mounting pressure washer?

[bosully76 14]

Hi all,

I am a newbie just north of NYC and I am looking to mount my "blackknight" 13HP cold water general pump pressure to my Ford Ranger truck which has a 6' bed. I was planning to mount 2 hose reels as well. Does anyone know who could do this kind of set up.

Prior to yesterday I was lugging the PW in and out of my truck. However yesterday I took a spill and fractured both my elbows. its not too bad and I plan on working soon but my arms are going to be to weak to pick up the PW. Any advice would be appreciated.

Brian O'Sullivan

30 Pauline Terrace

Rockland County, NY 10965

845-608-3822

[StainlessDeal 16]

Brian, sorry to hear about the elbows! That sounds rough.

I can't help you with anybody local to do the mounting, but there are a l;ot of great members here from NY state, some nearer to you than others I'm sure.

Off the top of my head there are: John Tornabene (John T), Matthew Johnson (Matthew Johnson), and James Bruno (JBruno). I know I'm forgetting plenty of good people, but this is a start. Give some of them a call, and I'll bet they will know somebody to get the work done.

You might also try Matthew's newly minted NY PW Organization, they should be handy to network with in any instance. NYPWC.NET

Anyway, hope this helps a bit, and heal well!:lgwave:

[bosully76 14]

Scott,

I appreciate your advice.

Brian

[MMI Enterprises 289]

Hi Brian...can't help to ask how ya broke both elbow and whether it involved washing chores or not..yikes!..Dude I know it must hurt and all and is rather at your expense but I can't help chuckling at imagining how that went down...I mean were you trying to pressure wash while roller blading or what? :).. ahh never mind... I find humor in every thing.

I wish you the best at getting well and at washing!

ps- I suggest taking a break (no pun) and or just strapping the thing down during transportation. No reason ya can't just leave it in back of truck all the time that way if you already have enough hosing and reals.

Edited May 22, 2008 by MMI Enterprises

[bosully76 14]

Hi Kevin,

i was actually cleaning a house for a guy who lives a block away from me. During the estimate the guy did not want to pay extra for the gutters to be cleaned. He wanted only the siding to be washed. I explained to him that the gutters would be more but he would not go for it. In the proposal I stated I would only do the siding. He is the third house on this block I cleaned and when it was time to pay he had a hissy fit when I did not clean the gutters. I knew right away he was screwing with me but I am concerned about my reputation. To shut him up I decided to clean the gutters free of charge. At the end of the job I was on his second floor deck cleaning the gutters (still fuming) and I did not see the staircase. I fell head first 6' and landed on concrete I suffered a concussion and a fracture on both my elbows. At the end of the day I feel lucky. I felt like I fell 3 stories.

So for the next 2 months my arms will be very weak. I found AAA Hydro Cleaning in New Rochelle, NY and they said they can mount two hose reels and my pressure washer to my truck. I was looking to get this done asap so I could get back to work.

Brian

[Spencer 14]

Brian, I am sure plenty of folks on here will tell you, don't ever let the customer make you feel like you owe them something. If it is not in the contract it does not get cleaned. If you worry about your reputation with people like that you will never get anywhere. This is how it goes. He tells his buddy, tell him to just wash the house and them complain about the gutters and he will do it for free. You are going to run into people like that, there is no avoiding it. You just have to know you held up to your end of the contract and walk away. (WITH THE CHECK) Trust me I used to do the same thing when I started. I soon found out that people take advantage of kindness and this is business. You have to let your quality of work speak for you. I now know that I let the customer know what to expect up front, have them sign a contract then get to work. Oh, one other thing, all of my jobs are secured with a credit card b-4 I even leave the office. You avoid any problems by doing this. Sorry about your injury. Hope you are better soon!

[814jeffw 71]

Man, I've always wondered what stepping off of something like that would be like. I've looked down before, just as I was about to take a step like you did. I have stepped off low to the ground concrete pads or decks, and that's enough of a scare for me.Both arms, and it's just now Summer. I feel for ya'. I think running the washer will probably not be easy for a while. You tense up more than you realize when pulling the trigger.

Jeff

[bosully76 14]

This was a hard learning experience for me. I got used stackable hose reels mounted to my truck along with plenty of hose to go along with it and a used dual wand for $500.00. I felt that was a good deal.

As far as pressure washing I am going to hire one of my buddies to help me.

Each day I gain more mobility in my arms and I hope to be back in 2 weeks.

Brian

[We Wash Concrete 64]

Brian,

Sorry to hear about your accident. I was just thinking of a couple of things that may make your jobs a little bit easier.. I've seen Delco's got a Trigger Lock to hold safely hold the trigger in the on position. This may relieve some stress off the hands. I've heard of some using a tennis ball to hold the trigger open, but I've never tried that. You could also use a ball valve if you wanted, although it would add more weight. That dual lance wand will also add more weight also, I would only use it when I have too.

Also, do some searching (if you havn't already) for certain chemicals to make the job much less labor intensive (if you don't know about these already). I could imagine brushing gutters would be very difficult for you, theres soaps out there that will let you clean with little to no brushing. Also, if you do much flatwork, like driveways, a surface cleaner would be a good investment to give your elbows a rest.

Don't ever let a customer push you around. A reputation for being pushed into doing things for free is almost as bad as a reputation for doing poor work. Don't know if you give written estimates out or not, but this is where a written estimate comes in handy.

Again, sorry about your fall. I hope the rest of the season goes much better for you!

Edited May 23, 2008 by We Wash Concrete

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Try this version but with the unit straight with the back of the bed.

http://www.seedirtrun.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/179

Rod!~

[MMI Enterprises 289]

God God Brian, yer lucky yer still around!!. Likewise as others I have almost stepped off into bad situations...worst I suffered from my cleaning career was a dislocated toe almost two decades back from running around a counter while doing floors. I kicked into a wall pretty hard. It was totally backwards in my shoe while finishing the job. A chiro xrayed it and but just said he couldn't touch it. Hours later I froze it and then clicked it back in.

But man..broken elbows??.. you musta felt useless. Hope that guy paid ya and sent flowers.

[Douglas Hicks 128]

A friend in Olympia, Wa used eye-bolts in the floor,tie down straps over the PW and into the eye-bolts. he is satisfied, and it keep the PW in place.

I used 1/4 x 4 x 36 straps bolted to the floor. Then had caps made to fit over the axles ( I tossed the wheels). The caps were drilled as were the straps. The straps were tapped and then the caps bolted to the straps. That has held my Delco for approximatly 200,000 miles and 9 years.

Fire that customer, he is not what you need. In your contracts, tell what you will do & more importantly, what you will not do. " Any changes that result in extra cost will only be performed upon a signed contract"

[bosully76 14]

Thanks for all the advice and support. I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day Weekend!

Brian

[MudDuck 20]

Yea that guy knew all along he was going to hissy over the gutters and see if you'll do them free at the end just to get your check. He was just "fishing" you and as said I guarantee you any jobs he refers you to will do the same thing because he will tell them to hold off on the "extra" stuff and hit you with it in the end.

Never fails when you get trapped into something extra free like that is when something go's wrong or tears up. Never fails.