Hey Guys, I am thinking of building a wash pad for the big machines. I already have the pressure washer installed, but am considering installing high volume low pressure hose. I am wondering how much flow and pressure should I be designing for to flush the mud out of tracks etc. Anyone have some tips? TIA Ken
2,500 to 3,000. But depending on location a water separator might also be needed. The shop had a 3,000 psi Landa steam pressure washer, and many times I was glad for the extra psi & heat, there wasn't anything it couldn't blast clean. I still use it. But you really have to have a grip on the wand.
I actually found this thread. HeavyEquipmentForums I have 2500psi/8gpm available. I am thinking of putting a low pressure flooding system. Something to wash out the large volume of mud out of tracks etc.
I've washed tracks and all the nooks and crannies of a lowboy trailer with a fire trailer with a 500 gallon tank and a Honda 8 or 10hp fire pump. I don't know the pump ratings but it'll empty the tank in 10 minutes or less if you aren't careful. It's a 1" or 1-1/4" hose with a twist fire nozzle. I'm guessing it's around 120psi. Works pretty good. It'll soak you in a hurry if you hit a spot that blasts it back at you even trying to keep your distance.
I have a gas powered 2 inch transfer pump plumbed to a 3000 gal tank. About 50 ft of hose with a fire nozzle. Years ago we used it to washout livestock trailers. It works surprisingly good for no more money than I have wrapped up in it.
There is no substitute for a fire plug with fire hose and nozzle if you have one available or close to your area. Check with your local water supplier and generally they can put a meter on the plug and charge you for what water you use. Your local Fire Department may be able to "Loan you" a section or more of older hose they can not use anymore. Once you have used fire hose, there will be no replacement.
I have a well with a 5HP submersible pump producing about 75 gallons per minute at 70 PSI through a 3/4" nozzle. It works great for general wash down of equipment and cattle trailers. That much water will wear you out handling a 2" hose. For degreasing I use a 4000 PSI Karcher with a hot box.
Yep been on lots of sites the big hose takes the cake. I can't remember how big it was but if you dropped it, it was bad news. It literally would blast mud 30' away. A close second is this pressure they had set up on another site. The gun had a 8 foot wand and a head that spun it was amazing it chewed old grease right off. Soil cement was making my motor grader blade stick and not slide sideways. It also would heat the water. It had a 500 or a 750 gallon plastic tank.
The volume of water is just as, if not more important than the pressure. That's why a fire hose is effective. 2500 PSI and 8GPM might work pretty good unless you're dealing with clay that dries on like concrete. Steam cleaners are good for grease and stuff but for removing large amounts of caked on dirt you want a lot of water to wash it away. Hot water/steam cleaners can remove paint and stickers if you're not careful. Most car washes are about 2000 PSI and 3GPM hot water so people don't damage their vehicles. They also have high pressure soap injection. It makes a big difference too. Heavy equipment usually needs more than that, however heat/steam makes a big difference. For thorough cleaning you want soap under pressure. Most pressure washers have low pressure soap. It all depends on how clean you want/need your equipment.
When the grain trucks showed for service after weeks of cleaning ground piles the mud would be up to 3 plus inches thick, and being winter--frozen. So cold water was worthless, high pressure and hot water worked. Had to be cleaned before servicing/ repairs.
We have used a 2” Honda pump (our firefighting unit) with red fire nozzle for excavator/dozer undercarriage; real quick work…when not frozen! I put in outdoor hot water at home; really useful.
I did the same, for washing stuff and recently had to put in a mixing valve for the dog. The damn pressure washer handle gets pretty damn hot, when I turn my Rannai up to 140 degrees. Have to use Viton Orings on the hose and wand and replace them often. That hot water makes all the difference. Steam is better but not yet.
We have about a 100 gpm water cannon with a stationary monitor nozzle (pretty much a fire truck deck gun). It has a 3000 gallon tank Couple that with the new steam pressure washer we finally got to replace our old POS barely hot pressure washer and you have a real cleaning combo