Compare Bin Cleaning Equipment Truck vs Trailer Mounts

The success of your business does not depend on having the biggest capacity!  The success of your business depends on building a set up that works for how you want to run your business. 

When you start to compare trash bin cleaning truck mounted vs trailer mounted systems, it’s good to keep an open mind and explore all the different options. There are pros and cons to each as with everything. The goal is to research the differences, as well as the different ways you can put together your equipment to find a set up that will best suit your needs. Remember, no matter what setup you choose, the performance and efficiency of your bin cleaning equipment will be the same in a truck or trailer mounted system.  We’ve put together some points to consider when comparing garbage can cleaning equipment set ups.

 

Truck Mounted Bin Cleaners

Already have a truck, use it! If you already have a truck that would work then it sure makes sense to save money and use what you’ve already got. 

Experience. For some people, its’s just easier to drive a truck and not have to deal with a trailer, especially if they have no experience with towing a trailer and are feeling nervous about it.

Consider the area. If the neighborhoods you going to operate in are tight, a truck mounted bin cleaner might make sense as they are shorter. A truck mounted bin cleaning unit allows you to get into the tighter spaces more easily.

Carrying capacity.  No matter what type of truck you decide to use or already have, you will need to take into consideration the carrying capacity.

  

Trailer Mounted Trash Bin Cleaners

Do you own a vehicle capable of towing a trailer? from a cost perspective this immediately makes this option attractive.

Single Axle Trailer: A single axle trailer is smaller and much easier to maneuver. Great if you want to keep you unit as short as possible. The small size of a single axle trailer makes it more fuel efficient, easier to handle and it’s less expensive than a double.

Double Axle Trailer: A double or tandem axle trailer has two sets of axles. The extra tires allow the trailer to handle more weight. A higher payload capacity means more room for your equipment. Mainly it gives you the option of carrying more water so you can go longer without having to dump and refill your water. Water is 8.3 lbs. per gallon, the weight adds up fast.

Split System: A split system is when you divide your equipment between your vehicle and a trailer. For example, water tanks in your truck and your pressure washer and Wash Bay & Lifter on a small single axel trailer.

Determine Your GVWR Needs: Once you determine the weight of the cargo you expect to haul, add the weight of the trailer to the expected payload capacity to determine the combined weight. Select a trailer with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) higher than the combined weight of the trailer and its load. GVWR - Empty Weight = Maximum Payload Capacity

Understanding the Equipment in your Bin Cleaning Machine

First, let’s go over the basics of all bin cleaning equipment. Every system regardless of the manufacturer is comprised of four parts. A Bin Lifter, Wash Bay/Hooper,  Water Tank(s) & Pressure Washer.  Every manufacture deals with this equipment differently.

Let’s take a closer look at each part.

Bin Lifter: Most manufactures use a costly and oversized single or double bin lifter that was designed to pick up full garbage bins and empty them. These grabbers were designed for use on garbage trucks, that’s why they are large and expensive.

At Bin Wash Systems, we build a compact custom engineered trash bin lifter designed to lift empty trash bins quickly and efficiently.  We build a custom hydraulic bin lifter that is built for the job.  Using equipment that is specifically designed for the job it will be doing keeps costs way down compared to the other way.   

Wash Bay / Hooper: Because a wash bay is large does not mean its efficient. A larger wash bay does not do anything other than add more material that you’re paying for. A wash bay is designed to capture any water and items that come out of the bins as they are being cleaned during the wash cycle. We build a wash bay that is optimally sized to do this in a compact and efficient manner.  

Pressure Washer: They come in all sizes and configurations, bigger is not always better. More GPM does not mean better performance or efficiency. A higher GPM means the more water you are using during the cleaning of a bin therefore the more water you must have on hand throughout the day. 5 GPM is an ideal GPM along with a hot water system. This will help you manage your water capacity as efficiently as possible and provide you with effective cleaning power.

Water Tanks: You must decide whether you will reuse your water or not. Some manufacturers will tell you the only way to go is with 2 tanks one for fresh water and another for waste water, others will tell you to use 1 water tank and to reuse the water.  The truth is that both ways work just fine. it’s just a matter of your preference and what kind of set up you want to build. All sizes and shapes of water tanks are available to meet your needs.

 

The perfect set up is…

Ultimately, the perfect set up will be different for everyone. As we always say the most important thing is to get started! Get yourself up and running so you can start to secure the territory you’ve got your eye on. The trash bin cleaning industry is still new and the growth potential is big. It won’t be this way forever but now is the best time to start. What really makes your business successful is not your equipment, it’s you!

 

 

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