[AshWhite]

So anyway, getting back to OP - who does have a Phoenix unit, and how are you finding it?  I think I may go for one and it  would be good to get an unbiased opinion?

Regards,

Ash

[Neil Williams]

question    neil have you ever used a truckmount

I've been on someone elses job where I got to use it and I'm not going to dispute it's an impressive tool for heat and suction, although I struggle to see how it's going to make me that much faster on domestic jobs.
When it comes to larger commercial I go with LM anyway which is as quick as anyone with a wand, no matter what machine is behind it.

[Mark Lawrence]

A trunkmout is just a "feature" of your business, not a "benefit" to them. Tony

Complete nonsense, and I  presume you havent used a TM. The customer certainly does receive a 'benefit' i.e. cleaner carpets and drier carpets  :

Mark

p.s. Neil, if every TM user says that it is quicker then why do you not believe them?

[Carpet Dawg]

Mark, With the right knowledge and chems, an air mover etc etc then comment you made about the carpets being cleaner or drier doesn't stand IMO.

And yes i have used a truckmount, its impressive! Great not having to fill up buckets of water, but i still think its a feature to your business.

I'm hardly going to convice you guys that have spent thousands on a trucky that portys can do a great job at alot less outlay.

[Neil Williams]

p.s. Neil, if every TM user says that it is quicker then why do you not believe them?

Remember I said domestic properties. There's only so fast you can clean a set of stairs even if you have the most powerful TM.
The trick for non TM users is to be organised. I read earlier about min charge and how it takes 30 minutes to set up. If the customer is organised and ready I can be up and running with the extraction process in 5 minutes.

[Mark Lawrence]

I'm hardly going to convice you guys that have spent thousands on a trucky that portys can do a great job at alot less outlay.

Your right, I used top end portys for years and they dont come close 

p.s. Neil, if every TM user says that it is quicker then why do you not believe them?

Remember I said domestic properties. There's only so fast you can clean a set of stairs even if you have the most powerful TM.
The trick for non TM users is to be organised. I read earlier about min charge and how it takes 30 minutes to set up. If the customer is organised and ready I can be up and running with the extraction process in 5 minutes.

Domestic - yes! Unless your running van mounted porty of course. But even then the TM is still quicker.

Mark

[Tony Gill Carpet Smart]

Started with a Ninja Good results Got a TM good results made easy and customers do notice and then pass the word on get customers ringing up asking are you the ONE  YES I am THE ONE lol

[richy27]

right i have used two top end portys and even my small tm  knock the socks off them both  when you go back to using the porty you feel like your using a toy.


neil i agree organisation is the key to being efficient but even so a tm is quicker by far and not being reliant on the properties utilitys is a bonus.

and no you dont have to spend a fortune to invest in a tm my trucky cost me less than a new triple vac and had less than 200 genuine hours on it   as hydramaster knew the history of the machine .  so was a no brainer .   in the last 12 months i can list 12 jobs which i would not of been able to do with a porty with a total income of over 10 k   and i ca think of 20 jobs i could not use it due to access prob total revenue from those jobs about 1750   basically if you cant get to it with the trucky its normally smaller job tickets .  

basically if you used a truckmount for say 30 days you would i can guarantee it would not go back .  Basically i am in this business to make money and i can and will make more with a truckmount than i ever would with any portable    PERIOD

[Colin Day]

right i have used two top end portys and even my small tm  knock the socks off them both  when you go back to using the porty you feel like your using a toy.


neil i agree organisation is the key to being efficient but even so a tm is quicker by far and not being reliant on the properties utilitys is a bonus.

and no you dont have to spend a fortune to invest in a tm my trucky cost me less than a new triple vac and had less than 200 genuine hours on it   as hydramaster knew the history of the machine .  so was a no brainer .   in the last 12 months i can list 12 jobs which i would not of been able to do with a porty with a total income of over 10 k   and i ca think of 20 jobs i could not use it due to access prob total revenue from those jobs about 1750   basically if you cant get to it with the trucky its normally smaller job tickets .  

basically if you used a truckmount for say 30 days you would i can guarantee it would not go back .  Basically i am in this business to make money and i can and will make more with a truckmount than i ever would with any portable    PERIOD

Yeah yeah, but you never had a proper triple vac, not like the alltec Ask Clinton....

I have a 2 year plan and will look at buying a Titan then, so I can do the Navy ships at Plymouth... If they have any ships left in 2 years that is!!!!

[david holland]

few beers - no one pls ever buy a truckmount -          from a guy whos had in excess of 6 t/m  - earnt more with  a rug doctor   but hey that was 20 yrs ago - friday beeer night - tuborg rules !!!!!!!

