Looking For AeroTech

[bensurdi]

Just putting this out there, we're going to need to buy another truck in a month or two and we're wanting an AeroTech. If anyone knows someone who may be selling or if you are selling please let me know!

Thanks

 

[Desk Jockey]

LOL you are all over the place with equipment, didn't you just sell one off a few months ago and then purchase a big Prochem?

You shouldn't have any trouble finding one, its a buyers market.

 

[dealtimeman]

A used aerotech is very hard to find and rare I believe.

 

[bensurdi]

I purchased a Prochem Everest 650HP brand new and I haven't had the best experience with it. The AeroTech/Vortex, in my opinion is the best machine made on the market. The one I sold was older and had higher hours on it which is why we sold.

Moving forward I'm trying to stick with the AeroTechs but if a good deal comes up I buy other stuff too. I just bought a ThermalWave and that machine has been more dependable than the Everest.

I only have 200 hours on the everest and it all ready needed the blower replaced. The speedometer went bad, dual wand mode would not work. etc etc.

 

[hogjowl]

I had a brand new Prochem that the blower would lock up while in use!

Prochem tried to blame it on me for not lubing it at the end of every day.

Thing is, I did.

 

[Mikey P]

How long until Cintas follows Venturi's and Zerorez's footsteps?

 

[hogjowl]

Are you intentionally trying to kill this guys thread?

 

[bensurdi]

Yeah I'm waiting for cintas to start selling off their fleet but who knows when that will start happening.

 

[steve g]

why on earth would you invest and spend that kind of money on essentially a defunct machine thats no longer made?? this gets back to the reason years ago I said vortex wasn't a wise decision. aerotech has been the one constant during all this, but still I don't know if they are making them anymore and if they are I don't expect it to continue. whats going to happen several years from now?? what if you wreck the truck, what if the truck is a lemon and you have to sell it cause your tired of fixing it. The point is the way trucks are built now days there really isn't a very good way to move the machine to a new truck. make money cleaning carpets not re engineering the truckmount or potentially doing that.

 

[hogjowl]

He's asking for an Aerotec. They are still being made.

Did you take your medicine today?

 

[hogjowl]

But, you have a point. North Korea might bomb us tomorrow and then look at how foolish his purchase would be!

 

[BLewis]

Ben your blower was under warranty correct? John O. Said they put out a few that had bad blowers for a very short time. I was I formed that one of the set of gears had a very small and slow leak and before you knew it it would leak low causing the bearings to fail. I check my levels 2-3 times per week. One frustrating thing I ran into yesterday was I went to service the blower oil and the drain plugs are where you would have to be a magician to drain the lube and not make a mess so I'll have to take it to Interlink so they can suck it out.

 

[handdi]

Why not just buy new butlers or CDs units

 

[Willy P]

I had a brand new Prochem that the blower would lock up while in use!

Prochem tried to blame it on me for not lubing it at the end of every day.

Thing is, I did.

Gee whillikers- Where have I heard that Prochem shits on good customers before? Oh yeah- they pooped on me.

 

[davegillfishing]

shoot me a text on your cell phone and i will get you some pics and specs of a unit you may be interested in..

dave

904-483-7307

 

[Lint Basket]

Funny, things don't ever change.

I bought a used Aerotech 2 years ago. Dude bought it for 98,000 and I got it for 43,000. It had 20,000 miles and 700 hours about. It's all decked out.

When buying used I would only buy the UD, the newer the better. I will never buy a Cintas used one, they hammer the shit out of them night and day (which has helped Aerotech fine tune there machines). They are still building them in a whole new wing added on to there facility. Sad thing is I don't know that I'll ever afford the $100,000 pricetag of the new ones. The trucks alone now are around 45-50,000 with all the emissions crap. The good thing is you can't smell a thing from the exhaust. Stay away from the Mitsubishis the emissions burner was a nightmare. the new Isuzus are the bombdiggity, Vlads gottem dialed. I still prefer the old UD's myself and would look for another one from an owner operator who is selling or in financial crisis.

 

[Mikey P]

What truck did a new AT come in?

Imo, it is the best TM available.

@35k more than I paid for my 04 Vortex I just don't see another one in my future.

 

[BLewis]

LOL you are all over the place with equipment, didn't you just sell one off a few months ago and then purchase a big Prochem?

You shouldn't have any trouble finding one, its a buyers market.[/QUOTE

Richard, what Ben sold before was not what all of us refer to when we say Aerotech. It was a Zero Rez truck that I think is also referred to as an Aerotech but was no way the same machine. I actually met the man that purchased that truck and he blew a blower within a couple of weeks because he left the PTO engaged when he went driving down the road. (Now that my friend was a costly mistake!)

i agree with Mikey the A/T is without a doubt the best machine out there! And because the new price in kind of out of reach even the good used ones will probably fetch a better price than they probably should.

 

[Lint Basket]

Mike, Isuzu is the new one. It burns clean. The Mitsubishis burners would get too hot.

