Who makes the best/cheapest Truckmount?

[Mikey P]

What machine would would you consider the best choice for the upstart cleaner.

performance-
affordability-
longevity-
stability of manufacture-


Pleas list your top 3 choices.

 

[TimP]

I would have to say Judson TNT, Powerclean freedom, then one of the big 3 (prochem, hydramaster, blueline). #4 blower especially if you're running a heat exhange machine. I definitely say buy as big as you can afford. There are so many choices, duane probably makes a decent machine with LP like judson but he don't seem to get much publicity for his machines.

 

[packfancjh]

I don't know about Judsons machines but I hear they are great. The best priced machine for quality and durability I would say would be the Boxxer 318 for a start up. If they can afford the step up I would tell them to get a Legend GT. Great new machine.

 

[Dolly Llama]

it's really impossible for 99% of us end users to give a "credible" answer.

cause none of us that much real world experience with that many different TMs.

at one time the board "de juor" TM was a Doo-Wayne-o-matic
One time the El Deab-blow was being suggested as a great TM by guys who had no more experience with them other than seeing them at trade show
Believe it or not, even the Nick-o-matic had it's board de juor day in the sun

I'm going to guess the number one TM mentioned today will be Judsons.
Not that I any knowledge of them, they may very well be the best value on the market, i donno.
i do know that they're the current board de juor TM though


we might get some input from distys, but i suspect it will be models/brands they sell.

about the only credible ones who could answer are those with years of experience servicing dozens of different brands and models.
I don't that there are too many TM mechanics here that qualify

do we have any full time TM mechanics here?


..L.T.A.

 

[Dolly Llama]

The best priced machine for quality and durability I would say would be the Boxxer 318 for a start up. .

Chris, how long have they been in the hands of every day CCers?
They haven't been on the market very long, have they?
if not, how can the "durability" question be truly evaluated yet?

I'm not knocking them, I don't know a thing about them and there's not enough in service long enough yet to get "the word on the street" about them

..L.T.A.

 

[hogjowl]

Wooohoooo ... I'm loving that last post.

 

[Bob Foster]

Please define cheap and define best.

Cheap as in the lowest purchase price or cheap meaning that it costs the least to run and buy?

Best as in ease of operation, functional performance, ease of maintenance or longevity?

 

[Guest]

a good tm is one that you can keep on the road , when it breaks down it is easy to service and find parts .

It used to be that you had to go with a porty because the step into a tm for a newbit was kinda steep , but with the coming of the independant manufacturer ( Duanes , Nicks , Jeff Ellis , Judson ) affordable tms are availabe for what folks were spending on a top of the line porty with all the accessories .

Just like when buying a car , do your homework , test if possible and avoid the latest internet buzz . Get names and numbers of endusers and you should be able to weed through all the bs and get to the unit that best suits you.

 

[MicahR]

If by cheapest you mean least expensive here's the way I would go.

If I was a new start up with a limited budget I would go with go with a lease return.

There are a lot of companies out there that haven't lasted a year because the guys starting them up are clueless. No business skills what-so-ever.

I've been able to get smoking deals on lease return vans and machines within the past year. They've saved anywhere from 8 to 15k. Machines such as the Boxxer 421, Legend, Bluewave.

Good reliable machines that bought at a "cheap" price and have a proven track record and that we can backup with service if they need it.

After I was established I'd purchase new.

 

[DannyD]

If by cheapest you mean least expensive here's the way I would go.

If I was a new start up with a limited budget I would go with go with a lease return.

There are a lot of companies out there that haven't lasted a year because the guys starting them up are clueless. No business skills what-so-ever.

I've been able to get smoking deals on lease return vans and machines within the past year. They've saved anywhere from 8 to 15k. Machines such as the Boxxer 421, Legend, Bluewave.

Good reliable machines that bought at a "cheap" price and have a proven track record and that we can backup with service if they need it.

After I was established I'd purchase new.

Where do ya find these lease return vans? I know of Truckmountdeals.com but am not sure if those are truly good values or not.