[david holland]

la p top and beer  dangeroooous  like a moooooouse !!!!!!!!!

[Simon Gerrard]

Richard has made the perefect point. Forget the cleaning aspects of the argument that always rages whenever the TM v Porti issue crops up and concentrate instead on the business aspect. Truck Mounts are all about productivity, you can do more jobs in less time with a TM and the extra cost is more than met by the additional revenue earning potential. Most of the aruments that come up in these kind of discussions center around cleaning, quality and self esteem, when actually it should be a business arguement. I think the trouble is that a lot of people see themselves as carpet cleaners and not business people and make business decisions from a purely cleaning persepctive rather than a purely business perspective. 'I'm only going to spend £x on a machine because that is all I need,' not realising that that decision affects so many business issues. For instance, if you buy a small machine you cannot do big jobs which means your business cannot create revenue from the commercial sector. If you buy a small machine you cannot do as many jobs as you could if you bought a TM. To me having a machine that gives you the ability to do any size of job in almost any location is one of the keys to success, that and an absolute determination to be successful no matter what it takes.

Simon

[yorky]

Can I just ask an honest question. Thinking back on the large commercial jobs I had I can't believe anyone could have used a truckmount for over half of them. One a large school over four floors in the middle of Glasgow. Another a TNT office with no chance of getting near due to having to leave space for their lorries. Royal mail offices at the end of corridors, big foot fall and again could not park in front anyway.
I don't get how you guys get to half the bigger jobs. I would have had to use hoses hundreds of feet long for many jobs even if I could get a space where they would not be running over a road.

[Colin Day]

Richard has done well in gaining his TM at such an early stage in his business, which he started up about the same as mine. Some people (Derek West) started off with a TM which was a wise move no doubt. I am building up finances to be able to buy a TM in a couple of years or so! However, I have been offered the cash to buy a Titan and decent sized van by the father in law for a share in my business, but I have serious reservations about this. He's not the easiest man to get on with in the world and I can envisage difficult times if I bring him on board. I'd rather do it on my own TBH!

My point is, we get it Simon, but most of us have mortgages, kids and competition who are prepared to undercut  on every job you quote on (By half in most cases). Most of us will have a TM at some stage of the business but we will have to be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day.

But, you can still be successful with a Porty. The guy I worked for in Cumbria has an Exel, since 1988 he still uses them and bought mine from me last year when I upgraded to the triple vac. Through carpet cleaning he has bought no fewer than 10 houses of which he rents out and they are all paid for now, by the tennants. So you don't necessarily have to have a TM to make it big.

On the other hand, there have been a few TM owners who have fallen by the wayside and had to sell up, maybe they built up too fast too quick, who knows?

[Matt Lindus]

Cant we have a anolog v digital debate.

[Simon Gerrard]

Colin,
You make a very fair and well made point, in particular your point about not having to have a TM in order to be successful.

I think the real problem here is that a lot people see having a TM as a luxury, a prize you will award yourself at some future point and your comment about having a mortage, kids and even competition willing to undercut you seem to reinforce that belief. You could look at it another way and decide that having a TM is essential, precisely because you have a mortgage, kids and competitors. I fact, forget the mortgage and kids aspect and concentrate on the competition because the truth is  you can't pay your mortgage or feed your kids unless you deal with your competitors. One of the great advantages of a TM is that it is a fantastic marketing tool, especially when your comptitors don't have one. People (rightly or wrongly) perceive that they will get a better job done and get greater value for money by having their carpet cleaned by this big impressive piece of kit. Whether they are right or not is nothing to do with the technology and everything to do with your ability as a carpet cleaner, but none-the-less people think (rightly or wrongly) that they are getting something extra to what they got last time with the guy with a porti.
It is important to point out that there are very many examples of people with hugely successful carpet cleaning businesses that are based purely on portable machines and I am not trying to belittle them or anyone else by expounding the virtues of TM.

Simon

[happy mondays]

When I am asked about truck mounts by customers, I just say "they are very good for customers who have had their electric and water supply cut off" it seems to work and usually gets me the job 

A good sales person will secure the job, regardless of what he/she uses to clean, the cleaning is the easy part.

[Simon Gerrard]

The cleaning is the easy part, it is also the bit you are judged upon and will determine whether or not people use you again in the future or give someone else a try next time around. Don't forget, a customer isn't truly your customer until they come back to you and if they don't come back to you you cannot build a successful business. You have to put your customers in a position where they can't get what you do anywhere else and so have no other choice than to use you in the future. Do that and you'll be in business for a very long time.

Simon

[happy mondays]

very true

[jon barnes]

Ash
 i would be a little cautious as the new model has only been out for a few months and there may be problems that need ironing out. personally i would wait untill somebody has put a few hundred hours on one

jon