Can I get some conflicting opinions?

[DannyD]

Give me the pros & cons of the following machine please.

http://www.savage-1.com/


Currently I have a porty & have an OP system on its way. That outta set me in good w/ this crowd. The OP gives me a 2nd way to be able to clean.

I also went this route cuz I'm keeping my job delivering freight for a few months & will need to be able to empty my van. Plus, I have to park my vehicle outside. By next winter I'd like to think I'll be doing well enough to have that challenge solved.

I believe that a porty can do as good a job as a TM, it'll just take longer. I'm open to other ideas though, so if someone disagrees w/ that feel free to challenge me.

Right now I feel I have 2 ways to clean. The porty isn't as fast as a truckmount, but I also feel I can combine the porty/op for certain things too. At the same time, I can see where a TM is a lot more efficient. So I'm trying to learn about em as I go.

A few other Q's on truckmounts.

1) If they have a 50 gallon fresh water tank & it disperses water at 5GMP, does that mean if ya went full throttle on it ya'd have 10 minutes of fresh water b4 ya have to refill?

2) If you had a 50 gallon tank, about how many square feet of carpet can ya clean before you need to refill if there's no spots/stains out of the ordinary?

3) Where do ya dump everything when you're done cleaning? A lot of places don't allow our waste water. If I'm not mistaken, carpet cleaners aren't even supposed to use car washes to dump, though I'm sure some do.

4) I am not mechanically inclined in the least. Which TMs are the best machines for durability? From what I can gather Butlers are pretty well built. While I may have a diff view on things come summer, right now the two brands at the top of my list are Butler & the one from above.

5) For those who have both a TM & OP, do ya charge different prices depending on which method ya use?

Thanx in advance for any input,
Danny

 

[Jimmy L]

I remember a few uears ago somebody was selling a 55 gallon drum with two vac motors on top for a TM.

And it was in cleanfax.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I answer a few questions based on my experience.


"1) If they have a 50 gallon fresh water tank & it disperses water at 5GMP, does that mean if ya went full throttle on it ya'd have 10 minutes of fresh water b4 ya have to refill? "

Even though the pump may be capable of 5gpm, the jets on your wand aren't at normal cleaning psi.
How many sf of carpet will 50gal clean depends on the soil load and/or how thorough of a flush/rinse they need.
Anywhere from 500 to 2000sf

"3) Where do ya dump everything when you're done cleaning?"

Depends where we're at.
Any drain that goes to a sanitary sewer is acceptable in every state as far as I know.
Car washes go to the sanitary sewer, so it is legal to drain there.
Be sure to strain you lint and get permision from the CW owner/mangmt.

Best to call your local EPA and find out what's legal in your area.
Where I live, most places allow ground dumping as long as it won't run into a storm drain or creek.
However there is one city we work in that does not allow any ground dumping at all.
Check your local regs.
They're different for many states and some local municipalities can have more stringent regs as well



"5) For those who have both a TM & OP, do ya charge different prices depending on which method ya use?"

I have both, we charge pretty much the same.
Pricing is loosly based on sf and gross per hour target


..L.T.A.

 

[MicahR]

By the time you end up fitting all that stuff in a van you'll have no room.

You can't go wrong with a direct drive.

As far as a slide in buy as local as you can and from one of the top few manufacters that will be in business in later years for support.

 

[harryhides]

Most TM's have a 100 gallon fresh water supply and most wands squirt water out at 1.8 GPM. However when cleaning no CC'er just pulls the trigger and never lets go. So 100 gallons will usually last all day. We carry a 100 gal dump tank.

 

[Ed Hartman]

I thought Lee Cory won one in Johns giveaway contest. Maybe you should try and contact him

 

[FB7777]

I'd go with a direct drive over the Savage1.

In order to optomize performance and convenience with the Savage, you will be running a generator in the truck to power the unit.

If I wanted a separate engine, I would get a slide-in... at least that way you have far greater performance than the savage1

 

[tcul]

What portable did you get?

TC

 

[Mikey P]

Save this thread on your hard drive Danny..


Some day you'll look back and laugh...

 

[DannyD]

The portable I already had. I was in this business in the early 90s. It just has a lil 100PSI pump & 2 2-stage vacs.

I wanna take a second to backtrack from something I said above. My portable can NOT do what a truckmount can, unless I want to spend a TON of time. When I did this before I would shampoo the carpet & use my porty to rinse it out.

I did a few jobs alongside a truckmount. He was faster for sure. I did two steps to his one, so he should have been. My side was cleaner & a HELLUVA lot dryer. Was I next to a hack? I'm not sure. That's kinda what formed my opinion of truckmounts up until I decided to get back in the business & found these boards.

From these boards I can see where a TM is a lot more efficient. I'm not getting into "this method is great & that method sucks" debates because from what I can gather there's a place for em all. I can see where when someone's attacked w/ a "your method sucks" type comment the natural inclination is to respond w/ "no, YOUR method sucks & here's why". I have a hunch the right answer is somewhere in the middle of the two arguments.

As of right now I have 6 jobs waiting for me for when my equipment arrives. These are friends/family for the most part. I'm geting a good mix of places to do. This will give me some time to experiment w/ my new equipment + what I already own & come up w/ what works best.

Take care,
Danny