FSC for a Wilks TX750 ?

[Joystick]

Hi, I have a Wilks TX750i. A budget machine I know, (and I am keeping it going!) but i mainly use the machine to clean up family driveways, unblock drains at rental houses I look after and cleanup after I have fitted bathrooms / kitchen at customers houses (That’s what I do normally)


I want to get an entry level (budget) Flat Surface Cleaner that will work with the Wilks and do the job but won’t break the bank as I probably won’t use it more than once a month.


What should I be looking for when considering a flat surface cleaner?


And yes, I won’t buy another Wilks!!


Any advice greatly appreciated

 

[ched999uk]

FSC need to have the jets to match the pressure and flow of your machine. If the jets are wrong you will get terrible results. I would guess you need one about 14" to 16" with appropriate jets but the best bet would be to speak to a decent supplier like Rutland pumps as they can advise if you have your machine specs to hand - flow rate (litres per min) and pressure (psi).

 

[Pjj]

Have a word with Ben at Rutland pumps a “be “one is an entry level and we have one it’s very good , obviously needs jetting for your machine and a 15 ltr per muinit flow rate is normally needed

 

[THL4KEL]

I think your machine puts out 11 litres of water a minute. You probably need to get a Wilks Flat Surface Cleaner. It should have the correct connections for your machine.

 

[K in Kent]

I got 1 one of these to be used by a bloke who used to work for me sometimes on big jobs and for reasons of space in the van I wanted just an additional simple tap-fed machine. I also bought the FSC they sell for it. During the first morning using it he managed to snap 2 lances! So to see what was going on I tried it out and snapped 1 within an hour!!
It was my own fault for being too casual with it but basically the FSC is far too heavy and by lifting it up the lance couldn't take the weight.
Firthermore the FSC itself is pretty ineffectual but fair's fair, I asn't expecting much from an 11/12L per min machine. It's just not enough to run a decent FSC. You need 15 litres and up and anything less is a waste of time.
In fairness the ilks is as good as any other machine in that price range and with a turbo nozzle isn't bad for small areas.
You get what you pay for with these things.

But to answer your question yes they do sell a suitable FSC designed for the machine but don't bother unless you've got a large area that needs a good rinse cos that's all its good for..
As for entry level you need 15litres+ but for budget kit you won't get any better for this sort of money. I've had a few cheapo's over the years as spares and they're a false economy and take forever to do the job. Of course I understand the amount you want to spend is a trade off for the amount youll use it and how much money it'll make you, but for commercial purposes you need to invest a bit more - and it is an investment cos they can make you decent money

 

[Truckcab79]

Hi, I have a Wilks TX750i. A budget machine I know, (and I am keeping it going!) but i mainly use the machine to clean up family driveways, unblock drains at rental houses I look after and cleanup after I have fitted bathrooms / kitchen at customers houses (That’s what I do normally)


I want to get an entry level (budget) Flat Surface Cleaner that will work with the Wilks and do the job but won’t break the bank as I probably won’t use it more than once a month.


What should I be looking for when considering a flat surface cleaner?


And yes, I won’t buy another Wilks!!


Any advice greatly appreciated

Before I upgraded my kit I used a Rocwood pressure washer for a couple of years for pretty much the same purpose as you. Post-job cleanup plus the occasional driveway and patio wash. Spec of mine was probably pretty similar to your Wilks. I picked up a generic 15” FSC
off Amazon for about £60. There are loads on there. All look much the same but from different sellers priced from 50-100. Decent enough. Did the job I needed to. 100 times better and cleaner than a lance.

Reservations at that price much like the pressure washers themselves. You need to maintain it to get the best out of it. Shielding for the bearings isn’t great so you’ll be stripping it down more often than a better one. No grease nipple (at least on mine), but it’s easy enough to drill and tap for one. Bearings themselves seemed decent quality. Lance was supplied in two parts which gives a bit of flex at the QC fitting and I found that I preferred to just live with a slightly shorter lance and use the one piece one that came with the machine.

