Upgrade 36 blower to 45?

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Lee Stockwell
I downloaded the manual too. The specs list a higher rpm for the blower than the engine for whatever reason.

The blower will in fact turn at exactly the same speed as the engine.

So speed it up! Adjust the governor linkage.
 
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doylebloss

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Let me start with my "mechanical idiot" point of view, then we will get the engineers to answer.
The first thing I recommend to anyone who is looking to upgrade from a machine with a #3 blower to a machine to a #4 blower is to measure your average hose pulls on a job for a week. Over the week if you average 150-175 feet per job, then getting a bigger blower is spending a lot of money for slightly faster drying times. If you average more than that, or want to do dual wanding, then it is something to consider. Don't get "blower envy" looking at everyone's bigger toys unless you can either afford to upgrade with no problem, or the types of jobs you are doing now demand it.
The next thing I like to tell them is you are going to get a lot of advice (and a lot of different opinions) about the effect of getting more rpms to spin the blower, or adjusting your vacuum relief valve from 12" to 14" or even higher. Both of those things will give you more vacuum - but you have to measure that against the cost - wear and tear on the engine and the rest of your machine. Asking others with truckmounts here is a reasonable way to get some good input on that, then balance that with what engineers and tech support at HydraMaster have to say. Like I said, opinions differ even within our team.
Previous posters are right in that the Boxxer 323 did come with a bigger engine (23HP vs 18HP) . However, even without talking to the Engineers, I am sure that it is more complicated than just swapping from the smaller blower to the larger one. Not sure about footprint, but the plumbing may be a lot different too. I will ask the people at HydraMaster who are much smarter and wiser than me about these things on Monday.
 

Bob Savage

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It's really quite simple. Here's what I did.

I ran two 2" hoses from the blower to the recovery tank ( 2" X 2" X 2.5 cast iron T). Each 2" hose going to the tank has two 3" filters (T) inside the tank (equals four 3" filters) (enables me to run a #45 blower for dual wands).

RPM on the Honda motor (GX-670) is set to 3000 RPM (good power curve at this RPM while saving fuel), with a 6" pulley on the Honda and a 5" pulley on the blower, and a Motion Industries tensioner pulley. Larger pulleys equal more contact area for the single "B" belt. Belt will last for a few thousand hours.

Increased the blower silencer from 1.5"to 4" to reduce any significant back pressure. Use LP for heat so no HX in the blower discharge or anywhere else for that matter.

Finally, added a controlled air leak in the vacuum system to eliminate lock-down and increase the vacuum which translates to faster drying fabrics.

Phenomenal increase in vacuum power for very little cost and simple modifications.
 
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steve_64

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Just get another setup with a 56 or 59 blower and be done with it if you feel the need for more vac.
 
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@Jeremy Martin , did you ever tell us what your HG is set at? If it's just set at the standard 12, bump it up to 14-15, and bump up the rpm by 300 more. You should get a noticeable difference after that. Just make sure your exhaust is blowing under the van/trailer/box truck/whatever you have, to keep it cool.
AND, keep your blower filters clean, and STOP ANY AIR LEAKS FROM THE HEAD OF YOUR WAND, ALL THE WAY TO THE INTAKE PORT ON YOUR TM.... a guy would be surprised at how much suction he’s losing by not...... ive got an OCD when it comes to vac flow..... fook, I even clean my blower filters with an old sonic toothbrush.....
 

steve_64

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How’s your 4.7 butler?
It didn't have the waste tank filters so i got those and then struggled a little getting things sealed up. I still need new hoses into and out if the waste tank. I ditched the 1 5 inch whip and am pretty happy with it. Using the 1.5 wand that cane with it and it's howling now.
I'll do some more tweaking trying other wands and such but so far I'm not seeing any difference in vac but better heat. That may be why I'm getting a little better dry times or it may be the wand too. It will take a lot of time to form a better opinion though.
 
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I cleaned at 400’ yesterday. I ran 200’ of 2.5, 200’ of 2” THW. I run my 47 blower @ 3300 rpm.... the suction was just as good as running 200’ of 2”.... I did a 10 1/2 hr job, and made 3200$.... I am very careful of any air leaks, and run 125’ of solution line insulation..... the wand was loud enough that someone in the building was complaining about it being a distraction for them....
 
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It didn't have the waste tank filters so i got those and then struggled a little getting things sealed up. I still need new hoses into and out if the waste tank. I ditched the 1 5 inch whip and am pretty happy with it. Using the 1.5 wand that cane with it and it's howling now.
I'll do some more tweaking trying other wands and such but so far I'm not seeing any difference in vac but better heat. That may be why I'm getting a little better dry times or it may be the wand too. It will take a lot of time to form a better opinion though.
A whip? I thought those were for horse and buggy driving Amish....
 

steve_64

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50 foot too. It worked better than I thought it would but I'm looking to see what I can get out of it.
Already blew the solution line that came with it and the chem feed stopped working.
 

