The ideal portable would have the following features.....

Bob Foster

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- A way to attach the wand when you are transporting from your van up the elevator to that condo
- Shelf to hold stuff
- Bigger hoses
 

Greenie

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drain valve in the REAR of the machine, so you can park over a toilet and still easily clean and fill.
2" hose hook ups
Stair climbing wheels
hand holds in strategic location for unloading and hoisting
easily visible/accessible gauges and controls
elec. cord/sol. hose/vac hose holders
place to put a 1 gal. bottle of defoamer
clam shell easily accessible "guts"
separate circuit indicator
pump prime
I'll think of some more

... and an autofill that shut off every single time, like your toilet tank
APO that last more than 23 hours
 

Scott S.

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fool proof autofill and auto dump
light weight. less than 125 lbs.
capable of doing tile and carpet
14 inches murcury lift with 100ft min length of hose
 

Greenie

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Just for note, the vacuum and pumps above would weigh that much alone....lol
125 is a lightweight
 

Scott S.

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mine is 150 lbs and is big. but almost to big to safley get up stairs, that is the only reason i suggest lighter weight.
 

Ron Werner

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ablitity to access pump and vacs when the water tank is full without having to empty it.
at least 180F heat
less than 100lbs
switches and guages on the top
2 cords max

(Cheyenne was my favourite)
 

joey895

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I do a fair amount of high rise condo cleaning with a portable and I hate every second of it. Here are some things that would make me hate it less.

1. A way to attach the wand for transport.
2. Auto fill and dump. Especially auto dump since I have to do that about twice as much as filling.
3. The top of it would be flat and have raised edges so I could set my milk crate full of stuff and my sprayer on top for transport. Maybe a place to hook bungie cords to hold that stuff in place.
4. 2 inch hose would be nice but I don't want more that 20-25 feet of it. I just don't see any reason for running more than that but I see reasons for not running more. Like dry times and just transporting more along with the other crap would be a pain.
5. A place for rolling up and holding your hoses and cord.
6. Greenie mentioned hand hold for loading/unloading. That would be great. I also agree drain valve should be in the rear.
7. It would be a couple of inches thinner than my mytee so that it would better fit in the back of my van.
8. Capable of at least 500 psi

Things I don't need.
1. Lots of hose.
2. Heat. Putting that current towards stronger vacuum.
3. Lighter weight. It weighs what it weighs but greenies idea of strategically placed hand holds would be nice.
 

Larry B

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We have a couple US Products machines and I like them fine but they could improve


Better and larger back wheels for stairs.

More hand placements near the bottom of the machine.

Make them taller and not so short and fat.

Lower the price...LMAO
 

Larry Cobb

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First of All: HAPPY FOURTH of JULY

Century 400 did a customer focus group meeting with factory reps a couple of months ago at our plant.

They also did meeting across the country at other distributor locations.

After tabulating all the input, many common goals were established for their "new design" portable extractor.

It should be available in the next couple of months.

I have heard that it has larger, stronger wheels, and better storage of accessories.

I think that reliable pump-outs have been available for years. It is just designing with adequate filtration screens to handle the gunk.

The auto-fill we use is the same model that we use on our TMs.

Most of the wanted features discussed above have been done,,,,,
but not on the same machine at a price that cleaners were willing to pay. :roll:

Larry Cobb
Mikey Board Supporting Member
 

Jay D

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Beer cooler, 2" plumbing to match 2" hose, cup holders like powerflite had, trailer for accesories when doing highrise work to hold coincidentals. :roll:
 
G

Guest

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V-Belt stair climbers.
I had an old portable that we fastened two sets of wheels from a pair of rollerblades to help slide up and down stairs.

It worked on most stairs until it broke. :oops:
 

Willy P

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500 PSI, dual or triple vacs, dual element electric heater, minimum 3500 watts, hose runs up to 100 feet,..... Oh wait! I have that one already. :p
 
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Hi Joey Johnston,

Good post. I like your being specific. What model Mytee do you have? Larry Cobb brought up an important element, that of price. Granted, while that is not the total sum it is a vital consideration. What would be a reasonable price that a pro would see as a good value for this desired machine? What could be the heaviest it should weigh and still be able to be handled by one person? Would such a machine just be for carpets or would it also be able to clean tile and grout?