Plenty of compromises but there always will be at the lower end just don’t do what half the reviewers of these things do and complain that it’s doesn’t work as well as something that costs 10 times the price.

In a very similar position to you I eventually bought a Jetmac set-up. Love it. Great quality, reliable, and well-priced without spending silly money on something that Im not using daily. It’s a pleasure to work with in comparison to my old stuff and think I pretty much paid for it with the first two jobs.

 

[Joystick]

Before I upgraded my kit I used a Rocwood pressure washer for a couple of years for pretty much the same purpose as you. Post-job cleanup plus the occasional driveway and patio wash. Spec of mine was probably pretty similar to your Wilks. I picked up a generic 15” FSC
off Amazon for about £60. There are loads on there. All look much the same but from different sellers priced from 50-100. Decent enough. Did the job I needed to. 100 times better and cleaner than a lance.

Reservations at that price much like the pressure washers themselves. You need to maintain it to get the best out of it. Shielding for the bearings isn’t great so you’ll be stripping it down more often than a better one. No grease nipple (at least on mine), but it’s easy enough to drill and tap for one. Bearings themselves seemed decent quality. Lance was supplied in two parts which gives a bit of flex at the QC fitting and I found that I preferred to just live with a slightly shorter lance and use the one piece one that came with the machine.

Plenty of compromises but there always will be at the lower end just don’t do what half the reviewers of these things do and complain that it’s doesn’t work as well as something that costs 10 times the price.

In a very similar position to you I eventually bought a Jetmac set-up. Love it. Great quality, reliable, and well-priced without spending silly money on something that Im not using daily. It’s a pleasure to work with in comparison to my old stuff and think I pretty much paid for it with the first two jobs.

Hi Thanks for the reply, its the kind of knowledge i need! So my dilemma now is do i go for a £100 + one with wheels or a cheeper one without?
I was looking at this....... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09NVMCCT8/?tag=wcf01-21

And i was wondering, do you have any knowledge on using biocides? I get lots of growth on some of my driveways and want to know where to start with chemical's without having to become a pro cleaner!

Any advice much appriciated

 

[Truckcab79]

Hi Thanks for the reply, its the kind of knowledge i need! So my dilemma now is do i go for a £100 + one with wheels or a cheeper one without?
I was looking at this....... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09NVMCCT8/?tag=wcf01-21

And i was wondering, do you have any knowledge on using biocides? I get lots of growth on some of my driveways and want to know where to start with chemical's without having to become a pro cleaner!

Any advice much appriciated

Don’t want to recommend you something I’ve not tried myself but one with wheels is definitely preferable though probably not that necessary for such a small head. Think mine was/is 15” (no wheels) and used it no bother. Didn’t really have any weight as it was plastic and the jets are pushing it upward reducing the weight while you work. If I had to stick my neck out, at that size I’d go for less money and live without the wheels.

Like many I use sodium hypochlorite to clean. Buy at 14/15% strength. Dilute 3:1 for starters, soak, wash, treat again as required. Increase strength anywhere up to neat for the tough bits.

Have a good read up though. It’s nasty stuff. Bleaches your clothes. Burns your skin, kills surrounding vegetation. But all safe to use if you take all necessary precautions. PPE etc. it does work brilliantly.

 

[Joystick]

Don’t want to recommend you something I’ve not tried myself but one with wheels is definitely preferable though probably not that necessary for such a small head. Think mine was/is 15” (no wheels) and used it no bother. Didn’t really have any weight as it was plastic and the jets are pushing it upward reducing the weight while you work. If I had to stick my neck out, at that size I’d go for less money and live without the wheels.

Like many I use sodium hypochlorite to clean. Buy at 14/15% strength. Dilute 3:1 for starters, soak, wash, treat again as required. Increase strength anywhere up to neat for the tough bits.

Have a good read up though. It’s nasty stuff. Bleaches your clothes. Burns your skin, kills surrounding vegetation. But all safe to use if you take all necessary precautions. PPE etc. it does work brilliantly.

