suzuki98 14 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 First off I would like to say thanks to all for the excellent information I am obsorbing here in this forum. Now the questions: 1) What pump would you prefer...Cat or General? 2) Why would a 3500psi 4 gpm pw cost more than 4000psi 4 gpm pw? The only difference is the pump. The 3500 psi is cat pump the other is general. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 squirtgun 122 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 Cat pumps are much more expensive that general,AR, or comet.That would explain the price difference. I would go with the general pump since parts are easy to find and less exepnsive than cat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 suzuki98 14 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 Thanks squirt I was leaning towards the general Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Jarrod 22 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 Go General. They work great. What kind of pwing are you gonna do? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 suzuki98 14 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 gonna start off with houses and driveways/sidewalks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Paul Kassander 26 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 General much easier to work on find parts and just as or more durable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Patrick at HMSGA 14 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 First off I would like to say thanks to all for the excellent information I am obsorbing here in this forum. Now the questions:1) What pump would you prefer...Cat or General? Belt-drive will always be a better choice (dd will always be gravity fed from a tank, belt-drive will draw water from tank) than a direct drive pump. I, for one prefer the General pump, have had very good luck with the TS2021 series. 2) Why would a 3500psi 4 gpm pw cost more than 4000psi 4 gpm pw? The only difference is the pump. The 3500 psi is cat pump the other is general. Sometimes the same pump will give you different pressure ratings if the HP of the motor is different. 20hp might be 3,500psi, while 24hp might get you up towards 4,000psi running the same pump. For most pressure washing, I don't see much need for any more than 3,500psi unless you are cleaning concrete. Hot water is also nice to have, as well as necessary if you ever plan to be doing any commercial work. 4.0 gpm is the minimum you would even want to consider for almost anything you would do in our exterior pressure washing business. You wouldn't believe the difference you will get by going with a higher flow setup. 3,500 psi @ 4.0 gpm is manageable, you could normally even control it with one hand if you were so careless to do so, but when you go to 3,500psi @ 5.6 gpm and you have a firehose that you need to hold with TWO hands at all times. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Keth 15 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 I have an AR pump and like it. From what I have heard the Cat pumps are expensive and parts are too. My next pump will be a Comet, General or AR. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Jarrod 22 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 gonna start off with houses and driveways/sidewalks Don't buy that squirt gun. Buy at least 5.6 gpm. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RogerG 14 Report post Posted December 4, 2006 If you are going to buy, buy no less than a 5.6. Like everybody has already pointed out. The General TS 2021 is a great pump easy to work on and parts are easy to find. A TS 2021 will give you 3500 @ 5.6 gpm with a 18 hp motor. If you are just stating out and all you can afford right now is a cold water unit then find a belt driven 4 gpm or higher (make sure that it is belt driven). If you have any question feel free to call. Roger Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Mike Sullivan 15 Report post Posted December 5, 2006 Yes, like everyone says, get at least 5.6gpm. I have heard that the brass head on the General TS-2021 is a black market clone of General. Make sure it's not a brass head to get a true General. I have AR pumps myself. Belt or gear driven are better because they have more torque and drive the pump at a lower RPM. Lower RPM speed like 1750 or 1450 last longer than direct drives at 3400 RPM. More torque means you can use a larger pump on the same engine compared to direct drive pumps. If you can not afford a 18hp engine, the General TS-2021 will run on a 13hp engine at 2500 psi @ 5.6 gpm. It will clean faster than a 4000 psi @ 4 gpm. The maximum GPM high pressure pump you can put on a 13hp is the AR RKA7G20HN 2000 psi @ 7.1 gpm. Maximum GPM high pressure pump on a 18hp engine is the AR XWLA13G15N 1450 psi @13 gpm. For more info on engine/pump combinations, order a catalog from www.envirospec.com If you go larger than 4gpm you'll definately need a supply tank. I have two machines- 5.5gpm and 5.0gpm @ 4000psi. Total of 10.5gpm. On average, even with water going into the supply tank, we can drain my 335 gallon tank in about 3 hours. If you grow enough to buy a second machine and they are more than 10.5gpm together you'll need a larger tank than what I have. 500 or 600 gallons maybe. A flatbed or box truck will be needed to carry that much weight. I've heard some washers with 500 tanks and larger having trailer axles break or come off their vehicle because of the weight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Mike Sullivan 15 Report post Posted December 5, 2006 What happened with you and the PWNA Roger? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 suzuki98 14 Report post Posted December 5, 2006 squirtgun, jarrod, paul kassander, patrick, keth, roger g, mike sullivan..thank you guys so much for responding. I love this forum because the pro's are willing to help a rook :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Celeste 341 Report post Posted December 5, 2006 What happened with you and the PWNA Roger? It ain't pretty Mike. Check your pm box. Celeste Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
First off I would like to say thanks to all for the excellent information I am obsorbing here in this forum. Now the questions:
1) What pump would you prefer...Cat or General?
2) Why would a 3500psi 4 gpm pw cost more than 4000psi 4 gpm pw? The only difference is the pump. The 3500 psi is cat pump the other is general.
Share this post
Link to post
Share on other sites