can you recall all your truckmounts?

[Andy]

Great little machine, when it was running

What machine isn't?

 

[hogjowl]

Anything Cross American

 

[Hack Attack]

so pissy

 

[Kenny Hayes]

And When is he not?

 

[D Luke]

In order:

El Diablo - just a helper on a few jobs. No idea what was going on but performed fine. Tiny waste tank and black smoke.

White Magic Triton - Full time helper and not much of an idea of what was going on. Beast of a machine but had a lot of hours by the time I started and developed issues that weren't going to be solved by any garage mechanic.

570 SS - Lead tech. Brand new, one of the first off the line. Performance was fantastic but the mechanical issues were literally constant.

Legend SE - Owner Op. Bought brand new. Great little machine but heat and vac were not great.

Pro 1200 SE - Owner Op. Bought brand new. Performance was good but really it was a bit of a nightmare with constant little issues that couldn't be solved and burned through plugs and wires like a banshee.

Butler High Heat/High Vac - Owner Op. Bought brand new. I will never own anything else.

 

[hogjowl]

Half baked but still placed on the table

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

Old Cleanco classic (circa 1986), aquatec, 650HP, Cleanco compact 47...
Best by far has been the new Cleanco....
But, dollar for dollar..... my 2 Cimex machines have made me the most money...

 

[Jim Williams]

White Magic Commander for the first 14 years. There's a reason they went out of business.

TCS Warrior for the last 3 years. Great machine.

 

[Bob Savage]

Cleaning Technologies purchased new in 1985, and it is still working great after several modifications over the years.

SAVAGE-1 ETM which is still performing like WHEN IT WAS NEW and is in service as a backup.

Needless to say, I have saved a fortune in purchasing truckmounts over 35 years.

 

[Papa John]

I think my 1st was a used Steam Genie--- It took me a month before I even used it because- it was so loud and powerful compared to my ninja portable.

Then I had a TM custom-built with w 4 cylinder engine and a 5.9 blower before they were commercially available. problem was that it was poorly designed and failed to use the full power of the 5.9 blower.
Then bought a Vortex.
Then went through the ACE TM debacle.
Went on to buy 2 Powerclean DXT's
now a SS 370 and I love it.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Pay attention guys:

2 multi-truck, multi-decade cleaning companies coming to agree on the 370.

 

[Mikey P]

like so many toys and tools, high performance comes at a serious price in both hard, repair and maintenance costs


With proper TACT and a balanced wand and hose set up the 370 is all you could ever need for single wand resi work in a tiny foo print that allows for all the tools us multi service providers need to carry.

 

[Sharky]

Anyone using 570ss. I am new 2100hrs used.

 

[BIG WOOD]

Mid 90s prochem legend 36blowet
Amtex 25inferno
HM boxxer XL
HmTitan575
Prochem Everest 650hp

Add my Blueline thermalwave 2 vortec to my list that I have refurbished.

It performs awesome when it's not cold.
It's reliable when it's cold, it just struggles on holding desired heat.

The blue line assholes made a stupid decision to not run the engine exhaust through the heat exchanger. Rumor has it that something with prochem's patent prevented them to do that. I see that as nonsense because the earlier model had the same heat exchanger as the prochem performer. IF it was some patent that combined the blower and engine exhaust, they could've made the blower heat exchanger hold more water to help it hold the heat longer. If it's a BTU limit that causes the heat loss, then they should've just kept the engine exhaust design.

So now I'm talking to some different manufacturers on finding a way to install a engine exhaust heat exchanger.

 

[Mikey P]

I can, if forced. I used to, but I make more money doing what I do, not being a mechanic.

Now that you don't do much other than manager son, are you more willing to wrench on a truck mount?

 

[hogjowl]

Now that you don't do much other than manager son, are you more willing to wrench on a truck mount?

Yes, in fact I find myself wrenching more and more has my two TMs age. Last summer I completed rebuilt Brady’s blower which locked up due to low oil. He doesn’t ever think about checking it and I was guilty of letting it slide. Saved myself around $4500, I guess. Now, I make him service his own machine. Before, I did it for him while he cleaned in my van.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

And yet, your kids still try to boss you around! Mine don’t tear up much though. They just find some more shiate to buy and tell be to buy it, AND go after it!

 

[hogjowl]

Yes, I find him being slightly harder to manage the less useful I become.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

 

[encapman]

can you recall all your truckmounts?​

Sure can. None.

