I need to upgrade to a better power washer. The one I have now is a cheap little one from a home center. I saw this one in the new Northern Tool catalog - Powerhorse Gas-Powered Pressure Washer 4 GPM, 3500 PSI, 414cc | Gas-Cold Water | Northern Tool + Equipment
I do at most 4 power washing jobs a month during the busy seasons so I thought this might be a reasonable purchase. Opinions?
Tony -
When I first though about pw’ing, I figured it might take a whole year to make back my money on the machine. But literally made it back in no time at all. I did buy a used unit off of CL, but nonetheless.
- I personally would not buy anything with a motor that doesn’t say Honda, I can live with Briggs & Stratton, but thats about it.
- In the long run, you will wish you bought a belt drive unit, the pumps last longer, and they are easier to work on.
- 4 GPM is fine for softwashing and whatnot - you should be okay there.
- Remember QUALITY - not PRICE. One pw + wc’ing would pay for this unit, save your money and the sales tax, and search online for a nice used unit.
If all else fails, buy one from Northern with a HONDA. Good luck…
Bought this exact one about 2 months ago. Bought the 2 year extended warranty for 3 years total, parts and labor or replacement. For the price you can’t go wrong. I know it’s not a Honda with the best of the best top of the line pump, but I wash windows and on occasion do house washing. If it was my everyday bread and butter maybe I’d spend 2x or3x the money to get the same GPM. But I’m not, so I didn’t. Bob from pressure tek set me up for down streaming and it works great with this washer.
+1
Also, I have learned that some of the biggest things to look for in a pressure washer, are the brand of motor and the type of pump. If you go with a Honda motor and a triplex pump (Cats are good and what I have)- your on the right path. I’m not an expert by any means and I’m not knocking the Northern PW, but the best pressure washers usually have 13hp (or more) Honda engines with triplex pumps- which are belt driven (or direct drive- they cost a little less).
It’s like anything else though, you can go use a squeegee from the gas station, or you can get one from WCR- they are both squeegees and will work- but one will work better and last longer.
Tony dont do it! If your going to try and save a few pennys and buy cheep just wait and buy later. It will cost you way more in the end if you buy that. Who even make that motor?
Go to pressure tek and get a great product with GREAT customer service. You buy something from Bob he will alway be there to help you out if something did go wrong.
Great posts everyone. Motor and pump r two of the most important thing. But you should talk to your power washing shop to see if they can even service it. Most of the home depot, lowes, northern tool power washers. they cant get parts for and on top of that they dont even want to work on them. I havee 2 belt driven systems I bought from my pressure washing place and 1 dewalt from home depot. it was brand new and recondition for $250 I think couldn’t pass it up. Its been sitting in the back of one of my trucks for the last 4 years. We use it to clean screens every single day. 7 to 10 jobs a day any where from 100 to 150 screens a day. Works great but I do know when its gone its gone. Bottom line Im sure it will be great to start with and last for a long time. But check with your pressure washing shop first to see if they can even get parts if something goes wrong
I have that great Honda, love it, in 10 years only stranded me 1 time. Rebuilt the pump and 4 years later still does the job.
Northern tool=homeowner grade
Weve got a 13 honda coupled with a ts2021 general pump. Makes a good softwashing machine. Around 5gpm and 2000 psi… i think
If all you’re gonna do is residentials, it’s a perfect unit. I’ve 3 in action. I have the North Star version from Northern and love it. I’ve had it for 5 years and have only replaced the unloader once. Yes, if you’re gonna do a lot of flat work and commercial jobs, you will need bigger. I did a house in 2 hours yesterday, downstreaming, with my unit. Then I went and detailed 3 cars. It’s perfect for me.
Not really. Here is the one I have. Done a ton of work with it with no probs…
NorthStar Professional Series Pressure Washer 4000 PSI, 3.5 GPM | Gas-Cold Water | Northern Tool + Equipment
go for at least 4GPM and 4000PSI, more and faster water equal quicker job, making more money, spending less time, spending more time with the wife :0
Hey Tony,
I really think that for 300 more, you’d be a lot better off with this:
RIDGID 3800 PSI, 4.0 GPM, Pressure Washer - RD80770 at The Home Depot
I’ll repost this, I found it on the net.
