Mobile Detail Skid

V

vtec92civic

New member
Due to the fact that business nearly fell off the face of the earth out here in Hawaii i have decided to fall back and try to adapt to the market. It might not be what i necessarily want but trying to detail up to Detailing Bliss standards right now just isn't cutting it. People are holding onto their money very tightly right now, paint correction work is very far and few between, it's been almost two weeks since i last did a job and to top that off malls and places are starting to crack down with security making it harder to set a few business cards on vehicles. If you combine all of that together it = disastrous for business.



So what i am thinking of doing is building my own Mobile Detail Skid. All i'm looking for right now is:



Water Tank - approximately 60 gallons



Pressure Washer - if i can find one that is similar to the ones used on the built skids where it's just the pump and motor without the bulky wheels and handles



50' Pressure Washer Hose/Reel



maybe a generator but that isn't important. I'm looking to try and start focusing on some lower end stuff to cater to the people who really just want to keep their vehicles clean. Going to try and keep away from doing interiors . . . .



maybe just some sort of: wash, spray wax, dress tires



and maybe that will help setup more work in the future when the economy gets better out here. Going to try and do a little more on the volume side. Bills wait for nobody and i would rather be out doing some form of detail work and making a little money then sitting at home fiddling my fingers waiting for that $350 job to come in.



Does anyone here have a skid or have any photo's that they could post up just so i can see their setup. I'm trying to price things out and see if i can get this done for about $800 or so and run it in the back of our truck or invest in a van.



Thanks in advance.
 
its really easy if you know how to weld. i have built a bunch of custom skids for people. but if you're doing it on the cheap, forget the skid and just mount everything to the bed or some 3/4" plywood. i usually put everything in my suburban and dont have a skid. i just have it set up to remove because i need it to haul family around. i have 4 kids and the wife. it takes me about 15mins to load and unload everything
 
advs1 said:
its really easy if you know how to weld. i have built a bunch of custom skids for people. but if you're doing it on the cheap, forget the skid and just mount everything to the bed or some 3/4" plywood. i usually put everything in my suburban and dont have a skid. i just have it set up to remove because i need it to haul family around. i have 4 kids and the wife. it takes me about 15mins to load and unload everything
Click to expand...



maybe i'll mount it to some board or something. Thing is i don't want to be having to do any loading or unloading once we head out for work. I want everything to be setup as doing small bulk jobs means time is money.



Im looking to see if anyone has photos . . . . i kind of have a idea on what to do.



Where can i get a pressure washer like they have on the skids where it's just the motor and pump type deal.
 
make your own?? its just an engine with a pump head. you can get a small engine from harbor freight and a pump head from a supplier. you might need an uploader and bypass kit, but just depends on how much you are willing to spend. i can get pumps as low as $400 and as high as $1200, for just the pump. engine from $200 and up. but to do it all for $800, might need to buy used off craigslist or ebay. i know shipping out that way would be murder, so look local first. google comet, cat, ar pumps and see if there is a dist close to you. i can get you a deal on the tank, 60 gallon but have to figure shipping. PM if you want a price.
 
advs1 said:
make your own?? its just an engine with a pump head. you can get a small engine from harbor freight and a pump head from a supplier. you might need an uploader and bypass kit, but just depends on how much you are willing to spend. i can get pumps as low as $400 and as high as $1200, for just the pump. engine from $200 and up. but to do it all for $800, might need to buy used off craigslist or ebay. i know shipping out that way would be murder, so look local first. google comet, cat, ar pumps and see if there is a dist close to you. i can get you a deal on the tank, 60 gallon but have to figure shipping. PM if you want a price.
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you got PM
 
Without the initial need for a generator you can definitely get it done for around $800, and still buy quality new components online. But I don't think that budget is enough for pre built, you will have to do it yourself.



Honda GX 160 QX2 $300

CAT 3DX pump $250

50 ft of hose, trigger and tip $75

60 gallon tank $150

3/4" wood base, hooks and ratchet straps $50
 
EcoAutoCT said:
Without the initial need for a generator you can definitely get it done for around $800, and still buy quality new components online. But I don't think that budget is enough for pre built, you will have to do it yourself.



Honda GX 160 QX2 $300

CAT 3DX pump $250

50 ft of hose, trigger and tip $75

60 gallon tank $150

3/4" wood base, hooks and ratchet straps $50
Click to expand...



well im weighing out my options. the pre built ones are about $4,000 + shipping. I don't see a need to spend that kind of money if i can do it myself. Only thing i'll really lack is the bling bling look that most of them come with but that's ok. I'm going for functionality not so much looks.



