Clean Excavater?

smittie1984

smittie1984

New member
I have a contracter for a grading company call me. He want's his Excavater cleaned because he wants to sell it on Saturday. Now here in GA the beautiful yellow pollen is in the air. He basically wants that cleaned off. Rinsed off would be the more proper word. The excavator has never seen dirt. It is brand new.

I'm in kind of a hurry to do this so I'm going to go to Northern Tool to pick up a chemical. Of these chemicals is there one you'd recommend?

I'm thinking of trying....
Chemical Cleaner #1
Chemical Cleaner #2
Chemical Cleaner #3
Or could Simple Green or other car wash products work.

I know you can go to actual pressure washing stores or chemical stores and get better stuff. But I rarely fleet wash and have no need for a 5 gallon bucket. Also I don't have much time to shop around.

But like I said. This is a perfectly clean rig. I could probably use straight up water. But I rather use soap. And don't forget I have a cold water system.

Another question. What would you charge to do an excavator. 1 that is perfectly clean with the exception of pollen and other small stuff. They are going to lower the boom for me so I don't have to worry about reaching high up.
 
What size excavator? I cleaned one this week that my trailer could fit in the bucket. there are a ton of smaller ones though.

Just a rinse should easily be done in about 45 minutes. Steaming it will take longer. Mine took 6 hours.

Scott Stone
 
Seems like around here they wait 3 years to get equipment washed. I washed a Komotsu PC600 two weeks ago filthy as all get out. 4 inches of grease on the circle scraped what I could then washed it all including engine. Took 4 hours.
If he just wants the pollen off just use water to knock it off. I will put no faith in Northerns Products especially chemicals. So I cant recomend one.
Richard
 
This is suppose to be a brand new big excavator. Never has been taken on dirt. Nor used by any means. I think it is even kept inside.

I think I'm just going to try rinsing it off. I would like to try a pressure washing store's stuff but I rarely fleet wash and don't have a need to be paying $50+ for a bucket I'll rarely use. Since I have money I need to invest elsewhere.

If not northern's stuff what are the chemicals or ingrediants you need to look for in a truck washing chemical?
 
Smittie,
If its new just water work. A quick rinse shouldnt take you very long at all. Just look at the job and based on your past washing experience bid the job flat rate. If you bid it by the hour you wont make squat.
I use a high alkali truck soap for, trucks, concrete, drive thrus and degreaseing(when its not to bad) Find a good all around soap, most do more than what they are being sold as. I hear R-109 from Delco is good but I've never tried it before.
In my opinion you are buying a diluted product from northern that cant touch a good quality contractor grade product. Spend the money on good soaps and let your chems do the work for you. It will be worth the extra up front price in the long run.
Thats it just my 2cents. But by all means buy what you want from where you want.
Richard
 
I Got-r-done

I went out and got it in the morning. This was a brand new excavator. They build them at this place. The guy who runs the place is a friend of my buddy who is in college. If that makes any sense.

I could of used straight water but I used a light mix of Simple Green. It worked out well. And I haven't heard any complaints. I was worried the black bottom might oxidize but I know how to fix that so I didn't get too worried.

The job didn't take me long either. Probably about 40-45 minutes. I could have taken less but I didn't realize they had some oil on the top so I had to hit that again with a rag. But lesson learned. If I do another one I know to look out for that.

I'll probably start looking out for some new stuff now. And I'll try it on my personel truck. Now I have to admit. I probably wouldn't do an excavator that was slap full of junk.
 
Just because something is really messy don't shy away from it. I make more money when they are really dirty because nobody else wants to do it. I have cleaned scrapers, dozers, excavators etc... I use a turbo nozzle to knock the heavy stuff off and then 2 step the rest and they turn out great. Most of the owners that care about their equipment are willing to pay to have it look good or get it cleaned up before it goes in for service as the mechanics won't work on them when they have dirt packed into them.
Yes it is dirty work, it sprays back on you from all those uneven surfaces, but it is something to do to keep yourself busy.
 
I've thought about it and can probably find some business. But I think it's more of a Hotwater gig. I have a cold water system. And right now I don't have the money to test out chemicals. I tried using new chemicals for different stuff but a guy at the pressure washing store just ripped me off and I sent $50 down the drain. And right now I'm just trying to get enough money for Advertisement and to make sure my machines are running right.

But appreciate the advice.
 
My setup is nearly identical to yours. You don't need hot water to clean everything especially when you are just removing heavy dirt, hot water is a waste of diesel. You could get a chem spray setup for the acid and downstream your soap for the final cleaning. Most of heavy equipment cleaning is taking off the heavy stuff from the tracks and undercarriage and so on, occasionally if they pay right, I will scrape grease form the joints as well.
Word of mouth travels quickly in the construction industry and if you are quick to get out and do the job and do it right work will come. A job well done is free advertisement. These contractors spend $100,000+ for their equipment and don't mind paying to have it cleaned and taken care of. Also keep in mind they usually have dump trucks, semi's w/flatbed trailers and many other things that need cleaned. They make a living with this equipment and so can you.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'll give consideration into it. I guess it is worth a shot. And many of those builders are use to paying in cash too. Which is always a bonus.

I saw that you mentioned acids. What kind of acids would you be talking about. And if a specific brand what is the chemical makeup of the acids and how should I apply it to the machines.
 
I use a 2 step truck washing acid, It is sulphuric with a little HF. The HF is for the trucks and does't have any real benefit for heavy equipment. You can check around for pricing, I am sure a sponsor of this board or somebody local has an acid mix for truck washing. You would follow this with a good soap, I have seen some prices around $120 for a 5 gal drum. I 2 step equipment as a final wash because it really cleans and takes the final layer of dirt off while leaving a little bit of shine.
You could set yourself up with a 12v pump system for applying the acid. I use a high pressure injector system and switch chems at the gun. I do this because of all the fleets I wash and I don't like dragging a cart around with me. For somebody doing it occasionally a pump and bucket will work.
I bid these jobs on the flat rate. You can clear over $500 (low, I get upwards of $300 apiece for a total wash) on just a few pieces of equipment, depending on how clean they would like them.
 
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