Choosing a pressure washer can be confusing because you face a lot of decisions. Don’t be intimidated by all of the terms and specifications, but recognize what facts you need to know to make a good decision. The most important thing to know is that your pressure washer must match the work you intend to do. If you pressure washer is too large or powerful, you have wasted money and you could damage what you are cleaning. If your pressure washer is too small, it will take too long to do the work and you will lose money and time. That is the simple truth.
Let’s start by looking at the different choices you will have to make when buying a pressure washer:
- Gasoline vs Electric
- Hot Water vs Cold Water
- PSI vs GPM vs CU ( Psi vs Gpm = Cleaning Units )
- Belt Drive vs Direct vs Gear Driven
- Portable vs Stationary
- Wobble vs Axial vs Camshaft Pump
- Heavyweight vs Lightweight
- Home Model vs Contractor Model
Gasoline vs Electric: Most pressure washers are either powered by an electric motor or a gasoline engine. A few are diesel pressureed. Electric pressure washers require little maintenance and are very quiet. They require a source of pressure nearby (because the cord length is limited). They can be used indoors without any problem. You can have electric units with lots of pressure, but most electrics are small units designed for specific jobs, such as mobile detailing or deck cleaning. Gas units, on the other hand, can be extremely portable. They are designed for outdoor use and can be built to deliver tons of cleaning pressure. They can be somewhat loud, but your customers expect to hear some noise while you are working. Gas-pressureed pressure washers are used for cleaning concrete (called “flat work”), deck cleaning, fleet work, kitchen hoods and ducts, or any other pressure washing job that requires portability.
Hot Water vs Cold: Most pressure washers are cold-water portables. Cold water, along with the right cleaners, can do most jobs. Some jobs, like removing heavy grease or stripping off finishes, just go better with a hot water pressure washer. Hot water will enable you to cut about 30% off the time it takes to do ANY job. The pressure washing business is all about time, not spending less on your tools. If you have the right tools, you can compete with other contractors and get done with each job in the shortest amount of time. Many new pressure washing contractors make the mistake of under-buying their tools to save money. Most experienced pressure washing contractors over-buy their tools and make the difference back in no time with the added pressure and features. If all you are going to do is clean and seal wood, just buy a cold water pressure washer. If you are washing anything else, such as houses or hoods or trucks or concrete, consider a hot water pressure washer. If you already own a cold water machine and want to have hot water, you can call us and buy a “hot box” which will heat the water coming out of your cold pressure washer.
PSI vs GPM vs CU: First of all, let’s explain the acronyms. PSI stands for Pounds per Square Inch. This is the pressure rating of your pressure washer. GPM stands for Gallons Per Minute, the flow rate of your pressure washer. CU stands for Cleaning Units, which is PSI multiplied by GPM. All of these terms refer to the pressure of your pressure washer.
To clean effectively, a pressure washer must provide ‘agitation’ to scrub off the dirt and ‘flow’ to rinse it away. Think of the pressure (PSI) as the agitation that is applied to the surface that you are cleaning and think of the flow (GPM) as the rinsing force that carries the dirt away.
Homeowner pressure washers tend to run between 1200 and 2700 PSI. Contractor-grade pressure washers tend to run between 3000 and 5000 PSI. More pressure means faster work, but more pressure also means more potential for surface damage. Wood decks, for example, are often cleaned at pressure as low as 300 PSI because 3000 PSI will rip the wood to shreds. Most contractors will settle for 3000 PSI because that amount of pressure is adequate for most jobs. Truth is that most contractors would prefer to have 3500 or even 4000 PSI if they could get it.
GPM is much more important to most contractors than PSI. Since most contractors use cleaning chemicals to do most of their pressure washing work (the fastest method) their job becomes one primarily of rinsing rather than washing. The cleaners do all of the cleaning, and the contractor rinses the dirt away. When you think about that method, you realize that the more flow you have, the faster the job is rinsed. Therefore, most experienced pressure washing contractors recognize that GPM is more important to them than PSI.
PSI (pressure) will help you break the chemical bond between the cleaning surface and the dirt. Once the bond is broken, the extra PSI does nothing to speed up the cleaning time.
