[JandS]

Do you ever have problems with access with the old TM.
I've done the odd job or 2 where I've thought "thank God for portables"
Did an office 3 weeks ago at night and was musing over a coffee how I'd have got on with a TM.
The windows would not open wide enough and the door had to be kept locked for obvious reasons.
Or do you TM guys have a portable as well??
Thinking about investing in one      2nd hand to start with.

John

[Ken Wainwright]

John

For the type of work I do, I'm getting along fine with my van mounted portable along with remote tanks. If I need a porty, I just wheel it out.  Wouldn't contemplate regular work in the hospitality sector though.

I would never use rinse/extract in a low profile office situation. The various LM and VLM systems I have at my disposal have never failed me yet.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[derek west]

yeah ive had to turn down 2 so far in 5 months, i'm sure there'll be alot more in the future, block of flats with a car park 100 meters away and an old folks home where she was on the wrong side and 3 floors up.
pro's and cons really, still would't swap though, each to there own. may invest i a portable in the future, depends how many jobs i have to turn down each year through accessibility. if its cost effective then i might need some porty advice.
derek

[Mike Halliday]

I pass on 5-6 jobs a year because I can't get get access for my T/M, in return the portable user passes on all the leather suites he gets..... a perfect arrangement

access just is'nt the problem often thought of by portable users, although we will get a portable user  come onto this topic and say he does all his work in the city centre so could'nt possibly use a T/M : :

[Andrew Briscoe]

Ken,
i have a recoil, and seeing a pic of your set up a while ago (sure it was yours)
just wondered how you get along with it,
do you use a hose real.
what sort of extension lengths do you run? etc
what capacity is the fresh water tank ?

i am using a 2 " hose at moment with better results,

Regards
Andrew

[Nigel_W]

John,

I work in the centre of London and use both a TM and portables about 50/50. I would like to use the TM all the time because it is easier but I make too much money from portable work to turn it away. I have a Scorpion and and a 3 vac Ninja with which I get great results. The Ninja is always on the van because I don't always know what the parking situation will be like at each job. The only portable jobs I turn away are the ones that involve humping machines up multiple flights of stairs. I think of you are outside of a city centre you will get less jobs that need a portable. If I had one a month I would probably turn it away as well. I suspect I use my portable more thany most other Truck Mount users.

I use ramps for running pipes across pavements and I take lots of gambles with single yellows and residents bays. Thankfully I do a fair few large houses with their own parking.

The other problem in city centres is noise. I just changed my TM and a big requirement for me was a quiet machine that isn't going to upset neighbouring properties.

Nigel

[COLIN BRIGHT]

if its that far away from the truck
then i dont want the job anyhow
just getting lazy i suppose

[craigp]

Its simple if you have a TM have a portable as well for back up, my portable is in my house, I normally ask about access and take it if I think il need it, but it often stays at home for months, but somtimes il need it 3 times in a week.

[Dave_Lee]

Where theres a will, theres a way. Seldom have any problem regarding access with the TM. The only jobs I have turned down due to access problems, have been ones I didnt want anyway and the TM was a good excuse.
Dave.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Only ones I can't do are the city living or homes in the city centre but they are usually customers I don't really want as they have cheap nylon carpets with make up and alco pop all over them and want the cheapest price and have those plastic price tags all over.

Shaun

[colin thomas]

i'm the same as shaun, i've lost very few GOOD jobs because of the tm, when you are considering a tm access is one of the major draw backs you think of, the reality is that 99% of the time, it's not an issue, i do some work in a small olde worlde town with narrow streets and there is the occasional time when i have to go back when there is more room to park but that is very rare. don't forget that you would have tubing that goes say 200ft, you don't have to park right outside the property.

colin

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I have a pori but it only comes out if the job is well paid, IMO once you have gone TM'ed you don't like going back.

Shaun

[Karl Wildey]

Been using a TM for 10 years and in that time have always carried a porty, that way have never lost a job. TM do a better, and quicker job but can not always be used, so then it back to basics and out come the porty.

I don't do the TM is better arguement, or start slagging TM's when I have never used one, both machine have they place i the cc market. I got both so I cover all sides, also use a host for LM work. sorted

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Karl don't forget the mop and bucket

Shaun

[Ken Wainwright]

To be honest, before my machine was van mounted ie when I was 100% porty, I would turn away most flats or other poor access sites anyway. The only exception was earlier this year for a whole unfurnished 3 bedroom flat when I did take machine in the lift to go up.

It amazes me how many of the new 3 story apartment buildings have no lift.  I only do spotting in these unless it's suitable for LM.

Andrew

I only have a Citroen Dispatch, so space is at a premium. I now have a rack with a freshwater and recovery tank on top. 150 litres each.

I run all 2" hose and carry 150ft. No room for a reel.  At 150ft, the vac, although diminished a little, is still superior to a conventional twin vac porty with 25 ft of 1.5" hose. I use HydraMaster high visibility orange vac hose but as it is relatively stiff, I always use the equally good but more flexible Solution blue hose to the wand.

There should be some pictures of my set up in next months Newslink.

[derek west]

ken
i did a 3 storey flat 2 weeks ago, no lift, long piece of string dangled out the window, haul up the trucky pipes and away we go, easy apart from running up and down with the dryer, presparay, buckets, wand, sebo vac, sebo duo, i'm tired just thinking about it, charged accordingly, did a great job, everyones happy apart fro the misses as i asked for an extra long back massage, hey if she wants the shoes and hand bags she has to earn it.
and get your piccies on "nice ta see ya ta see ya nice" thread.
derek

[Ken Wainwright]

Derek

As you say, it's not just the hoses, it's everything else. The vac, hoses, tools, spotters etc.  At the point that my business is at, I can be choosy or, If I am being honest, my face just does not look bothered

As for the pictures, last time I posted a picture of myself wearing my marigolds, grown men were heard to be crying with envy

[Shaun_Ashmore]

No not again, I put the picture on the mantel to keep the kids away from the fire!

Shaun

[clinton]

Ken

Think you posted your set up a while ago on here

Derek how did you load up your picie on here as i have tryd in the past

[Ricky M]

Ken ,
        you use the scorpy 3 eh, do you really rate it against TMs then ?

        Tom Carter mentioned you the other day sayin that you use M-power stuff etc,
    
        was going to have Nick send me a sample b4 I place an order ......!?

        so is it all as good as the sales bumff lets off ??

         was toying with having a scorpy 3 for 2 years b4 TM and then use scorpy 4 a porty

         Any feed back wud be helpfull  


              R.T