cant make up my mind on a new tm

[juniorc82]

Gonna be getting another tm soon. I tend to overthink things and cant seem to make up my mind. I am looking for a slide in that is not over engineered and easy to work on. At this point I think I wana stay away from lp heat but am open to kero or a hx. This machine will need to be somewhat idiot proof as it will be used by employee's. oh ya and a #4 blower. I keepgoing back and fourth between a legend gt and a el diablo but like the simplicity of cobbs machines

 

[Kevin B]

Slide ins are not idiot proof. That would be a clutch drive van powered unit lol

 

[cu]

A Judson reactor is what you want.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Jon;

This is what we strive for with our TM's:

1. Maximum Lift at the wand:
#4MR Blower @ 17" hg.
Minimum Restriction of Stainless Silencer
Open Recovery Tank with no baffle restriction
Gates 3VX Belt System with Dodge Sheaves
.
2. Corrosion free Construction:-
Aircraft Aluminum Tank Construction (100 Gal + 75 Gal)
Stainless Pipe Fittings to Heat Exchanger
Stainless Engine Exhaust for Durable Insulation to HX
Stainless Bolts and Locknuts for Ease of Maintenance
.
3. General Pump System with Teflon Packings for Unmatched Durability
Adjustable Front-Mounted Regulator for Carpet & Grout
Quick Setup for Flood Operation
.
4. All-Stainless 40" Heat Exchanger which utilizes Engine and Blower Exhaust
for 230 degree heat without water bypass
Working Pressure of 1500 PSI for T & G work
.
5. Kohler 34 HP Engine with reliability designed in . . .
Extended Service Intervals of 200 hours with H.D. Air Filter & Synthetic Oil
Oil Cooler Built-In
Operates @ 2700 RPM for Gas Saving (Single Wand)
.
6. Now Comes with Electric Dual Reel Standard;
Bentley 2" Carbon Fiber Wand w/Teflon Glide
SuperFlex 2" Vac Hose (150')
Parker 1035HT Solution Hose (150')

Compare the Details & Unmatched Value

What's not to Like !

http://www4.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=1269

Larry

 

[FLYERMAN]

If you think Kerosene for heat is the answer I would look a little deeper. It is expensive around here and there is only one place to buy it from a pump, $5.25 per gallon. If you buy it in a can it cost almost double that, $9 per gallon.

Good luck with your decision. It will be a hard one but worth all the thinking and working it through in the long run.

 

[Mikey P]

Larry I'd like to know more about that pvc pipe coming off the blower.
How does it hold up?
Looks sort of restrictive, Yes? no? What diameter is it?
What is going on,in that box it goes into?
Why not belt drive? Don't blower manufacturers say a couple design shortens the life?

Appears to be a very good value so I'm curious.
Is Nick building that model?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Jon what are you planning to use it for, single wand for residential, dual wand for commercial? How long do you want it to last, air cooled vs liquid cooled? How much do you want to spend?

Nothing wrong with spending to last you 4-6 years vs buying one that will last double that, as long as you're conscious of what you're doing. I've always purchased with the thought of buy the best I can afford so I only have to buy once but I know lots of people buy what gets them down the road, with plans to turn their machines as the get some age on them.

 

[juniorc82]

Jon what are you planning to use it for, single wand for residential, dual wand for commercial? How long do you want it to last, air cooled vs liquid cooled? How much do you want to spend?

Nothing wrong with spending to last you 4-6 years vs buying one that will last double that, as long as you're conscious of what you're doing. I've always purchased with the thought of buy the best I can afford so I only have to buy once but I know lots of people buy what gets them down the road, with plans to turn their machines as the get some age on them.

This one will be used mainly for residential but will also be needed for some commercial with longer hose runs . Both my tm's have 33 blowers, the short hose run capability and long dry times are killin me. I will keep one of my tm's as a back up for the helper to do rentals in since dry times wont be quite as critical and sell off my white magic. I think my budget will top out around 17 or 18 max. I am open to a slightly used machine but would like to get 5 years out of it. I currently am having trouble managing my schedule because I have grwon so much and will be left no choice but to send my assistant out on his own a few days per week this summer. Im 2 hours away from kansas city and an hour and a half from st louis so I need somthing that isnt hell to troubleshoot and work on

 

[Desk Jockey]

No local distributor? I like your idea of the Legend, it's a proven machine, been around a long time. I see Diablo now has an HE unit has you looked at it also?

 

[ruff]

I am open to a slightly used machine but would like to get 5 years out of it.

