My name is Mike. I've seen how pressure washing is a great way to start off as a small side job. It can really blow up into a big thing and I think I've been bitten by the bug. Anyways, I've just found a trailer to haul all my gear on for $200 in pretty good condition, just a bit of rust, and right now I'm restoring it. Starting off, I had to keep in mind that I couldn't spend too much on the "business project" because we have a baby on the way. I've checked out my competition in my area and there are no actual pressure washing businesses, only equipment rental places and people that rent them and do it for a couple days (for real estate mostly...) I went to a couple of real estate places to see if I could get work, one said they might need a guy to pressure wash properties for them I've got 5 jobs lined up at the moment. I've been studying and trying to learn about pressure washing as much as possible.
This trailer is around 20 or 30 years old... It has a name on it, says Ole' Reliable. Don't know anything else about it. It has been taken apart to remove as much rust as possible. I'm using a 40 grit wheel on my grinder to remove the paint and rust, then it will be ground smooth with a higher grit. It will be sprayed with rust protective primer, and then sprayed with 3 coats of fire engine red paint. I've still got quite a bit of work to do, but I'd give it another week or two.
After it's ready, I'll be hauling 2 33 gallon water totes, a Briggs & Stratton (Troy-Bilt made) 7.0 HP (which I cannot find anything on my particular model and nowhere on the machine does it say the model number, but it appears to be an older model.
http://www.repocast.com/details.cfm?ID=3040# <------- for bigger pic
This is not the actual one I've got, but it looks just like mine.
A manual would be nice, but another good deal, I believed at the time ($100 dollars from a friend, rarely used it) 3000 PSI pressure washer that does 2.8 GPM (max rated), as much security as possible, and a truck tool box at the front, that I managed to snag for $50. I updated the hose, wand and sprayer before starting it. I checked the oil and gas and made sure everything was good to go.
This is how it's gonna look:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...g Rig/?action=view¤t=trailertoolbox.jpg
I've done some work in the driveway and on the sidewalk to get a feel of how to work with my equipment. First impressions on this particular pressure washer- good strong force. I liked it. I got out my nozzle tip chart and picked out the 15 degree nozzle and played on the concrete with it. It seems like I have hold the nozzle tip 3 inches away from the driveway to make a noticeable difference. As the water hits the driveway, bam, it was instantly clean!
I've picked up a few goodies for the pressure washing rig, such as a hose reel with wheels, but no handle for pulling. You have to grab it from the bottom piece going across, in order to pull it, and then 400 feet of industrial strength isn't exactly light... Sucks. I had to find a way to make one, so I drilled two holes on each side, and found an old children's bunk bed ladder, and drilled holes, and there I had a decent "more-mobile" hose reel. I also found a smaller hose reel and I attached it to the top of the pressure washer. Work's pretty good for now. Anything to make the job go faster, right? Pics up on the handle tomorrow.
Notice the LARGE size can of potato sticks (for a size reference).
I found a turbo nozzle here: http://www.tooloutfitters.com/3000lb-pressure-washer-turbo-nozzle.html
It's about 19 bucks and I'm cheap, so this is a potential bargain for me. From what I've heard is that a turbo nozzle is definitely worth getting. Maybe you guys can provide a bit of feedback on this particular one?
I also have a 15" surface cleaner (Home Depot version).
Another thing too.. There's a small hose attached to the engine right behind the choke switch electrical that looks like its attached to the pump... It looks like it might be a drainage hose, but it has this weird bend at the end that looks like it might go to something... I looked around and found a hole right under the muffler. I just want to make absolute sure that I'm not going to damage my equipment. Is the tube supposed to be in there? It might have gotten knocked loose when I was moving my equipment today
I'm not sure if my stuff sucks but I'll find out in the long run, I guess.
This trailer is around 20 or 30 years old... It has a name on it, says Ole' Reliable. Don't know anything else about it. It has been taken apart to remove as much rust as possible. I'm using a 40 grit wheel on my grinder to remove the paint and rust, then it will be ground smooth with a higher grit. It will be sprayed with rust protective primer, and then sprayed with 3 coats of fire engine red paint. I've still got quite a bit of work to do, but I'd give it another week or two.
After it's ready, I'll be hauling 2 33 gallon water totes, a Briggs & Stratton (Troy-Bilt made) 7.0 HP (which I cannot find anything on my particular model and nowhere on the machine does it say the model number, but it appears to be an older model.
http://www.repocast.com/details.cfm?ID=3040# <------- for bigger pic
This is not the actual one I've got, but it looks just like mine.
A manual would be nice, but another good deal, I believed at the time ($100 dollars from a friend, rarely used it) 3000 PSI pressure washer that does 2.8 GPM (max rated), as much security as possible, and a truck tool box at the front, that I managed to snag for $50. I updated the hose, wand and sprayer before starting it. I checked the oil and gas and made sure everything was good to go.
This is how it's gonna look:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...g Rig/?action=view¤t=trailertoolbox.jpg
I've done some work in the driveway and on the sidewalk to get a feel of how to work with my equipment. First impressions on this particular pressure washer- good strong force. I liked it. I got out my nozzle tip chart and picked out the 15 degree nozzle and played on the concrete with it. It seems like I have hold the nozzle tip 3 inches away from the driveway to make a noticeable difference. As the water hits the driveway, bam, it was instantly clean!
I've picked up a few goodies for the pressure washing rig, such as a hose reel with wheels, but no handle for pulling. You have to grab it from the bottom piece going across, in order to pull it, and then 400 feet of industrial strength isn't exactly light... Sucks. I had to find a way to make one, so I drilled two holes on each side, and found an old children's bunk bed ladder, and drilled holes, and there I had a decent "more-mobile" hose reel. I also found a smaller hose reel and I attached it to the top of the pressure washer. Work's pretty good for now. Anything to make the job go faster, right? Pics up on the handle tomorrow.
Notice the LARGE size can of potato sticks (for a size reference).
I found a turbo nozzle here: http://www.tooloutfitters.com/3000lb-pressure-washer-turbo-nozzle.html
It's about 19 bucks and I'm cheap, so this is a potential bargain for me. From what I've heard is that a turbo nozzle is definitely worth getting. Maybe you guys can provide a bit of feedback on this particular one?
I also have a 15" surface cleaner (Home Depot version).
Another thing too.. There's a small hose attached to the engine right behind the choke switch electrical that looks like its attached to the pump... It looks like it might be a drainage hose, but it has this weird bend at the end that looks like it might go to something... I looked around and found a hole right under the muffler. I just want to make absolute sure that I'm not going to damage my equipment. Is the tube supposed to be in there? It might have gotten knocked loose when I was moving my equipment today
I'm not sure if my stuff sucks but I'll find out in the long run, I guess.