The higher the GPM, however, the more surface area a pressure washer can clean. For example, a 2000-PSI model with a 2 GPM flow rate might clean approximately 5-7 square feet per minute. If the same unit had a 3 GPM flow rate, it might clean 8-10 square feet in the same amount of time.
In this business, contractors sell “the finished job”. The contractor who gets that job done in two hours might be making $50 per hour. The guy who gets the same job done in one hour makes $100 per hour. Which one do you want to be?
Dealers of homeowner pressure washers like to refer to CUs when they show you a pressure washer. This number is the result of multiplying the PSI by the GPM. If you have a pressure washer with 3000 PSI and 4 GPM, you have 12000 CUs. For homeowner pressure washers, this is a good comparison of the pressure you are buying. For professionals, CUs have little meaning. GPM is most important, and PSI is less important, and the CU formula makes them both equal. The best solution is to talk to a dealer who really understands what you are trying to pressure wash because he will steer you to the right GPM and PSI for the job.
Belt Drive vs Direct vs Gear Driven: The gasoline engines used for pressure washers all run at around 3450 RPM. In a Direct Drive pressure washer that pump is bolted to the engine shaft, so it spins at the same 3450 RPM. In a belt drive unit, the engine is tied to the pump through pulleys and a belt and the speed of the pump is reduced to either 1700 RPM or 1400 RPM. In a gear-driven machine, the engine delivers pressure to a transmission that in turn spins the pump at a reduced speed (1700 RPM).
Direct drive pressure washers transfer the vibration of the engine directly to the pump as well.
The faster pumps of direct-drive machines are spinning so fast that they cannot draw water from a tank or a lake very well. They tend to work fine when the water is forced into the machine (like when you hook it up to a hose from the house).
The slower moving pumps (belt driven or gear driven) work less and wear less, so they tend to last many years longer. They will also pull water to the machine from a tank, so your pressure washer shouldn’t ever be starved for water (a problem that results in destroying the pump).
Gear driven pumps still transmit the engine vibration to the pump because everything is hard-bolted together. This kind of pressure washer has not become popular since it was introduced because there is obviously one more part to break in the system – the transmission.
Portable vs Stationary: Stationary pressure washers are used in car washes, factories, etc. They are installed in place and never move. Portable pressure washers are used by contractors who travel to the customer to do the work. There is a crossover model called a skid unit - a stationary pressure washer designed to be installed on a trailer so that it can be taken to the customer’s site for the work. The most common pressure washers for contractors to use are cold water portable pressure washers (for small residential work) and hot water skid units (for large commercial work or high-volume residential work).
Wobble vs Axial vs Camshaft Pump: Since your pump is the heart of your system, it is critical to understand what you are buying. Every pump manufacturer makes several grades of pumps – Good, Better, and Best.
The Wobble design requires a piston to push against the pressure in the pump and the pressure of a spring. This is an inexpensive design to build, but it is relatively inefficient, too. This is the design found on most homeowner pressure washers. It is designed to work for limited hours at a time and very limited hours per year, which is OK for a homeowner but doubtful for a contractor who wants to pressure wash every day. Wobble pumps tend to last for around 300 hours before needing extensive service or replacement.
The Axial design is similar to the wobble design with a couple of important differences. Most axial pumps have larger oil reservoirs and bearings, which allow them to be used for longer periods of time and more hours per year. They still are inefficient (like the wobble) but several lower-priced contractor-grade machines work fine with the axial design. Axial pumps tend to last for about 600 hours before needing service.
The Camshaft design delivers the most pressure and durability of all these designs. It uses connecting rods on a cam with large bearings like a car engine, so it runs cooler and lasts longer. It is able to hold up to continuous use for hours and hours as long as it is kept cool. Cam pumps tend to run for 1000 hours before needing service, and tend to last 2000 hours before needing extensive service or replacement.
Heavyweight vs Lightweight: If you are buying a portable pressure washer, it makes sense to pay attention to the weight of the unit. After all, you are the one who is going to lug it all around and move it into and out of your truck. Aluminum frames can be fragile, and steel frames can be heavy, so talk to your dealer about how you are going to transport the pressure washer. He may be able to steer you to a good solution for your needs.
