Looking for Purchase Advice: Pressure Washer

[Makrel]

I'd like to start using a pressure washer to knock the Colorado winter muck off the car prior to foaming it and washing it. I'm really tired of feeding the touchless wash and undoing my 'Adams Clean' as I call it.

 

I've spied the Simpson one at Costco and the Generac at Lowes. I've got no prior experience but I've read all the 'don't blast the paint off' threads I could find, so I think I'll be ok... what I'm looking for is a quality unit around 3000 psi. I have heard that the simpson is a grab bag of bad out of the box and perfectly fine. I'm pretty good mechanically and I service all my equipment well.

 

Anyone have any recommendations?

 

Thanks!

[ihaveacamaro]

The AR 118 is great pressure washer for the money if you just want to use it to blast off muck.

 

However if you want to use a foam cannon in conjunction with it, I would recommend getting a karcher as it's much easier to make the attachments work.

 

I spent 2 years getting the parts right for the AR 118 to work with the MTM foam cannon...

 

Ar 118 = 1500 PSI, 1.2 gpm, electric, $85

[Makrel]

Definitely want to go towards the foam cannon route and also have it be suitable for concrete and house cleaning.

 

I like the Honda engine my mover has, so I may use that as a bias when looking...

[MBX5]

I have a refurbished ridged one from HD. Works great all over and just turn it down for the cars.

[Z71_Denali]

check out pressurewashersdirect.com

 

they sell them below retail, have plenty to choose from, including recommended models. i have my eye on a Briggs&Stratton model; their engines are made in USA

 

definitely get a foam cannon!

Edited March 4, 2013 by 2010TexasEdition

[Holder]

Pressure washer is something I need/want to purchase this year. So I'm interested o. Others advise as well.

[carlrx7]

Pressure washer is something I need/want to purchase this year. So I'm interested o. Others advise as well.

 

I have a Troy Built XP, 2600psi, 2.3 gpm, has a honda engine. A 3gpm and 3000psi would be nice but I got it used for 160$ have done my house and use it with the MTM foam canon.

 

 

works like a champ!

 

-Carl

[KKJ]

I bought a MI-T-M pressure washer last fall. (http://www.mitm.com/products/consumer-pressure-washers/work-pro-series/WP-3000-4MHB/381/) I also just purchased a foam cannon for it, but have not been able to try out the cannon yet. I really like my PW so far. It is a 3000 PSI unit and it has an adjustable pressure regulator on it. Not many PW's are adjustable. It also has a Honda 200 engine on it and it has plenty of power to to anything you want with it. The only thing I would recommend is to get a longer hose. 25 feet just isnt enough. I bought a 50' hose so I can have a total of 75' now if I need it. So far the only down fall to it is the price. It was $699, but hopefully it lasts a long time.

[Quiksilver5882]

I have a clean force 1800 hd. Works pretty well. Def get an extended warranty. The extra money is worth it. The hose failure rate is high for the clean force.

[JBlack151]

I bought a Kranzle over the holidays. I've used several times now with my foam canon and absolutely love it.

 

[Guest Gone & Forgotten]

I've had my gas karcher 2600 for 8.... Yes 8! Years. Pull choke out, release pressure from gun, pull rope... Idle for 15 sec and bam. In business. I use my commercially too. (I'm a painting contractor) so it's seen a lot of use. Haven't seen karcher gas models around SAMs in years but... I'll look at the engine tomorrow and tell ya what it has on it. I'm looking for a karcher electric now. Why Karcher? I've seen more foam cannons for that model and it seems easy to find and easy on/off to switch back to a spray gun after foaming.

 

Why go electric when I have a gas model? My house has a single car garage on the house and an oversized detached double car garage out back... And a large pool shed. So... 350 foot walk each way to get the gas pressure washer...nah. Get a more compact model that is neighbor friendly (quiet)

 

What foam canon you guys using?

[tony97gt]

I've got a karcher electric I use to knock the mud off my Atv and a gas excell 2500 psi. Is there a foam cannon that will work with both?

