Russ will easily outlast that dewalt, plus getting replacement parts for the dewalt probably won't be fun. I am sure somebody somewhere has had awesome luck with a dewalt pressure washer, but those people are probably not easy to find. Where as you know what you are getting from the local distributors and you knows its meant to take the abuse that we put it through.

Look up Craigslist or something and find a cheap used one if you don't want to spend the money for a good one. $1100 just seems like too much $$$ for a second rate pressure washer.
 
Or you can pick up one that needs a little work like I did this past week. I got a trailer mounted propane hot water unit for only $250. I even got the title for the trailer with it.
 
First before you do anything, you need to decide if you want a machine that will pull from the tank or if you want to connect a garden hose from the house each time you use that pressure washer. By mentioning that you have a 325 gallon tank in the trailer, I am guessing that you would want a pressure washer that can pull from the tank so you only have 1 hose from the house to the trailer (unless that house has poor flow, then you need another hose).

Most direct drive pressure washers out there will not pull from a tank, some will but the majority will not and I am not sure if you want to take the chance on buying something without knowing if it will or not. Russ J. at southside can tell you if you have the info from the pump (you might be able to get that from the person auctioning off the machine, maybe).

Dewalt does not make pressure washers, they have them assembled using pumps, engines, unloaders, frames, etc.... then put their name on the machine....which does not matter one bit as it is a lesser-quality machine than what you would buy from one of the vendors here. Those are throw-away pumps most of the time meaning that the cost to rebuild it, it is cheaper to just buy another pump to put on the frame/engine.

I would first decide if you want to connect a hose to the house and machine each time you use the machine (what do you do if there is only 1 water faucet on the house, it is a big house with lots of work for 2 machines and you need to connect the tank to the house also? ? ?

They are right, for a little bit more money (I think some of the vendors have machines on sale right now) you can get a belt drive or gear drive machine that will pull from a tank (you need to mention this to the vendor so you get the right machine) and you can connect the machine to the tank (I would put a ball valve there before the connection to the machine so you can take the machine out of the trailer if needed) and be able to take the machine to other parts of the huge house if needed for convenience or speed.

Good luck.
 
Thanks so much for all the Imput. I do want to pull from the tank. I took a look at some of the vendor sites and think it would definitely be worth saving up for And getting a commercial unit. Also how big of a difference did adding a second unit to your business. I can't decide how much time it would save. I envision it allowing one person to do concrete and one person to do the house wash. I also understand that not all things that sound like a good idea work out in the end
 
In my opinion a second unit is a must. It will definately help with production, but maybe more improtantly there will be times when your main unit will have a problem and now you can still work rather than waiting for parts or repairs. Your customers do not want to hear that your machine is down and you are waiting to get it fixed.......good luck you'll be glad you bought a second machine..........keep you eyes open for used equipment. I have purchased 2 hot water 5.5 gpm hot water units that I have paid less than $500. They needed a little TLC but after I got them fixed I had less than $750 in each one. Those deals are few and far between but they are out there.
 
Stay away from from consumer box store pressure washers like a DeWalt, pure crap. Like the guys said call Russ and get one that matches your current unit gpm.

Anything you do to cut time means adding more to your bottom line, whether that mean programs within your business or adding equipment.

Yes adding another unit is well worth the expense. We currently run 2 units per trailer and the time we're saving has already paid for the equipment.
 
Think about most of the jobs you have had lately.

If you have a house wash and cleaning concrete then you can have 2 guys working at the same time.

If it is a large house wash, one guy can start in the back and work to the front while the guy in the front can work towards the back.

Having 2 machines will speed up things as long as they are working and not standing around and bs'ing.

If you have the work for 2 machines on a lot of jobs then I would do it, if not then maybe wait until you have more work.
 
Coming up on 4 years in business, I just added a second unit to my trailer. I added a cold water 5.6@3,500 to go along with my original hot water 5.6@3,500. I can't believe I waited so long to add a second unit. Great for backup to older unit and for two people cleaning large jobs quickly.
 
When you all use two units do you you down stream with both out of the same chemical tanks? I realize it would require 2 injectors but didn't know If you all used two Chem tanks.
 
You can have both machines pull out of the same chemical tank, no problem but remember it will go down twice as fast, more or less with 2 machines pulling out of it.
 
Pinnacle said:
When you all use two units do you you down stream with both out of the same chemical tanks? I realize it would require 2 injectors but didn't know If you all used two Chem tanks.
Click to expand...

No always different because the machines are in different locations. But like Chris said you can.
 
Depending on where your machines are located in the trailer, I have never had a problem with 6' of the chemical hose on the injectors pulling from a bucket or tank.

Not sure how close your machines will be, I don't know if the injectors will pull with more than 6' of hose on them, if the machines are far away from each other, you might need a second chemical container if they will not pull with more chemical hose on the injectors, give it a try and see what you can do.

I would run water through the injector when done so it helps them last longer.
 
Don't waste your money at the box stores you will be dissappoined in the long run. Those machines are designed to be 200 hour units then they cost as much to repair as to replace. Invest a little more and get a commercial grade unit. We have them on sale here http://shop.powerwashstore.com/Pressure-Washers_c40.htm at cost plus shipping this month. Even if you don't buy from me don't waste your money on a homeowner unit.
 
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