My Ideal Surface Cleaner

Clean County PW

Clean County PW

Active member
The Ideal Surface Cleaner for me would be a 30" Stainless Steele Bell Housing Surface Cleaner with 4 heavy duty swivals that are on the sides so I can butt up to walls etc. when using this machine.

I would want the U handle that can collapse for storage if needed. There would be no adjustable height spinner bar on it because I never have any reason to change the standard height that these machines are set at. IF there was to be a way to change the height of the spinner bar then it would be done at the wheels very similiar to a lawn mower so I can still clean under objects such as a bench.

I would like to be able to purchase this Surface Cleaner new for $500 but that not being realistic I would say $900 for this sounds about right. Also I would want every connection to be stainless steel and nothing but the best in materials to make this Surface Cleaner.

This would be my perfect surface cleaner:cool:
 
stainless steel

is just too much $$ to be reasonabley priced.
I am getting my 30" big guy today[ebay $500]
I know chuck was going to swap his 30" for a 24" and i asked others about the 30" and 5 gpm. I have noy even tried the big guy and im thinking i went too big for my gpm.
Have you read the artical at cleaner times web site?
1st surface cleaner was made to clean cement off rebar.
1st U.S.A. unit was built to clean roofs.
Between that artical and chuck i hope i did'nt make a mistake.:confused:
I would feel better if it were 3 nozzle and i had 8 GPM.
Like every tool you need to know how to use it.
With my floater i can easily tip it to wash right up againt the wall and it's real nice for steps and pavers.
The 30 will be just for cement work or tennis courts.
 
Ron,
Everything these days is over priced but when you start to use your Big GUY you will be happy that you bought it. Especially if you use it for commercial work.

I have the same 30" that you bought and I love it. I bought mine from Delco 3yrs ago and I paid $850 plus at least $150 for shipping. Its was a great $1000 investment that has made at least 50 times that since if not more.

If you are not happy with your surface cleaner then put it up for sale here in the future or put it back on e-bay. You should get at least $3-$400 on the resale which is not bad considering that you will make a few bucks with it before hand.

As far as having a 8gpm Surface Cleaner I agreee with you. I would love to have a 10gpm Surface cleaner but its just not feasable for guys like me which is small potatoes compared to some.

If it was feasable I would have a couple of Rig set-ups with 500+gallons tanks and Powerwashers rated at 3000psi @10gpm (Hot water of course) along with the 10gpm Surface Cleaners and no Competition would be able to keep up with my company. But for now that is only wishfull thinking but it can't hurt to DREAM.;)
 
Sold!
Build that surface cleaner and my $900 bucks is on the way

Winter is coming, building and perfecting you new surface cleaner will keep you busy.
 
I wish I had the time to build that Surface Cleaner also. I still need to find the time to rebuild my project Landa PW. Everytime I bid on a kohler engine on E-bay somebody out bids me big.

Between working a fulltime job and Powerwashing right thru the winter here time is always tough to come by. At least on one of these jobs I am in the computer room alot which gives me TIME to read and post on these bb's.
 
clean county/hey wiz or mark

that 10 gpm is not so far out of reach as you might think.
2 Wash units hooked together will give you the 10.
I wonder if in the summer and incoming water temp was say 55 to 60 deg and you hooked your hot water 5 gpm hot water unit and a 3 gpm cold water unit up together. What temp the water would be? Bet it would be warm enuff to wash well.
I wonder if you can hook two diffrent GPM units together?
The reason for the lower GPM on the second unit was to try and keep the temp. up.
8 GPM and i could get the 3 nozzle spray bar and move faster.
What do you think?
if you had a open rig and a black supply tank you might get even warmer water from the no heat unit and use spigot water for the skid unit.
 
Ron P. Stop worrying, you got a darn good machine and I can assure you if you treat it like I did and still manage to get 5 plus years out of it your doing well. 4 spinner bars, countless nozzles and never rebuilt it, well not quite true, the factory replaces the whole unit where the spinner goes under warranty once.

Sure we all would love an 8 to 10 GPM and 3500 to 4000 PSI, heck I would like two 3000 PSI 5/6 GPM units so I could cut the time per job.

Only reason I went with a smaller unit, 24" Steel Eagle was so I could try a different brand. I could have spent a weekend in AZ using both Steel Eagle and Landa side by side to see how I like both but mine is waiting for the undertaker to arrive.

I am not sure if I will repair it and keep as a back up or sell the new spinner bar and seal kit, wheels etc and trash the rest of it, OR for a local guy sell it for a few bucks.

Oh my ideal surface cleaner, well you sit on it as you drive around doing the work:p
 
Jon,
Good luck with that"Little" 24 incher:D
Doesn't the Steel Eagle make a 30"? I have a 24"Whirl-a-Way and the 30" Big guy. No comparison the 30" is a big time saver and I used both numerous times.

I'm not knocking you but for Commercial work I would never Scale down in size with my 30". Not cost effective in my book. If anything I would like to one day have a larger surface cleaner like maybe a 48" to really cut down cleaning time. Time = MONEY.

Guys can debate the size thing all they want. I have 2 lawn mowers. One is a ride on 42" and the other is a walk behind 26". NO comparison on which one is faster and also makes the lawn look better do to the wider cut. All variables have to be in place of course to make a 48" surface cleaner succesful.