Just curious why you'd like to get only 5 years. Most good ones should give you at least double that time.
And if it says anything, most companies that have a lot of employees seem to go with PTOs. Unless you feel that your assistant will take real good care of the unit.

And I am totally with Richard- Buy quality, it saves money.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Air Cooled after 5-years you're going to look at short block or new motor and who knows what else. 5-years is a good time to start over with a new machine on air cooled and buy new.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Larry I'd like to know more about that pvc pipe coming off the blower.
How does it hold up?
Looks sort of restrictive, Yes? no? What diameter is it?
What is going on,in that box it goes into?
Why not belt drive? Don't blower manufacturers say a couple design shortens the life?

Appears to be a very good value so I'm curious.
Is Nick building that model?

We build the DC500-34HP and DC300-22.5HP series entirely.

The Fitting on the blower intake are nylon, which withstands the temps in our design very well.

They are ~ 2.4" inside diameter for about 18" (insignificant restriction)

Stainless silencer is 2.5" I.D. ( who provides that info on most TM's)

The Filter Box above the aluminum frame/recovery tank allows full tank capacity (100 Gal).

View attachment 1814
We have always used a blower belt drive on our full-size TM's.

Our new 34HP Kohler Air-Cooled is more durable (5yrs. experience at this point),

than our previous 31 HP Kohler water-cooled was.

I do like the Nissan 4-cyl. water-cooled engines.

Larry

 

[Mikey P]

Does your tank have a sloped bottom for complete drainage?
Can we see how the the filter box works?

 

[Mikey P]

I see the belts now..tiny photo on my phone fooled me

What temps in a ten flow wand?

 

[juniorc82]

Just curious why you'd like to get only 5 years. Most good ones should give you at least double that time.
And if it says anything, most companies that have a lot of employees seem to go with PTOs. Unless you feel that your assistant will take real good care of the unit.

And I am totally with Richard- Buy quality, it saves money.

of course id like to get longer out of a machine if i can, I just figure that on my budget 5 years makes sense. I estimate around 500 - 600 hours per year so that would be consistant with the depriciation schedule I have set around my annual projections. If I can get a machine that can be rebuilt or have components replaced easily like a cobb machine or a tcs i would be happy to keep it around for longer than 5 years. I need somthing dependable and easy for an employee because I am getting tired of working all day and night going on every job so some of the novice jobs they can do so I can actualy get some rest and focus on being a manager rather than a haggard operator.

 

[Mikey P]

Where do you access the float valve?

 

[Mikey P]

No baffles?

 

[Johnny]

Jon;

This is what we strive for with our TM's:

1. Maximum Lift at the wand:
#4MR Blower @ 17" hg.
Minimum Restriction of Stainless Silencer
Open Recovery Tank with no baffle restriction
Gates 3VX Belt System with Dodge Sheaves
.
2. Corrosion free Construction:-
Aircraft Aluminum Tank Construction (100 Gal + 75 Gal)
Stainless Pipe Fittings to Heat Exchanger
Stainless Engine Exhaust for Durable Insulation to HX
Stainless Bolts and Locknuts for Ease of Maintenance
.
3. General Pump System with Teflon Packings for Unmatched Durability
Adjustable Front-Mounted Regulator for Carpet & Grout
Quick Setup for Flood Operation
.
4. All-Stainless 40" Heat Exchanger which utilizes Engine and Blower Exhaust
for 230 degree heat without water bypass
Working Pressure of 1500 PSI for T & G work
.
5. Kohler 34 HP Engine with reliability designed in . . .
Extended Service Intervals of 200 hours with H.D. Air Filter & Synthetic Oil
Oil Cooler Built-In
Operates @ 2700 RPM for Gas Saving (Single Wand)
.
6. Now Comes with Electric Dual Reel Standard;
Bentley 2" Carbon Fiber Wand w/Teflon Glide
SuperFlex 2" Vac Hose (150')
Parker 1035HT Solution Hose (150')

Compare the Details & Unmatched Value

What's not to Like !

http://www4.cobbcarpet.com/zen/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66&products_id=1269

Larry

I've never seen the engine and blower exhaust plumbed together. I would think the blower pressure would affect the engine and vice versa, and heat would escape through the silencer. Are they isolated in some way not apparent in the illustration?

I'm sure it all works, just curious how.