Home Model vs Contractor Model: The final choice for you to think about is durability. We have already discussed the difference in pumps, even from the same pump manufacturer. The cheapest pressure washers usually have the cheapest pump, which won’t hold up well for most contractors. There are other considerations that you need to think about, too.
The finish of the machine can be very important. Powder coating holds up better and lasts longer than painted frames. Steel frames rust. Aluminum or stainless doesn’t. Aluminum can be bent, steel is very rigid. This particular choice will vary depending on the pressure washers preference.
For pressure washers that will be used at least 20 hours per week and sometimes up to 8 hours in a day, the lower priced machines just won’t last very long. They come with inadequate parts throughout, such as the unloaders, pumps, and even the engines. Just because it says “Honda”, for example, doesn’t mean that all Hondas are the same. This is where Grandpa’s “you get what you pay for” saying really is true.
If you buy a $900 pressure washer and you get six months use out of it, that purchase cost you $150 per month. If you bought a name brand commercial-grade machine of the same specifications for $1600 and you got 5 years of use from it, that purchase cost you $27 per month. Which one is less expensive?
Let me relate some of my own experiences. As a pressure washer dealer, I see homeowners dragging in dead machines that are only a few months old every week. These machines cost more to fix than to replace, so my ‘boneyard’ is full of discarded homeowner units.
I recently sold two old pressure washers that I used when I was a contractor and didn’t want any more. They were each 12 years old and each ran like a top. One had needed only routine maintenance over it’s life. The other had to have the pump completely rebuilt about three years ago. They were both belt-driven units with AR pumps and Honda engines. I paid about $1500 for each and sold them for about $300 each. When I added up all of the maintenance costs and the purchase price and then subtracted what I got for them when I sold them, those pressure washers costs me about $16 per month to own. Is there a better deal than that anywhere?
If the bottom line for you is how much cash you have to fork over right now, consider an alternative. A reputable dealer in Maryland can get you into a quality pressure washer on a lease or finance contract. In the long run, you are better off with the better pressure washer. You will spend less of your cash today, and less over the life of the pressure washer even with the interest added on.
This is where I get all of my chemicals and parts. I will get my next pressure washer from them also.
Envirospec
If you have the funds, go big. If you don’t, you can get by with the Northern Tool unit. Make some money, sell it, and get an upgrade.
The main thing is, that pressure washer can do the job.
sooo after here or read everthink ummmm ,i ll say new or used still do the job ok
So you advertise for power washing then upsell car washing?
What do you charge and how do you do it? You’re not talking about the insides are you?
I’ve been mobile detailing for 6 years now. I do everything from a simple wash, interior shampooing, to full paint correction (swirl removal). I’ve made a good living at this until last year when the economy hit my area, so, I decided to diversify. Best thing I have ever done. This idea came from when a customer asked me to clean their patio furniture while I was detailing their SUV. I first said, “No, I don’t do that”. Then she said,“Well, you’re gonna turn down 100.00 to clean some furniture off? Heck, you have all the stuff out already!” Well I did the job in 20 minutes and had a 100.00 added to my bill. The next day, I went to a customer’s home and when I was done with his car, asked him if he any thing else that he needed cleaned at his home. He asked me if I could do the exterior of his house. I said sure but he had to give me a week since I was booked. I wasn’t though. I just needed to time to learn how to do it right. I came home and researched it. Learned how to downstream and soft wash. I got me a 100 feet of additional hose also. I called him back and said I could do it for 400.00. He said ok. I came while he was at work and was gone in 4 hours. That was a 100.00 per hour…I was sold! Then I added roof cleaning and deck restoration. Now, glass is in the works. I think it would be great winter work here. We have really cold winters and my detailing slows way down.
Most of my detailing info can be found on my website.
That’s my motto as well, Fake it till you make it.
For windows, I was high on getting back into them (I’m in lawn care now, used to have 300 window cleaning customers) but so far this wfp thing isn’t doing a great job and the thought of getting a bunch of customers and doing them the way I used to do it with ladders, just doesn’t do much for me. I might ditch the idea entirely and get into power washing, surfaces, houses and eaves and just do exterior window cleaning. I have a bad leg that’s why I don’t like doing ladder work anymore. But pressure washing might be the perfect add on, I’m not sure how much vinyl siding is around here though. Lots of stucco houses like this.
