Hi everyone,
I'm just about to pusrchase the "challenger system" and look forward to getting started.
First let me say that I have been reading through the forum and you guys really seem very helpful, supportive, and highly educated in the matter of carpet cleaning and i'd like to say thanks to you all, you have already been a great help for me as I come to you with pretty much 0 knowledge yet of the industry, just trying to soak up as much as I can.
But a few ?'s.
(1)I going to try to concentrate on commercial accounts, should I go with the 1/2, or 3/4 model
(2) I guess I'm kind of "old school" when it comes to this because when i "used" to think of carpet cleaning I would think of the truck mounted HWE, does this seem to be a problem conviencing customers that you can get the job done with your equipment.
(3) what should I expect to pay for insurance and bonding
I have a bunch more ?'s but I'll leave it at this for now until I get my package, but thanks again and I can't wait to climb aboard with you guys and help us all meet our goals.

thanks again everyone, keep positive

Bill Y.

Hi Bill

I also am a little nervous and I have been at it for a while. I have a big job comming up this weekend about $200

Go with the 3/4 speed. Also learn about everything, READ READ READ.

I stay with most resi work. I do plan to get back into comm in a few months.

If you plan to do comm work more then I would consider buying a Cimex. More money but really cut out for comm work. I am sure Mark will tell you that.

As for ins, well to be honest I dont have any at the time. But I will tell you my Allstate agt quoted me 1100 a year for the South part of New Jersey.

Good luck

One more thing on bonding. You dont need it if you are a owner/operator. The bond is worthless unless you have employees.
So dont waste your money on a bond.

Hi Bill
If you plan to seek commercial as well as residential work, I would suggest the extra power in the 3/4 hp machine. To speed up the larger commercial jobs, you ought to buy a sprayer larger than the usual 2-gallon pump-up type that works fine in residential situations. The 5-gallon battery powered, wheeled sprayer from Rocket Spray, Enid, Oklahoma is a good one (just Google "rocket spray" to find their website.) It is rechargeable. About $130 for a reconditioned one, which I have. Has worked fine for several years.

If you find yourself getting large commercial jobs, I suggest at that time adding a high-productivity machine. As mentioned above, the Cimex is one of these. You should also consider the Orbitec CX-20, which I sell as well as Challengers. Challenger has been working on a 20" machine, but at this time it is not available for purchase.

Welcome aboard Bill. I'm currently paying $1100/yr for my insurance, but am switching to State Farm as they quoted me about $800. I'm not bonded for the reason Joe M mentions, though if you have the $$ it doesn't hurt anything.

If you're thinking commercial, you might want the 3/4. I have the 1/2 hp though and I've had no probs with overheating even when I've run it 6-8 hours in a row except for changing pads and such.

As far as the explaining part of it. After your first couple of test jobs, memorize your favorite things about op/low moisture and then whenever somebody asks just fire away. Occasionally somebody is hung up on HWE, when this happens I tell them they can send me away after I do one room if they aren't happy and won't have to pay me anything.

Best of luck to you.

I can't even remember the last time a customer had any response at all to my not using a portable extractor or a truck mount. If asked, I would just tell them in every field, technology and methods change improve over time. The truck mount may have been state-of-the-art in the latter stages of the 20th century, but more effective, water-conserving, and healthier methods have been evolving in recent years.

Hi Mark,
I bet you $20.00 you will not say that on the red board about truck mounts.

I would say it on this board where it is part of the flow of the topic under discussion. Not sure I'd just want to throw it out as a red flag to arouse controversy elsewhere. (Might be fun, though.)

Don't forget the chems. If you are concentrating on commercial then you gotta try encapsulation..its the bomb for CGD. I tried to get one of my browned out Commercial accounts looking good for about 4 **** years to no avail,I was about to throw in the towel until I tried encap..took the brown away,and made it look great!! Now I love commercial! Good Luck!!

Mark, I'm curious about the Orbitec machines. I'm going to wait until I get a few larger sq. foot accounts to invest in a larger machine, but am curious about your thoughts. Do you use or recommend the orbitec with the tank mounted on it, or the other 20" model they sell (model OP 20)? How much time do you figure that these machines save over a 15"? Is the performance and reliability on par with the Challenger? Thanks.

When I first started reading references on forums and bulletin boards to Orbitec machines, they did not seem to generate the same level of respect that other manufacturers got. I think that in more recent years their machines have been improved in design and workmanship. While I don't have the opportunity to use my CX-20 as much as my Challengers, which take a pounding all day, every day, I have been very pleased with it so far. With its 3-gallon onboard tank and 60 psi electrically pumped dual sprayer system, I can knock out large commercial jobs in a hurry. With its 5" rear wheels on the ground during operation, it is very maneuverable and easy to handle. I can either use it with fiber (non-absorbent) pads to scrub in an encapsulant, or with terrycloth pads to scrub & extract soil. Mechanically it has proved to be very sound to date. Take a look at the Orbitec line at
www.orbitecsolutions.com. I sell their products along with Challengers.