[AT] Pressure washers

John Wilkens jwilkens at eoni.com
Wed Dec 16 20:54:04 PST 2009 

Mike, this is a subject near to my heart!  An old 
dirty, greasy tractor with 3 layers of old paint 
and rock-hard "dirtgrease" used to be a real 
nightmare and serious deterent to tractor 
"restoration."   Not anymore since I learned what 
a good pressure washer could do for me!  I've had 
the pleasure of using a 13 HP Honda-driven Cat
pump at 3000 psi and 3 GPM with a rotary "jack 
hammer" nozzle on the business end of the 
pressure hose for about 15 years now.....And I've 
since hooked up a Northern Tool hot water/steam 
unit to the pressure washer for super 
results.  With the heating unit set up to 200° it 
peels the paint right off...not to mention oil 
and old grease.  The rotary nozzle is a great 
addition to knock off the old baked-on 
grease.  My opinion is that you can't have too 
much pressure for this kind of work.  Naturally 
you wouldn't want to wash your pickup at full 
pressure!--or wash the dirt off the side of the 
house to prep it for painting!!  And remember to 
drain your pump (and heat unit if you have one) 
before freezing weather.  Also never run the hot 
water into the input of the pressure pump.   The 
hot water/steam will cause the O-ring in the 
pressure washer valve to deteriorate eventurally, 
but that's easy to fix.   If you plan to reuse 
the tractor wiring, fan belt, etc. cover them up 
or remove them.       Good luck!....and happy washing!    John W.


At 10:45 AM 12/16/2009, you wrote:
>Interesting, Costco is where I was looking at 
>them. I was there again today, and took a closer 
>look at the units. The Snap-On washer with 3100 
>psi states that it has an industrial grade pump. 
>When comparing it with the Honda (2600 psi), the 
>pump is definitely beefier with heavier brass fittings, and much larger case.
>Mike M
>
>
>---------- Original Message ----------
>From: "Alan  Nadeau" <ajnadeau1 at myfairpoint.net>
>To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] Pressure washers
>Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:02:16 -0500
>
>My washer is a Karcher, came from Costco a few years ago, gas drive, 2.6 GPM
>at 2,600 PSI.  IF I had the money it would have been bigger than that,  I
>kinda like the idea of more is better for what I do with it.
>
>Biggest problem I have with any pressure washer is that they make pressure
>enough to blast off paint but not enough flow to wash away any sort of
>accumulated crud.  For some applications involving quantities of mud or
>caked on grass clippings I much prefer my washdown pump that makes 7 GPM at
>150 PSI.  That one will keep debris moving and doesn't have nearly the
>tendency to do damage.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Mike Meulenberg" <msm10301 at juno.com>
>To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 8:58 AM
>Subject: Re: [AT] Pressure washers
>
>
> > Thanks for all the advise so far, what I don't want to do is get a unit
> > that is too small, then have a project take me forever because the sprayer
> > doesn't have enough power. From what I'm reading, I would be fine with a
> > larger sprayer, but I'd better be careful, because I could make a mess in
> > a hurry. Just like anything that is motorized, the more power it has, the
> > faster you can get in over your head. One of my first projects will be
> > blasting about 20 years of dirt off of our 500 propane tank, it's looking
> > pretty ugly.
> > Mike M
> >
> > ---------- Original Message ----------
> > From: "charliehill" <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
> > To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
> > <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> > Subject: Re: [AT] Pressure washers
> > Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:15:59 -0500
> >
> > very true Gary.  The other side of that is you can use the 18" adjustable
> > to
> > turn a 1 1/2 nut but the 8 or 10 will not do it at all.  Pressue washers
> > are
> > a tool like any other.  There is no one size fits all tool.
> >
> > Charlie
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <k7jdj at aol.com>
> > To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 12:25 AM
> > Subject: Re: [AT] Pressure washers
> >
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> In a message dated 12/15/2009 7:50:38 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> >> charliehill at embarqmail.com writes:
> >>
> >> I don't necessarily agree
> >> with you guys about the washers having too  much power
> >>
> >>
> >> Charlie,  I tend to agree with you and think it's  really depends what
> >> your
> >> going to pressure wash.  There have been times  when I was cleaning
> >> concrete that I could have used more pressure and volume.  It's sort of
> >> like what
> >> type of adjustable wrench to use on a 3/8" nut.  You  could use an 18
> >> inch,
> >> but 8 to 10 would be more practical.  I thought I was  holding the wand a
> >> safe distance from the cedar lawn chairs but they ended up  looking like
> >> they
> >> were carved with a chain saw. Many house painters here are  going back to
> >> cleaners and a garden hose with brushing, scraping etc. any loose  paint
> >> areas.
> >>
> >> Gary
> >>
> >> Renton, WA
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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