Pressure washers

[sea2summit]

Mods, couldn't find a good spot if this isn't right please move.

So school me on pressure washers. I need to start hosing down the tractor and four wheeler before they go to bed, to wash the motorhome, the cars, about 1,500 sqft of driveway, house exterior once a year, roof twice a year, and occasionally the children...maybe not the children but sometimes I'm tempted. Use it probably 2-5 times a week during the summer.

The local Stihl guy has some the BE P2765HC I'm really liking for the Honda engine I'm just trying to figure out if I really want to cut a $700 check for a pressure washer

What ya got and what do you recommend?

 

[T Dew]

My brain is not working right now, so I'll have to add what I have a little later. I will tell you this, though. When I went to get my current pressure washer I was surprised how much they cost for the "good ones." Then I remembered the lesson we have all learned a few too many times: you get what you pay for. I cannot remember if paid as much as $700, but I do know it was more than I originally thought I was going to pay. I found that with the better machine I use it more, and the place actually looks almost as good as the wife thinks it should.

 

[ultrarunner]

I bought a cheap $60 one for the cabin... so far, so good. If it breaks... I'm not out much.

I also have a 13hp Honda powered one that was just too large to make it convenient to take back and forth... it was $1200 +/-

 

[T Dew]

Does the $60 one do a decent job? Having a cheaper one for my other place would not be a bad thing (smaller and quieter too), but I always worry I would not be happy with the job it performed.

 

[Wagtail]

Well, you get what you pay for. I just bought a Karcher @ 2030psi for A$720.00. Heaps of attachments & I got a 'show' deal on the price (for a somewhat remote State like Tassie).

I jumped at the Karcher because an Air Force mate of mine told me that the RAAF only uses that brand to wash down all of their aircraft & equipment due to the quality + reliability of the brand. So much so that my mate had bought one for his home. That was good enough for me.

 

[JimRB]

I got a cheapy pressure washer at Home Depot with a residential Honda engine. It worked ok until it did not work. Sometimes it would work great. I ended up getting a new commercial type pump that had a 2 year warranty, service and parts and was sold at a professional pressure washer service and sales center. AR xmv3g27 is $320 just for the pump. That pump works well all the time as opposed to the sometimes working cheapy pump I started with. I have seen pressure washers at HD with good pumps. Of course if I had known more I could have gotten a slightly more expensive washer with a good pump and saved money in the long run.

Here is a good shopping guide. Pressure Washer How-to Library - Pressure Washer Articles, Pressure Washer Tips and Pressure Washer Buying Guides @ Pressure Washers Direct

 

[Baby Grand]

Just got a DeWalt at HD for $800.
3.5 GPM/3800 psi with a Honda motor.
More than I really wanted to pay for a washer, but it works great.
I wanted 3 to 4 GPM so I can try using it to wet sand blast as prep for some welding/resto projects.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Mods, couldn't find a good spot if this isn't right please move.

So school me on pressure washers. I need to start hosing down the tractor and four wheeler before they go to bed, to wash the motorhome, the cars, about 1,500 sqft of driveway, house exterior once a year, roof twice a year, and occasionally the children...maybe not the children but sometimes I'm tempted. Use it probably 2-5 times a week during the summer.

The local Stihl guy has some the BE P2765HC I'm really liking for the Honda engine I'm just trying to figure out if I really want to cut a $700 check for a pressure washer

What ya got and what do you recommend?

From what I perceive a ~$100 electric would work for you. Their lower pressure sounds adequate for what youre planning. Their silence, light weight, and trouble free indoor storage are nice. Buy engine driven if you need it ... more power, adjustable speed/pressure. Otherwise its just a LOT more overhead and a lot more to lose from a mistake.
larry

 

[the old grind]

+1 on the lo-buck electric. I bought mine 14 yrs ago thinking I'd toss & replace it when it wore out or broke. A "turbo-nozzle" accy was the key to getting performance from the 'moderate' pressure and limited GPM that won't over-draw my well. (~1100PSI @ <1.5GPM .. It's easier to run the cord than the hose btw, and GFCIs have been std on these for years) I can gas/oil/tire all my other gear, but this guy disappears to a handy indoor shelf in its box off-season.

After going the cheap/new route to get a warranty & feel out my needs (hint) I'm still waiting for the thing to wear out. It's taught me to wear expendable clothes when spraying down equipment whose oil weeps and bits of grease ooze will pelt an operator working in tight spots. I like the portability, and my take has been that wand maneuverability trumps possibly dangerous paint-peeling raw power.

The one thing I appreciate about gas powered 'monsters' is that young-'uns too small to start one can't get into trouble or hurt themselves when no one is looking. Bet you can guess what I'd get (again) next time. (For $500+ I could get a landscape rake..)

 

[90cummins]

I would not recommend anything less than 2500psi.
Also insist on a Honda GX series engine and a CAT pump.
This would most likely be the last pressure washer you'll ever buy.
90cummins