gutterdog

Just thought I'd step in here. I started with a 2550 and got another one. Settin ladders and all. had 2 goin the same time years ago. You need to invest in the cheapest commercial power washer I found. The dewalt 4gpm at the depot. lowes has a deer model. I like the dewalt. The legs will fall off... If you want to replace the cord you have to take the engine off the chassis, and more. what i heard is dewalt is working on these flaws. Its a great honda engine a general pump and the right quick connects that the class power washer you are using cant use. cant use the stuff described in here. you need atleast 4gpm. The dewalt will get you started. The pressure line is cheap but lasted 3 years till it burst. These guys in here are real good with wood. They use chems, all low pressure. With what you are using for wood I dont think you could damage wood? I dont know??? Take my advice and move up to the bottom of comercial power washers. the dewalt.

Im going to be good with downstreaming eventually. Takes time. Hands on experience. And alot of reading. Oh and I got pics just as goood as yall! lol!!! I seem to post them wrong? Right now i love my xjet!

The XJDS Idea I had didnt work. So I bought 40 feet of that tube for the xjet and put a ball valve on it.

lol!!! I did say some swear by it! (downstreaming)!! I just got one and had an idea to use the downsram and xjet combo that didnt work. Other than that I still havent used the down stream for anything yet. I know you have to adjust your chems stronger to make up the difference with the xjet. I didnt say that right. The chems have to be mixed stronger for downstreamin vs. xjet.

downstreaming sucks. adjust your bucket, to make it work for house washing, or get an xjet or build a shure flow. some people swear by downstreaming?

.... do what I did. Go through the old threads....then ask.

how are you wasning the deck? There are 2 prices. for me anyway.

ROOF CLEANING Basically with the sureflow helpin apply the chem straight. That is needed! Used the pump up sprayer last first time with these chems.How does the chem shoot out? Do you spray a long mist for the high up stuff? Cant do that when its windy! LOL!! is it like my xjet? 40 feet? I got the original. The xjet mixes it to weak at 100% 12.5%, 5 gal bucket. Im getting the sureflo 1.8gpm/ 60 psi. Send me in the right direction. Please. Chem needs to be applied 100%. Without walkin the roof.

Hey Dan! I still hold a 4.0 at p.g.c.c. , lol!!! Never finished my associate. I was 38 when I went back to school. 42 now. About rich people! In NC I worked 3 jobs. one was for a millionaire. He paid me 6 dolllars an hour to do handyman stuff, laborer stuff, around his house. Honestly I was happy with the extra money. This was just 10 years a go or so.

Thats what Ive been doing wrong. Great thread! Very much so! Almost lowballed myself out of existence. Found me some beter areas. Reading reading reading. I'll get it right!

This was way too funny not to share today. On way to house wash seen a competitors outdoor sign. Before I could stop Jeff, my helper almost 4 years, jumped out the truck ran up to the sign doin a flying side kick!!! lol!!! hehehe... anyway! the sign was on a solid steel post!!! fell back on his ass!!! kodak moment!!! musta been 3 feet in the ground. the sign didnt budge!! Jeff wrestled with that sign good 5 minuites! The sign was written on an old board with paint, and lots or runs in the paint. lol!!! It had to go!! This a new thread to share funny moment like this one!!! Hey I was protecting my area from an obviously uninsured gutter cleaner!!

After the big franchse messup I was next. I was gettin more and more of that! I was gettin that for free! I wasnt #1 yet.. #2 on the rise! in my area! SEO baby and word of mouth.

One of the goals of mine. Was to touch and be noticed by the biggest companies, 'round here! I accomplished that. I did it. I have nuthing but good memories. And I Cant Wait to get started again! I got all this stuff in my shed!!! The graphics on the truck. All this money in chems goin bad. I'm going to make some money with my sisters truck!hehehe

I posted the new thread. Celeste and Beth! Yall some characters!! I mean that in a good way now!! I made alot of stupid mistakes!!! I sure did!! LOL!!! Oh well... Pick up the pieces and start over!

A thread should be started... How did you survive the recession. Did you survive? What changes did you make to win the recession? Think I'll do it. The most help people need now. Smaller companies like me... New companies... Its been sugested to me to leave this forum way before it got ugly. What is happening is what I got told would happen. This forum needs a kick in the butt! It has gotten too comfortable in here. This website has forgotten why it was started. That is if there was love, and a belief, a vision. I think there was that. How could it last so long! I found this one first! I assume this is the #1 forum for guys, that do what we do. There is something here. Something good. I get it from the guys that comment, what I read in the old threads. There is something here. Something good. Its so competitive now, nobody sharing too many secrets. Way friendlier to each other back in the old threads. Wish I was there then instead of now.

Well thank you Sir!!!

