Need help choosing between these two pressure washers.

[meos1]

Another State heard from.....I bought a Husquevarna 3300.....I use it occasionally, sidewalks in spring, shoot the tractor, and about every third year the house which is two story. Its worked well for me. I think I paid out like 600 for it. Your use sounds to be more than occasional so this may have zero bearing. The other piece of information is the use to blast off grease. It does remove grease but not completely. I would think a hot water version would be what you are looking for there. Again, Im not using it commercially.

 

[DK35vince]

Have any of you guys tried that Turbo Tip? Any success with that thing? I have heard people say it works really well but havent tried it yet. I think they cost like $ 40.00 or so.

I have one, and they do work.

 

[Code54]

Another State heard from.....I bought a Husquevarna 3300.....I use it occasionally, sidewalks in spring, shoot the tractor, and about every third year the house which is two story. Its worked well for me. I think I paid out like 600 for it. Your use sounds to be more than occasional so this may have zero bearing. The other piece of information is the use to blast off grease. It does remove grease but not completely. I would think a hot water version would be what you are looking for there. Again, Im not using it commercially.

Hot water is the way to go for grease and oil!! Amazing how hot water helps the cleaning process. Can always add a hot box unit if you want to try it out.

 

[nikerret]

I have this one, from Generac.

Generac Power Systems | Pressure Washers | Professional Grade | Generac Power Systems

It has been a solid unit. For the price you're looking at, you can get a step up, from this one. It uses an AR (Annovi-Reverberi) pump, which got as good of reviews as CATs.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have had a Simpson pressure washer for over 16 years and it has worked flawlessly. It still starts on the 2nd pull every time. It is a 2650 PSI and I wish I had a bit more pressure sometimes but it gets the job done. The turbo nozzles work pretty good, they basically just spin and direct the water jet in a circular pattern which makes for a wider cleaning area without you having to move the wand. I think the Simpson washers come with a braided steel reinforced hose also which is a very nice hose that doesn't kink as bad as the plastic ones.

I think you would be well suited with the Simpson washer for home owner use.

FWIW: Don't let the pump run for more than 30 seconds when not holding down the trigger on the wand. This causes the pump to go into recirc mode and will overheat and burn up the pump if you don't keep a stream of water running thru it. I would bet that this causes more pumps to burn up than any other item. Also don't start the motor without having water running thru the pump. I always, turn on the water first, hold down the trigger and let the system purge out any air before starting the pump.

NOTE: always hold down the trigger (or have someone hold the wand with the trigger depressed) when trying the start the engine. IT makes for an easier pull on the cord since you aren't pressuring up the pump to operating pressure

 

[MX Dad]

That is well put Gary. I second every bit of that although I dont have much experience with the Turbo nozzle. I forgot about all those little "do's" when using a pressure washer. If you need more pressure, you can find different tips that will give you more psi. I found an actual company that sells and maintains the machines and found they sell tips you couldnt find on the streets. (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) At first I didnt appreciate the store, but once I found out what they do, it was priceless.

 

[sixdogs]

OK; all done and this is what I bought.

Simpson ALH4240 Professional 4200 PSI Gas - Cold Water Aluminum Frame Pressure Washer w/ Honda Engine & CAT Pump

It's more than I thought about in terms of PSI, GPM and price but I got a great price so that made it OK. I started out intending to rent but that would have added up quickly and made the purchase a better idea. I was all set to buy this one SIMPSON PowerShot 4, PSI Commercial Gas Pressure Washer - Powered by Honda - Sam's Club at Sam's Club for $750 plus tax.

I got $300 off from a local guy. It's got a bigger Honda engine, a rebuildable CAT pump and 4GPM. That makes my cost not that far off from the lesser one I was considering.

Thanks to all TBNers for tipping me off to the benefit of CAT pumps and GPM info that helped me buy the right thing at the right price.

 

[MX Dad]

I think you will be happy with it. Those Honda engines are like the Eveready Bunny. They just keep goin, and goin. It should have all the power you need for home/farm use. With a large fan tip, its pretty good at blowing leaves in a small area too!

 

[Code54]

NICE machine, a true professional model with great specs!! Should serve you VERY well for farm/home use.

Just be careful with the "Red" tip, that sucker will clean right down to the bare metal on the truck or tractor!!

 

[CurlyDave]

When you use it for washing grease off of equipment you need to be aware that the grease is not transported to the 4 th dimension. It comes off the tractor and stays on the ground. The blobs might be small, but they are there and can easily be tracked around.

Designate one spot to do this, and stick to it.