[dazmond]

these older guys put us younger ones to shame!!

working with a trolley for 8 years!and working longer hours than some of us!

what happened to dai?not seen any posts from him for a while!i think he s well into his sixties and also used a trolley(50L)AND 10-12 barrels on a trailer i think!!

[Tom White]

Also, I would find it difficult to access a lot of my jobs.

John

I thought the same, John, because of some parking problems.  But it turned out not to be a problem because 100 meters of hose gets you a long way.

[John Walker]

I am not an OAP but am well into my sixties I still do gutter cleaning and do a full day with a trolly with 25 litres barrels. To crown it I am a diabetic so also have a lack of energy at time. What I do is drink a can of blue charge diet from ASDA every day and that give me vavavoooooooooooom to enjoy my work.I still find my work a challenge. I  to was made redundant 3 times in one year, 4 years ago.I enjoy my job and the best is not having to listen to all the ass-holes I worked for.

Hi Wizkid

Glad I'm not alone.  Each morning I have a bowl of porridge with blueberries and a glass of water with a Berroca suppliment tablet.  This seems to keep me going for a few hours but then I start to tire - some days better than others.  I just wish I'd started this when in my 40s or 50s.  I would then have missed the hassle in the workplace that had a bad effect on my health. As I've already said, apart from the tiredness i thoroughly enjoy this work - no matter what the weather either.  Just having a couple of days off to catch up with stuff at home and to relax.  Working along the East Kent coast tomorrow - hope it's sunny as a few properties are right on the sea front - lovely.

Cheers

[g.brookes]

One thing I learnt from a dietician friend was that it helps your metabolism and energy levels if you have your lunch very early.  Say you start your work at 8, then stop no later than 11, have your full lunch and it'll give you a lot more energy than leaving your lunch till 12 or 1

[Nathanael Jones]

If you haven't done it already, switch to Extreme brushes. I was amazed at the difference it made to my day,.. a little extra weight causes a lot of strain on the body when its 25' up a pole!

[John Walker]

If you haven't done it already, switch to Extreme brushes. I was amazed at the difference it made to my day,.. a little extra weight causes a lot of strain on the body when its 25' up a pole!

Thanks Nathanael,

I've been thinking of that but wasn't sure how much difference they would make over my current Superlight brushes.  Possibly the carbon fibre gooseneck too.  Need to check if it will fit on my 2 year old SLX.

John

[groundhog]

these older guys put us younger ones to shame!!

what happened to dai?not seen any posts from him for a while!i think he s well into his sixties and also used a trolley(50L)AND 10-12 barrels on a trailer i think!!

And don't forget his wife who is 30 years younger than him!! Dai has definatley got some stamina!!!! 

[John Walker]

Well,  I've had a measure up and it looks like a 210 litre tank will fit in my Picasso ok.  The rear is flat and very low when the seats are down - very much like a van.  As it's a 2ltr engine I don't notice the equivalent volume with drums and it's surprisingly stable on the road.  

I've worked out all the pump side so no problem there amd I already have a heavy duty reel and microbore hose.

I want to anchor the tank down, so any suggestions on best way to do this would be appreciated.

Would prefer something like ratchet straps so I can remove the tank when not required but not sure of best way to anchor the ratchet straps.

All suggestions and advice appreciated...
John

[Spruce]

Well,  I've had a measure up and it looks like a 210 litre tank will fit in my Picasso ok.  The rear is flat and very low when the seats are down - very much like a van.  As it's a 2ltr engine I don't notice the equivalent volume with drums and it's surprisingly stable on the road. 

I've worked out all the pump side so no problem there amd I already have a heavy duty reel and microbore hose.

I want to anchor the tank down, so any suggestions on best way to do this would be appreciated.

Would prefer something like ratchet straps so I can remove the tank when required but not sure of best way to anchor the ratchet straps.

All suggestions and advice appreciated...
John

Hi John,

I think you will need to talk to a commercial body builder on this one. Phone your local Citroen garage and ask for the commercial salesman and ask him where they send their vehicle for commericial accessories to be fitted.

