[frames to panes]

I use a van mount and i reckon i must waste nearly a quarter of my time on un-nessesary trips back and forth unhooking my hose from wheelie bins, car wheels, under gates, rose bushes stones and patio slabs i really do. It has to be the biggest pain in the backside with the whole system that unfortunately can't be avoided. I managed to hook on to a customers hose reel, another customers patio table got dragged out of place, a recycle bin, a doormat, a wendy house, various garden tools and finally part of a rotten fence came back to my van.

[MJH]

They are useless on rows of houses, thats why guys use the backpack but i would feel a right plonker walking around with one of them, but im sure there effective!

[brett walker]

www.slipnslide.co.uk

try one of these you can get a pack of three from window cleaning warehouse, very good product
 
Brett

[matt]

trolley system 

non of that hose stuff

[MJH]

trolley system 

non of that hose stuff

Do you have to fill those trollies often matt?

[brett walker]

i too have no problems using a trolley system i have 50ft o pipe going through my pole hardly ever gets caught on anything

Brett

[alanwilson]

strange - we're pulling hoses around houses, shops, offices etc every day and never really have a problem.  just goes to show how different each persons work is.

[L.J.Thorpe]

trolley + barrels + reel ...works fine for me at moment ,versatile set up ,not perfect at all but fine for me at moment

[aztec]

i think we are all just complicating how easy window cleaning really is in my opinion!

[L.J.Thorpe]

i think we are all just complicating how easy window cleaning really is in my opinion!

how d ya mean mate

[D.Salkeld_Ltd]

BACKPACK N POLE (with hose on outside)....................
NO tangly hoses around your feet.

I can do about 3 terraced houses before filling up and filling up only takes 2 - 3 mins max with my set-up

With all the arguments for and against BP, trolley or van mount I honestly can't see any better, for me, than my backpack set-up.

David

[s.hughes]

BACKPACK N POLE (with hose on outside)....................
NO tangly hoses around your feet.

I can do about 3 terraced houses before filling up and filling up only takes 2 - 3 mins max with my set-up

With all the arguments for and against BP, trolley or van mount I honestly can't see any better, for me, than my backpack set-up.

David

David is that all you've got is a back pack that you use all day? If so how much water do you use and dosnt it give you a back ache?

Steve

[Londoner]

Rather than have your hose in the van and pulling it out behind you try what I do.

(1) arrive at customer

(2) open side door, go to back of van, take out pole AND hand reel of hose (80m micro)

(3) Go to farthest window away from van, this is your start point. Leave  pole there and wlk back to van paying out the hose along the route you will take when you clean the house. Take care to go right way around obstacles.

(4) Get back to van, plug hose into the water.

(5) Clean house, working back towards van.

(6) When finished leave pole at last window, walk back to van, unplug hose, reel up hose walking back towards the pole as you go.

(7) pick up pole, and take it and hose back to the van.

[frames to panes]

Thats what i mean - look how many times you've put "walk back to the van"  can't avoid it. I want to walk out once and back once (which i sometimes do) and could manage it without the snags.

[s.hughes]

Thats what i mean - look how many times you've put "walk back to the van"  can't avoid it. I want to walk out once and back once (which i sometimes do) and could manage it without the snags.

Use a trolley then. Yes you have to unload it but its all done at the van.

[steve m]

horses for courses. how would you drag a trolly system over all the garages on my round, and a backpack is a no-no with my back problems. All I do is drag the hose down the road to make sure I have more than enough slack pipe off the reel and away you go. Doing it this way I normally do six houses at a time- three either side

[Ian_Giles]

No one system is perfect, but with a van mount you have to think about your starting point and learn your accounts.

I almost turn into the Hulk at times, the rage I feel when the hose gets snagged or tangled has to be felt to be believed!!!

But by and large I know my troublesome accounts, I think about the obstacles and work out the best way for each account to minimize the problems.

Generally my furthest point is my starting point, pump is turned on before I walk away from the van with hose & pole, flow is off as I only connect the pole hose to the microbore hose once I'm at the first window.
With 100m of microbore that gives me a potential span of ten houses - 5 one side, 5 the other - that's if they are all next door to each other of course.

