Tracy Handl
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Posts posted by Tracy Handl
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Of course this will get grayed out in about 3 to 6 months. As long as they are happy, then it's all good. If they don't like the weathered look later, maybe a little light brown can be used when you mantainance.
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a zero degree tip was used. Be carfule when using those shooter tips!
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Being one of the biggest suppiers of the X-Jet and M5 X-Jet, I often get sent units to test that are replicas of X-Jets. I try them all and have yet to find one that works as well. As stated eairlier, the design is extremley good and copies all seem to fall a bit short. That's why we love them and continue to offer them. I'd be interested in your designs if only for the fun. Let me know what ya'll come up with if you do try this. Those of you who love to tinker, have fun with it, and for those of you who don't, let me know if you need an X-jet. ;)
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Not really that scary. Maybe a little when I was at the door, but even then, I just sort of went with it. I either make it or not. Worring about it won't do anything. At the point of the door it's a bit late to back out. It was fun to fly, but staying grounded is cool too!
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sometimes a guy has to play as well. So Sat. of last weekend, I played HARD. See pictures below. What an awesome adventure! Really cool.
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Sorry guy's. We don't ship bleach as it uasually is not cost effective to ship. Was only posting to show the price.
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We sell it at $1.90 per gal with a $25 purchase of anything else. $2.10 per gal if bought alone.
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As a distibutor I often hear how folks can make something for less than manufactuers charge. In some cases that is true. But often it is not. Here's why. Buying power is something that manufacturers have over single makers. A manufacturer buys parts for assembly at much better rates because they buy more at one time. Therefore the costs are lower. Also, there is usually a planned assembly that keeps costs lower than one time assemblies from scratch. On the surface your numbers look good. I did not see you take into account whip lines for connecting hose reels to the machine, or hose barbs and filters and lines from your water tank. Tie downs or U-bolts, etc need to be accounted for also. Plus labor is a factor in assembly. Most don't count their own labor, but ask yourself, if you worked for the manufacturer, wouldn't you want to get paid to assemble? So your labor has to count for something. The $1500 you say you are saving, in my experience can get eaten up rather quickly when every item used in making that trailer unit gets accounted for. Of course there is also a convienance factor too. Their unit is already made and you just go to work when you get it. That can be worth a lot in itself. Most distributors I know really want to help the contractor. While it is true some items may be able to be made for about the same or slightly less than the selling price, often the savings don't outweigh the efforts.
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Glad to have helped. You can always contact me with RS questions also. I'm here to help YOU!
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Yes, RS does make a clear sealer. Sealers you see in the big box stores that say they are clear do have a little pigment in them. RS's clear is clear - no pigment at all. It is not advertized or pushed much because if used, you get NO UV protection. Most contractors that I know use it to do maintanance work. They usually mix a little of the original color RS that was used into the clear just to spruce up the look, so it won't get much darker, while adding to the water protection. There is no price difference. If the customer wants the gray, weathered-look, then the clear is ok, but as most of you know, that is not what folks usually want. They want the natural look of the wood, but you as a contractor need to educate them that the pigment provides the UV protection. That is why the colors are promoted and not the clear. You can custom blend any of the RS colors together or with clear, but remember, you have to match again later, so keep good records.
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It's hard to answer your question as you have not provided any details about what the trailer will carry. Weight will be a consideration as I'm sure you know. Are you going to run a hot water machine? They create a lot of heat and enclosed trailers have issues to deal with when hot machines are installed in them. I would love to help you more with this. Give me a call and we can discuss all of your options.
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The machines we promote all have a plug on the machine. You then hook into a socket. The basic reason for this is to protect the o-ring from coming out when disconnecting. Water flowing INTO the socket will help keep the o-ring in it, while water flowing out of the socket has a tendency to push the o-ring out while disconnecting. It's really a personal choice about using QC's on a hose reel. Many like it but many do not. They are cause of bulk on the reel. They are convienant for swapping hoses. I like using the FPT couplers in between lengths and using a QC at the ends. Less likely to come apart; less likely to leak; less bulk on the reel. A previous post in this thread mentioned to keep pipe wrenchs at hand. Boy Scout motto: Be prepared! Whichever way you use, that motto should be used.
