Pressure Washers

[poorboy]

It has come to my attention that I need to buy a pressure washer by spring. Altough I hate to buy more toys I guess I'll give in Kind of reminds me of the fox and the briar patch. I would like to spend about 400 bucks on a gas model but I'm not sure of the quality. I'll probably use it to spray off the houses, vechicles, and farm machinery when I put them up. Can anyone recommend a model or some problems to watch out for?

 

[Thomas]

I purchase gas power from Sears about 7 years ago..3hp,and still working like a charm...oh yes those pressure washers do take paint of the house /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif be careful.

 

[Mosey]

I've been researching them myself. The Sears one's look good and seem to be priced right. Lowes has some Generac's that look about the same as the Sears ones, but for less money ($270 for a 2100PSI one with 6HP engine). They both have one of the things I'm looking for - metal wands. I want a metal one because it can be unscrewed and replaced with a shorter one or a flexible one to make so it can be used under fenderwells and other tight spots.

 

[BHarrison]

I would lean towards the Honda engines. They area quieter, require less tinkering (to keep running), and will give you a longer life.
Sam's Club has a pretty nice setup for about $500. I believe it is a 3500psi w/ a 6hp(I think) horizontal shaft Honda.
I bought the Generac 2400psi from Lowes for $400.00. It has a Honda 5.5 vertical shaft, but the pump seems kind of light duty. I had to replace the unit once because of pump failure. I would'nt have minded so much, but the unit had less than 10 hours on it. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
But, the new one has done just fine. If I were to do it again, I would probably go for the one at Sams. Good Luck.

 

[Hillbilly]

http://www.adpub.com/ctimes/
http://www.usapressure.com

 

[HalseyGreen]

I purchased a pressure washer last summer, did quite a bit of research and talking to suppliers and rental firms. I was told to get one with a Honda engine and a belt driven pump if possible and avoid radial pumps. I was told that there are many grades of pumps, with CAT being one of the better (and more expensive) and price pretty much goes up with expected life. I ended up getting a Northern Tool unit with 5.5 Honda engine and direct connect General Pump 3gmp/2500 psi and interchangeable nozzles. It has served me well, cleaned the deck, house, tractor, under side of the vehicles, cleaned the down sprout drains using special tip the connects onto hose directly, then you feed the hose into the pipe, blasted hornet nests from under the deck and bird nest from over bathroom window. It will remove paint off vehicles (purposely on our 89 Ford PU), masonary, and probably everything else. Avoid small electric units, neighbor got one to clean his deck (12x15) and it blew the pump within 2 hours of work. Took it back and was they weren't surprised, most others had come back with less than 25 hours of use.

 

[gmason]

Well, I was very hesitant to take the step, but for $100 I figured I couldn't go wrong.
I bought one of the CH 1750psi Electric power washers. I wasn't expecting much of a unit, but I'm plesently supprised. Now it's not going to compete with the huge 3500psi/3gpm machines, but for washing off the tractor/car/mower/ATV it's got plenty of Umph. And the thing I really like about it, is that when you aren't spraying the unit isn't running. The motor only operates when it's needed.
So, if I want to get a soap bucket and was off some heavy grime, then I don't have to listen to a dag blame gas engine running full out. And even when it is operating this little thing is still just a hummmm and not a putt..putt..putt.

Just my $.02 worth.

gary

 

[Hillbilly]

<font color=red>I was told to get one with a Honda engine and a belt driven pump. </font color=red>
I was told the excact same thing. I bought a 13 HP Honda through USA pressure wash systems up to 4000 psi,with a 100' of hose and a special rotating nozzle for cleaning concrete. High pressure water cleaning is great.
It is really amazing to the things you can use it for.

 

[Timd]

I bought a Karcher gas model powered by a B&S engine,
1700psi, from Home Depot about 5 years ago. 1700 psi
is just barely enough. I use it for pressure cleaning my
brick front porch and for desliming things I have to store
out in the woods (camper top, etc). A 2200 psi unit
would be better.

I don't think I even have 100 hours on this thing but
the B&S engine is a bear to start except in the summer
when it's warm. If I need to pressure wash when it's
cold out comes the can of starting fluid and even that
doesn't always work. At some point I will yard sale
this and buy a new Honda-engined model.

I love Honda engines. They just work.

Timd

 

[Buck]

Po' boy,

I got my B&S 6HP, 2300psi Generac at Lowes for 299.00. No problems yet, and I still take flack from my friends because it is a B&S instead of a Honda.

At the time, I couldn't find a Honda as cheap as they are getting them on this thread. I didn't look at Sams Club.

Buck

 

[therrien]

Tim
Use 10w-30 oil in the colder seasons rather than straight 30w, it will start easier.

Be CAREFULL, the pumps will split wide open in the winter if there is water left in them.