Also, does anyone have any recent input on a Savage unit? I've done a search on this board & others, but some of the info is dated. Anyone who's running one of these currently & could provide some input would be appreciated.

Since I have to keep my van outside I'm not getting anything until spring. I'm trying to learn all I can on TM's before I purchase. I'm leaning towards getting a Savage & putting it in a box truck at the moment. My next choice would be to buy something used, also in a box truck. Maybe a Butler or something. I'd like to keep the purchase (TM & truck) below $20,000 if possible but would go a touch above if it's truly a good value. High heat is important.

Also, when you buy a TM what other expenses are there? By this I mean I'm figuring I'll need shelving for my truck, a wand, hoses maybe, and I'm sure I'm missing a few things.

 

[packfancjh]

When I say cheap I mean cost effective. The 318 has been out for a while now. The BETA versions came out some time ago and they haven't had any problems yet. I have had one in my area for about six months now and he runs it pretty hard and he's very happy with it. It's a simple machine that is easy to work and work on. I agree with Micah that the lease returns are abundant right now and there are some great deals to be had but if the person wanted new I would recommend the 318 because of its quality and price point. If you have questions on the lease returns talk to your local Interlink dealer, Micah, myself or the other Interlink guys on here.

 

[Larry B]

[
Where do ya find these lease return vans? I know of Truckmountdeals.com but am not sure if those are truly good values or not.
.

Just about any company that does complete setups has returns


Check EBAY there is always good deals on their from people going broke and looking to pay off loans.

 

[Carpet Cleaning Fool]

Greenie will build a nice electric tm for about $2999.00 If you want propane heat i think he said it will run you an extra thousand. That's a tuff price to beat!

 

[bob vawter]

i do!

 

[Chris Muetterties]

How about one without Permatex all over the place ?

 

[AshleyMckendree]

Having built several, and buying a few "Factory" machines... I would put my money on Judsons... because they look like a retarded monkey could do the maintenance on them.

From actual experience in something Ive owned: Avenger... I friggen loved that thing.
18hp Briggs, Roots 36 blower, rusted to peices but that thing SUCKED like a big machine. Had O.K heat without the blower pre-heater hooked up.
And could run 300ft hose no problem.

Regret ever selling it, because it NEVER broke down.

 

[Jay D]

Stability. Good question. I would guess a prochem blazer or hydramaster boxxer 318 or 421. Whatever your local supplier services. I see more chemtex panthers in trucks than the other 2 I mentioned tho. Buy low hour repos would be the best answer or build your own with propane heat, mytee tank and the rest is simply a steel coffee table with your components mounted on it.

 

[Guest]

Stability. Good question. I would guess a prochem blazer or hydramaster boxxer 318 or 421. Whatever your local supplier services. I see more chemtex panthers in trucks than the other 2 I mentioned tho. Buy low hour repos would be the best answer or build your own with propane heat, mytee tank and the rest is simply a steel coffee table with your components mounted on it.

Jay , thats one of the best lines - " steel plated coffee table " - isnt that the truth .

 

[Walt]

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/bfs/923349931.html

 

[TimP]

Good ole crazy George. I wouldn't pay even 10 grand for that rig.

 

[MicahR]

Check with your local Interlink Supplier for lease returns.

Or give me a ring I can let you know what's available.

800-406-6022

 

[John Olson]

Are you asking for the Best Truckmount then the Cheapest? Because Best and Cheapest don't go together.

I think I can speak to this because we have seen just about every machine built.

The Powerclean Freedom is a workhorse no doubt and should be a serious consideration for any single man operation.

The Steam Way 4100 works day in and day out and am looking forward to seeing that machine back on the market. (It is what I would run if it was just me cleaning carpets day in and day out and I would be running Jet A because there is nothing like the smell of Jet Fuel in the morning!)

The Prochem Peak has been issue free. We haven't done any work on any of them other then oil changes. Will see when they start hitting 4k but after 2000+ hours haven't seen a single issue on any of them.