[Guest Gone & Forgotten]

Most PW have the quick connect on the end of the wand where the tip goes. But Karchers wand separates just after the gun and allows their foam lance to be attached without the long wand being a part of it.

 

I prefer that over a 3 foot wand with a 32-36oz bottle on the end of it.

[EPHIOS]

Right now I have a 1600 psi Karcher. I usually use it with my MTM Hydro with M******* Super S*** as a pretreater to loosen up the dirt and grime. It works fine, but sometimes I wanted more power, especially for cleaning dried oil on my driveway. In the future, I will be buying a gasoline-powered pressure washer, at least 2600 psi.

[Green Machine]

My pops has a Karcher and you cannot kill that thing it's probably 8-10 years old. Easy to use. Only thing that happened was the hose got a hole and needed replacing!

[Z71_Denali]

i had a Karcher X-series 2,000 psi electric washer.

 

it was great when i lived in an apartment with an attached garage, but i now need something bigger and more powerful for around the house, so i sold it. but it was very reliable and always got the job done when it came to washing cars.

[Makrel]

I pulled the trigger on the Simpson 3000psi from Costco. They've never let me down when it comes to service and it came with a concierge service in case I have trouble. Not too shabby for $299. Got it all prepped with the seal conditioner and such... now I'm off to order my foam gun. Gonna double check the forums here for that suggestion, but I am leaning towards the [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Foam-Lance-Adjustable-Bottle/dp/B004GNZYY4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=26ZZTD1XTM59E&coliid=IHB4ZWF1SVGOX]MTM FoamLance[/ame]

 

The wand doesn't quick disconnect st the handle so the gun (for now) will sit at the end of the wand. I'll just have to hold it like a rifle until I install a Q.D. at the handle... Thank for your input guys - I'm counting down the days until spring breaks and I can actually USE my PC from Swirl Remover up to the Glaze. Right now they're just taunting me in the laundry room, begging for use...

 

Thanks for all the input... if I remember, I'll snap pics and post em!

 

-Mak

[Makrel]

W H O A.

 

Got my Foam lance (gun) yesterday and used a 50/50 mix of Water-less and Car Soap and both of our jaws dropped then there was uncontrollable laughter. It was like having a super-charged can of Shaving Cream spray a 4' fan all over your car. I was able to coat the car in 4-5 swipes of the wand and wash it in half the time. Love it. Come summer, someone's getting Foamed

 

I did notice that I had absolutely no beading after the rinse and it was VERY difficult to dry. My MF towels (washed with the MF Rejuvenator) would soak up water but the surface would just NOT dry... like the water was different or something and left a pattern that looked like the splatter / soap pattern. Would this be the effect of the water-less wash? Once dry it's as smooth as normal, but took forever and twice as many towels to do so. Weird...

[Z71_Denali]

W H O A.

 

Got my Foam lance (gun) yesterday and used a 50/50 mix of Water-less and Car Soap and both of our jaws dropped then there was uncontrollable laughter. It was like having a super-charged can of Shaving Cream spray a 4' fan all over your car. I was able to coat the car in 4-5 swipes of the wand and wash it in half the time. Love it. Come summer, someone's getting Foamed

 

I did notice that I had absolutely no beading after the rinse and it was VERY difficult to dry. My MF towels (washed with the MF Rejuvenator) would soak up water but the surface would just NOT dry... like the water was different or something and left a pattern that looked like the splatter / soap pattern. Would this be the effect of the water-less wash? Once dry it's as smooth as normal, but took forever and twice as many towels to do so. Weird...

 

could be, when WW dries, you have to spray more on to remove it. did you spray the panels with straight DS or WW before you dried them? try this next time.

[Makrel]

Sure did... I always mist the wet car with Detail Spray - it helps to dry it more cleanly. I think it might just be surface gunk. I'll try a mix of just Car Wash and see how it performs... especially since I used the last of my turned-green Waterless wash. Not been a fan of WW so there's that