??? When you started Out??? TM? Portable? Problems?

[Scott S.]

What kind of equipment did you start with? did you start with a portable and a whim. or did you get a fat loan and start with all the best equipment?
When we all started out what was the hardest thing?
equipment failures?
Cost?
Customers?
Insurance?
Equipment?
just doing cleaning as a side job?

 

[Mikey P]

Unless you're after a nitch market like high rises, get a used truck mount.

Porty work is a huge drag and time waster.


I started out with one and I still have nightmares.

 

[steve g]

mickey you forgot about the resoil, some people use them as a truckmount

 

[Out of Character - 0]

We serviced our janitorial accounts with bonnets then had the bright idea to do residential cc, I then drank the cobra 500 Kool Aid for 4k, then bought a used tm the next month.

 

[cleaningfool]

starting out

I started out with my dynachem 200. Still have it, it cleans pretty good. Now i have a everest, works great.

 

[Guest]

When I started out on my own, I got maself a 15hp Panther TM with just over 70 hours on it. I got a small loan and paid $3 grand for it.
When I needed to work on it (not very often), it was hard to get to everything. You just about had to stand on your head to get to the pump and it was a real magic trick to turn it to just the right angle to work it out from the frame if you wanted to rebuild/replace it.

That machine was way underpowered!

It was kind of tough at first to get steady work, but after my first year I was pretty busy.

 

[jeg1983]

Started with a 100PSI Heated NINJA with 2 2stage vacs, Talk about blowing circuits. After that I just stopped using the on board heater and heated the water with a bucket heater before putting it in the portable.

Also had a 175 when I started. After about a year of cleaning with only a portable I got a decent deal on a older Butler that served great for a good while still have the Butler but at the moment it is out of commission just got a new heat exchanger for it. and I need a new radiator for the ol Chavy 350.

Now I got a 2002 Ford E-350 with a Older Hydrmaster with LOW hours and a LG3ht. and I Pre scrub the nasties with a CRB machine. Slowly but surly workin my way up without a huge truck payment every month. Someday I would like new equipment but for now I am going to stick to no big payments that are not %100 necessary.


Jamie

 

[Jim Martin]

started out with a cds 4.8...cant say I had any real problems with it .........

 

[Ed]

I started with a portable that was manufactured by a local guy in Atlanta Ga. It was called "Magic Mist". It made me a lot of money and bought my 1st truck mount way back in 84. That sucker was completely fabricated of stainless steel. You couldn't break it, but at the end of the day, you KNEW you'd been workig. I didn't get rid of it until I moved to NY about 12 years ago. It still worked just like the day I bought it.