There are a couple of El Diablo's in the area and from what the guys are telling me they haven't had any problems and we haven't worked on any so it seems to be a good machine will see at 4k hours.

Larry's Machine is a pretty darn easy machine to run. I ran a Dynachem for several years and I hate wrenching anything but the Dynachem was so simple I had no problem working on it. I should state thats the Propane machine. The heat exchange machines I have seen of his have been SCARY :shock:

I have installed an Accelarated Machine. That was a scary peice of work. I am still amazed they way it was shipped to us. Duane you really should be ashamed oh and Cat 3CP pumps DO NOT DRAW. The water box must be above the pump!

But after all these if you want a small priced machine that will work it's guts out for you the Prochem Blazer is an incredible machine. We see these things with over 5k hours and they are still running! If you ask me no way that B&S engine should run more then 2k hours but for whatever reason they just run and run and run. For under 11k new it is hard to beat these machines if thats all you have to spend and they re-sell EASY even with 3000+ Hours on them.

 

[bob vawter]

John Olson sez:
"Because Best and Cheapest don't go together."

Normal John would be correct on this issue....however that last EconOgenie that i sold for fi thousand.....was!

And that TM that i sold to Mohammed for $4500.00 truck and all is STILL working......

sometimes it's...perception!

 

[DannyD]

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/bfs/923349931.html

I don't know much about TM's so I could be wrong here but that doesn't seem like a good price at all. Is my assessment accurate?

 

[Chris A]

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/bfs/923349931.html

I don't know much about TM's so I could be wrong here but that doesn't seem like a good price at all. Is my assessment accurate?

Yes, you are correct, but c'mon, its George were talking about. He had that truck listed 4 months ago on Jon-Don's website for $25k

 

[B&BGaryC]

The best priced machine for quality and durability I would say would be the Boxxer 318 for a start up. .

Chris, how long have they been in the hands of every day CCers?
They haven't been on the market very long, have they?
if not, how can the "durability" question be truly evaluated yet?

I'm not knocking them, I don't know a thing about them and there's not enough in service long enough yet to get "the word on the street" about them

..L.T.A.

I was told that Hydromaster had 3D modelling software where they can run simulations to see which part will wear out first, and then go back and re-design that part.

How does that help in the real world? I have no clue. Maybe it weighs heavily, maybe it's just a fancy program and a marketing gimmick.

 

[Loren Egland]

The Steam Way 4100 works day in and day out and am looking forward to seeing that machine back on the market. (It is what I would run if it was just me cleaning carpets day in and day out and I would be running Jet A because there is nothing like the smell of Jet Fuel in the morning!)

Is Steam Way thinking about building these or some other company?

 

[XTREME1]

I consider my APEX $16,000 and Everest $20,500 cheap for the return on investment.

the APEX averages 20hrs a week run time and have never really had a problem that wasn't my fault. The only problem I had was when I let the heat exchanger freeze up last year when I got it

The Everest is run with 2 little genie chimps and after around 4 months of 20-30 hrs a week have had no problems

 

[Larry Cobb]

What machine would would you consider the best choice for the upstart cleaner.

performance-
affordability-
longevity-
stability of manufacture-

Performance is determined by the:
Vac power (Blower & Silencer Design)
Pressure Range
Heat Exchanger Design & Material

Affordability is determined by the:
Initial Investment (Install & Accesories Included)
Typical Labor Charge for Scheduled Service
Replacement Parts Cost

Longevity is determined by the:
Tank Materials of Construction - Corrosion Resistance & Designl
Frame Materials of Construction - Stainless Steel vs Steel
Design Flexibility - Can Components be Updated

Stability of Manufacturer
Years in Business
Management Stability (Unlike SteamWay, Steam Genie & SteamAction)
Financial Strength

Evaluating these aspects does take some time,
but it is worth it as the years of ownership go by.

Larry

 

[B&BGaryC]

I betcha truck mount forums would know. I mean C'mon, they got the word Truck Mount in the name!