At some point I may well add a backpack to my toolbox, I think this gives someone with a van mount good versatility, I think you then have the best of both worlds.

I started out with a trolley system and eventually traded up to a full van mount, trolleys are fine, but the downsides are lugging pretty heavy gear around, continually manhandling 25l water barrels, not that heavy I know, but these things are cumulative, and hauling them in and out of the back of a car (most of you will work in this manner) is not good for your back (trust me, ask an osteopath!)
If you have to drag your trolley up or down steps it isn't good!
And time is always lost filling barrels, worrying about running out of water and so on.

Backpacks of course can only carry so much water, the batteries are tiny and most will still have to operate with a load of 25l containers in the back of the car.
Wear them on your back constantly and you are inviting back problems somewhere down the line, plus you are constantly having to take it off and put it back on again, again, not good for the lower back.
So many get a cheap shopping trolley and operate like a mini trolley system.

So you see, all systems have their drawbacks. For those of you that advocate any of the systems I have appeared to diss...you don't need to answer back! The above is done just to highlight the point that you have to keep an open mind, what you use will also depend on the nature of your round.
If you do rows and rows of terraced houses, a van mount will be a real drawback.
Got lots of big work? Large houses/offices and so on? then a backpack or trolley isn't the best option.
And then of course there is the depth of your pocket to consider....

Ian

[matt]

trolley system 

non of that hose stuff

Do you have to fill those trollies often matt?

i use 25 L barrels and i get 3 or 4 houses out of a barrel

i only do the tops though

[supernova77]

I've used a trolley for the past 2 years... But I am saving for a van mount, which I'm hoping to get and install soon.

The reason that I'm moving to a van system is that I'm now fed-up with changing the 25L barrels all day, and filling them up one by one when I get home in the evenings.

Andy

[M & C Window Cleaning]

I've used a 'Freedom trolley' and 17mtrs of pole hose now for 5 months and I love it. I Just do the tops mainly and the occasional awkward downstairs with it and 5 Barrels lasts me all day with the 'flowmaster set to '4'.

For 90% of my houses the trolley stays outside the gardens at the rear (A 20mtr hose would make it 100% but I'm not ready to replace it yet) and I've learned that by keeping the bottom end of the pole close to the ground when walking in that for the most part the hose doesn't get caught up. It just slides round obstacles.

I'm also learning to be patient with it as when I get frustrated I tend to break things which in turn costs me money and that's plain daft.

I had a bad morning the other week when it did seem to get caught on every little thing at one point.  I ended up giving the pole a good yank to free the hose and broke the trigger assembly. So now if it gets caught I just walk back and unhook it. Wastes a little time I know but I'm still working at a much better pace than with ladders  even with the occasional walk back to unhook a hose or if I run out of water on the last house and have to walk back for another barrel.

And walking is good excersise!

[s.hughes]

Wonder what systems we will all be using in 10 years time. There is always a debate about trade and wfp now it seems it includes van mounts and trolleys.

[matt]

the trailing hoses are the only reason i still use a trolley, i have a van now, its big enough for a 650 L tank,

but those hoses are a concearn to me, but i might have mentioned that

[billygoat]

The hoses concern me to,because it s the only thing that worries me about getting a van mount.

But I'm going to give it a go and have ordered a custom tank(has to fit round a lawnmower that I carry in the van for most of the year)

I use the backpack on a trolley at the moment, but I think the vanmount might be better most the time, because I clean mainly large detached properties.

[Dean Aspects]

The hoses concern me to,because it s the only thing that worries me about getting a van mount.

But I'm going to give it a go and have ordered a custom tank(has to fit round a lawnmower that I carry in the van for most of the year)

I use the backpack on a trolley at the moment, but I think the vanmount might be better most the time, because I clean mainly large detached properties.

If thats the work you have then a van mount would be perfect just set up your hose and away you go
I would keep the backpack though for that odd awkward job that can be done quicker with a backpack just another tool in your rather large sounding box( with lawn mower and all) 

Dean

[frames to panes]

Now....... if only i could wear a 650ltr back pack - that would save my legs i'm sure.