I got the Blue Tornados UD from Alaska ( Dude left the side door up and let it freeze solid) The blower was going on it when I got it, thats the only thing I've had to replace. These things will outlast a tm any day but todays economy will get tough on Aerotech, and pray Cintas doesn't do a Zerores and try to build there own someday. As long as Aerotech is around even if they don't build the trucks they will always have the parts. That is one fear you could feel alright about. I still see used Venturi Vortex's here and there.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

How much power do you really need to clean carpets nowadays? I think we can agree that 95% of our residential jobs are 150 ft and under.. Most commercial can be encapped.. so owning an overpriced machine for such a small percentage seems overkill. Especially if you are only going to own it for five years.

I think the big box truck was a product of the economical bubble.. they are the ultimate set up but when that bubble popped and reality hit.. many went back to what was more practical for running a business. If you are looking to create a fleet, I can think of no better company to do it with other than Butler.

Anyone want to make a bet that by june we are going to be paying over $4 a gallon for gas??? There is a lot of cheaper ways to get a good USP. What am I saying.. You can do it.

 

[hogjowl]

It would have to be SOME kind of successful fleet (not you average 2 or 3 van business) to afford a $70,000 Butler.

 

[Lint Basket]

10 years out of an AT no problem just re-wrap and look like new. 5 years for a Butler. Math would say AT is cheaper and dual wanding is a dream. All that being said I'm with Mike whether or not I'll justify that much expense next time around?

 

[FB7777]

It would have to be SOME kind of successful fleet (not you average 2 or 3 van business) to afford a $70,000 Butler.

A brand new Butler does not have to cost $70k , Gill mentioned it once and now it is becoming gospel that this is the price of a new Butle

http://butlersystem.com/pre-owned-vans.html

2012 GMC 11,000 miles for $22,900

Reconditioned Butler with Package 1,2 & 3 for $22,800

Gently used system for around $45 K with a helluva resale value 5 years down the road

A new van and well optioned Butler will run you $62k , not $70 K

 

[Zee]

Anyone want to make a bet that by june we are going to be paying over $4 a gallon for gas???

I'm always in search for cheaper gas..but sure as hack can't find anything for less than $4.09 Its been a long time since we had solid under $4.00 gas prices... I'm betting on seeing gas prices this summer in the 6 dollar range!

 

[Ken Snow]

It would have to be SOME kind of successful fleet (not you average 2 or 3 van business) to afford a $70,000 Butler.

Explain your logic there if you would Marty? It seems to me that the key is having enough work to make each unit profitable, not how many in the fleet. 1 X 62,000 is 62,000 3 is 186,000, 5 is 310,000 etc. IMO the company has to have the volume of work to get north of 250k a year to justify the expense.

Butlers easily perform there first service life for 6-8 years for the original owner and then with some tlc can provide another 5-8 for the next owner.

 

[AshleyMckendree]

Gas seems expensive, but when you get right down to it, it's cheap... Think about it, on a gallon of gas ($3.68 here) you can travel to your customers home assuming its less than 20 miles away and your rig gets 15mpg, and for a few more gallons you can clean that customers home for a few hours, so if your adverage $ per hour is $150+ you made at least $300+, and it cost you 3 gallons of fuel to accomplish this.

So IMO $11 in fuel to make 300 bucks is a bargain.




....

 

[hogjowl]

Thanks, Fred. That is exactly where I got that $70,000 figure. I assumed it was not far off of what a Butler I would want would cost. After the 3 packages, a 47 blower, auto pump out, high heat option, etc, etc. Plus, the fact that Tommy Overstreet is my sales rep, I figured I'd pay a $10,000 premium upcharge.

 

[dealtimeman]

I believe the aero techs are about 92,000.

 

[Dave Rampage]

Ben,

When I wrecked my AT I searched for a used one. There were none out there. You should look into a used 777. They are very reliable and you can find one at a fair price.

Hi Scott.

For those of you Die Hard Butler owners. I owned two of them and can tell you through experience, when I owned them I thought they were great. The biggest problem was the van they are in but they are still a little toy. I know you all say you have just a few hours drying. In my climate in Chicago that is not true.

I had a huge wreck in my AT and couldn't believe how easy it was to rebuild. If you can unscrew a bolt and put in a new one like it came out you can rebuild one of these things. My AT is 8 years old this summer looks like new, still is more powerful than anything around and runs everyday and never has a problem EVER. I see many more years of reliable service. This truck has been the best financial decision I ever made in my life. I could have got $45,000 from the insurance company to total it and i'm glad I didn't accept that. I know Mikey has had many issues with his truck but his was made by FMI. The Aero Tech built trucks are way better.

 

[Mikey P]

Thanks, Fred. That is exactly where I got that $70,000 figure. I assumed it was not far off of what a Butler I would want would cost. After the 3 packages, a 47 blower, auto pump out, high heat option, etc, etc. Plus, the fact that Tommy Overstreet is my sales rep, I figured I'd pay a $10,000 premium upcharge.

You too eh?

Overstreet is a real slime ball.

Ask Duane about that guy. Pulled some crap here too but I got some much "crap" going on I can't keep all those crappers straight.


Avoid that Tommy like the plague.