 

[fractal]

Let me start with saying that I have a costo special electric washer and find it does everythign I need. It washes cars, tractors, patio's and even preped a house for painting. I would seriously recommend considering an electric before you go spend money on yet another gasoline motor.

If you do decide you need a gasoline one, have you considered an 'all in one' unit? I saw one at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.grassmasters.com/index.html>http://www.grassmasters.com/workstation.html</A> and I have seen others as well. These let you use one motor with replacable attachments. The workstation comes with a washer, a generator and an air compressor for the 6hp motor for 1 grand. It is not much of a savings financially but it does reduce the number of gasoline motors you have to maintain every season. I am currently up to 1 diesel (tractor), 4 4-stroke gasoline motors (mower, tiller, generator and trimmer) and 2 2-stroke motors (chainsaw and ryobi trimmer/tiller/hedge trimmer). I barely avoided yet another 2-stroke motor by putting an alternator in my pickup to run my electric leaf blower. The buck and a half for plug and buck for oil on each motor adds up some but the real killer is it takes the better part of a day to service all motors twice (well, honestly once) a year.

Cutting weeds is one thing that needs more power than you can get out of electric (don't get me going on how many weed wackers I bought till I got the 4hp wheeled string trimmer) but pressure washing seems to be one of the things that an electric motor can handle adequately as long as you can get electric power to the unit and don't need to reach second story houses.

 

[TresCrows]

I have a 6.5 horse Generac heavy duty, it flows more than 3 gallons per minute at 2,500psi which is a good rate and about the minimum I would be satisfied with. I was leery of the Briggs engine but so far, 3 years, it has run like a charm, I still prefer the Honda but it was another 100 dollars. Pressure washers are an absolute need for me since the rural water system here bascially ***.
Sooo, I have three cars, two Sthil and one Husky chainsaw 2-strokes, two 2-stroke string trimmers, one 4 stroke Honda generator, one 4 stroke Japanese motorcycle, two Kubota diesel tractors, one 4 stroke Briggs powered lawn tractor, two Lawnboy mowers that are 2 stroke and at the moment they all run--amazing enough in itself. I need a bigwheel string trimmer for the lagoon and ditches! And yeah, BIM, I prefer Honda engines on power equipment all else being equal.
J, motored out

 

[Rch]

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://wj.net/actionis/wwwboard/index.html>http://wj.net/actionis/wwwboard/index.html</A>
Here is " Dave's Pressure Washer Bulletin Board" It has some good info. It's also an unpleasent comparision to TBN- they insult and cuss one another out on the chat part. A real flamers and troll paradise.

 

[CamshaftLF]

POORBOY:
I have a electric one bought it about 7yr's ago, it's been a real trooper, seen a lot of abuse over the year's, had to buy a hose 2 yr's ago and a unloader valve last yr, I was surprised it was only 50.00 buck's. It look's small but it's 60lb's, it stay's in the garage and in the winter month after am done using it I have a short hose rigged up that I run windshield washer fluild thou it to keep it from freezing. Pruchased it from horber frieght for around 350.00. The model is A~R. It's made in italy, they make them for other company's. I'm well satified with the unit.

Camshaft in Pa.

 

[Hillbilly]

That is a wide open discussion board,free for alls etc.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

My $0.02: realize that for a big area, using the pressure washer can take
serious time, and it ain't the most fun you'll ever have. So in my case I
spent a little more. I don't regret it because of the time I've saved.

One thing I wasn't prepared for is the the hose is a pain in the butt. It's
heavy and tough, so it's hard to coil and uncoil it. I'd be inclined to use
the washer for small things more often if it weren't for this.

Belt drive is better, as I was told, solely because it allows the pump to
operate at lower rpm and therefore increases pump life.

Someone else mentioned the pain of maintaining many engines. In
principle I agree, but I with the Honda motors I don't mind. Mine has a
flexible hose for draining oil.

Mine is so danged heavy that I had to buy a boat winch and mount it on
a 2x12 to get it into my truck.

A Kubota mechanic showed me the gearbox from a front wheel which
he was fixing, and said every Kubota owner should have a pressure
washer. Mud that dries on the inside of your front wheels will grind
against the seals when you steer, and when it eats through you're out
$700 per wheel. That's what he's charging anyway.

 

[poorboy]

Guys thanks for all of the input. Rch I checked out that link and it was very informative, however they did dampen my spirits in that the impression was given that anything under 1k was junk or at least short lived. But I think that most of the guys on the board did a little more than I was planning on doing with the machine.

 

[bky]

gerenic i heard and read to stay away from somthing about plastic in the pump or somthing but i dont rember i just rembering reading bad things about them.
i bought a campbell hausfeild about a month ago haonda eng.(i would recomond) so far no proubs but till will tell.