Big Red Truckmount

[Kevin B]

I've seen 3 of these through the years. Last one I saw, was in poor shape but was a massive unit. Was this machine ahead of its time?

What components did it have. When it was new, did it perform well?

 

[bob vawter]

Ahh yes the old Gene Bates Big Red......I bought the VERY FIRST one that came down Gene Bates assembly line!
My wife and i drove from Mich to Lawndale Ca to check it out in 1970.....we bought it. rented a trailer and pulled it back to Michigan where I became the first Truck Mount operator in the state!
The machine was ran by a 50HP Perkins Diesel engine with a Hydra Cell pump, it had a small waste tank that was on a continuous pump out...the waste tank had a plastic round canopy on top that i was jus sure was gonna break...so i bought an extra...it lasted the whole TWENTY years that i ran the machine......GREAT MACHINE GENE!!!!!

Although his skills with a gun was not to good...while taking us out for our FIRST sushi dinner..YUK...we got into a gun fight on the freeway....Gene pulled his gun on a black guy that was jus minding his own business and let a couple shots go out his side window.....

We couldn't wait ta get outta California.......

 

[truckmount girl]

Here in California we see a lot of Big Red's. Like most machines of the era they were bare bones simple. They are easy to work on and bullet-proof....however, Gene and the boys were known for their hard drinking, and the quality and uniformity of equipment they turned out often varied with how many they had that day.

Also, being a small, family owned company basically putting machines out one at a time, they often changed things whenever they wanted, improving or improvising, so number 6 off the line may not look or perform like number 26. We have found the wands especially variable.

Bates Big Red made the early Steam Genie wands too, and those are EXTREMELY inconsistent.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[The Preacher]

i had a waste tank in a diesel unit that had one of those plastic domes. it had a round metal crud catcher under it.

 

[truckmount girl]

Here's a pic:

Take care,
Lisa

 

[Greenie]

Don't forget the manual clutch to disengage the #5 blower when starting the unit, or the fact the cleaning solution was the radiator, it ran through the water jacket of the engine.

Ron, where ya at, this thread is for you man.

 

[bob vawter]

Mine had a big clutch arm that went across the front of the unit...

 

[Jimbo]

I think that picture might be of the d-84 unit...smaller diesel engine and blower...same pump-out...I think it was an Isuzu diesel...4 cyl. They had one solenoid on the machine...that opened up the water inn the cooling system of the engine...they ran the cleaning water prior to pressurizing it via the hydrocell pump thru the engine...and regulated it by one solenoid to the automatic waste dump system...actually a brilliantly simple system.

I have a friend who has been using the bigger perkins systems for years...and has a very succesful company using them.

 

[Matt King]

I think the cleaning solution/fresh water still is the radiator? I 'm not sure how the chemical metering system worked. I wouldn't want to run an emulsifier through a cast iron block but other than that it looked pretty cool. There's one thing those machines had dead on IMO. No exhaust, blower or engine ran underneath the oil pan or engine period. Heat rises and cooks the oil and motor. Especially on those machines with covers..

 

[bob vawter]

I cleaned the snot outa mine, over twenty years....

DEMA porportioner Matt!

 

[Greenie]

There's one thing those machines had dead on IMO. No exhaust, blower or engine ran underneath the oil pan or engine period. Heat rises and cooks the oil and motor. Especially on those machines with covers..

Post of the week for the High Performance room.:!: :!: :!:

 

[Kevin B]

So, did it have any blower or exhaust exchangers? It basically heated the water well I assume up to about 200ish?

 

[wired]

I had a big red for four years It was a good machine but was to loud and took a long time to warm up. There were some places I had a hard time dumping the wast water but in those days nobody really cared. I ended using my Butler more and sold the Big Red to a guy in Carson City Nev. He had two of them and said he would not have anything else.

 

[wired]

I had a big red for four years It was a good machine but was to loud and took a long time to warm up. There were some places I had a hard time dumping the wast water but in those days nobody really cared. I ended using my Butler more and sold the Big Red to a guy in Carson City Nev. He had two of them and said he would not have anything else.

 

[Ron Werner]

Hi Jeff, yeah, I see this post is down my alley.

I bought a used Big Red back in 96. It had been modified a wee bit when I bought it and I've been re-engineering it since then. Works better now than the day I bought it.
http://mikeysboard.com/forum/viewtopic. ... highlight=

The unit needed to stay below 190 because the water was pressurized AFTER heating, the pressure pump seals are only good till 200 at best.
The guy I bought it from used Formula 90, dumped a cup into the fresh water tank, that water was pumped into a mix tank at the front of the mnachine where it circulated through the motor and a small exhaust HX. Then it would go to the pump and out. The Rinse water WAS the coolant. As you clean, cold water is brought in, cooling the unit, or it was dumped to the recovery.

Mine runs a 4108 Perkins, and that motor won't stop for nothing, except over heating and running out of fuel. Burns a little over 1/2 gal/hr.
It'll heat up within 15 minutes when reved up and with the doors closed and the dual silencers, its quite quiet.

Yes, the engine exhaust, the way mine is set up anyway, is attached to the blower exhaust. I start mine with the clutch engaged, the blower pushes the exhaust out. There's really nothing under the machine at all.

If it weren't for all the quirks to this machine it would be a force to reccon with. Greenie's is much cleaner than mine.

 

[1tigers]

there's a big red for sale on ebay.start bid $1,000 no reserve.its in simi valley ca.

 

[Ron Werner]

Q: Sir, How old is this machine and how many hours on it. Is the machine in working condition. Thanks Brian... Oct-11-07
A: The machine is about 5 yrs old but was rebuilt and upgraded about a year ago according to the manufacture by them and only has 1100 hrs on it.The machine org. cost was $18k. and run like new.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0158008974

The unit looks newer than the van, the van is shot!!
But I thought they stopped making those yearssss ago.

 

[Sikkwilly]

Hi Jeff, yeah, I see this post is down my alley.

I bought a used Big Red back in 96. It had been modified a wee bit when I bought it and I've been re-engineering it since then. Works better now than the day I bought it.
http://mikeysboard.com/forum/viewtopic. ... highlight=

The unit needed to stay below 190 because the water was pressurized AFTER heating, the pressure pump seals are only good till 200 at best.
The guy I bought it from used Formula 90, dumped a cup into the fresh water tank, that water was pumped into a mix tank at the front of the mnachine where it circulated through the motor and a small exhaust HX. Then it would go to the pump and out. The Rinse water WAS the coolant. As you clean, cold water is brought in, cooling the unit, or it was dumped to the recovery.

Mine runs a 4108 Perkins, and that motor won't stop for nothing, except over heating and running out of fuel. Burns a little over 1/2 gal/hr.
It'll heat up within 15 minutes when reved up and with the doors closed and the dual silencers, its quite quiet.

Yes, the engine exhaust, the way mine is set up anyway, is attached to the blower exhaust. I start mine with the clutch engaged, the blower pushes the exhaust out. There's really nothing under the machine at all.

If it weren't for all the quirks to this machine it would be a force to reccon with. Greenie's is much cleaner than mine.

Thanks for the info,from what i can tell the machine looks complete, but ill let you guys tell me,I am going to load this page with whatever pictures you guys request,ill be near my machines in about an hour or two,thanks again,jeff

 

[bob vawter]

CRASH jus bought another Genie....runs and cleans in a fair 96 chev van.....1000 bucks......killer deal!