ruff
Member
The subject of what is a better PTO has come up in the past. However:
1) Why do you choose one over the others?
2) Does one design have an advantage over the others.
3) Have you owned more than one brand, so that you can actually compare? And if so, which is your favorite?
This is not a bash fest. I am just curious and hope it will help others make the best and most educated purchasing decision. Manufacturers are welcome as they can educate us about their machines advantages and why they did certain things the way they did. This could also be a good feedback to manufacturers (I hope.)
So, please give a hand and make this place an even better knowledge resource than it already is.
I only owned CDS machines. So I cannot compare to other designs.
Here is what I like about CDS:
a) Space saving design. The best of all PTOs. Allows me a lot of storage and still be able to park in busy city.
b) Very dependable machine, hardly ever breaks down.
c) Sufficient heat and vacuum (for me: single wanding, I am not a heat freak.)
d) Local distributors service them.
e) Been around for a long time. Good track record.
Don't like:
1) Hard to do regular servicing like greasing the shaft, as you need to take a lot of covers off. Hard to reach.
2) Proprietary parts (more expensive repairs.)
3) I always feel like it messes up the van's engine. (Yes it does put more miles as it works thousands of hours in Park) still as my mechanic says: none of the vans large engines is designed to work for many hours at a time in idle. They are designed to run at 65 on the highway. I definitely had more engine gasket, transmission issues than I would expect. And I service my vans well.
4) Corrosion issues with aluminum tank (yes after 11 years) still I see no reason why the tank should not last for the life of the machine. They are not cheap. And I consider that unacceptable, as it can be easily remedied.
5) Unless you educated (trained) your mechanic, every time they work on the van's engine they may mess up an electrical cord or a vacuum hose that belongs to the CDS. It will be nice if they found a way to seperate the machine related stuff from the van's engine.
6) Cost of transferring machine to a new van is prohibitive.
7) Heat is not great. Though in all fairness I do not have the Salsa (people say it gets very hot.) And i am not quite sure if the Salsa chokes the blower and what exactly it means for vacuum, load on engine, longevity, gas consumption etc.
8) HydraMaster- Does it really have to come with 90 degrees recovery elbow that chokes the vacuum?
9) Water pipe connections and meter are just above electrical control board. Sooner or later it drips water and start coroding the electrical connection. Should be separated.
10) Not sure how much of an advantage or a disadvantage- It does not have a last step chemical draw, which means that the mixed rinse goes through the pump.
I've heard good things about Butler, however I will never buy one, as long as their space design will not allow me to carry as much equipment as I want in my van. Admittedly, I carry a lot more than I usually need. It gives me the assurance that I can handle most cleaning needs that come my way.
1) Why do you choose one over the others?
2) Does one design have an advantage over the others.
3) Have you owned more than one brand, so that you can actually compare? And if so, which is your favorite?
This is not a bash fest. I am just curious and hope it will help others make the best and most educated purchasing decision. Manufacturers are welcome as they can educate us about their machines advantages and why they did certain things the way they did. This could also be a good feedback to manufacturers (I hope.)
So, please give a hand and make this place an even better knowledge resource than it already is.
I only owned CDS machines. So I cannot compare to other designs.
Here is what I like about CDS:
a) Space saving design. The best of all PTOs. Allows me a lot of storage and still be able to park in busy city.
b) Very dependable machine, hardly ever breaks down.
c) Sufficient heat and vacuum (for me: single wanding, I am not a heat freak.)
d) Local distributors service them.
e) Been around for a long time. Good track record.
Don't like:
1) Hard to do regular servicing like greasing the shaft, as you need to take a lot of covers off. Hard to reach.
2) Proprietary parts (more expensive repairs.)
3) I always feel like it messes up the van's engine. (Yes it does put more miles as it works thousands of hours in Park) still as my mechanic says: none of the vans large engines is designed to work for many hours at a time in idle. They are designed to run at 65 on the highway. I definitely had more engine gasket, transmission issues than I would expect. And I service my vans well.
4) Corrosion issues with aluminum tank (yes after 11 years) still I see no reason why the tank should not last for the life of the machine. They are not cheap. And I consider that unacceptable, as it can be easily remedied.
5) Unless you educated (trained) your mechanic, every time they work on the van's engine they may mess up an electrical cord or a vacuum hose that belongs to the CDS. It will be nice if they found a way to seperate the machine related stuff from the van's engine.
6) Cost of transferring machine to a new van is prohibitive.
7) Heat is not great. Though in all fairness I do not have the Salsa (people say it gets very hot.) And i am not quite sure if the Salsa chokes the blower and what exactly it means for vacuum, load on engine, longevity, gas consumption etc.
8) HydraMaster- Does it really have to come with 90 degrees recovery elbow that chokes the vacuum?
9) Water pipe connections and meter are just above electrical control board. Sooner or later it drips water and start coroding the electrical connection. Should be separated.
10) Not sure how much of an advantage or a disadvantage- It does not have a last step chemical draw, which means that the mixed rinse goes through the pump.
I've heard good things about Butler, however I will never buy one, as long as their space design will not allow me to carry as much equipment as I want in my van. Admittedly, I carry a lot more than I usually need. It gives me the assurance that I can handle most cleaning needs that come my way.
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