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Box truck works best for me. I do all exterior home repair. I could be doing 3 deferent trades in a day. So I need to carry just about everything for the days work. If I just did Roof washing I would use a 3500 Pick up.

Ugly Shingles LLC wrote:

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MJ wrote:

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We put on about 150 hours on our pressure washer this year at about $115-150 per hour, so the pick-up is single purpose for low pressure cleaning?, so when you get the HO that wants the concrete cleaned up, how do you take care of it?

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 We call you!  Our business plan strictly revolves around the use of our "Certified Soft-Wash System". Ugly Shingles, LLC is a "Certified Soft-Wash Roof Cleaning Contractor", period. It could be very confusing if a homeowner / feature customer hears a pressure washer running, especially when we so aggressively push "Soft-Wash". If we have a customer that wants their siding cleaned, sure we'll do it, but it will only be done with our "Certified Soft-Wash System". SV

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 I use my power washer to clean siding all day long. I just finished washing 300 units, 75 buildings in 9 days , 2 Man crew. and it was done Soft-Wash style! That could not have been done with a rig like yours.

Art, it's perfectly acceptable that you choose to carry a pressure washer; a lot of guys do. We feel our system best fits our needs. If a pressure washer fits the needs of you and your crew(s), then that works for us. 

Okay, Art! 

Though there is no doubt that a Flatbed is easier to work out of, I still suggest a Box Truck for the company new to cleaning roofs.

Here are some reasons.

Advertising value for one! A Properly lettered or wrapped Box Truck is a rolling billboard. I swear, I still ask every new customer how they heard of us. Back when we had the Box Truck, I swear, not a week went by that the call was generated by the Box Truck.

In fact, once I removed all my chit from the Box Truck, I used to strategically park it, right by the main entrance/exit of neighberhoods getting getting "clean your roof or else letters" from the HOA! 

I moved that Box Truck all over the place, in high traffic intersections. It NEVER failed to generate work. 

Then, a Box Truck is unchallenged as far as storage goes for Tarps, yard signs, etc, etc, etc. 

I will go so far as to say this. IF you can find a deal on a Box Truck, freaking BUY IT! Buy it JUST for advertising value, and move that Puppy around really busy intersection on weekends.

I promise, it will get you work, even IF it is empty, LOL

Back in my day, wraps were just coming out, and were ungodly expensive too. But I think a wrap showing good before and after will rock your world, and eventually help make you a success. 

But you GOT to be slick people. I made deals with business owners at really busy, hi traffic intersections around town.

The deal was "If you allow me to park my roof cleaning truck here on weekends, I will clean your roof, really cheap" !

Heck, if you have to, tell them you will clean their roofs, for "just the cost of the chemicals"

But get your rolling billboard at a busy intersection for a few weekends a month, and then be ready to rock and roll!

You shall soon find out there is truth in these words "location, location, location"

Here in the Tampa Florida area, roof cleaning is a lot like getting your lawn cut. They HAVE to have it done.

So my old box truck was simply lettered, with the words Roof Cleaning us near the top of the Box, for maximum visibility.

I rember well my Box Trucks final ride, to the junkyard. I swear, I could not watch it being hauled away.

That truck, like all my roof cleaning trucks, was a rolling example  of what I currently preach, and have for years.

Big Tanks, Big diameter hose, and bad ass pumps. I had not discovered air diapraghm pumps yet, back then, and was still using hose reels.

There were 2, gas powered diapraghm (not air) John Blue PP 193's back there, all sucking from a 650 gallon Tank!

You can see the dual hose reels, each with 300 ft of ag hose. WE took down entire subdivisions with the old girl. WE did 2 roofs, at a time, and often did 4 roofs w/o moving the truck at all!

(ag hose dont care if it is run over by cars)

My girl (at that time) and I went door to door, telling customers who got roof cleaning letters to "get while the getting was good"

LOL, one customer said he did not have 500.00 Cash on him, at that time. I told him, that is what ATM's are for.

Those were THE Days guys. WE used to Laugh at our main competitor at that time, Mallard Systems. In some ways, we felt sorry for their men, with their puny little ShurFlo 12 volt pumps. 

Compared to us, their systems took literally forever, and to top all that off, the poor bastards were constantly having to do touch ups on nearly 25 percent of the roofs they cleaned. This is because the piss poor flow of the pumps they were equipped with, caused the small amount of roof cleaning chemical they applied to evaporate, before it had a chance to do it;s thing!

Now, to "compensate" for their mickey mouse setups, their guys were KNOWN for spraying with a really strong mix! 

I thought back then (and still do) that the system they used with a tank of Pure Chlorine, that was raised in elevation higher then their mix tank, is a dumb ass idea, and here is why.

It don't take employees long to figure out Pure chemcial cleans roofs much faster, and you seldom, if ever, miss a spot.

But, It kills the fuk out of plants just as well!

In my opinion, only an Idiot would ever equip their EMPLOYEES with the ability to have access to pure Chlorine, and "depend on them" to make their job harder, by mixing the roof cleaning chemical the right way.

We clean about 50/50 tile and shingle roofs. My roof cleaning trucks have evolved to dual 300 gallon tanks, one for tile, one for shingle roofs. Chemicals are always pre mixed, , and either mixture, correct for what kind of roof we encounter next, is avaiable to our pump with the simple switch of the feed line.