Thanks for your advice. I have a back mounted pump sprayer so will use that. As will i use the PPE! Just googled to see what can go wrong! Ouch!
I have ordered this one: (Mainly because its delivered this week!). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QHXR8RJ/?tag=wcf01-21 I will put on this thread what i think of it after i have used it so others can see.
Many thanks Again.

 

[Truckcab79]

Thanks for your advice. I have a back mounted pump sprayer so will use that. As will i use the PPE! Just googled to see what can go wrong! Ouch!
I have ordered this one: (Mainly because its delivered this week!). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QHXR8RJ/?tag=wcf01-21 I will put on this thread what i think of it after i have used it so others can see.
Many thanks Again.

Cool. Pretty much same as mine but without the wheels I think. I also didn’t get any spare nozzles. Other than that much the same. Sure it will be fine.

 

[Truckcab79]

Cool. Pretty much same as mine but without the wheels I think. I also didn’t get any spare nozzles. Other than that much the same. Sure it will be fine.

Thanks for your advice. I have a back mounted pump sprayer so will use that. As will i use the PPE! Just googled to see what can go wrong! Ouch!
I have ordered this one: (Mainly because its delivered this week!). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QHXR8RJ/?tag=wcf01-21 I will put on this thread what i think of it after i have used it so others can see.
Many thanks Again.

And back mounted sprayer is what I use. Don’t be as stupid as me on my first time though and do make sure the lid is on fully otherwise you’re pumping it into your clothes which hold it nicely against your skin until it’s too late. Nice set of scabby chemical burns as a result. Live and learn.

 

[Pjj]

And back mounted sprayer is what I use. Don’t be as stupid as me on my first time though and do make sure the lid is on fully otherwise you’re pumping it into your clothes which hold it nicely against your skin until it’s too late. Nice set of scabby chemical burns as a result. Live and learn.

Never put a back pack on your back , get a sack truck far safer and you dint have the weight on your back either

 

[Joystick]

Cool. Pretty much same as mine but without the wheels I think. I also didn’t get any spare nozzles. Other than that much the same. Sure it will be fine.

You mentioned drilling and tapping in a grease nipple. I have all the knowledge and kit to do that but i have never done it on a incased bearing? Is it needed to keep it working?

 

[Truckcab79]

You mentioned drilling and tapping in a grease nipple. I have all the knowledge and kit to do that but i have never done it on an incased bearing? Is it needed to keep it working?

I wouldn’t bother until you find it needs it. Mine did. I found the bearings got clogged with grit quite easily, a couple of times mid-job. A strip down and clean out and they were good to go. Actual bearings seemed very nice quality. I did initially fashion a plastic shield to keep more dirt out, but it wasn’t very effective. Pumping it with grease before each job was much more effective. I was amazed given the pressure of the water how little grit it took to stop it spinning. You’ve think it would just power through but not the case.

If you don’t do it in advance then take circlip pliers with you on the job. Pretty essential for disassembly on site. At least it was on mine.

 

[Truckcab79]

Did you buy and use this FSC. Mate of mine looking for something similar and I’ll recommend the one with wheels if your machine was man enough to run it.

 

[Joystick]

Yes it does the job just. I used chemicals first and then used it to wash off afterwards. I more powerful machine is needed really but it works for what I need.

 

[Truckcab79]

Yes it does the job just. I used chemicals first and then used it to wash off afterwards. I more powerful machine is needed really but it works for what I need.

Great. Many thanks. Not sure what machine he has. A Parkerbrand if I recall. Supposedly 11lpm. He’s going to order one.

 

[Truckcab79]

Yes it does the job just. I used chemicals first and then used it to wash off afterwards. I more powerful machine is needed really but it works for what I need.

Well if you’re looking to upgrade I can still recommend the Jetmac Seems to be only going up in price but they pay for themselves quickly I’ve found. Part of me still thinks I should have bought the 21ltr but there’s nothing the 15lpm can’t cope with to date.