Power Washing the Tractor

[JCoastie]

I got a foam cannon from harbor freight a few weeks ago on sale. It hooks to the hose rather than a pressure washer. I used it last weekend, it worked surprising well Extreme Foaming Spray Gun

 

[grsthegreat]

my powerwasher has an intake port on it where you attach the suction hose and drop it into bucket with solutions. it uses a different tip than standard tipe, but works great. i use it to clean vinyl fences on property.

 

[5030]

I got a foam cannon from harbor freight a few weeks ago on sale. It hooks to the hose rather than a pressure washer. I used it last weekend, it worked surprising well Extreme Foaming Spray Gun

I don't have a garden hose available. I pump my wash water from a pair of 350 gallon IBC totes hooked to the gutters on the shop. Our well water is loaded with calcium so it leaves anything you wash with a nice white film. Quit using it long ago. I use a 110 volt 'Pony pump' to increase the water pressure from the totes to feed the pressure washer pump. We get a decent rain (like last night), the totes are full again.

 

[5030]

my powerwasher has an intake port on it where you attach the suction hose and drop it into bucket with solutions. it uses a different tip than standard tipe, but works great. i use it to clean vinyl fences on property.

So does mine. I took it off. The foam cannon works much better and uses much less product too. I can do 2 big tractors with a pint bottle of solution and 2-3 cars with another.

 

[slckeys]

I don't have a garden hose available. I pump my wash water from a pair of 350 gallon IBC totes hooked to the gutters on the shop. Our well water is loaded with calcium so it leaves anything you wash with a nice white film. Quit using it long ago. I use a 110 volt 'Pony pump' to increase the water pressure from the totes to feed the pressure washer pump. We get a decent rain (like last night), the totes are full again.

I was just looking at making a set up like this because the pressure from my well is ridiculously low for my power washers. And then my foam cannon is useless.

I have the IBC totes. What for pump are you using to increase the GPM to the power washer? I saw simple pumps that I assume constantly run? and then shallow well pressure pumps to choose from that area love a regular pressure tank with cut off pressure..

 

[smalltown]

I use my air compressor to get things cleaned up especially my compact Deere 2520 grill. My thinking is that you can force water into places that it normally would not go, and may not dry quickly. Rarely do I use the hose to rinse it off, but if it was really dirty a small garden hose spray would do it.

 

[5030]

I was just looking at making a set up like this because the pressure from my well is ridiculously low for my power washers. And then my foam cannon is useless.

I have the IBC totes. What for pump are you using to increase the GPM to the power washer? I saw simple pumps that I assume constantly run? and then shallow well pressure pumps to choose from that area love a regular pressure tank with cut off pressure..

I use a 110 volt 'Proven Pony Pump' mounted to the pressure washer base with a short length of garden hose (with replacement ends) to connect it to the intake pump side. I did add an inline sprayer filter with a stainless basket inside to catch any crud from the totes before it can get to the pump. HF now sells the same pump (Drummond) cheaper. Not so much increasing the GPH, but providing the needed head to the PW pump. PW pumps aren't capable of 'sucking water', they need artificial head (provided by the pump) to work properly.

Been using the setup for at least 6 years now. No issues.

 

[slckeys]

Thank you. Whether it be GPH or increasing head pressure to the PW, my current set up can't keep up with the demand and I can hear the pump starving for water. I'll look into that pump and especially a filter

 

[5030]

If you are going to use your IBC totes as a water source, the inline filter is a must have if you want the pump to last. The ceramic plungers in the pump don't like crud in the water.

I bought a replacement pump (AR) just in case mine puked. So far it has not. I keep mine in a heated shop in the winter so I never winterize the pump.

As an aside, I have one of the older HF pressure washers (Pacific Hydrostar) and it's been a gem. Only weak link was the cheap hose which I replaced with a real, metal braided hose.

 

[5030]

The Pony Pump and the HF Drummond use a flexible rubber vane impeller so continuous run don't impact them at all, so long as there is water in the pump cavity.