SamIam

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It didn't have the waste tank filters so i got those and then struggled a little getting things sealed up. I still need new hoses into and out if the waste tank. I ditched the 1 5 inch whip and am pretty happy with it. Using the 1.5 wand that cane with it and it's howling now.
I'll do some more tweaking trying other wands and such but so far I'm not seeing any difference in vac but better heat. That may be why I'm getting a little better dry times or it may be the wand too. It will take a lot of time to form a better opinion though.


If your sealing leaks your lift goes up which helps with heat too!
 
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SamIam

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50 foot too. It worked better than I thought it would but I'm looking to see what I can get out of it.
Already blew the solution line that came with it and the chem feed stopped working.


I’ll say this Cobbs new solution line does get have less heat loss than Goodyear
 
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and run 125’ of solution line insulation...
How do you insulate your line?[/QUOTE]
You can get foam insulation at big box stores... it’s split down the middle, and comes in 6’ lengths... they are like 2$ each.... frickin amazing how much it helps retain heat... especially over long hose runs....
 
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steve_64

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If your sealing leaks your lift goes up which helps with heat too!
I took the spring valve out and figured out how it works then caulked it back into place. Once I got both lids sealed good I set it at 15. With the live reel it takes a few seconds to build vac so I'm ok with it set there.
The hose between blower and waste tank and hose reel and waste tank are cracked and old so once I replace those I'll go through it again checking settings and adjusting.

The WM I use to tinker with a lot over two years. Always seemed to be changing until I went through everything. It was a learning experience.
 
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steve_64

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How do you insulate your line?
You can get foam insulation at big box stores... it’s split down the middle, and comes in 6’ lengths... they are like 2$ each.... frickin amazing how much it helps retain heat... especially over long hose runs....[/QUOTE]
I've thought about that. More for through grass or snow.
 
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All say this Cobbs new solution line does get have less heat loss than Goodyear
I find that the Goodyear stuff does dump ALOT of heat through the jacket... I’m going to replace my line AGAIN in the next 2-3 months.... I’m going to try the Cobbs stuff.... question is, CAN I GET IT IN 200’ CONTINUOUS? @Larry Cobb ?
 
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mad respect for those that pull hose through snow, we've had our first frost of season and noticably quieter already
We dealt with the highest snowfall recorded up the ski resort... 625 cm, which equates to 20’10” inches for those still on imperial.... I do work for a PM up there... I broke a set of tire chains twice this winter.... GOT THE JOB DONE EVERYTIME though.... carried 2 different shovels all winter long... used them both on many days.... fookin hate it, but if I puss out, my family doesn’t eat.... besides, IT BUILDS CHARACTER....
 

Hack Attack

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We dealt with the highest snowfall recorded up the ski resort... 625 cm, which equates to 20’10” inches for those still on imperial.... I do work for a PM up there... I broke a set of tire chains twice this winter.... GOT THE JOB DONE EVERYTIME though.... carried 2 different shovels all winter long... used them both on many days.... fookin hate it, but if I puss out, my family doesn’t eat.... besides, IT BUILDS CHARACTER....
I dont mind working in winter (our snowline is about 1600m and Im at sea level) but the phones still get quiet, I can still get good drying times I think its the other muppets running their portys and 33 blowers without dry stroking that has put the locals off
 
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Cleanworks

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I took the spring valve out and figured out how it works then caulked it back into place. Once I got both lids sealed good I set it at 15. With the live reel it takes a few seconds to build vac so I'm ok with it set there.
The hose between blower and waste tank and hose reel and waste tank are cracked and old so once I replace those I'll go through it again checking settings and adjusting.

The WM I use to tinker with a lot over two years. Always seemed to be changing until I went through everything. It was a learning experience.
I've never been a fan of live reels. To be honest, I don't like reels period. You might get get better results if you just use the reel for storage and just plug in the length of hose you need for the job. I've seen guys using 300 feet on a live reel, for a job needing 100 feet or less. talk about a difference in drying times.
 

Mrice

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AND, keep your blower filters clean, and STOP ANY AIR LEAKS FROM THE HEAD OF YOUR WAND, ALL THE WAY TO THE INTAKE PORT ON YOUR TM.... a guy would be surprised at how much suction he’s losing by not...... ive got an OCD when it comes to vac flow..... fook, I even clean my blower filters with an old sonic toothbrush.....
@Sierra Clean Care , what hose cuffs do you like?
 
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@Sierra Clean Care , what hose cuffs do you like?
I gave up on any fancy cuffs... they leak air like an old woman on depends.... I went back to standard vinyl, and use stainless steel ‘links’ now.... they are thin wall, and I had my local welding shop cut me up 10 pcs, @ 4 3/4” long.... I measured the ID of the plastic ones, and realized that I was choking at every 50’..... the next thing I’m going to try, is going to the OD of the vinyl cuff, so I have 2” ALL the way from the floor, to the TM.....I did a job today, I ran the first 50’ with 2.5, then ran 75’ of 2”.... let’s put it this way, I did ONE dry stroke, for every wet one.... I then knelt down on the carpet (cut pile nylon) for 30 seconds.... when I stood up, there was no wet spot on my knee....
 

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