tidyjet

Scott, which gloves do you like from microflex?

Lou, I'm chiming in with Beth on this one. Ditto. I'm dealing w/Tom Vogel, he has been indeed straight and forthcoming. I think it's important to deal w/someone whose going to service what they sell and has many yrs experience as a powerwasher. Tom is willing to drive the 3 1/2 hrs between him and I. That means a lot. If you are not particularly technically adept when it comes to hydraulics and small motors, you really should consider working w/someone who is. Have you considered rigging the bed of your pickup w/a skid unit and a couple of reels just to get started and perhaps forgoing the expense of a trailer and water tank until next season? Tom has rigged many units in this manner. He's driving down our way to deliver several Hydrotek units this saturday in Madison. We'll be configuring 3 rigs. You might want to drive on down to check it out and see what we're doing. Perhaps Tom could bring another unit down for you. I like that Water Cannon. But, it looks a major space hog as far as skids go; it's huge. paul (fellow newbie in training)

When I'm on the road w/less than 5 bucks in my pocket, the most bang for the buck is at Wendy's. A baked potato w/sour cream & chive, a bowel of chili and a cup of ice water. It's good, good for ya and only 2 bucks plus tax and I'm full.

I purchased my insurance from Erie. They've an office in town. I got to deal one on one (no mailing money order and what have you). The agency also gave me job leads as well as how to get involved w/a group of business reps and owners of various sorts who meet every friday morning and network w/one another. They took a personal check and the best part, Erie's rate was less than 1/2 what Joe Walter wanted for the same amount of coverage. (not to mention the fact in the future I'll be able to cover my home and personal vehicles w/them if I chose too.) I couldn't help to wonder if folks in the pressure washing industry were getting taken advantage of by unscrupulous insurance companies. www.erie-insurance.com paul

twigonestop.com can help you produce some cool looking stuff and the price is reasonable.

Tony, What kind of gas mileage are you getting w/your new Chevy both w/and without the trailer attached? paul

Your doctor should be your first customer.

I like the pic showing the snow blowing over the telephone poles. They contract with the province to maintain somewhere around 50km of primary and secondary roads. They also contract with logging companies to clear forest roads. I operated one of their loaders with a V-plow attached through 3 ft of snow, that was fun. The blowers are huge remotely powered units (big Cat diesels). It's preferred to blow with a loader because it gives more versatility through various depths such as drifts. All the various blowers and blades are quick-connect, even on the trucks. They're close to the St Lawerence river, consequently lots of wind, lots of drifts and blowing snow back onto the roadways. paul

Attached is how my cousins' (4 brothers) move snow in Quebec. I don't know how many events they get but they're usually big and so are the bucks. paul

I posted pics I had of Bate's rig in the equipment gallery. As I mentioned in the truck thread, I'm in process of fashioning my rig likewise. It will have a Hydro-tek SS30005VH and 225g tank. As a newbie I think this setup is the biggest bang for the buck. It's simple, small, efficent and more than enough for me to get started. Fortunate to have Bates as a mentor, paul

Tim, I'm sorry to hear about that. I suffer from worn discs in my lower back and frequently experience severe pain especially after working arduously. But I learned how to deal with it so that I could do this job I've chosen to do. Perhaps you've already read up and understand this better than I. There are many good books on the subject. I found a very good one several year ago when I was sidelined with particularly acute pain. It was: 7-Steps To a Pain-Free Life by Robin McKenzie. (He's a PT and was instrumental in vehicle mfgs. building vehicles with seats with better lumbar support.) It gave me a great deal of understanding as to how the spine is built and what's the deal w/those discs and how to care for them The wear and tear of working hard all my life has taken it's toll on my back. If I can't PW clean, I don't see where I could handle much of any other task in life be it lifting a broom or even supervising people, hell its hard on my back even sitting in front of this pc. I suffer from chronic lower back pain but I deal with it with proper stretch techniques, anti-inflamatories (eg. Advil) and a daily dose of cod liver oil. Having a nurse for a wife who's a good massuse is a godsend. Proper preventative maintenance is key to our equipment and our bodies. It's an occupational and health thing we all need to be congizant of; the right way and wrong way of doing things that affect our back and our health. In this work all are very susceptable to back injury and pain. Good luck, you'll work it out. paul