Thanks for the info though as that is what i was looking for.



Shipping on some of those items will kill me so hopefully i can find some place near to locate some of that stuff.



What makes you select that honda motor and how do i go about hooking up the motor to the cat pump? That's all french to me?



Does that cat pump and honda motor stack up way better against just getting a pressure washer of some sort from some place like sears?
 
vtec92civic said:
well im weighing out my options. the pre built ones are about $4,000 + shipping. I don't see a need to spend that kind of money if i can do it myself. Only thing i'll really lack is the bling bling look that most of them come with but that's ok. I'm going for functionality not so much looks.



Thanks for the info though as that is what i was looking for.



Shipping on some of those items will kill me so hopefully i can find some place near to locate some of that stuff.



What makes you select that honda motor and how do i go about hooking up the motor to the cat pump? That's all french to me?



Does that cat pump and honda motor stack up way better against just getting a pressure washer of some sort from some place like sears?
Click to expand...



Motors are either horizontal or vertical shaft and these shafts come in different diameters and styles (keyed, threaded, gear reduction, etc.). The shaft is what drives the accessory be it mower blade, cement mixer, or pressure washer pump. Most triplex plunger pumps (the kind you want) in my experience are keyed and come in 3/4" or 1", the former being more common in low flow and appropriate for auto use.



The Honda GX is commercial grade, meant for daily sustained use and that's why I suggested it and use a GX200 myself. Look at some pre built commercial pressure washers, many of them use a GX engine and CAT pump and when purchased new are in the $800-$1200 range. These same engines are even used in on track kart racing.



I've used this seller on ebay before, free shipping: mysmallengines, Home Garden items. Great deals on eBay!



The CAT pumps include an adapter ( Cat Pump-3DX25GSI 2500 PSI NEW- Free Shipping - eBay (item 300422582062 end time May-29-10 05:29:08 PDT) ), the plate attaches to the motor's standard mounting points, and then the pump goes on the plate.



Hope it helps. I've got to get the van ready for work this morning so I probably wont be able to reply until later this afternoon.
 
Before you go and build a big heavy trailer, think about the cost of pulling it around. You can clean 90% of the cars out there with a product like ONR. Yes, it does take a bit longer, but well worth the savings of not having to buy the equipment you mentioned and the gas to pull it around. You can offer an ONR wash with spray wax for $35 or something similar.
 
brwill2005 said:
Before you go and build a big heavy trailer, think about the cost of pulling it around. You can clean 90% of the cars out there with a product like ONR. Yes, it does take a bit longer, but well worth the savings of not having to buy the equipment you mentioned and the gas to pull it around. You can offer an ONR wash with spray wax for $35 or something similar.
Click to expand...



This.



I bought a trailer and regret it every single time I head out to a job.
 
EcoAutoCT said:
Motors are either horizontal or vertical shaft and these shafts come in different diameters and styles (keyed, threaded, gear reduction, etc.). The shaft is what drives the accessory be it mower blade, cement mixer, or pressure washer pump. Most triplex plunger pumps (the kind you want) in my experience are keyed and come in 3/4" or 1", the former being more common in low flow and appropriate for auto use.



The Honda GX is commercial grade, meant for daily sustained use and that's why I suggested it and use a GX200 myself. Look at some pre built commercial pressure washers, many of them use a GX engine and CAT pump and when purchased new are in the $800-$1200 range. These same engines are even used in on track kart racing.



I've used this seller on ebay before, free shipping: mysmallengines, Home Garden items. Great deals on eBay!



The CAT pumps include an adapter ( Cat Pump-3DX25GSI 2500 PSI NEW- Free Shipping - eBay (item 300422582062 end time May-29-10 05:29:08 PDT) ), the plate attaches to the motor's standard mounting points, and then the pump goes on the plate.



Hope it helps. I've got to get the van ready for work this morning so I probably wont be able to reply until later this afternoon.
Click to expand...



THat is exactly what i was looking for. I went around today and found stores i never even knew existed in my area that had the Honda GX160 motor and priced them a little bit but nobody has the cat pumps in stock and i would have to order one. So the stuff you linked me to, will those match up to each other or were those just to be used as a reference point? Thanks so much man!



brwill2005 said:
Before you go and build a big heavy trailer, think about the cost of pulling it around. You can clean 90% of the cars out there with a product like ONR. Yes, it does take a bit longer, but well worth the savings of not having to buy the equipment you mentioned and the gas to pull it around. You can offer an ONR wash with spray wax for $35 or something similar.
Click to expand...