[s.hughes]

the trailing hoses are the only reason i still use a trolley, i have a van now, its big enough for a 650 L tank,

but those hoses are a concearn to me, but i might have mentioned that

Matt, if you got the van mount would you still only do tops?

Steve

[matt]

the trailing hoses are the only reason i still use a trolley, i have a van now, its big enough for a 650 L tank,

but those hoses are a concearn to me, but i might have mentioned that

Matt, if you got the van mount would you still only do tops?

Steve

yes i would expect so, for the following reasons

the bottoms are done and i know they are done well the trad way

doing trad doesnt take much longer than WFP, but does a good job that the customer can see on the spot

the customer prefere's the trad way ( yes, most really do )

[MJH]

the trailing hoses are the only reason i still use a trolley, i have a van now, its big enough for a 650 L tank,

but those hoses are a concearn to me, but i might have mentioned that

Matt, if you got the van mount would you still only do tops?

Steve

yes i would expect so, for the following reasons

the bottoms are done and i know they are done well the trad way

doing trad doesnt take much longer than WFP, but does a good job that the customer can see on the spot

the customer prefere's the trad way ( yes, most really do )
i am the same as you Matt, wfp tops aswell only for the same reason, and im on a water meter so it saves me about 1000 litres a week!! which would add up over time!

[xxmattyxx]

Dont you get wet trading underneath WFP'd windows?

[MJH]

Dont you get wet trading underneath WFP'd windows?

No by the time i have done the tops nearly all the water has run off, i don't have any problems doing tops only.

[billygoat]

If thats the work you have then a van mount would be perfect just set up your hose and away you go 
I would keep the backpack though for that odd awkward job that can be done quicker with a backpack just another tool in your rather large sounding box( with lawn mower and all)



Definately keeping backpack cause it will be better on some jobs.
Trouble is my 'BOX' is only a Peugeot Partner so its all a bit of a squeeze,but its got a few good years left in it yet,so it will have to do.

[Tosh]

The bulk of my work consists of Semis and terraced houses and parking is a complete nightmare for much of my work.

I have streets where I may have 10 to 15 good sized houses, but only one space where I could fit my car into; maybe.  Sometimes I drive into streets, drop off my barrells at strategic points, and park in another street, 'cos there's just NO parking.

We used to do another place; a 14th Century Manor House; and getting round to the front of it was impossible unless you had 300 meters of hose; there's no way you'd get the hose through the house, not with all the creamy-white carpet they had.

If I'm having this problem with a backpack, I just wouldn't be to work with a van-mount.

I suppose I could get a van-mount and get new work, but I'm no marketting whizz kid and I'm really happy with the work I've got; though I do need some more.

Maybe I'll get a van-mount in the future, but for now I'm sticking with the backpack.

[Ian_Giles]

You see? horses for courses, it really depends on the nature of the bulk of your work.
For Tosh the only real option is a back pack for a great deal of his work...but that isn't to say he wouldn't benefit greatly from having a van mount/back pack...the best of both worlds then.
He can still do his compacted work that is unsuitable for a van mount, but would also have to capacity for the larger commercial or domestic work where having a large amount of water constantly on tap would be a big advantage.

I picked up a £15.00 account today where a back pack would be a definite advantage....distance I have to park, lots of flower pots & troughs etc...though not for the first time clean (couple days time).

Gonna invest in a back pack this year for just this kind of work.

Ian

[D.Salkeld_Ltd]

Hi All,

This year I am planning to have ALL 3:

Backpack as it is for main use.
I am presently building up properly the old trolley I started with.
I want to be able to get it on and off my trailer with the minimum of lifting.
While it is mounted on the trailer I would like to be able to connect the inlet pipe direct to the tank and have a hose reel on the trailer so as to have a Trailer mount.

I'm in no hurry to sort this out and I don't want to spend a lot on it as I am quite happy with my backpack.

I can, however, see the point that other methods may be better on different jobs.

David

[matt]

i plan to fit a tank to me van ( well its a thought i have had )

the idea is when i do commercail bigger houses i can run the hose and crack on, it will be powered from my trolley though

i have also got to find time to do a new trolley, based on a sack truck with a smaller battery ( this 44 aph is ideal )