Petrol pressure washers

[windsorblue]

Evening all ,has part of my gardening business im planning on buying a petrol engined pressure washer ,with a view next year on expanding my options of further work off existing customers etc , so recently iv been studying e,bay etc and google adverts ,on all matters in relation to them ,now i know honda engines are excellent things as we have them in many other machines ,but for a 13 hp washer there rather pricey ,so does anybody know much about these cheaper engines available ,are they any good ,do you rate them ? any info or your personel experiences most welcolm ,thanks

 

[the snooper]

what you need to look at it availability of spares aswell no good saving cash then finding the whole thing has had it because you cant find spares.
diesel would be even better and cheaper to run (red diesel) but more pricey to start off with

 

[shenion]

B&S engines are good if you get their industrial ones (cast iron sleeve.) I have had several 12HP ones that are 20 years old

12HP and up is the transition point on B&S engines. Below that there are models that are just cheap. My pressure washer has one; no cast iron sleeve. Previous owner never changed oil and engine is trashed as it had worn through the nickelsil plating. Above 12HP there is an option for an oil pump and filter. If the engine has a filter, it will be a good one.

I have fixed mowers with B&S 14-17HP OHV engines and they are good. My riding mower has one as does my portable welder.

Koler engines are good as they don't go cheap. Have never seen one without a pump/filter.

Make sure parts for the pump are available, that is the expensive part.

 

[Frankenweld]

Agreed. Wise words up there.

One thing though - make sure you follow all service schedules. Often many things go unnoticed until it's too late.
After every days use check the machine over (like a chainsaw) because it's amazing what can loosen in a short time....

Oh! Use quality oil - it does make a difference!

 

[madkayaker]

prehaps i am looking throgh the wrong end of the calidascope but what about getting a decent 230V unit and a generator then you can power other stuff with it that you are bound to want in future (cement mixer, chop saw etc)

 

[malcolm X]

prehaps i am looking throgh the wrong end of the calidascope but what about getting a decent 230V unit and a generator then you can power other stuff with it that you are bound to want in future (cement mixer, chop saw etc)

What about using a genny to power woodworking machines in my shed instead of taking power from the house? would only be using one tool at a time so dont think I would overtax the genny, any thoughts on that??

 

[windsorblue]

Trouble is a electric pressure washer just cannot match the power output of a 13hp petrol machine ,only ever seen a 4kw electric machine for sale ,not a expert in hp to kw comparrisons but doubt very much whatever it is cudnt be run off a domestic supply.

 

[shenion]

0.75kw = 1HP.

That assumes 100% efficiency. So a 12HP electric pressure washer would be 11kw assuming 80% efficiency. That's 47 amps at 240V.

So you would need a 15KW generator, a bigger truck, bigger trailer, more gas....... Gets expensive.

 

[Uniqueusername]

I know i'm biased, the hire trade hammers hell out of everything.............
Buy a honda. change the oil monthly, keep the fuel clean / drain the carb monthly and change the plug every 6 months, oh and pull the trigger while starting the engine !!!

Kohler engines, good but hard to start difficult to get bits.
Briggs engines, oldies are goodies but new are crap
Robin engines, great but budget for a new carb every 6 months
Chinese Honda copy engines, 2 out of 10 are great, but buy a genuine honda recoil housing on day 1
Loncin diesel engines, make great anchors
Yanmar diesel engines, vibrate themselves to bits but ok
Kubota diesel engines, great but expensive.

As far as the pump goes, get a triple piston BRASS headed pump such as an Interpump, change the oil monthly, don't leave it running when you're not washing and don't let it freeze.........

Did I mention changing oil regularly ??????

As for electric, possible but they're harder than welders to run and more likely to burn out motors...........