All of my years in the industry have been focused primarily on commercial work. It was never practical to use a truckmount on the spill soaked CGD carpets (a lot of olefin) / which leads to wicking and recurring spills like crazy. Plus it really wasn't feasible to leave a truckmount running in the parking lot at night while we're inside cleaning. So I searched for ways to get the carpets clean using other methods. I tried them all! Eventually discovered that low moisture methods worked best on the CGD's. Finally came up with the Cimex/Encap system. The rest is history.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I concur, and I have not had many for the same reason. That being said, I did and do find a truckmount useful on short hose runs such as retail or one story medical facilities, offices, or just when people have preconceived ideas and the like.

 

[roro]

Much like what Rick and Kenny said. Commercial is our preference as the returns are better.

With increase in hard floor and fabric cleaning as a % of sales, we have found that space in vehicles is being far better utilised than in carting around a petrol powered truckmount; although still choosing to run one compact electric unit.

 

[Ever-Fresh]

Yes, in fact I find myself wrenching more and more has my two TMs age. Last summer I completed rebuilt Brady’s blower which locked up due to low oil. He doesn’t ever think about checking it and I was guilty of letting it slide. Saved myself around $4500, I guess. Now, I make him service his own machine. Before, I did it for him while he cleaned in my van.

Reminder: Checking my oil... it's been a while!

 

[Ever-Fresh]

I got into the game late at 49. Due to chronic arthritis, I have never been a high-volume cleaner.
Started with a Mytee Portable, two heating elements, two three-stage vacs. It cleaned wonderfully, but what a pain it was to only work with 10 gallons at a time. After 2 years, I had determined that it was way too much work to operate this way, and right at the end of my second year, the solution pump tanked ($1800.00) and was determined that if I fixed it, I would get out of the business, fix it and use it for personal cleaning only, or, see if the bank would give me a loan for a truckmount and all the necessary goodies. They did not bat an eye and approved the loan. In December of 2011, I bought a Saphire Scientific 454, my only truckmount. Low volume and just rolled over 1,000 hours. (25% of my jobs are low-moisture).

I will be officially an antique next week, hitting age 65. My health has tanked the past two years, and I have throttled back to just one job a day. If it has a major break, I am retiring the machine and the business. My first water pump from the water tank to the machine made it 8 years. I now replace a water pump every 6-8 months. It eats them. I keep a new one with electrical connections pre-set for a quick same-day swap in case of an emergency. Otherwise, the unit has been a champ!

 

[they live]

Bane
White magic
Butler

I miss the white magic.
It was the easiest to work out of and maintain.

Might buy one more TM to get me to 70. Im 61 now. Started at 42.
I'm about half commercial. Haven't bonnet cleaned or lm in a long time now.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I got into the game late at 49. Due to chronic arthritis, I have never been a high-volume cleaner.
Started with a Mytee Portable, two heating elements, two three-stage vacs. It cleaned wonderfully, but what a pain it was to only work with 10 gallons at a time. After 2 years, I had determined that it was way too much work to operate this way, and right at the end of my second year, the solution pump tanked ($1800.00) and was determined that if I fixed it, I would get out of the business, fix it and use it for personal cleaning only, or, see if the bank would give me a loan for a truckmount and all the necessary goodies. They did not bat an eye and approved the loan. In December of 2011, I bought a Saphire Scientific 454, my only truckmount. Low volume and just rolled over 1,000 hours. (25% of my jobs are low-moisture).

I will be officially an antique next week, hitting age 65. My health has tanked the past two years, and I have throttled back to just one job a day. If it has a major break, I am retiring the machine and the business. My first water pump from the water tank to the machine made it 8 years. I now replace a water pump every 6-8 months. It eats them. I keep a new one with electrical connections pre-set for a quick same-day swap in case of an emergency. Otherwise, the unit has been a champ!

Now that is something I agree with everything about. Take care!

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Bane

I didn’t even think of my Bane as a truckmount Because it had a positive displacement blower, you could keep it in the “trailer”. I used it that way some, but mostly as a porty. It was a tough booger and I kept it
for a long time till the pump went out. I finally sent it to the dump last year. It was a 97 model.

 

[Cleanworks]

I've had many over the years. Easiest to operate has been my Hydramaster CDS machines. Reliable and rarely let me down. I still have one as a backup. My favorite was a custom machine I designed and had built. 18hp Honda engine, cat 290 pump, sutorbilt 4 ml blower and a little giant 3 ht heater. Got 5000 hours out of it before I had to rebuild the engine. I like my Cleancos, they are as reliable as the Hydramaster. Currently, my main machine is a Prochem Apex. Great machine, hot, powerful and so far reliable.

 

[Matt Middleton]

I started in 1982 with a Rug Dr. 101 A.
I was able to leverage that into 2- Promaster truckmounts from Jeff Bishop. Great truckmounts for what they were.
Then 11 Butlers.

 

[hogjowl]

Where are you located Matt?