Thats just not fair Adrian, but what the heck!:)

Hey Sam! I think alot of people could learn from this thread! What NOT to do!! LOL!! hehehe. Dont do it the hard way and find out for youself!! Read this thread! Learn all the mistakes I've made and shared in here!! Learn from my mistakes, and dont make them. Some are very costly! I have this whole look on this situation. And Its very positive bro! Check this out! This is what I messaged to The school teacher in facebook!!! mmmm!!! I like!! I worded a new flyer with you 3rd party Idea!!!Last night. Funny thing happened yesterday. This one I cant recover from like I have been able to in the past. I had a nice lil egg in the bank. Awesome spring this year! Tried some new advertising... cost almost 3,000 in 2 months. Didnt come close to paying for itself. Wiped out everything in the bank. LOL!!Was down in st marys yesterday right down street from your old th. Repeat customer going to. The bottom of the truck caught on fire, lol!!! Me and Jeff kept the fire under control till the fire truck showed up. Now I have no truck, and tags off of camaro!! LOL!! I'm going to keep the website up and work some more on SEO. Go to work for some one else for a while. Gonna be hard with no work history last 5 years. GUTTERDOGS will be comming, in a couple of months, to a theatre near you! Found out today that certain demographic areas, the median home price is 1,500,000!! I'm going to make a push, or campaign, in those areas. I been cat fightin with the lowballers in so md. and pg. To no avail. Price I've been charging to compete has put me in this financial position. Once the truck is back on the road, I'll be doing Gutterdogs on the weekend. Way smarter than 5 years ago! Still have my class A drivers license!! Paid the xtra to renew it. Kept it just in case of this! Many places around here I could walk or ride a bike to!! that has tractor trailer drivers. Not worried 1 bit! Heck, with the equpment I have now, and know how, work for some one else durring the week and wash a few houses on the weekend, in the high dollar demographic areas I know of now! and make $800-$1000? More than what I made the whole week! This is acctually better Sam!! Medical, Dental, No scraping by in the winter delivering telephone books for pennies, lol!!! Child suport taken out, Never getting behind on that! WOO HOO!!! This is the way I'm going!!! Came back to add this! I tried the "get you mind out of the gutter" slogan, or was it get your mind in the gutter?! Thought it was the shiznit of slogans!!! It hurt business. Bought new biz card!! Everything had it!!!! It hurt business for about 2 months! LOL hehehe...

Hey guys... This has been comming on since after the spring debri cleanings were done. It was a GOOD spring too! Had a nice little egg in the bank!!! How do I say this and you understand how positive I am about this? I've just very recently understood the mistakes I have made over the years. The economy was booming. Anyone could make mistakes and live well. In a hurried, what I thought was an educated decision. I Decided to try and match the lowballers best I could with the bills I had. In the area I was in. Median house price 350,000. (just learned all this today!) I am making a decision, based on what it may cost to fix the damage to the truck, after the bottom caught on fire yesterday, Bills to keep a roof over my head etc. The mistake with the sponsored link advertising, wiped out my savings (the egg in the bank), The other truck repair and computer blue screening and had to buy another computer... but I managed to get back up a little and survive that just barely. Couldnt advertise anymore. worked on SEO. The mistake I realized, yesterday, about advertising in the WRONG demographic area. I found out today that not too far from me there are counties where the median house price is about a million and a half dollars. Why didnt I advertise there? Didnt know. I Found a website today.That is how I learned all this. This year I have learned what I wish I knew 5 years ago. I'd be sitting real pretty right now. Enjoying all thing you guys are! I sold and delivered beer for 16 years and did Gutterdogs on weekends for a half a year or so then went full time. Temporarilly I'm joining some friends I know who have decided to go out of buisiness. Increasing my knowledge as much as possable for a couple of months. Earn the money to get the truck fixed by working for someone else in walking distance, or the bus. I have no vehicle. LOL! I'll keep a roof over my head and the internet! Wish I knew about the demographic areas, the x-jet, chems I know now... all that before this year. What you guys been saying makes sense now about the lowballer mentality. In these neighborhoods Im in, it WAS the only way to go. Believe it or not! Since the recession Some customers choked on $79! The area I was in. Gonna be nice working for someone else!!! It really will!!! If company goes out of business, It wouldnt be my fault!!! As soon as the truck is back on the road. I'll be doing Gutterdogs on the weekends! Shopping at sunbrite again, seeing old friends and customers again! Untill then working on SEO, and everything else. Just tell callers temporarily out of buisiness. A whole lot smarter. A new begining! A whole new GUTERDOGS!!! Comming, in a couple of months, to a theatre near you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep banging it in my head guys. I HAVE changed some things. I HAVE learned. Got a phone call from a real nice fellow washer other day. (I've acctually goten a few phone calls, PM in here, and from my website.) I'm going to try his strategy in neighborhoods. In turn when his site is up, teach him what i've learned about SEO. I think this thread is so popular, maybe, because I'm just saying it like it is. I thought I was a lil smart. Still think I am, but not as much as before. I'm NOT going to feel bad about myself, crawl up in a knot, and give up. I'm also a guy you can pick on and feel superior. In many ways you are. Heck you have been in buisiness longer and GET the price! Others come here to have a laugh. This is the water cooler right???