You are right about the perfect surface cleaner being a sit on type. Just think how fat we would get if they had a ride on surface cleaner:D The wheels would break and the spinner bars would end up drilling a hole thru the concrete and come out in CHINA:D
 
how is this for an idea/JON

ORBITAL SURFACE CLEANER? i know it's better when it comes to sanding.
clean county, your not making a fair comparrison with the lawn mower thing. For some reason i think you have two diffrent HP motors.
With the surface cleaner you have the same power for both sizes.
JON, please keep me in mind if you want to sell your left overs from your unit.
Got a pic? I can fix anything i set my mind on. Of course it dos'nt make sense to spend more then new.
Would like to see the ol' battle axe? It would make good advertisement for the big guy.
Still dont know why you have a proven tried and true surface cleaner that has served you well and you just leave it standing with its head hung low.
Why is it you went with a diffrent brand that you have never used? I just went and got a sump pump[dont ask] and made sure i got a flo-jet, why? Because i trust the brand name. I have used them.
Your risk at buying another brand is crazy to me. You know how to work on your big guy, you have the part's and know "how too" everything on it.
Im sure your going to do fine with the new one.
Dont forget to post back if smaller is faster.
 
dreaming

a ride on surface cleaner that has it's own water supply and filtering system. A spray bar for chem off the front. Hot water[use the engine heat and exsaust to help heat the water.] and have it with a 48 inc width. Ride on of course.
So were basicly looking at a ride on FURY2003 ride on surface cleaner. Made intirely out of stainless steel.
Sounds big and big big $$$$$$$$
one engine running hyd. pumps for each system.
It could be done.
not unlike a carpet cleaning system.
If you had the fury system tailer mounted with the supply tank and say 500 ft of supply/recovery line with one pump pushing the waste water and the fury pulling it. A pre-filter on the ride on to keep the hose size down and not get it clogged.
even if you made a walk behind like this[self propelled] you would have something special.
The newer hyd pump for the vac and a hyd pump to rotate the bar,and another to self propell it.
 
I am standing against the wall guys so take shots at me and finish me off, PLEASE!

Good question Ron P. why did I go with a brand I never used before when I know the Big Guy 28" is a proven machine for me, and another really good point in it is how the straight flow trigger gun acts as part of the handle, yes I like that and NO OTHER BRAND makes it that way.

Will I be happy, ask me in 3 month when I have put it though every type of job I do, if it does not truly hold up and perform as I expect I will probably put it up for sale and order another Big Guy.

John T. I did order the 30" and changed my mind at my second job of the evening, the walkway to the dumpster area is 29", how do I know, easy, my 28" barely makes it in, I measured and said no way will a 30" work here or at several other loacations.

Remember we are talking about 4" only verse some of the smaller 16,18 and 20 inch models made.

What I would like is to see more U handles with the trigger gun as part of handle rather then on the side, seems arkwards holding one hand down on side and other on top. I will have to make changes there.

Now which of you clowns said we would get FAT sitting down working? Hell I got fat NOT WORKING and just try to get ride of it.

As for what I will do with the Bug Guy, probably sell the new spinner bar and seal kit and maybe the new wheel too! Or I might sell the whole thing but shipping might be a problem do to the size.



Jon
 
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Hey guys the ultimate surface cleaner already exists. It's bigger and badder than your dream machine.

It's built on a late model Isuzu cabover chassis, has multiple off set spinner bars like a multi blade mower. Has a 8' cleaning path. Reclaims, filters, and reuses the water. I saw it for sale two years ago. I think it was for $65,000. It may still be available.

Not cheap to run and probably will make a big mess on the sidewalk Jon was cleaning. I think it was used to clean airport runways.

See ya,
Rick
 
Here's a honker of a surface cleaner I got to see in action at the PWNA convention in Pittsburgh.
 

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Tony tell us about it, brand, custom made, who is that hiding as he pushes it, why the motor on top etc.

And what do you or whomever makes it plan to do about the water splashing out of the sides?

The world awaits your rply.

Jon
 
Jon,

I don't remember the name of the company that makes the monster surface cleaner. I took the pix at a live demo in the shipping dock area of the Pittsburgh Westin. It was at the PWNA convention. I have no idea who was operating the machine at that time. Everybody was offered the chance to push the machine and check it out.

The motor on top powers the spinner bar. It was 5 or 6 hp, and increases the rpm of the spinner, which they claimed made the surface cleaner work better and faster.

I pushed it a few feet, for a quick look-see. I knew that for $4800, they weren't going to sell a ton of them, especially not me.

Sure, the increased rpm let me walk a little faster without leaving ring marks, which is nice. There are probably applications where this type of rig would excel.

The rig was very loud, and gave off a lot of fumes. It would not be appropriate for enclosed areas. It also had a small gas tank, like a lawn mower size.

I was told the machine was selling for $4800, and believe me, I didn't pursue it any farther.

There were a lot of folks at that demo, perhaps somebody got the vendors name, and will post here.
 
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For that price I would buy another hot water system first.

Awful expensive motor is all I can say, they might work fine but I'll go up against it with a new Big Guy, can't say that yet with the Steel Eagle I ordered since I have not used it yet.
 
The advantage to the turbo twister is that the motor is spinning the bar, instead of the water pressure. That means that you can face the nozzles against the direction the bar is spinning, and it gives the water more force. Think of it this way, if you move your hand a water stream, can you feel more pressure as you get nearer the nozzle, or as you move it away? The answer is that you feel it more as you move your hand toward the nozzle. SO it does give a lot more cleaning power.
BTW, the machine that Rick is talking about is way cool, but the guy would not sell me one, I am in Arizona, and he does a lot of airport stuff here, and does not want any competition.
Scott
 
Invited here to this bulletin board and because I use it and have demoed and sold others on it. You may want to re-think your ideas of perfect surface cleaner. Demoed this for large corporation client and had VIP in 3 piece suit using it and having fun because of it's versatility and control.

Can use it like vacuum cleaner and comes in several models. Easily modified for really high pressure.

12" 4 jets, 18" and 20" 6 jets.

George
 

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