For cleaning roofs in the Tampa Florida area, I know of NO better roof cleaning system, though I have experimented with the Apple Vari Flow Chemical Delivery System. 

I made it work, but then found out that it added unnecessary complexity, so I made it simple.

For US, I feel I have the cleaning of roofs in Tampa, down to a science.

I have had ex employees of Mallard Systems, as well as several competitors work for us, over the  years. 

Every single Man always told me our system for roof cleaning, was THE best they have ever used.

Of course, I am still trying for improvement. 

But what I teach is the system we actually use everyday. 

All set up, on flatbed trucks, not trailers.

Much of the time, I have more work then we can handle.

No real Need for a Box Truck, and the extra work I know it will bring. 

Heck guys, some weeks, we caan hardly keep up.

So, as you can see, speed is not a "luxury", it is a necesity. 

Art O wrote:

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Ugly Shingles LLC wrote:

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MJ wrote:

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We put on about 150 hours on our pressure washer this year at about $115-150 per hour, so the pick-up is single purpose for low pressure cleaning?, so when you get the HO that wants the concrete cleaned up, how do you take care of it?

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 We call you!  Our business plan strictly revolves around the use of our "Certified Soft-Wash System". Ugly Shingles, LLC is a "Certified Soft-Wash Roof Cleaning Contractor", period. It could be very confusing if a homeowner / feature customer hears a pressure washer running, especially when we so aggressively push "Soft-Wash". If we have a customer that wants their siding cleaned, sure we'll do it, but it will only be done with our "Certified Soft-Wash System". SV

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 I use my power washer to clean siding all day long. I just finished washing 300 units, 75 buildings in 9 days , 2 Man crew. and it was done Soft-Wash style! That could not have been done with a rig like yours.

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 Yesterday we did some washing. Only 2 sets of the truck. Couldve done it in 1. I thought that that was not as fast as 2 sets.

Here is a vid of the first set:

Here is the vid of the second set.

This HOA so cheap. we only washed the short sides of each row. We will have to get the long sides for it all to look the same right???

Took less than or about 3 hours.

What I'm saying is I may keep this lil trailer. Its basically the same as my first one.

2 Best upgrades, no its not the burner, The bigger hose reels and the tool box!

And one change in plumbing.

What I'm also saying, Is my lil trailer can do just about anything any other rig can do, and almost as fast.

I like the Idea of being able to wash in the winter, that I cant do yet.

 Fuk residential, I want year contracts and grow that.

Got to have something enclosed, either trailer or box truck. For winter washing. And a space heater. LOL!!!

Trailer or truck, enclosed.

I'll have one for next winter.

Roof Cleaning West Chester PA wrote:

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gutterdog wrote:

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Art O wrote:

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Ugly Shingles LLC wrote:

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MJ wrote:

---

We put on about 150 hours on our pressure washer this year at about $115-150 per hour, so the pick-up is single purpose for low pressure cleaning?, so when you get the HO that wants the concrete cleaned up, how do you take care of it?

---

 We call you!  Our business plan strictly revolves around the use of our "Certified Soft-Wash System". Ugly Shingles, LLC is a "Certified Soft-Wash Roof Cleaning Contractor", period. It could be very confusing if a homeowner / feature customer hears a pressure washer running, especially when we so aggressively push "Soft-Wash". If we have a customer that wants their siding cleaned, sure we'll do it, but it will only be done with our "Certified Soft-Wash System". SV

---

 I use my power washer to clean siding all day long. I just finished washing 300 units, 75 buildings in 9 days , 2 Man crew. and it was done Soft-Wash style! That could not have been done with a rig like yours.

---

 Yesterday we did some washing. Only 2 sets of the truck. Couldve done it in 1. I thought that that was not as fast as 2 sets.

 

Here is a vid of the first set:

 

Here is the vid of the second set.

 

This HOA so cheap. we only washed the short sides of each row. We will have to get the long sides for it all to look the same right???

Took less than or about 3 hours.

 

What I'm saying is I may keep this lil trailer. Its basically the same as my first one.

2 Best upgrades, no its not the burner, The bigger hose reels and the tool box!

And one change in plumbing.

 

What I'm also saying, Is my lil trailer can do just about anything any other rig can do, and almost as fast.

I like the Idea of being able to wash in the winter, that I cant do yet.

 Fuk residential, I want year contracts and grow that.

 

 

Got to have something enclosed, either trailer or box truck. For winter washing. And a space heater. LOL!!!

Trailer or truck, enclosed.

I'll have one for next winter.

 

 

 

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Hey Mike,

Why do you need an enclosed truck/trailer for winter work? I have a decent amount of commercial flatwork I'll be doing on an open trailer. You just have to winterize it every day.

And if commercial winter work is your objective (maybe your territory is different) you should consider a flatbed truck. Reason being is a lot of jobs in the winter will be flat work and more than a few commercial customers don't have an accessible water supply. I came across that a couple times last season and had to sub it out to somebody with a 500+ gallon tank. I plan to have a box truck (residential) and a flatbed (commercial) in the near future.

Just a thought and what works for me.

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 At the NOVA we talked about winterizing, and more than one guy came and looked at my trailer.

Winterizing every day seems like a pain in the azz.

Also I agree I would like to have a larger water tank too.

An enclosed rig, no winterizing is neccessary, I'm thinking. Just throw a space heater in there at night.