Good Morning! I learned alot in here. Thanks for the knowledge. This does seem to be a popular thread?

Hey Rick! Stuff happens! Cant be walkin around with kneepads, elbow pads, rain gear, Helmet, eye protection, Wearing a mask all the time. Looking like an alien fron another planet! Here a lil funny thing too back in the beginning when I only had one ladder and no ladder rack. Back when I was just doing this on weekends. All I had was a 24 ft ladder back then. Bungie corded it to the front bumper. Very long bungie cord. If bungie cords are color coded for length it was black. Cant remember how I secured the back. Kept a rag where the ladder rubbed up against the paint. Any way Jake (my first helper and mentor, 30 years exp.) was in the truck smokin a cig while I was securing the ladder. It came loose and got me in my forehead. Geeze!! I bled and laughed my a## off for 10 -15 min? There was a puddle of blood in front of the truck! I didnt get back into the truck till it stopped bleeding. We both laughed out butts off! When you get hurt. Laugh!!! It doesnt hurt as much. Think about how stupid you were to get hurt! And how funny that is!!! Dont do it again! A helper I had for a lil bit while he was laid off. This guy a knuckle head bad ass man.Forgot his name... Dan? Forgot the name of what he does. Pile driver was one. very dangerous. makes us look like P.... What we do. The going thing in his trade. No kidding around. Very dangerous job. If you get hurt... It means a certain part of your anatomy just got bigger. Thats what he told me. that how they talk in his field of work. Isnt this why the customer calls us? Instead of them doing it them selves? Another time... Had 7 gutter cleans at the price I used to charge, one day! ( miss them prices!!!). I set the little giant ladder I keep on the truck. got more in the shed. Anyway! The ladder slipped. I was 10 -15 feet in the air on the ladder handing leaf blower to Jeff. The ladder slipped. I fell backwards onto the ladder. OUCH!!! Hitting the deck wouldve been better. Hitting dirt wouldve been better than that! I fell on the ladder, LOL!!! I was outa breath seeing stars. Couldnt walk. Home owner heard me fall. Came running out. I was so embarrased! She wanted to call 911. I said NO! gonna finish this job and get the rest of them! And I did! I miss the prices I used to get.100, 120, 140, 160. Like to get them again. Stole another from franchise today. Only because missed cleaning the downspout 2 times. Even after the call back. BUTTT... My truck caught on fire down the bottom of ST. Marys today. The transmission fluid leaking was on fire because I pushed it to hard. It was take pics of something I never seen before or save my truck! I never seen anything like this before. I only go down there for repeat customers any more. Me and Jeff kept the fire under control with the pump up sprayer and water that was in it. Till the fire dept showed up. Guess it was too much for my '96. This I'm not laughing at. Cause I wont have a truck for a week prob. And the bill... Another expensive learning lesson this year. lesson learned is with a ladder rack full of ladders and 2 heavy toolboxes. That is too much weight to be driving in overdrive. The 25 gallons of hydroxite I still got on the back of the truck for roof tomorow aint doin now. well not tomorow. Too much weight to drive in overdrive to save gas. This year of learning to grow... made alot of mistakes.Trying to Push forward in a messed up economy. ... chances I've taken. This year! I went up there spending with the big boys in sponsored links! Aint doin that no more. What I've learned today and all the time I share here. None of it is BS. 'cause I gotta give back, for what I've learned here. Seems like you 2 girls wanna run me outa here. Why? I'm no threat to any one? And there I'm going to stop. No I'm not. Real quick then I'm going to sleep. MHIC? What do you know bout MHIC down in sc or nc wherever you at? Beth been talkin to ya? yea she has. Beth... whatever. ARE yall scared of me? Dont be. because I'm not out to hurt a friend. What I do is legal and not in MHIC. Ive spent about 2 hours on this thread. And rod I'm not sending the bill to any one.

Its ok now. Thanks!

Thanks man. Yea I do!!! who wouldnt? I'll let everyone know how it goes next house wash estimate!

Sam. Figure out a name for your company. Dixie cleaners? Call dixie! Get the dba so noone else can use it in your state. Get a website. I can help you on that later! where to go to get a website that has easy tools. Add the website to your signature. There are benifits to this! Sounds like you off to a better start than me. 5 years ago!!!!! I need to hit you up for some advice man!!! hell yea!!!