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Dual lance wands work becuase they divert FLOW. Pressure is achieved from a combination of flow and orifice size. With a singlre lance, flow is constant and to adjust pressure, you change the orifice size of the nozzle. Hence changing nozzles. The dual wand allows one orifice size to be used and then you divert the flow. As less water pushes through the nozzle, the pressure is less. The more water you send to the nozzle, the higher the pressure. Fairly simple concept, but very effective results for pressure changes.
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the dealer that has the Rowlett formulation.
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As more folks are getting into PW due to the times, and as this post has been trying to help startups get off on the right foot, SBS wants to help also. We have a manual - "Starting Up a New Pressure Washing Business - Lots of Stuff You Need to Know" which usually goes for $29.95, which we will offer for FREE to anyone who provides their contact info. Please e-mail me your Name, address, Phone number and e-mail address to tracy@sunbritesupply.com and I will get you the manual for FREE! We know how hard it is to make choices about equipment, chems., etc. when just getting started. Budgets get streched before the money starts coming in, and bad investments get costly. Let us help! No one was there to show us how to get started and looking back, things could have been done differently to be more profitable early on. Let us give a little back by offering this info so you as the new contractor can get of on the right track and make it great start to your new venture!
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Hope it all works out Jeff. It's rough when the Ex gets nasty. Best wishes for everything to go a smooth as possible.
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As I don't get to check these boards all the time, never hesitate to call me with any questions (or e-mail me direct - tracy@sunbritesupply.com) I'm happy to help as best I can. Hope that works as well for you as I expect it will. This board is great for help, but those kind of tech questions are not a problem to be asked. No question is dumb, and although I can get busy at times, they are never a bother either. Your distributors are your teammates. Don't be afraid to"put them in" coach! Happy pressure washing!:lgjump:
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Inquiring minds want to know.........
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Great looking work there Doug! Hope you got before and after pictues! They should really have high contrast.
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You probably do, but I wanted to make sure. Are you using bleach alone, or is there soap added to you solution? Bleach by itself is NOT a cleaner. It's an action chem ( the release of the oxegen is what really does the work) but there needs to be a surfactant to help the water work better. The "soap" will allow the water to lift the stain out by creating affinity with the stain material and the water molecules. As was stated by the speaker at the Myrtle Beach roundtable, more (stronger) bleach doesn't
necessarily make things better. Because the oxegen release happens faster when it's stronger, in some situations, more damage may occure, but not neccessarily more cleaning. Using bleach is fine, but used much above 3% should be cause for great concern for the substrate. Just food for thought.
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Stain won't get downstreamed. You'll need to put stains on vai another method like Adrain mentioned. Chems can be applied via machine, but a lot of guys just want to mix the chems at the desired strength and then apply. They feel there is no room for error then. Many methods exist. Pick what works best for you. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.
Sincerely,
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Doug made some good points but I think in your situation, this is a great time for you to start.
1) You have a job for income so the slow times won't hurt you. (Don't take on more than you can chew for now)
2) If you first start in spring when its go-go-go time, you will be working out the kinks when they should already be worked out.
3) you mention you need experience - I'll bet there are things around your house that needs washing. What better place to start. (depending on where you are, make sure there are not water restrictions that only allow licensed contractors to wash) Also, a little free work for the neighbors strengthens relations, and gets you experience.
4) It's true, the economy is tough right now, but now is the time to develop your marketing strategy. Do a little testing of it. Tweak it. Then you will be ready for the fast and furious time.
5) Start with a cold water unit. About $1500 will get you a great one. You can always add hot water for under $2000.00 With todays technology, soaps allow you to do more with cold water than ever before.
I say go for it. Follow your dream, but use common sense. Start slow and use your distibutors, fellow contractors, and own experiences to build the best business you possibly can! Good luck and let me know if I can assist in any way.
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two worst topics to discuss......LOL Have a great Labor Day everyone!:usa:
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Woman or not, I don't think he'll win.
Washing concrete around a pool
in Residential Pressure Washing
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You can adust your pressures on a surface cleaner just like on your wand. Change the orifice size and the result will be a different pressure. Also, the degree will change the impact. so use the combibation to get whatever pressure you need. Most folk I talk to use the surface cleaner and use a suitable pressure.