Chevy Silverado 1-ton 7.4L Dually Reg Cab PU. Bed covered w/Contractors cap. Easy to maneuver in tight places. Compact yet capable. Quick and easy access to equipment. Carries everything I need including 225 gal of water. I like the idea of an enclosed trailer but want has little to fuss with as possible. This should save me time due to easy maneuverability and ease of access to equipment. eg. operation of PW and unreeling/reeling of hoses via right side door. I haven't started my first job yet but my goal is to have a set-up whose efficiency allows me to accomplish more jobs in a given day. time is money

How about magnetic business cards? They tend to get placed on metal surfaces such as fridge doors as opposed to pitched in the trash or becoming litter. Place them where you were placing flyers. I've also created interest by cold calling on small businesses. My bank is also interested in my services. paul

This too is intriquing, the ability to do work you'd normally do in the office whilst out between jobs. From a time savings standpoint, this might be cost effective. paul

Indeed. The point of my original post. paul

Great idea, I'll look into that.

Scott, I think VOIP is the "future". Unfortunately my broadband carrier does not offer it and Vonage can't offer me a local area code (yet). I'll patiently wait. In the meantime I'll consoladate our cell phones on a family plan with over 1600 mins. That'll work for us for now as far as the business is concerned. paul

I'd like to get some feedback from you guys using websites. I think this is one of the most effective marketing tools for the market segment I'm targeting. I would prefer trainable and educated customers. They'll expect a URL on my business card so as to get more information about my services if they would chose to. eg. a buddy of mine w/a photography business finds that 80% of his hits are during business hours and w/broadband connections. This tells him that he can go heavy with graphics and flash on his site amongst other things. Most of his customers are shopping the web not the yellow pages. For the market segment I'm targeting, I think a website will be very effective. I'd like to be able to optimize my site so that the guy who's looking/searching/googling for information about pressure washing, or about buying a pressure washer would come across my service on the 1st page search and perhaps opt to simply have me perform the service for him. At least he'll be able to get an education on power/pressure washing on the site. Most importantly, it'll help me in qualifying my customer. My question to those of you with websites is how effective a tool in your box is it? And how are you using it? paul

Beth n Rod, Yes I'm planning on attending. I've a friend whose interested and might attend as well. You might as well count 2. paul

Then, in a nutshell, a website is just one tool to have and utilize out of the marketing toolbox. Thanks everyone for the feedback. paul Tidyjet Clean (coming soon)

Has anybody got any experience with dry ice blasting? Looks efficient. No water - can use where you don't want water like in interior spaces, mold abatement and electric motors etc. I think it's impressive because there's no moisture involved. But maybe it's not cost effective. Pretty impressive. paul

Look at what you can do with this: http://www.rsg-technologies.com/applications.htm

I dun'no. For around 4k plus shipping you can get a new unit (and warranty) from Delco. Even with the additional essentials it seems to me that one can get new for not much more. Why bother with the used?

This is along the lines of the way I'm thinking Henry. There's also no question about the WOW effect w/regard to webpages. Everyone here has done a great job on their web page productions I'm working towards getting the above lined up and doing business as an LLC. I'm actually less concerned about the equipment (for the moment) which I don't have yet. I to am experiencing the same frustrations Lou vented about in that respect. And why are folks trying to get nearly what they paid for their used stuff? Com'on let's get real! ....oops, sorry that should be in the "venting" thread. If I do get jobs before being operational equipment wise; I'm certain someone will be happy to contract with me to take care of those jobs. Beth, I've noted your good web work. Hopefully I'll have my logo/illustration ready to show you Roundtable time. Once I have that I can create the uniformity between business card, website, and illustration on truck and/or trailer.

I checked this one. The frame has been majorly hacked up and no where near original. The control panel is laying loose. The engine fuel tank is history. (fuel was siphoned from the pu truck tank). The burner fuel tank is some sort of non OSHA approved piece. This is definetly not worth the asking price.