Thanks,

John
 

randy

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I think this design as a lot of appeal. The company was actually for sale last I heard. John, you should buy them out and adopt that wheel design / loading handle on you units. With the wheels a 175 lb unit is light.

There is definitely a market for a $ 4,000 portable, but it has to be everything and perfect.[attachment=0:2dotxddo]modelsd18.jpg[/attachment:2dotxddo]
 
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Hi Terry,

Your machine sounds great. Is that the unit for the $99.99 that you posted about earlier? Does it have an onboard charger for the "D" cells? If so, I think you got a winner here. Congrats.

John
 

cmaster

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ODIN said:
I now have the perfect unit

200 plus heat

runs two inch hose up to 500 foot hose runs no problem

0 to 5 thousand psi pump

auto fill auto dump

more vac than a vortex

remote control start and shut off

cup holder

it will even walk the dog do the dishes clean the pool and keep the wife happy on your night out with the boys


and the whole system runs on two D cells

You stole that idea from Hairass
:shock:
 

joey895

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John LaBarbera said:
Hi Joey Johnston,

Good post. I like your being specific. What model Mytee do you have? Larry Cobb brought up an important element, that of price. Granted, while that is not the total sum it is a vital consideration. What would be a reasonable price that a pro would see as a good value for this desired machine? What could be the heaviest it should weigh and still be able to be handled by one person? Would such a machine just be for carpets or would it also be able to clean tile and grout?

Thanks,

John


I have a speedster 1000. Unfortunatly when I was first buying all my equipment I spent all my time researching the tm and basically took the salesman at rotovacs advice on what to look for in a porty. It's supposed to have a 200 psi adjustable pump but it doesn't have any guages so I really don't know.

I asked my distributor this question and he said to just buy another machine but I figure I'll ask you anyway since we've got your attention. Is it possible to add auto fill and dump to this machine?
 

Bob Foster

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It's really good that the builders of portables are chiming in and listening to what we want. I like Terry's idea of lots of attachements but I'm wondering if his units come in a choice of attachements and designer colors.

All kidding aside..... let's see some innovation because clearly there are lots of easlily correctable shortcommings on most of the units on the market.
 
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Hi Joey,

The model 1000-200 is a 250 psi Pump-tec pump regulated to 200 psi. You can add an in-line gauge if you like. An auto-fil auto pump out is an available add-on, it requires some plumbing and electrical. This model is a good single cord unit.

If you are going to the Connections Show in Las Vegas we will be previewing a new machine that I think you guys that see the need for a powerful, versatile electric will like. Stop by our display for an amazing demonstration.

John
 

joey895

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Where would be the best place to buy the auto fill/dump and do you know approximatly how much $$$?

Thanks
 
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Joey,

I think you're close to Cleaning Supply Network in Panama City, FL. I'm not sure of the cost, email me and I will get the price on Monday.

John
 
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Joey Johnston said:
Where would be the best place to buy the auto fill/dump and do you know approximatly how much $$$?

Thanks


auto fill is very easy to make.. just like a toilet..

the auto dump is the only thing you'd have to buy, that costs alot..

i'll send you some pics of the auto fill..
 

Scott S.

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I have a masterblend truckforce 3500. it has performace like you wouldnt beleive.
but its heavy and has to be loaded with a ramp or with two people.
i bought it at a very reasonable price. and had a warenty.

can run 100' with no problem at 500 psi.

what do you think about the machine greenie?
 

Willy P

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ODIN said:
I now have the perfect unit

200 plus heat

runs two inch hose up to 500 foot hose runs no problem

0 to 5 thousand psi pump

auto fill auto dump

more vac than a vortex

remote control start and shut off

cup holder

it will even walk the dog do the dishes clean the pool and keep the wife happy on your night out with the boys


and the whole system runs on two D cells

Let me guess- You bought it from Ken Hairass right?
 

Willy P

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A General pump, Leeson motor, 2 - sets of 2 stage vacs in series to a parallel. I don't give a $hit about amp draw, if you ain't got the smarts to figure out 3 seperate plugs than get a job. Oh yeah - 20 gallons a side would be good too.

And it CAN be done.
 

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