The seats in the Picasso can be individually removed if my memory serves me correctly. This means that you have a flat floor when either the seats are removed or folded up. Also as the spare wheel is under the car. you have a flat floor to the rear of the boot as well.  The problem is that the fuel tank sits under the rear seats between the 'chassis'.
I'm sure a commercial body builder will be able to fabricate some brackets under the car to the chassis to secure some heavy duty pivot lash rings in the car which you would attach your ratchet straps to.

Spruce

[dai]

these older guys put us younger ones to shame!!

working with a trolley for 8 years!and working longer hours than some of us!

what happened to dai?not seen any posts from him for a while!i think he s well into his sixties and also used a trolley(50L)AND 10-12 barrels on a trailer i think!!

I'm still here mate, 69 in September. I use my old DIY trolley system that holds two containers. The trailer was a good move as I put a ramp on it to wheel my trolley up. The other thing is I have a hose reel mounted that holds 30 meters of micro bore. Just leave the trolley at the front and pull off the hose.
Since my lad lost his job I have been letting him help, I have taken the hit financially, but benefit from a lot of early finishes. I can only carry 14 containers, and when it's gone it's gone.
The only difference these days is that I feel too knackered when I get home to do any of the jobs around the place, and I am really beginning to struggle when I have to climb over those balconies, well getting on them isn't so bad, it's getting off them that I hate.
Too many hills up here in North Wales

[John Walker]

these older guys put us younger ones to shame!!

working with a trolley for 8 years!and working longer hours than some of us!

what happened to dai?not seen any posts from him for a while!i think he s well into his sixties and also used a trolley(50L)AND 10-12 barrels on a trailer i think!!

I'm still here mate, 69 in September. I use my old DIY trolley system that holds two containers. The trailer was a good move as I put a ramp on it to wheel my trolley up. The other thing is I have a hose reel mounted that holds 30 meters of micro bore. Just leave the trolley at the front and pull off the hose.
Since my lad lost his job I have been letting him help, I have taken the hit financially, but benefit from a lot of early finishes. I can only carry 14 containers, and when it's gone it's gone.
The only difference these days is that I feel too knackered when I get home to do any of the jobs around the place, and I am really beginning to struggle when I have to climb over those balconies, well getting on them isn't so bad, it's getting off them that I hate.
Too many hills up here in North Wales

Hello Dai

Nice to hear I'm not alone - and not the oldest.  You've got another 4 years on me and still going so that gives me a bit more confidence.  What keeps you going?

John

[groundhog]

I'm still here mate, 69 in September.

Good on ya Dai, keep going mate it keeps you young!! My Dad is still working as an almost full time builder, and he is 76 this year!! And a good friend of my family has just retired from his job as a blacksmith which he has been doing for 60years at the ripe old age of 81, and his plans are to do more of his favourite hobby.. ice skating!!! So I think that makes you a whipper snapper in comparisson Dai!!! 

[WinTech]

I put a tank in my people carrier after getting fed up with lugging barrels around and lifting trolley in and out of it.

Made life so much easier.

One thing I wish I had purchased as well when I switched over was a back pack or sim as it would have made getting to those hard areas around back of houses easier.

[John Walker]

I put a tank in my people carrier after getting fed up with lugging barrels around and lifting trolley in and out of it.

Made life so much easier.

One thing I wish I had purchased as well when I switched over was a back pack or sim as it would have made getting to those hard areas around back of houses easier.

Hi

Did you manage to get it strapped in?  If you did - what method did you use?

Cheers
John

[Alex Allen]

Hi

I'm just on 65 and still doing close to full time WFP following redundancy.  I would like to reduce amount of work but despite paying into private pensions since I was 18 my income is stretched at times.

I've worked with trolley and 10 barrels of water for around 8 years. Since redundancy 2 years ago I usually work from 7.30am to 2.00pm 4 to 6 days a week (depending on work load).  Domestic only from mobile homes to large mansions plus conservatories.  Poles/brushes from Gardiners for lightness.  Can't afford to make any major changes to system now.

I thoroughly enjoy the work but getting a bit creaky by the end of each day.

So... if there are any other oldies on here....