 

[ruff]

of course id like to get longer out of a machine if i can, I just figure that on my budget 5 years makes sense. I estimate around 500 - 600 hours per year so that would be consistant with the depriciation schedule I have set around my annual projections. If I can get a machine that can be rebuilt or have components replaced easily like a cobb machine or a tcs i would be happy to keep it around for longer than 5 years. I need somthing dependable and easy for an employee because I am getting tired of working all day and night going on every job so some of the novice jobs they can do so I can actualy get some rest and focus on being a manager rather than a haggard operator.

Totally understood Jon. Working all those hours + managing + fixing things gets old real quick and pretty much prevents one from having a life.
It will also wear you out and down.

Even more reason to buy something that has a reputation for durability and ease of service (if you prefer to and have the talent do it yourself).
Even in a big metropolitan areas we still have to drive about an hour to my local shop. I am sure that you save money servicing your machine and it is great if you can trouble shoot it by yourself (I can't beside the simple stuff.)
On the other hand, it may be worth it for you to take some of the burden off your shoulders. And also business wise you'll have lots more time and energy to build your business.

 

[Larry Cobb]

I've never seen the engine and blower exhaust plumbed together. I would think the blower pressure would affect the engine and vice versa, and heat would escape through the silencer. Are they isolated in some way not apparent in the illustration?

First of all, the engine back pressure has been checked by Kohler & Honda, as part of their warranty evaluation.

By routing both the engine and blower exhaust together thru a larger HX,

you gain efficiency for heating the water.

More importantly, it gives moderation in the temperature rise when it hits 230 degrees.

That eliminates dumping hot water.

Larry

 

[Johnny]

First of all, the engine back pressure has been checked by Kohler & Honda, as part of their warranty evaluation.

By routing both the engine and blower exhaust together thru a larger HX,

you gain efficiency for heating the water.

More importantly, it gives moderation in the temperature rise when it hits 230 degrees.

That eliminates dumping hot water.

Larry

Thanks, Larry. Why is the silencer parallel to instead of downstream from the HX? Looks like as much heat goes to the silencer as to the HX.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Thanks, Larry. Why is the silencer parallel to instead of downstream from the HX? Looks like as much heat goes to the silencer as to the HX.

Johnny;

That silencer is only on the 38HP TM with the 5MR blower (which has more than enough heat).

It is controlled by a high-temp ball valve, on the outlet of the silencer.

It is opened completely for water extraction,

and shut partially, for 2-wand heat production.

A very dependable system.

Larry

 

[Able 1]

Get a Prochem Peak...

 

[hogjowl]

Yeah, TCS says the same thing as Larry does about running them through the same exhaust, but I keep blowing head gaskets on my motors ... Kohler and Briggs ... so it's either the heat in the van or the back pressure, or both, causing it.

 

[CrazyRay]

Jon your reasoning is good. I can totally relate to that kind of thinking. That's why I've owned 2 Dynachem truckmounts. The first one is about 12 years old and still going. Neither machine has ever been in the shop. Mine used the Honda 24 hp engines. The only "difficult" (but not really) repair needed was replacing the ignition coils on the engine. That was a common problem with that particular model. Otherwise just normal maintenance on connectors, belts, oil, plugs, etc. Very reliable and easy to work on.

Performance is very good without a lot of the bells and whistles that, frankly, plague the Prochems, Hydramasters, etc. I'm not saying these are bad machines at all... just not for me, too much down time. I think the machines that have all the major components in an enclosed compartment suffer heat related failures more often. Even the water cooled units. Anyway good luck and let me know if I can help you in any way.

 

[BradFenstermaker]

Don't dismiss the LP option! I have been using a TNT with LP for a 3 mnths. Was worried about it but have come to love the LP part. Just top off the tank 1 a week or 2 win spanked with commercial and residential.

Very reliable clean heat and fast. Pretty sure any half smart tech could use my set up. With the specs of your business just get a C-4, it has a bigger blower than a 45.

JMO

 

[Total_Rookie]

Nick ****** of ** Truckmounts built me a 25/45. I would suggest giving him a call, if going hx.

If you want good ol' propane fired heat go with a Judson TNT

 

[KevinL]

Larry, can that heat be controlled as in turning it way down for wool or blood clean up?

 

[steve g]

I would get the largest prochem unit you can get with the sub mount water tank under it. this may be the legend GT.

 

[Larry Cobb]

Larry, can that heat be controlled as in turning it way down for wool or blood clean up?

Kevin;

It can be turned down, but none of our customers go below 180' or so.

That is where I would clean Wool.

The wool starts at room temp, so you are only going to raise the temp about 50% of the difference.

That would give you a final temp of 180+70/2, or 125 degrees F.

Larry