doublejager2000 14 Report post Posted November 30, 2006 im getting into pressurewashing and im looking for the best deal on a direct drive washer for the $ im looking for 1 around $1200 and would like to know what kind of hours to look for out of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barry M 73 Report post Posted December 1, 2006 You can get a brand new one at Lowes for $1000. Have you considered a belt driven unit? They last much longer and don't have to be gravity feed when drawing from a tank. Use the search fuction and get all the facts before buying. GL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doublejager2000 14 Report post Posted December 1, 2006 i know about the belt drive but to get started without getting into my 401K and mutual funds i dont have enough for a belt drive. if it will last me 200 hours i will be happy . every cent i make the first year will get reinvested in eqip, and my bizz. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick at HMSGA 14 Report post Posted December 1, 2006 i know about the belt drive but to get started without getting into my 401K and mutual funds i dont have enough for a belt drive. if it will last me 200 hours i will be happy . every cent i make the first year will get reinvested in eqip, and my bizz. Why would a p/washer from Lowe's or HD where what they sell is usualy geared towards a d-i-y'er, but still sold with a Honda engine last only 200 or some other small # of hours, while a Honda engine on a commercial-grade p/washer (even with the same hp ratings) run for thousands of hours if it is maintained properly? I don't believe that Honda is ever going to intentionally build anything that is intended for such a short life, and that their overall reputation is worth more than that to them. I agree that there are places we really need heavy-duty hot water skid mounted equipment, like for commercial use or flatwork, but for residential work, house, deck, even driveway, anything more than 3,000 psi is more than one would normally need for most residential work. You can and maybe should p/wash houses and decks with a lot less pressure than 3,000 + psi anyway. Let the chemical do the bulk of the work, use the machine to apply chems and rinse and detail. I think that most of that is marketing. Remember those 10-15-20 water heaters, when the ONLY thing different between them was the price??? All marketing. It would have been too expensive for them to produce so many variations of the same thing. Get what you need, sure, but most residential work can be done with a nice (and preferably belt-drive) 3,000 psi machine. Maintain it properly and it will last for years. The first thing to go bad will probably be the unloader or pump, and those are affordable enough to buy another one, or rebuild the bad one if you are handy enough. I have small both direct and belt drive Honda (I like their 13HP and less) machines that I have had for close to 10 years, and they still run just fine. For commercial work I agree that hot water and higher psi is a must, and nice to have for all the time, but for residential work (where ALL of us should start off anyway) an affordable machine, and some well-spent $$ for marketing should help you get started. As you progress and can and should buy better equipment, then these little cold water machines are great for backup use so you are not totally out of business when your big machine is down. Many people are terribly underfunded to begin with, maybe to the point they should not even try to start a business, but that doesn't stop most of them. Try not to be so strapped financially just trying to get into business that you cannot afford to stay in business until business picks up for you and you are profitable and successful. I have also seen many nice machines at reasonable prices at your local pawn shop where someone else was maybe underfunded and didn't make a go of it. Maybe not new ones, but once you know what to look for goof machines that will last a couple of years for a tight price are plentiful. You can also find reposessed equipment at finance places... Just one (very practical, sometimes maybe too much so) man's humble opinion... Happy P/Washing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikew 14 Report post Posted December 1, 2006 New belt drives for around $1200 http://www.rentalduty.com/rentalduty_13hp.html Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R. Williamson 14 Report post Posted December 1, 2006 A 13 hp Honda engine will last for about 2000 hours. The pump is the weak link but will still last a few years of moderate work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doublejager2000 14 Report post Posted December 1, 2006 patrick i maybe under funded but its a part time bizz starting . if it gets bigger even better. i work nights and cant sleep half the time so why not make a little money. plus with the people i know i should not have a problem getting my feet off the ground at some point...... what you start with is not everything its what youdo with what you have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick at HMSGA 14 Report post Posted December 1, 2006 patrick i maybe under funded but its a part time bizz starting . if it gets bigger even better. i work nights and cant sleep half the time so why not make a little money. plus with the people i know i should not have a problem getting my feet off the ground at some point...... what you start with is not everything its what youdo with what you have. PLEASE go back and read my post again - I'm on YOUR side.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
usarose 18 Report post Posted January 14, 2007 im getting into pressurewashing and im looking for the best deal on a direct drive washer for the $ im looking for 1 around $1200 and would like to know what kind of hours to look for out of it. The diference between direct drive and belt driven = direct drive uses a smaller space but the close proximity of the pump and motor gives you a overheating pump that does not last very long - belt drive is a bigger footprint but a cooler running pump. The Honda engine will last as long IMO but the pump is the difference. There have been big improvements in direct drives but think about very few industrialunits are direct drive. Some hot water units use direct drive in the interest of compactness. Work out the cu (Cleaning units) before you buy a pressure washer - 2000psi at 1.6GPM = 3200 cu 3000psi at 3.6GPM =10800 cu If you buy a unit with not enough cu you will be wasting your time and your customers as well. Put another way a drive way will take 10 hours and look OK for a short time but with more cu you could do the driveway in 2/3 of the time - it will look better and because of the shorter time used this reduces your cost per hour and increases your profit $$$. Don't sell your services for too few $$$ you should get about $100+ per hour at least. Rob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