How are you getting on? 
Any tips that make your day easier?
How long do you think you can keep going (health permitting)

John

john you should have change to a van system 2 years ago, when you went full time your business changed but your wfp system didn't

profit drives enterprise not thrift, so if you can't afford it maybe you should be charging more

1. work to increase your profit (thats your main job, its only 'window cleaners' who think cleaning the windows is their main job
2. invest to work more efficiently (if a piece of equipment saves you 1 hour each week how much is that worth?)
3. put yourself first, before any customer (you're not a charity, you have a resposibility to yourself first)

the best tip is to plan your exit from window cleaning in 5, 10 or 15 years? don't make the mistake of selling a round; it should be a going concern and it may take a year or even two years to find the right buyer

or you could ignore the above and carry on with little changes evry now and again 

[John Walker]

Hi

I'm just on 65 and still doing close to full time WFP following redundancy.  I would like to reduce amount of work but despite paying into private pensions since I was 18 my income is stretched at times.

I've worked with trolley and 10 barrels of water for around 8 years. Since redundancy 2 years ago I usually work from 7.30am to 2.00pm 4 to 6 days a week (depending on work load).  Domestic only from mobile homes to large mansions plus conservatories.  Poles/brushes from Gardiners for lightness.  Can't afford to make any major changes to system now.

I thoroughly enjoy the work but getting a bit creaky by the end of each day.

So... if there are any other oldies on here....

How are you getting on? 
Any tips that make your day easier?
How long do you think you can keep going (health permitting)

John

john you should have change to a van system 2 years ago, when you went full time your business changed but your wfp system didn't

profit drives enterprise not thrift, so if you can't afford it maybe you should be charging more

1. work to increase your profit (thats your main job, its only 'window cleaners' who think cleaning the windows is their main job
2. invest to work more efficiently (if a piece of equipment saves you 1 hour each week how much is that worth?)
3. put yourself first, before any customer (you're not a charity, you have a resposibility to yourself first)

the best tip is to plan your exit from window cleaning in 5, 10 or 15 years? don't make the mistake of selling a round; it should be a going concern and it may take a year or even two years to find the right buyer

or you could ignore the above and carry on with little changes evry now and again 

Hi Alex

Thanks for your comments.  In hindsight what you say is absolutely spot on - I should have gone van mount or at least worked with a built in tank to fill the trolley from.  My original plan was to just carry on and earn earn some extra to suppliment my private pensions which I've paid into since i was around 18.

Unfortunately, my pensions like many thousands of others have not performed even as worst case so my planned semi-retirement had to be put on hold.  I hung on for another 12 months as there was a slight possiblity of an improvement but it hasn't happened.  So I now wait for my state pension to bring some additional funds in and if necessary I can reduce my window cleaning hours.

Cheers
John

[John Walker]

Thanks to everyone on here that has offered advice etc.  It's been very useful.
Sorry I haven't thanked or responded to every message - didn't want to fill the thread up with countless thank-you's etc.

Decisions made so far. 

I've ordered an extreme brush and carbon fibre gooseneck from Gardiners to replace my superlight and metal gooseneck.  As it's a quick-change brush system I've also ordered a multi-angle adaptor to suit.  So... that's a bit less weight to move around all day.

Next thing was to make a temporary change to my trolley so it just worked as a pump box.  The inlet pipe is just swapped from barrel to to barrel as required.  Brought the heavy duty reel and microbore hose out of hibernation.

So today went like a dream - no lifting the trolley in and out or lifting barrels.

Will try this system out on a few more rounds and if successful, I will buy a 210 litre flat tank and make up a pump box with items I already have in stock.  The trolley will still be required on some jobs but I will buy a 12v bilge pump to fill the trolley from the on-board tank as required.

The final outcome will be a sort of 'van mount system' with minimum outlay.

Thanks again to you all for getting my grey matter working again.....   

John

[groundhog]

Glad to hear its going well John!! You will find that as you get used to using your mini van mount, you will use your trolley less and less... a hose pipe beats a trolley on 99% of jobs!! Good luck! 

[elite mike]

interesting thread

good luck

mike

[richard jagger]

By the way fellows I am not an OAP, just a middle aged teenager.