Well that is a very good point and much appreciated. The thing right now is business is dead. Nobody wants to pay top dollar for anything. Not once in the 4 years that i've owned my own business has it ever been like this. I want to move over to doing bulk work until business picks up. It's not a matter of wanting i just have to adapt to the market or i will eventually be shut out.



So when trying to do bulk work time is money and i have been faced with man situations in which water is not available and to take stuff off the truck and hook up and disconnect etc . . . . that's all time.



I'm not going to build a trailer though. All that you will see is a pressure washer with a reel of pressure washer line all hooked up and a small water tank so we can get out of the truck start it up and get to work.



Figure as it is to do corrective type stuff i haul around about 3 bins full of products, brushes, polishes, towels, misc stuff, shop lights, shop vacuum, 2 buffers, a bag full of pads, 3 buckets, foam gun. That is all weight as well. This way i'll just be focusing more on bulk work without doing interior stuff. just wash and wax deals with some tire shine or something to keep steady work flow coming in. I mean i'm still going to put out some quality stuff and not just hit the car with a bristle brush or anything like that.



wicho661 said:
This.



I bought a trailer and regret it every single time I head out to a job.
Click to expand...



Trailers are nice and they do have a time and a place but right now i just can't justify spending $10,000 on a trailer nor do i have the funds to do so.



Thanks to Everyone who has replied this far. I am taking all your suggestions into consideration.





This is what you will see in the truck but of course without the nice red frame and stuff.



268173_lg.jpg




no trailer.
 
i was actually surprised when i went to home depot today though. I found a sweet pressure washer . . . . . it is a little big but while inspecting it i noticed that it came with a true CAT Pump on it and the pressure washer was made by RIGID and powered by SUBARU.



It's 3,000 psi @ 2.6GPM though



rd807011final.jpg




That is another route that i can go that might be a little less as the washer has a motor and a cat pump and it's local to me and about $600. Living in Hawaii shipping can get expensive and be a deal buster in hurry.
 
Nice one Justin. I spy purple power in there LoL. So, what motor and cat pump is that? I mean i know it's a Honda but what model . . . . . looks like a GX 240 or so as the 240 is one of the only one that has the stickers on the side of the gas tank like yours has.



what's your input on that Rigid one that i posted up with the Subaru motor and the cat pump.



I can take the motor off the frame or just remove the handle and keep the lower orange frame and motor mounted.



The GX 160 that i seen today locally is $513 for just the motor then i would need to bring in a cat pump so that would have me sitting at about $800 ish.



for $579 i could have that other pressure washer with a cat pump on it already. I'm just worried about who would service the motor. From what i seen today talking to different stores the Honda GX Series motor is like the industry standard. All small engine machines use that motor.
 
Subarus are good but once again, it's all about the pump. That one from Home Depot would work perfect. It will draw from a tank and a perfect setup for doing some residential work if you want to get into that.



That motor can be worked on by any local small engine shop. I would get an extended warranty without thinking on the unit though.



Call me after 7:50 EST this morning and we will talk.
 
Just FYI I'm looking at that Rigid from Home depot too, vtec92 and there's a $50 off 500 or more coupon for HD online and free shipping on the unit. You may not be able to do the Free Ship though since you are in hawaii.
 
dont get stuck on buying a "honda" brand motor. its like everything else in engine world. keep it maintained and it will last.



i would worry more about the pump as justin stated. make sure you run a bypass if you plan on leaving it running more than 3-5 mins with out actuating the trigger. the longer the water sitting the hotter it gets. with bypass it opens at certain temp to allow water to circulate back to tank and cool the pump. i have seen some set ups built right on the cheap last years, i have also seen some people pay $8000 for a bad set up and 3 months later the pump head is shot. around here average repairs start at $200 for pump, plus the time you are down
 
I'm actually looking at building my own pressure washer with this engine from Harbor Freight.....

6.5 HP Horizontal Shaft Overhead Valve Gas Engine



and adding my own pump with a higher gallons per minute for home washing.......with a bypass.



I've heard so many good things about these engines when used as replacements. One local repair shop owner has ran one for 3 years in lawn mowing business.



Focus on the pump and maintain the engine. You simply can't beat a Cat pump. I've had mine for 4 years and have only replaced the unloader which was 75.00.
 
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